Didactic Synapse
hip-hop, politics, education, movies, books, killer robots, and video games
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It’s been a really long time since I’ve done a podcast, and I appreciate all the kind words of encouragement (and demands) that I’ve gotten. Here, finally, is the new show! (Yay.)
DS#98: A Huge Explosion of News
Top Links + Action
- Forbes: Wall Street Costs The Economy 2% Of GDP Each Year
- Wall Street’s threat to the American middle class
- What I Want People To Understand About Why Teachers Are Frustrated
- Take Action:Â Free Raif!
Current Events
- Baltimore riots: the fire this time and the fire last time and the time between
- Rachel Dolezal
- It Isn’t Crazy to Compare Rachel Dolezal With Caitlyn Jenner, But They’re Very Different
- Dolezal on MSNBC
- An American Kidnapping (This is the story that should be getting the media’s attention!)
- Scott Walker!
- Fracking!
- High levels of benzene found in fracking waste water
- Documents Reveal EPA’s National Fracking Study Halted by Industry Pressure
- EPA Study of Fracking Finds ‘No Widespread, Systemic’ Pollution (Be sure to read the article above for important info about what’s not in the EPA study.)
- Oil & gas execs ‘pressured’ Oklahoma geologists not to reveal fracking-quakes link
- Upstate New York towns consider secession after state bans fracking
- Florida Lawmakers Pass Bill That Arrests Local Efforts To Ban Fracking
- Small amounts of fracking chemicals found in Pennsylvania drinking water
- Ebola: Early calls for help ‘ignored’ says MSF
Economics
- Walmart to give 500,000 employees pay raises, improve scheduling and training programs
- Classic Wall Street Villain to Haters: “Bite Me”
- Reflections on Stress and Long Hours on Wall Street
- A father’s heartbreaking essay about the untimely death of his 22-year-old Goldman Sachs analyst son
- Banks Prep Defense for Anti-Wall Street Campaigns
- Barack Obama advances rule hitting Wall Street, financial advisers
- We Thought Our Pay Would Be Higher, Wall Streeters Say in Poll
- HFT satire from The Onion: Wall Street Firm Develops New High-Speed Algorithm Capable Of Performing Over 10,000 Ethical Violations Per Second
- SkyMall Files for Bankruptcy
Education
- NPR: Where Have All The Teachers Gone?
- NPR: How Do You Motivate Kids To Stop Skipping School?
- BW: News Corp.’s $1 Billion Plan to Overhaul Education Is Riddled With Failures
- An Open Letter to Governor Walker
Killer Robots, Etc
- These military-funded robots learn by watching YouTube
- Japanese bank introduces robot workers to deal with customers in branches
Hip-Hop
Lupe Fiasco: “Mural”
We’re on track to have a new show every month, but let’s just see how long that lasts, shall we?
DS#97: Charlie, Chinny, and Chamillionaire
Top Links
- Kosher grocery employee, a Muslim, hailed as hero for hiding customers
- Nobel Laureate Stiglitz Blocked From SEC Panel After Faulting High-Speed Traders
- French arrests draw charges of free speech hypocrisy
- Take Action:Â Stop the flogging of Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi
Current Events
- Scholar Tariq Ramadan, Harper’s Rick MacArthur on Charlie Hebdo Attack & How the West Treats Muslims
- “Circus of Hypocrisy”: Jeremy Scahill on How World Leaders at Paris March Oppose Press Freedom
- Charlie Hebdo: first cover since terror attack depicts prophet Muhammad
- Albert Camus’ The Plague: a story for our, and all, times
- Anti-fracking leaflet ‘withdrawn’ after vicar’s accuracy claim
- Top 20 Most Popular Democracy Now! Interviews of 2014
Economics
Education
Killer Robots, Etc
Hip-Hop
Chamillionaire: Don’t Shoot
It’s a new show for a new year. Enjoy!
DS #96: Wall Street Is Your Enemy
Top Links
- I’m an Instructor at the 2015 UW-Madison Writers’ Institute
- I Don’t Know What to Do With Good White People
- Michael Lewis: Eight Things I Wish for Wall Street
- Take Action:Â YWCA Action Center
Current Events
- President Jeb? KRS-ONE called it with “I’m On The Mic”
- Defense Lawyers March In Brooklyn To Protest Police Killings
- Deadly suicide bombing interrupts play condemning suicide bombings
- New York moves to ban fracking
Economics
- The Tech Worker Shortage Doesn’t Really Exist
- 3 things Wall Street doesn’t want you to know
- Ben Edelman, Harvard Business School Professor, Goes to War Over $4 Worth of Chinese Food
Education
Killer Robots, Etc
- A “Precise” U.S. Drone War? Report Says 28 Unidentified Victims Killed for Every 1 Target
- Cyberdyne Wants to Offer Robot Suit HAL in the U.S.
- Tablets and E-readers May Disrupt Your Sleep
- What do you get Pope Francis for his birthday? 1,760 pounds of chicken meat.
Hip-Hop
- Dana Dane is Coming To Town
I know sometimes it seems like this blog is just a list of recent SynCast episodes, but .. well, I can’t think of a way to finish that sentence. I should write more here, but I guess I feel like I need something special when it’s time to write. Also I’m mad busy! Deal with it.
Anyway, in this episode I reflect on Ferguson, the US midterm elections, the TPP trade agreement, and (of course) fracking. Enjoy!
DS#95: Castrating Pigs on a Urine Comet
Top Links + Action
- Afghan Villagers Say NATO Airstrike Killed 7 Civilians
- Lt. Gen. Dan Bolger on DemocracyNow
- The Police Are Still Out of Control. I should know. by Frank Serpico
- Take Action:Â Human Rights in Ferguson!
Current Events
- In Texas, Traffic Deaths Climb Amid Fracking Boom
- Pentagon Confirms Islamic State Got U.S. Arms Drop
- The Truth About The Wars
- FBESP (2008): There is No War in Iraq
- Officer’s Errant Shot Kills Unarmed Brooklyn Man
- Hillary Clinton’s Wall Street problem
- Zephyr Teachout on Bill Moyers
Economics
- Prosecutors suspect repeat offenses on Wall Street
- Lori Wallach: Obama & McConnell Pledge Cooperation; Will Fast-Tracking Secretive TPP Trade Deal Top Their Agenda?
- FTC: AT&T slowed speeds of unlimited data smartphone users
Killer Robots, Etc
Hip-Hop:Â Dem Atlas
It’s been months, but this show is worth the wait. Over two hours of didactic goodness! We’re covering everything from Iraq to Edward Snowden to people pretending to be US Department of Energy spokesmen. Plus — as always — we give you the latest on fracking and high-frequency trading, with a visit from everyone’s favorite cigar-sucking businessman.
Enjoy!
Top Links
- Amazing Grace: Woman in Iran halts the execution of her son’s murderer
- Video:Â Glenn Greenwald and Paul Rieckhoff on Real Time with Bill Maher
- Video: Posing as US Officials, Yes Men Announce Renewable Energy Revolution at Homeland Security Congress
Take Action
Current Events
- Video:Â Neil DeGrasse Tyson on race, gender, science, and society
- The Yes Men
- DN: Extended interview with the Yes Men
- Yes Men fake DoE speech
- Trailer: The Yes Men Fix the World
- Net Neutrality
- Fracking
- Dave Zirin on LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling
- Amazing Grace: Mother of Oklahoma murder victim asks for clemency
Economics
- Millionaire survey: Higher taxes, please
- For the Love of Money
- Strike at Chinese factory supplying Adidas and Nike
- Michael Lewis: “Wall Street has gone insaneâ€
- BW: Companies choose profits over productivity
- Video:Â Joseph Stiglitz on Tavis Smiley
- Video:Â William Easterman on Tavis Smiley
- Video:Â Matt Taibi on DN
- UK “aid†is financing a corporate scramble for Africa
- McDonald’s CEO says We provide “real careersâ€
Education
- NPR: What is quality pre-K education?
- DN: Jim Crow in the classroom
- ProPublica: Segregation Now
- InBloom shuts down amid concerns over privacy
Killer Robots, Etc
- Google’s Robot-Buying Binge
- The Bureau of Investigative Journalism: Covert Drone War
- Glenn Greenwald describes Edward Snowden’s background and why he leaked the NSA documents
- BW: The Flu tricked Google. Can Wikipedia do better?
- AdWeek: Waiting in line: You’re stupid
- Trailer:Â Drone: The Movie
- Pepper the robot knows when you’re sad, will give you a hug
Hip-Hop
I’m postponing the discussion of hip-hop for a special episode coming soon. Stay tuned!
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