EP 153 Brave New Arctic
In studying the changing climate in the Arctic region, you can foreshadow what patterns we will detect where we live. In his new book, ‘Brave New Arctic: the Untold Story of the Melting North’, Mark Serreze, a renowned climatologist and Director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center, has come to the disquieting conclusion that surface temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as the rest of the globe and that man’s impact is contributing substantially to the change. He now believes we are Geo-engineering our own planet and that we’ve entered the Anthropocene. He will get your attention in this podcast with his calm, yet authoritative, demeanor. While you may meet people who question climate change, none will have the credentials and the experience of this man, who came to his conclusions reluctantly. Take a listen.
NATIONAL SNOW AND ICE DATA CENTER
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ian Bremmer’s new book, ‘Us Vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism’, captures the public’s disquiet with the way elites have sold us a present that holds much for the few and little for the many. He tells us that you can pick your grievance–free trade, open borders, demographic shifts, failed wars or rampaging technology–and its setting in motion political convulsions. Every area he surveys shows a divide between the haves and have nots that is sharpening. He sees societies, literally, at war with themselves. So where does this lead us? Find out as Ian Bremmer makes his case, as he always does, in a compelling manner.
We might imagine that the conviction of Bill Cosby is a watershed moment for women across the country crying out to be heard as to the assaults they have suffered at the hands of men in their life. It’s about time when we consider these statistics: one in three women will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime and that over sixty percent of those assaults are not reported to police. Justice has been a long time coming for so many who have been abused by their own family members at a young age. So now that that the veil of secrecy has been lifted how is our society responding to the new day? We invited Dr. Arlyne Diamond to join us to discuss this painful issue. Is there any chance we will get the crime and punishment issues right in these cases? Will we become nuanced enough to recognize a hierarchy of harm and prescribe the right remedy, whether that be imprisonment, rehabilitation or restitution? These are hard questions for a society that for so long has simply looked the other way. We delve in to the topic on this podcast
To some, the syndrome defies definition. To others who’ve experienced it, it’s a living hell. Best simplified, it is a set of behaviors that involve the mental manipulation of a child by one parent in order to destroy the relationship they once shared with the other parent. That systematic take down of the other parent is a strategy that might well influence custody decisions by family courts. It’s complicated and it’s messy. And at times has resulted in protracted court battles and shocking decisions to leave children in the hands of abusive parents. Kelly Jones, the ex-wife of ‘ Info Wars’ Alex Jones, joins us to discuss her experiences with parental alienation and her road to a jury trial in which she was named Primary Parent in 2017. She is a passionate advocate for family court reform. You’ll find out why in this riveting account of her story.
In 2016, two events brought us back to an examination of Appalachia in ways we hadn’t, perhaps, since the 1960’s ‘War on Poverty’. One was the headline that it was ground zero for America’s ‘forgotten tribe’ of white working class voters who made up Trump Country. The other was the publishing of the influential book, ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ by J. D. Vance. Elizabeth Catte, a writer and historian from East Tennessee, feels that many voices have been omitted when trying to simply put this region into a monolithic box and call it ‘other America’. She tries to provide a different aperture into the lives and culture of the region in her book, ‘What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia’. That examination is available for you here in her own words.
We all recall the civil rights struggles regarding lunch counters, buses and other public accommodations, yet many have overlooked the fences and barricades that have blocked the public right to ocean access to many. Beachfront property owners, wealthy towns and private homeowners’ associations have put up a range of physical and legal barriers to restrict access and maintain the exclusivity of our beaches. While some states, and not necessarily blue ones, have opened the waterfront to all, many progressive states on the east coast retain vestiges of the past. In his book, ‘Free the Beaches’, Professor Andrew W. Kahrl tells the story of civil rights activist, Ned Coll, and his crusade to open up the beachfronts of Connecticut towns and hamlets to inner city children in the civil rights era. Listen and learn on this episode.
America is now an oil exporter. Saudi Arabia has been one for the better part of a century, first in partnership with Standard Oil of Southern California(now Chevron)and over time on their own. The history of Saudi Arabia is inextricably linked to the business acumen of the ruling family and their ability to make ‘God’s gift’ to the Kingdom one that they controlled and used to maintain their power. Now, on the verge of the largest IPO in history, we check in with Dr. Ellen Wald, author of ‘Saudi, Inc.: The Arabian Kingdom’s Pursuit of Profit and Power’ to determine what state of U.S.-Saudi relations have been and are today. Saudi Arabia will be in the news a lot in the coming period. With a new Crown Prince in his 30’s the world imagines a different Saudi Arabia going forward. We will put this mysterious kingdom in context for you in this podcast.
Ninety miles from Florida’s southern tip lies the intriguing political story of Cuba. Long-time enemies, trying to spread Communism in our sphere of influence, once a client state of the former Soviet Union, we must consider what kind of risk or opportunity the island holds for us today. With Fidel Castro dead and Raul handing power over to a designated successor, is the new boss same as the old boss, or will the cultural and political bonds between our nations be mended? President Barack Obama began re-establishing relations in his second term, but the current Administration is less inclined to continue that process. In this podcast, we turn to Roseann Lake, a reporter for ‘The Economist’ magazine in Cuba, for her insights.