Last Born In The Wilderness

Alexander Koch joined me to discuss the groundbreaking new scientific paper, Earth system impacts of the European arrival and Great Dying in the Americas after 1492, which he is a lead author of. As the title suggests, the research indicates that dramatic global climatological changes resulted from Indigenous peoples first contact with Europeans in the Americas in 1492—an event that resulted in massive population decline across the continents. Koch and his colleagues’ research has been making the rounds in the media, getting extensive coverage at The Guardian, BBC, The Hill, and numerous other outlets. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/alexander-koch // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

I speak with Clare Farrell, co-founder and spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion (XR), a nonviolent international social movement that aims to drive radical change to minimize species extinction and avert climate breakdown. This discussion includes an overview of the principles and the proposed demands of this movement, the global implications of climate change and environmental disintegration and how it informs the activism of those involved in the movement, and how XR engages in ground-level organizing in communities across the United Kingdom and internationally as well. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/clare-farrell // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In my second joint interview with RS, we speak with Shane Burley​, journalist and author of Fascism Today: What It Is and How To End It. Our discussion covers numerous topics, including the "Intellectual Dark Web" (or, as Shane says, "the academics that circle around Joe Rogan​ for some reason"); the pseudoscientific claims surrounding race, ethnicity, and IQ; and an examination of observable patterns within far-right insurgency, as detailed in his recent Commune Magazine article,​ A History of Violence. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/shane-burley-2 // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this episode, I speak with independent political analyst Eric Draitser. He expands upon his analysis of recent events in Venezuela, expressed in his piece in CounterPunch, Trump’s Coup in Venezuela: The Full Story, in which he lays into the recent decision by the Trump Administration to back “interim president” Juan Guaido as the rightful leader of the nation. Eric Draitser defines the celebrated successes of the ongoing Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela under the successive governments of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro, the legitimate criticisms of the current Maduro-led government, the colonial legacy of the United States’ relationship with Latin America in general, and what this ongoing incursion by the United States into the Venezuelan government and economy will ultimately lead to in the future. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/eric-draitser // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

I speak with Michael Laufer, chief spokesperson for the Four Thieves Vinegar Collective. Four Thieves is a network of individuals that seeks to make commonly inaccessible medicines affordable and accessible to the public. We tackle the ethics behind the project, the anticapitalist/anarchist structure of the network, and the various DIY technologies the Collective has been able to make more affordable and accessible to those who need it most. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/michael-laufer // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

Indigenous artist, activist, and author Gord Hill—also known as Zig Zag—joined me for this episode. He has authored and illustrated numerous books and graphic novels, including the excellent The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book and The Antifa Comic Book. A major theme that runs through this discussion is the recognition of the growing intersection between traditionally Eurocentric leftist political theory and praxis with anti-colonial Indigenous resistance throughout the so-called American continents, from North to South. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/gord-hill // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

In this joint interview, RS and I speak with Dahr Jamail, investigative journalist and the author of The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption. After meeting Dahr for his book release at Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon, we sat down with Jamail to discuss his journey writing this book. // Episode notes + video: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/dahr-jamail-3 // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

I speak with Dean Spillane-Walker, author of The Impossible Conversation: Choosing Reconnection and Resilience at the End of Business as Usual and the host of The Poetry of Predicament podcast. We pick up where we left off from our first discussion on The Poetry of Predicament: how to approach a more sane and connected means of discussing our "predicament-laden times" in the face of radical social change, abrupt climate disruption, and the collapse of the global economic order in the face of these ongoing crises. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/dean-spillane-walker // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

I speak with Dr. Karla Tait—clinical psychologist, Director of Programming for the Unist'ot'en Healing Center, and member of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in so-called British Columbia, Canada. I asked Dr. Tait to bring us up to speed on the details surrounding the recent invasion of Wet'suwet'en Territory by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on January 7th, the legal dimension of this ongoing confrontation between the Wet'suwet'en people and the proposed Coastal GasLink pipeline project being pushed through by the Canadian government, and what this unfolding situation means for the sovereignty of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation. // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/karla-tait // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast

I’m joined by Trebbe Johnson, author of Radical Joy for Hard Times: Finding Meaning and Making Beauty in Earth's Broken Places. We discuss how in a "world devastated by human interaction and natural disaster—from clearcutting and fracking to extreme weather and urban sprawl—creating art, ritual, and even joy in wounded places is essential to our collective healing.” // Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/trebbe-johnson // Sustain + support: https://www.patreon.com/lastborninthewilderness // Donate: https://www.paypal.me/lastbornpodcast