Episodes

  • 231: New Age Bible, Postmodern Novel (w/ Sheila Heti)

    231: New Age Bible, Postmodern Novel (w/ Sheila Heti)
    Nov 7 2024
    Rapid-response electoral punditry is not our lane. So, while we gather our feelings and thoughts, Matthew hosts novelist Sheila Heti for a discussion of her encounter with A Course in Miracles, and what she discovered when she investigated its origin story for Harper’s Magazine. Was Helen Schucman, the book’s “scribe”, mentally ill? Was she unduly influenced by her boss at Columbia Medical School, William Thetford, who once worked for the CIA’s MKUltra programme, and with whom she was clearly in love, even though he was gay? Were they dropping acid on assignment from Langley? Why was the initial dictation of the book so radically altered by its first editors? Why did Helen Schucman curse A Course in Miracles so soon after publication? Why did she keep writing trite poems to Jesus before dying in bitterness? Heti was the ideal gumshoe for this project, because as a novelist all-too-familiar with internal voices and the feeling of “channeling,” she was able to feel her way into Helen’s life. Matthew asks her what she found. Show Notes The New Age Bible — Sheila Heti Sheila Heti — website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Bonus Sample: Elections on 3 Continents

    Bonus Sample: Elections on 3 Continents
    Nov 4 2024
    Having lived under Apartheid in South Africa, voted in the UK, and now staring down this terrifying US election, Julian reflects on the political differences between the three countries. Stay tuned for some hopeful poetry at the end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
  • Brief: No Really, They’re Coming For Your Pets

    Brief: No Really, They’re Coming For Your Pets
    Nov 2 2024
    Recently, “holistic veterinarian” Marcie Fallek, whose latest book, “Little Miracles Everywhere: My Unorthodox Path to Holistic Veterinary Medicine," is the #1 bestseller on Amazon in the Alternative Holistic Medicine category, appeared on Children's Health Defense's daily morning show. During “Pet Vaccines and Holistic Vet Care" she spreads the same sort of vaccine misinformation and fear-mongering that RFK Jr's nonprofit has become infamous for. All of which made Derek realize that yes, they're actually coming for our pets. Show Notes Why Your Vet Bill Is So High Private Equity Is Killing Your Pets Nearly 70% of veterinarians have lost a colleague or peer to suicide, study finds The acute suicide crisis among veterinarians: 'You're always going to be failing somebody' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • 230: How Did We Get Here?

    230: How Did We Get Here?
    Oct 31 2024
    With days left before the most consequential US election in our lifetime, we reflect on the last 4.5 years of this podcast while expressing our hopes–and our own reporting goals—for the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 32 mins
  • Relief Project #3: Michelle Cassandra Johnson

    Relief Project #3: Michelle Cassandra Johnson
    Oct 29 2024
    Matthew here with the third installment of Five Big Questions Posed to an Extremely Thoughtful Person. Michelle Cassandra Johnson was an early guest on our show and helped us lay the groundwork for understanding the reality and impacts of racism in the worlds of wellness and new spirituality. She’s an author, activist, and racial equity trainer. Her latest book, A Space For Us: A Guide For Leading Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Affinity Groups, was published by Beacon Press in August 2023. She lives in North Carolina with her sweet dog, Jasper, and her honeybees. Show Notes Michelle Cassandra Johnson Conspirituality 40: White Supremacy: Grift and Gravity (w/Michelle Cassandra Johnson & Daniel Lombroso) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • Bonus Sample: Tucker Carlson's Daddy Issues

    Bonus Sample: Tucker Carlson's Daddy Issues
    Oct 28 2024
    Derek discusses Tucker Carlson advocating for corporal punishment as a way to discipline children in his appearance at the Turning Points USA MAGA rally. Show Notes Stephen Colbert: Tucker Carlson’s Weird Daddy Issues Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
  • Brief: Leonard Leo’s Plan to “Crush” Democracy

    Brief: Leonard Leo’s Plan to “Crush” Democracy
    Oct 26 2024
    Billionaire legal activist Leonard Leo has had a role in placing all six conservative justices on the SCOTUS, and so therefore is in large part responsible for the overturning of Roe V Wade. But his right-wing activism isn’t even close to over, as he recently stated during a rare interview with The Daily Wire. Derek and Julian discuss Leo’s dark vision for the future. Show Notes Swamp Creatures 6: Leonard Leo, Judicial Kingmaker Inside Leonard Leo’s Plan For Conservatives To ‘Crush Liberal Dominance’ We Don’t Talk About Leonard: The Man Behind the Right’s Supreme Court Supermajority Leonard Leo’s Extremely Revealing Letter to a Dark-Money Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • 229: Stanford Has Fallen

    229: Stanford Has Fallen
    Oct 24 2024
    On Oct 4, Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine, economics, and health research policy at Stanford, held a symposium at his university. Titled “Pandemic Policy: Planning the Future, Assessing the Past,” it was marketed as an open-minded series of panel discussions involving a range of experts to debate and discuss the efficacy of Covid mitigation techniques. In reality, it was a collection of mostly anti-vax and definitely anti-lockdown contrarians that tried in vain to bait people like Dr Peter Hotez to attend in order to give the event an air of legitimacy. Held on the anniversary of the “Covid is bad for business” doctrine, The Great Barrington Declaration, the day presented an opportunity to air supposed “censorship” grievances and demands that the public should have a say in the science of future pandemics. The rub: most everyone involved is invested in the economics of public health, not the science, though those lines were freely and falsely blurred throughout the day. Considering Stanford’s new president, economist Jonathan Levin, gave the opening remarks, the Covid contrarians took one more step into the mainstream with their business-first, science-whatever attitudes. Show Notes Pro-COVID UK Charity With Anti-Vax Ties Behind Controversial Stanford Health Policy Conference Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says a failing economy is worse than coronavirus Dr. Vinay Prasad: “Public Health’s (Mis)Truth Problem” Can Stanford Tell Fact from Fiction? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 15 mins