Current Affairs

Sparky and Eli are joined by Max Alvarez, editor-in-chief at The Real News, and a very special guest—Michael Foster, an organizer with RWDSU (Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union), who has been at the forefront of the effort to unionize workers at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama.

Links:

rwdsu.info

https://therealnews.com/amazon-workers-demand-to-be-treated-like-human-beings

https://therealnews.com/danny-glover-why-the-fight-against-amazon-in-bessemer-matters

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/business/amazon-union-alabama.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/business/amazon-union-bessemer-alabama.html

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The team discuss going to Mars, the reopening of schools and go in-depth on qualified immunity.

Next episode, we'll be listening to your voicemails! If you have a question, please leave a voicemail at (504) 867-8851 and it might get played and answered on the show.

The panel this week was made up of associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, contributing editor Eli Massey, finance editor Sparky Abraham, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and host Oren Nimni.

Whitey on the Moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goh2x_G0ct4

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

This episode was originally released on our Patreon feed, but we've decided to release it for all listeners. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to our Patreon feed at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs for more episodes like this!

Eli and Oren speak to two experts who have each been working for twenty years to bring attention to what goes on at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp: Shayana Kadidal (@ShayanaKadidal), senior managing attorney of the Guantánamo Global Justice Initiative at the Center for Constitutional Rights (@theCCR), and Carol Rosenberg of the New York Times (@carolrosenberg), winner of the Robert F. Kennedy journalism award for her peerless work on the subject. Please be advised this episode contains discussion of suicide.

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

This episode was originally put on our Patreon feed back in November, but in light of the recent energy crisis in Texas, we've decided to unlock it for everyone. If you like this episode, please consider subscribing to our feed at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

Infrastructure enthusiast Sparky Abraham is joined by Dr. Magnus Jamieson, an expert in electrical power systems, to discuss the fire which destroyed the town of Paradise, California in November 2018—the most destructive wildfire in California's history, caused by a single faulty electrical line and a whole bunch of systemic problems. Warning: this episode contains a lot of nerding out about transmission towers.

The fire report: https://www.buttecounty.net/Portals/30/CFReport/PGE-THE-CAMP-FIRE-PUBLIC-REPORT.pdf?ver=2020-06-15-190515-977

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The team uses the viral video of Handforth Parish Council as a jumping-off point to discuss the thorny concept of "community"; Sparky makes renting illegal; everyone explains something that makes them believe in the beauty of the universe.

The panel this week was made up of finance editor Sparky Abraham, contributing editor Aisling McCrea, editor-in-chief Nathan Robinson, and host Nick Slater.

Handforth Parish Council: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGmYeAm0jk

Windowswap: https://www.window-swap.com/

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

This episode was originally released only to our Patreon subscribers, but we're making it free for everyone today! In this episode, infrastructure enthusiast Sparky Abraham speaks to Megan Milliken Biven about abandoned oil wells.

"The Wreckage of the Last Energy Epoch": https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/01/the-wreckage-of-the-last-energy-epoch-abandoned-wells-and-workers

https://www.truetransition.org/

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The panel debates whether art has been over-moralized, argues the benefits of short-selling, and airs their petty grievances. At one point, someone triggers the Dialectics Calypso.

The panel this week consisted of amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, finance editor Sparky Abraham, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your temporary host is Aisling McCrea.

"Beyond the Guilt Tax": https://thepointmag.com/criticism/beyond-the-guilt-tax/

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Music by Danny Bradley.

This episode was originally posted on the bonus feed, but we're releasing it for everyone today!

Sparky speaks to Sam Yang (@StuffFromSam) of Southpaw, a radical podcast about combat sports. In the first of this two-parter, Sam explains why he's building an alternative to the Joe Rogan universe, labor issues in the world of MMA, and exploitation and liberation in the Western practice of martial arts.

Southpaw podcast is here: https://www.southpawpod.com/

Sparky and Pete took a little break from the MMT series over the holidays. (You can see one of the reasons at the link below.) But don't worry—more episodes are on their way.

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/01/welcome-babies

Finance editor Sparky Abraham is joined by contributing editor Eli Massey, activist and filmmaker Astra Taylor, and journalist Elizabeth Bruenig to discuss the American medical debt crisis—who's behind it, what's being done about it, and potential paths to eradicating it.

"Churches Step In Where Politicians Will Not": https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/opinion/covid-medical-debt-church-charity.html

"A Saint's Sins": https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/16/opinion/junipero-serra-catholic-saint.html

https://debtcollective.org/

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.