All Things Connected

Dr. Paul Mohai, a giant in the environmental justice field and professor at University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainabilty, joins the podcast to discuss "what is environmental justice? and why is it important?" and issues related to the long fight for environmental justice across the nation and in Michigan

Background reading:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/climate/climate-environmental-justice.html?campaign_id=54&emc=edit_clim_20200617&instance_id=19473&nl=climate-fwd%3A®i_id=56711652&segment_id=31148&te=1&user_id=b63b0963550f6ee10b4316cb678dbe80 (The Environmental Justice wake up call) (New York Times, Lisa Friedman and Julia Rosen)

https://www.newsweek.com/2016/04/08/michigan-air-pollution-poison-southwest-detroit-441914.html (Choking to Death in Detroit: Flint Isn’t Michigan’s Only Environmental Justice Disaster) (Newsweek, Zoe Schlanger) 

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/21/philadelphia-covanta-incinerator-recyclables-china-ban-imports ("Moment of Reckoning" as China bans imports of US recyclables )(The Guardian)

Welcome to “Cancer Alley,” Where Toxic Air Is About to Get Worse (Tristan Baurick, ProPublica)

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Award-winning science journalist and forthcoming author of the book "Lady Anatomy" https://www.rachelegross.com/ (Rachel E. Gross) joins the podcast to discuss the changing landscape of journalism, including the perverse incentives created by a primarily digital model, whether journalists should strive for “objectivity” or “moral clarity” in today’s hyper-partisan, “post-truth” environment, the ways that social media drives division and conspiracy thinking, forgotten heroes of reproductive health and the anatomy of the clitoris, the recent J.K. Rowling controversy, cancel culture, increasing pressure for ideological conformity on the American left, and other fascinating topics. You can get more of Rachel's witty, provocative and insightful personality on https://twitter.com/rachelegross (her Twitter. )

Background reading:

https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/07/16/how-objectivity-in-journalism-became-a-matter-of-opinion (Moral clarity vs. Objectivity) (The Economist)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/opinion/objectivity-black-journalists-coronavirus.html (A Reckoning over Objectivity, led by black journalists) (New York Times)

https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-future-of-democracy/how-can-the-press-best-serve-democracy (How can the press best serve a democratic society?) (The New Yorker)

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-clitoris-uncovered-an-intimate-history/ (The Clitoris, Uncovered: An Intimate History) (Rachel Gross, Scientific American)

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200526-dr-gisella-perl-the-auschwitz-doctor-who-saved-lives (The Auschwitz doctor who couldn't 'do no harm') (Rachel Gross, BBC News)

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200103-the-female-scientist-who-changed-human-fertility-forever (The female scientist who changed human fertility forever) (Rachel Gross, BBC News)

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/opinion/when-the-left-turns-on-its-own.html (When the Left Turns On Its Own) (Bari Weiss, New York Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/podcasts/the-daily/2020-election.html (Journalism Lessons from 2016 )(The Daily - The New York Times)

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/27/845559713/starving-the-watchdogs-who-foots-the-bill-when-newspapers-disappear (Starving The Watchdogs: Who Foots The Bill When Newspapers Disappear )(Hidden Brain / NPR)

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Ph.D. candidate in Educational Studies at the University of Michigan, former two-term president of the Rackham Student Government and activist-scholar https://soe.umich.edu/news/naomi-wilson-wins-ford-dissertation-fellowship-poverty-solutions-gsra-funding-rackham-public (Naomi Mae) joins the podcast to discuss the recent Black Lives Matter protest movement, the history of racist ideas in the U.S. and how patently racist policies continue to undermine Black Americans, the unequal representation of Black Americans in leadership positions in the U.S. , racial disparities evident in the criminal justice system, and what reforms are needed to address each of these.

Background reading:

-https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/04/race-genetics-science-africa/ (There's No Scientific Basis for Race ) by Elizabeth Kolbert in National Geographic

-https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/20/books/review/richard-rothstein-color-of-law-forgotten-history.html (A Powerful, Disturbing History of Residential Segregation in America) New York Times review of Richard Rothstein'shttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33021688-the-color-of-law ( "The Color of Law" )

-https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/159598977.pdf (The New Jim Crow:) essay by Michelle Alexander based on her book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6792458-the-new-jim-crow ("The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" )

-https://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice?language=en (We Need to Talk about an Injustice )talk by Bryan Stevenson

-https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/bryan-stevenson-on-the-frustration-behind-the-george-floyd-protests (Bryan Stevenson on the Frustration Behind the George Floyd Protests )The New Yorker

-http://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/home/#:~:text=Slavery%20by%20Another%20Name%20is,ended%20with%20the%20Emancipation%20Proclamation. (Slavery by Another Name )PBS Documentary

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Expert in the ecology of infectious diseases and wildlife ecology, https://seas.umich.edu/research/faculty/johannes-foufopoulos (Dr. Johannes Foufopoulos )joins the podcast to discuss fundamental topics related to infectious diseases, including what distinguishes a virus from a pathogen and parasite and the difference between virus and bacteria.

We also discuss the link between COVID-19 and anthropocentric pressures on the planet and its species, including wildlife trade, deforestation, and land use change. We discuss the abhorrent practices in the wildlife trade including bear and tiger and pangolin farming across southeast Asia, the origins of the AIDS and SARS pandemics and the parallels of those stories to COVID-19, the ethics of bush meat hunting versus farming wildlife for medicinal purposes, whether humans recognize and will change in response to the existential threats posed by pandemics and climate change, the importance of individual action to create environmental change but also the role of institutions, and Johannes' interpretation of the first law of ecology, that everything is connected.

Background reading:

-https://sustainabilitycommunity.springernature.com/posts/63681-how-the-current-pandemic-links-to-broader-questions-of-sustainability-in-the-anthropocene (How the current coronavirus pandemic links to questions of ecological sustainability in the anthropocene)

-https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/science/coronavirus-pangolin-wildlife-ban-china.html (China’s Ban on Wildlife Trade a Big Step, but Has Loopholes, Conservationists Say)

-https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/24/vietnam-bans-imports-of-wild-animals-to-reduce-risk-of-future-pandemics-coronavirus (Vietnam bans imports of wild animals to reduce risk of future pandemics)

-https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/05/science/animal-farms-southeast-asia-endangered-animals.html (Asia’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Makes Tigers a Farm-to-Table Meal)

-https://www.newscientist.com/article/2239913-how-realistic-is-contagion-the-movie-doesnt-skimp-on-science/ (The realistic, factual scenario underlying the plot of the movie Contagion)

If you would like to ensure the continuation of All Things Connected podcast, please consider supporting this work at: patreon.com/all_things_connected

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In this second trailer, I explain why I named the show "All Things Connected" and why you will rarely hear me make statements beginning with "I think" or "I feel," and the importance of presenting data and evidence to support points in these conversations.

If you would like to leave anonymous feedback on the show you can do so using this https://forms.gle/RV1jNfXcHo8jtrPm8 (Google Form. )

The referenced talk by George Monbiot on Yellowstone National Park's wolves and how they shaped the ecology of the entire park can be found https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q (here. )

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Hanna-Attisha (Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha,) who almost single-handedly exposed the Flint Water Crisis, joins the podcast to discuss lessons from her excellent book "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42040559-what-the-eyes-don-t-see (What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City"), which was named one of the New York Time's 100 most notable books of the year in 2018.

Dr. Mona is the Director of the Pediatric residency program at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan. In 2016 she was named one of https://time.com/collection-post/4301337/marc-edwards-and-mona-hanna-attisha-2016-time-100/ (Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world). She was also awarded the Heinz Award in Public Policy (2017), was named one of Politico's 50 most important people in 2016 and won the James C. Goodall Freedom of Expression Award in the same year.

In this conversation we discuss what factors gave rise to this crisis and what we can learn from it, her role as an activist and how this provides an example to other change-makers, the invisible forces, especially policies, that shaped this crisis and our society, how anti-democratic laws directly precipitated this crisis, https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/attacks-on-science (the dark age of science) we are living through and its implications, the state of environmental injustice in Michigan and America, the resilience of Flint and its people, and many other topics. 

Background reading:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/opinion/sunday/flint-inequality-race-coronavirus.html (I’m Sick of Asking Children to Be Resilient )(Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, New York Times)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/14/opinions/flint-water-myths-scientific-dark-age-roy-edwards/index.html (Flint Water Crisis shows dangers of "Dark Age of Science)" (Marc Edwards, CNN)

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-11-22/pm2-5-air-pollution-harms-human-health-reduces-iq-in-children (The Devastating Impacts of Air Pollution on Children) (Bloomberg)

A written plus audio transcript of this episodehttps://app.podscribe.ai/episode/48346487 ( is available here )

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Leadership/life coach and author Nicola Taggart joins the podcast to discuss the journal she published, https://www.freepeople.com/shop/calm-the-chaos-journal/?color=000&countryCode=US&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpLmGvfK26gIVTNbACh0fzQaqEAQYBSABEgK35fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&inventoryCountry=US&size=One%20Size ("Calm the Chaos: A Daily Practice for a More Mindful Life" ), the research-based practices behind it, and other topics related to mindfulness and gratitude.

Nicola and Jared discuss the research underlying the importance of taking time for gratitude and self-reflection, the importance of daily rituals and maintaining structure in our days, the asymmetry between what feels good in the moment versus what’s good for us in the long term, research supporting the idea that our brains have a negativity bias, and other topics.

You can learn more about research supporting the importance of practicing daily gratitude https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good (here)

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Founder of both https://rescueinstyle.com/ (Rescue in Style) and https://rescuechi.com/ (Rescue Chicago), a registered 501C3 animal rescue organization, Christine Nendick joins to discuss the state of homeless dogs and cats in our country. Many people are not aware that we euthanize more than 733,000 dogs and cats every year in the U.S., most of them entirely healthy.

While Christine and Jared largely discuss issues related to rescue, including the causes of the vast number of homeless pets, some of the myths around rescue dogs and why they are not valid, why often adopting or fostering a dog can be a safer choice than going through a breeder, the problem with puppy mills and the link between dogs for sale at a pet store and puppy mills, breed discrimination particularly against pit bulls, the importance of visiting one’s local animal shelter, etc., they also discuss larger topics in social good like the best way to influence behavior change amongst friends and family, whether charitable causes fall on a continuum of good or whether all social causes should be viewed as equally important, the importance of recognizing others’ priorities might not match our own, and others.

For every review of this episode or forwarding the episode to a friend I will donate $5 to https://emancipet.org/ (Emancipet,) which provides low-cost spay/neuter in at-need communities, or to an animal rescue of your choice.

https://rescueinstyle.com/ (Learn more about Christine) or follow her https://www.instagram.com/rescueinstyle/ (on Instagram)

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CEO of the David Lynch Foundation for Australia, public speaker, and meditation teacher Mark Bunn, who has practiced transcendental meditation for 30 years joins the podcast. In this conversation, we discuss the various modalities of meditation practices available and how they are differentiated, what distinguishes transcendental meditation from other practices, the four states of consciousness and how TM enables individuals to access higher states, the longitudinal research associated with TM and health benefits like optimal neurological functioning, cardiovascular health, longevity, IQ, alleviating ADHD and PTSD, and other fascinating topics.

Background reading:

Transcendental Meditation: A Scientific Perspective by Quantum Physicist John Hagelin, PhD

Drugs and the Meaning of Life by Sam Harris

Seven-year follow-up shows lasting cognitive gains from meditation (Science Daily)

CEO of the David Lynch Foundation for Australia, public speaker, and meditation teacher https://markbunn.com.au/ (Mark Bunn,) who has practiced https://my.captivate.fm/tm.org (transcendental meditation) for 30 years joins the podcast. In this conversation, we discuss the various modalities of meditation practices available and how they are differentiated, what distinguishes transcendental meditation from other practices, the four states of consciousness and how TM enables individuals to access higher states, the longitudinal research associated with TM and health benefits like optimal neurological functioning, cardiovascular health, longevity, IQ, alleviating ADHD and PTSD, and other fascinating topics.

Background reading:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ6zUzm16JM&t=643s (Transcendental Meditation: A Scientific Perspective) by Quantum Physicist John Hagelin, PhD

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/drugs-and-the-meaning-of-_b_891014 (Drugs and the Meaning of Life) by Sam Harris

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180405093257.htm (Seven-year follow-up shows lasting cognitive gains from meditation )(Science Daily)

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