On this very special episode of the SynCast, I speak with my friend and teaching colleague Dr. Lucy Polo. Her work in sociology has taken her to Colombia, Bolivia, and many other places. For 15 years she worked in the south Mexican state of Chiapas, where the Zapatista movement transformed the way people around the world think about indigenous communities, neoliberal economics, and democracy itself. 

Enjoy this discussion about her life and work, the people she met in Chiapas, and how the EZLN raised the consciousness of everybody who came into contact with its unique forms of activism.

• Wikipedia: Zapatista Army of National Liberation

Summer is here and after a year of being Audio AWOL, I'm back with a huge brain full of stuff to dump on you. Now that school is off for three months, I felt the urge to turn on the mic and just word vomit for two hours.

Some topics I discuss: 

• Energy as a resource like time + money

Enjoy! Lemme know what you think.

Send questions and thoughts. (The more I get, the more likely I am to make another podcast sooner rather than later.)

Hawaii's Tragedy, UK Beer, Floreda Psychology, and 50 Years of Hip-Hop

____________________

First Things

• Hello, Floreda!

Current Events

• Hawaii and climate change

• Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro is barred from running for office until 2030

Economics

• UK alcohol tax changes

Education

• Florida now says AP Psychology allowed in schools

Killer Robots, etc

• Robotaxis in San Francisco
  • SEIU Local 87 President Olga Miranda in favor, most other labor leaders against

Hip-Hop

• Kool Herc’s first block party was 11 August 1973
  • Call of Duty “celebrates” 50 years of hip-hop

A special treat on the day before my new scifi novel Delivery to Nimbus X drops. Here's Chapter 1 of the audiobook, exclusively released to my awesome SynCast audience.

The other chapters will appear on this feed in the weeks ahead. Thanks for listening, and enjoy!

On this very special episode, I give thanks for my mom Linda and step-dad Rob! Listen as we discuss their lives and loves, their jobs and journeys. We recorded these conversations in Florida during the summer of 2021.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

A discussion of fake binaries, the need to resist oversimplification, and how to sustain the complexity. Featuring audio from Alan Watts.

Plus: A first look at the Nimbus X book!

Links

• Alan Watts: Prickles & Goo

A short little SynCast, especially aimed at my teacher friends. As some of you know, Teacher Appreciation Week is a sick joke. But I was inspired by Sarah Kay to share some of my teaching-related poems. So … enjoy!

• Facebook Live video

Poem Titles:

1. Shove Yer Appreciation

or: How Scientology Helped Me Better Understand #BLM

On this episode I dig through a documentary about Scientology, how it connects to my fascination with NXIVM, and what it can teach us about the psychological torment of Black folks (and people of color) all over the United States.

On this episode, I discuss how we find purpose, what it means to "be yourself", and how people become convinced that true happiness lies in a cult, a political affiliation, a street gang, a corporate logo, or a social media brand.

I'm still trying to master the art of simultaneously broadcasting live on Facebook and recording the SynCast at the same time, so I apologize for any hiccups I didn't fix. 

Thanks for listening and let me know: How did you figure out who YOU are? (Or maybe you're still figuring that out. Tell me about it.)

Links:

• FB Live video of this episode

On this episode, for the first time ever, I also broadcast LIVE on Facebook! If — for some reason — you want to see me wave my hands and bumble around with my cell phone as I talk, check out this link: https://www.facebook.com/eric.s.piotrowski/videos/10225133308901262

Otherwise, enjoy a brief discussion of masks, militancy, and meme markets. Special shout-out to JASOGOLLECGHHERR for that last article!

Links:

• DukeSkath on Twitter