NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING

Before her sudden death in 2021, Guru Jagat had become a famous Kundalini yoga teacher based in Los Angeles. But as the global pandemic grew, she started talking like a far-right coronavirus conspiracy theorist. What does her journey down the rabbit hole tell us about the appeal of conspiracies in the yoga and wellness community?

Yoga's "Queen of Conspiracy Theories" explores Guru Jagat’s rise to fame and follows along as she responds not just to the pandemic, but to a #metoo movement scandal that rocked the Kundalini yoga world in early 2020. It also explores themes of misinformation, how a healthy distrust in government and medicine can turn dark, the "relativism around truth" in the wellness industry and the influence of social media on radicalization.

The series first came out in December 2022. We're republishing it because it's one of our favorites and remains relevant. We've updated the series with a fourth episode.

In this first episode, Guru Jagat starts the pandemic with an understandable skepticism of official medical advice, but quickly grows to embrace an array of far-right conspiracy theories. 

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Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

This week, Imperfect Paradise is featuring Part 3 & Part 4 of a four-part series from How To LA. 

HTLA host Brian De Los Santos and producer Evan Jacoby are taking a closer look at L.A. Mayor Karen Bass's "Inside Safe" program. They also recap some of the big questions we've asked throughout the series, and bring a new question to many of our guests from the previous episodes: "What should the relationship be between mutual aid volunteers and government agencies?"

If you want to learn more about mutual aid in Los Angeles, check out Evan's reporting on LAist.com

Or, if you want to learn about mutual aid groups in your neighborhood and maybe join them, check out these resources:

Los Angeles: 

• https://mutualaidla.org/get-involved/
• https://thepeoplesproject.la/get-aid/

National:

• https://www.mutualaidhub.org/

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains strong language and includes sensitive content about drugs, rape, suicide, and death.

For substance dependency and mental health support and resources, call SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or text 988.

Guests in Part 3: Nono, unhoused resident of an Inside Safe motel in Palms; Nick Gerda, LAist Unhoused Communities Reporter; LA Mayor Karen Bass; Councilmember Kevin de León of Council District 14; Councilmember Nithya Raman of Council District 4; Hawk, U.S. Veteran & Skid Row Resident

Guests in Part 4: Aria Cataño, founder of WaterDrop LA; Ndindi Kitonga, founder of Palms Unhoused Mutual Aid (PUMA); Councilmember Nithya Raman of Council District 4; Benjamin Henwood, PhD, professor of social policy and health at the University of Southern California

Music in Part 3 episode composed by: Chris Schlarb, Dexter Thomas, Evan Jacoby, Geir Sundstøl, Meitei, Ricky Eat Acid, Woo

Music in Part 4 episode composed by: Dexter Thomas, Evan Jacoby, Ill Considered, Meitei, Nala Sinephro, Ricky Eat Acid

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Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Listen to a panel discussion led by Antonia Cereijido (she/her), host of the Imperfect Paradise podcast from LAist Studios about chronicling the 58-year history of the longest running theatre of color in the U.S.

Full Event Info: Here

Guests:

Zandi De Jesus (she/her), actress

Yu Gu (she/her), director

Tamlyn Tomita (she/her), actress

 (Recorded live on Dec. 12, 2023)

Watch full episodes at Pbssocal.org/Artbound or the free PBS app.

Listen to a panel discussion led by Antonia Cereijido (she/her), host of the Imperfect Paradise podcast from LAist Studios about how Angel City Press has been shaping and influencing public understanding of LA for decades.

Full Event Info: Here

Guests:

Richie Kulchar (he/him), Director of ARTBOUND, Angel City Press

Terri Accomazzo, Editorial Director, Angel City Press

Paddy Calistro & Scott McAuley, Publishers, Angel City Press

 (Recorded live on Nov. 14, 2023)

Watch full episodes at Pbssocal.org/Artbound or the free PBS app.

This week, Imperfect Paradise is featuring Part 1 & Part 2 of a four-part series from How To LA. 

Unsheltered life in L.A. can be dangerous and even deadly — and there has been a massive increase in the death rate for unhoused people in the county over the last few years.
There is work being done by the mayor’s office to get people off the street and into temporary housing. But the promise of services — whether in the form of housing, treatment for substance addiction, or mental health counseling — cannot help if people aren’t alive in 6 months, a year — or 5 — to receive them.
While they wait, many unhoused people have come to rely on mutual aid volunteers to cover their immediate needs, from overdose prevention to fresh drinking water.
In this mini-series from How To LA, host Brian De Los Santos and producer Evan Jacoby explore what these mutual aid groups actually do for our unhoused neighbors, and where these service gaps come from in the first place.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains strong language and includes sensitive content about drug overdose and death.

For substance dependency and mental health support and resources, call SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or text 988.

Guests in Part 1: Ndindi Kitonga, founder Palms Unhoused Mutual Aid (PUMA); Jesse Goldshear, volunteer with PUMA and postdoc researcher studying public health at the University of California, San Diego; Aria Cataño, co-founder of WaterDrop LA; Sade Kammen, volunteer with WaterDrop LA and social worker in Skid Row

Guests in Part 2: LA Mayor Karen Bass; Councilmember Kevin de León of Council District 14; Councilmember Nithya Raman of Council District 4; Hawk, U.S. Veteran & Skid Row Resident; Sade Kammen, Volunteer With WaterDrop LA; Nick Gerda, LAist Unhoused Communities Reporter

Music in this episode composed by: Chris Schlarb, Dexter Thomas, Evan Jacoby, Floating Points, Geir Sundstøl, Ill Considered, Imaginary Softwoods, indiegamemusic.com, K. Leimer, Laurie Spiegal, Nala Sinephro, Laurie Spiegal, Meitei, Ricky Eat Acid, Woo

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Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Listen to a panel discussion led by Antonia Cereijido (she/her), host of the Imperfect Paradise podcast from LAist Studios about how Artists-In-Residence programs provide artists opportunities to create uninterrupted work.

Full Event Info: Here

Guests:

Christine Lee (she/her), artist

Jia Yi Gu (she/her), Director and Curator at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture

Kimberly Glann (she/her), Sr. Manager, LA County Department of Arts and Culture

Carol Zou (she/her), artist

 (Recorded live on Nov. 7, 2023)

Watch full episodes at Pbssocal.org/Artbound or the free PBS app.

Part 4: What’s the history behind the on and off-stage gender dynamics in Western magic? And what impact did the summer of 2020 have on the field of DEI? Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido explores these questions with magic historian Margaret Steele and Amber Johnson, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff of the Division for Equity and Inclusion at UC Berkeley.

For more, visit https://LAist.com/ImperfectParadise

Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate

Go to HelloFresh.com/imperfectfree and use code imperfectfree for FREE breakfast for life! One breakfast item per box while subscription is active.

Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

Listen to a panel discussion led by Antonia Cereijido (she/her), host of the Imperfect Paradise podcast from LAist Studios about how, following the Watts Uprising, UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television enacted affirmative action policies to increase the enrollment of students of color in the film program—a group that had historically been underrepresented in the student population.

Full Event Info: Here

Guests:

Ben Caldwell (he/him), educator and filmmaker

Moctesuma Esparza (he/him), entertainment executive

Luis Garza (he/him), photojournalist and curator

Alile Sharon Larkin (she/her), artist and educator

Storme Sweet (she/her), executive director, Aliah Sweet Fragile Hearts Foundation

 (Recorded live on Oct. 24, 2023)

Watch full episodes at Pbssocal.org/Artbound or the free PBS app.

Part 3:  Carly Usdin is at risk of getting kicked out of the Magic Castle. Plus, after 2020, the Magic Castle makes changes to address issues of inclusion, including setting up a Diversity and Inclusion Committee. LAist Senior Producer Natalie Chudnovsky explores how the Castle’s promises to do better pan out, several years later. 

For more, visit https://LAist.com/ImperfectParadise

Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate

Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months!

Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

Listen to a panel discussion led by Antonia Cereijido (she/her), host of the Imperfect Paradise podcast from LAist Studios about artist David Alfaro Siqueiros' popular Olvera Street mural "América Tropical".

Full Event Info: Here

Guests:

José Figueroa (he/him), filmmaker, co-founder - Dignicraft

Oscar Magallanes (he/him), artist, co-founder - 3B Collective

Rebecca Zamora (she/her), independent scholar, arts professional

 (Recorded live on Oct. 3, 2023)

Watch full episodes at Pbssocal.org/Artbound or the free PBS app.