KPFA - Against the Grain

Renowned mycologist Paul Stamets talks about mushrooms, human health, bee populations, psychoactive fungi, and more. The post Fund Drive Special: Paul Stamets appeared first on KPFA.

According to the spiritual explorer and teacher Ram Dass, we are far too busy being somebody. The post Fund Drive Special: Ram Dass on “Becoming Nobody” appeared first on KPFA.

A radio and web media project whose aim is to provide in-depth analysis and commentary on a variety of matters — political, economic, social and cultural — important to progressive and radical thinking and activism. The post Against the Grain – December 12, 2022 appeared first on KPFA.

Lynne Twist discusses her new book “Living a Committed Life: Finding Freedom and Fulfillment in a Purpose Larger Than Yourself.” The post Fund Drive Special: A Committed Life appeared first on KPFA.

The world seems in dismal shape and only set to get worse. And capitalism appears to be the only option, spinning us further and further out of control. But Danny Dorling argues that if you take the longer view, stepping back and looking at measures like the rates of economic growth, innovation, debt, population growth, and more — the world is actually slowing down. He argues that it augurs a transition out of capitalism to a more stable society. Photo credit: Mc Gale The post Fund Drive Special: The Ebbing of Capitalism? appeared first on KPFA.

Sidewalks take us places, but they’re also places of their own, where all sorts of people come together and interact. Shannon Mattern, who has written about the history of the sidewalk, claims that we’re entering a new era of sidewalk planning, use, and politics, driven in large part by advances in communications, surveillance, and smart technologies. (Encore presentation.) Sarah Sharma and Rianka Singh, eds., Re-Understanding Media: Feminist Extensions of Marshall McLuhan Duke University Press, 2022 Shannon Mattern, A City Is Not a Computer: Other Urban Intelligences Princeton University Press, 2021 The post Sidewalk Planning and Politics appeared first on KPFA.

Why does the United States intervene militarily around the world? Supporters might claim that the U.S. acts in the interests of national security. For critics, a likely answer would be that the country wants to exercise influence and domination over others. Journalist Andrew Cockburn, however, argues that a great number of military decisions are based on financial benefit and profiteering, including for rival bureaucracies within the military. (Encore presentation.) Andrew Cockburn, The Spoils of War Power, Profit and the American War Machine Verso, 2021 The post The Spoils of War appeared first on KPFA.

Where can one find an outstanding example of decentralized democracy? Richard Franke describes a remarkable initiative launched in the Indian state of Kerala that devolved power to the community level, made local development a bottom-up process, and drew on mass mobilizations to bring to light people’s needs and how best to address them. T.M. Thomas Isaac and Richard W. Franke, People’s Planning: Kerala, Local Democracy and Development LeftWord Books, 2021 The post Democratic Development appeared first on KPFA.

Atlanta is a pivotal city for reasons cultural, economic, and political. And so the changes that the city and metropolitan area have undergone since the 1990s have been consequential, deepening class and racial inequality. As Dan Immergluck points out, these shifts were not the inevitable product of market forces, but the result of political decisions. He lays out the lessons that can been drawn from the gentrification of Atlanta. Resources: Dan Immergluck, Red Hot City: Housing, Race, and Exclusion in Twenty-First-Century Atlanta UC Press, 2022 The post The Gentrification of Atlanta appeared first on KPFA.

Belief conjures up political fanaticism and blind religiosity.  But evolutionary anthropologist Agustín Fuentes argues that belief is also connected to our capacities to imagine, create, and change the world for the better. He reflects on why the ability to commit passionately and wholeheartedly to an idea is a central part of what makes us human. (Encore presentation.) Agustín Fuentes, Why We Believe: Evolution and the Human Way of Being Yale University Press, 2019 The post The Evolution of Belief appeared first on KPFA.