A whole lot has been happening in the Middle East since October 7th, and there's been no shortage of coverage of the conflict on news, social media, and almost anywhere else we look.But what was it like to visit before all this started — and especially, what was it like to visit Gaza? Listen in as Ted describes his experiences mentoring startups there in 2015 and 2017. This is an atypical episode — no music, and no Marni — but we hope this can help add some context to what's happening in the region today.Ted will read excerpts from a series of essays he's posting on his weekly newsletter, The Web and the World. If you'd like to read more about his time there (and see photos of Gaza in a time of peace), take a look there as well.Resources from this episode:John Oliver's excellent coverage of the war on "Last Week Tonight"Ezra Klein's interview with Nimrod Novik, a fellow at the Israel Policy Forum and a member of the executive committee of Commanders for Israel’s SecurityGaza Sky Geeks, Gaza's first and only tech accelerator, which hosted Ted's visitsGaza Online — help a Gazan tremendously for very little money by buying an eSIM card to provide vital mobile data access to someone in Gaza todayTed's newsletter, The Web and the WorldWe chose not to include our usual bright, upbeat music in this episode, but usually we rely on Inny PDX for our excellent tunes — thank you!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

When Henry Kissinger died, various obituaries struggled to sound respectful while recounting his long history of war crimes and dastardly deeds. Woke Points, on the other hand, will not be burdened with that struggle.Ted and Marni are joined by Danae Hendrickson of Legacies of War to discuss the Secret War that Kissinger led in Laos and Cambodia during the (far-from-secret) war in Vietnam. Together we discuss the devastating impacts that 2 million tons of bombs dropped on Laos in the 1960s and '70s still have to this day.  Danae shares her personal history with The Secret War and the important work of Legacies of War and other NGOs striving to shed light on, and ameliorate the continued harm of,  the war and its aftermath.Resources from this episode:The New England Review of Henry Kissinger ObituariesHenry Kissinger, the Devil at the Dinner PartyHenry Kissinger Dead at 100Why Laos Has Been Bombed More than Any Other CountryKennedy and Khrushchev Agree on Neutrality for LaosTham Piew CaveBiden: sending cluster munitions to Ukraine was ‘difficult decision,’ but ‘they needed them'Convention on Cluster MunitionsMother of Five Killed by UXOLegacies of War's The OriginalsBooks:Jessica Pearce Rotondi, What We InheritNaomi Klein, Shock DoctrineZygmunt Bauman, Modernity and the HolocaustWho to Support:Legacies of WarMAG InternationalCOPEAPOPOThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Getting outdoors has never been nerdier! Atmospheric scientist and avid ultra runner Joe Boomgard-Zagrodnik joins Ted and Marni to bring a truly informed, scientific perspective on how we can conscientiously enjoy the great outdoors.We talk climate change, optimism, microplastics and much much more. If you like Woke Points then you should love Joe BZ because he originally introduced Ted and Marni when they crewed for him at The Western States 100  race.Books referenced in this episode:Yi-Fu Tuan, TopophiliaLinks:William Cronon, “The Trouble with Wilderness”Keep learning from Joe:The Convergence ZoneTwitter/XGoogle ScholarThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Some folks on the left have adopted the maxim that the "best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." Listen in as we discuss our own reaction to that belief, and the practice of using guns to defend threatened groups from the violence of oppressors.Marni and Ted share stories of groups in the minority who are taking up arms for their protection, and discuss our own experiences with, and feelings about, guns. Resources from this episode:Books:Killers of the Flower MoonOne Hundred Years of SolitudeLinks:Pew, “Key facts about Americans and guns”Pew, “Gun Violence Widely Viewed as a Major – and Growing – National Problem”HCN, “Meet the gun-toting ‘Tenacious Unicorns’ in rural Colorado”TNR, “Antifa Is Arming Itself Against a Trump Crackdown”Atlantic, “Guns Have Always Been Regulated”Harpers, ”Good Guys with Guns”Gallup, “Stark Gender Gap in Gun Ownership, Views of Gun Laws in U.S.”Atlantic, “The Secret History of Guns”NJSBF, “The Evolution of the Second Amendment”Socialist Rifle AssociationThe Pink PistolsThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Having served five tours of duty as a Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan, Elliot Ackerman knows what he's talking about when it comes to military service.  He makes the argument that a draft could increase public engagement with the military and thus potentially reduce wars because everyone would have more skin in the game.  In this episode, Ted and Marni talk to Elliot about how his experience informs his perspective and if he sees any real potential for a universal draft to be brought to fruition. Resources from this episode:Elliot's Time article about reinstating the draftPre-order Elliot's latest book, 2054Buy Elliot's National Book Award-nominated novel, HalcyonRead more of Elliot's thoughts on war and military service in his book, Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and ReturningElliot's recent interview with Terry Gross — that's right, we interviewed someone before Terry Gross did!Thank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Ted is super Outdoorsy and Marni is more Outdoors-ish, but we both love our time in the woods, on the water, and just out in the fresh air. In this episode, we explore (see what I did there?) how to love the outdoors without destroying them. Resources from this episode:COVID spikes in Outdoor RecreationOutdoor Activities and Greenhouse Gas EmissionsThe impact of urbanization on Austria’s carbon footprintTrail running events contribute microplastic pollution to conservation and wilderness areasNat Geo article: Rock climbing is getting more popular—and that concerns conservationistsApparently helicopters use lead fuelHelicopters with SAF! Promising for general travel too“Your stoke won’t save us: The idea that outdoor recreation leads to meaningful conservation rests on a big ‘if’Are We Loving Our National Parks to Death?Ted and Marni's favorite Wilderness ReadsThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Most Americans pass every day blissfully unaware of the impacts our military has around the world. We are insulated by a volunteer military that carries out global campaigns while we go about our lives. On this episode, Ted and Marni discuss whether a national, inclusive draft could result in increased civic engagements and fewer wars.Resources from this episode:Why Bringing Back the Draft Could Stop America’s Forever WarsHow I Learned to Love the DraftShould the United States Reinstate the Draft?Watson Institute Cost of War Map — Counterterror LocationsCFR (Council on Foreign Relations) data on military demographicsCountries with Mandatory Military Service, 2023Skin in the Game: Poor Kids and PatriotsThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Chorus Foundation founder Farhad Ebrahimi is in the process of giving away all $50 million of his inherited wealth, and he'll be done by the end of this year.Listen to this episode to learn not only why is Farhad giving away his fortune, but is encouraging others to follow his lead. Beyond his own foundation, he's part of a larger movement to work with others across society to imagine a future beyond philanthropy as we know it.Resources from this episode:The Chorus Foundation — Farhad's OrganizationThe Whitman Institute —Trust Based PhilanthropyJustice FundersThe Mexico City Policy — Ted couldn't remember the name of this during recording, but it's important knowledge!Vu Lee's Blog "Nonprofit AF"Boot's Riley's "I'm a Virgo"Winners Take All, by Anand GiridharadasPineapple Street, by Jenny Jackson — a surprisingly relevant beach readThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Author of multiple books on national identity and patriotism,  Duke's Noah Pickus brings his historically-informed perspective to this week's episode.This conversation goes beyond our emotional responses to patriotism and expands into some deep topics, like the relationship between patriotism and immigration policy, and what it even means to be a citizen of a place.Resources and recommendations from this episode:Buy Noah's latest book, The New Global UniversitiesBuy Noah's other books, True Faith & Allegiance: Immigration and American Civic Nationalism and Immigration & Citizenship in the 21st CenturyDismal Science: How Thinking Like an Economist Undermines Community"What does it mean to be an American?""The Home We Build Together: Recreating Society"Connect with Noah via Linkedin and TwitterThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

When you approach a house flying an American flag, do you feel welcome? When you hear the national anthem, do your eyes well with tears of national pride? Do you bleed red, white, and blue? Can you answer yes to any of the questions above and still consider yourself politically progressive? In this episode, Ted and Marni discuss their own relationships with patriotism as well as how it seems to have been co-opted by the right. We ask if progressives should try to re-stake our claim on patriotism, and if so, how we can go about it.Thank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

If you've had enough Marnsplaining, then this episode is for you! Ted and Marni welcome Kelly Hodgins to add her brilliantly informed perspective around equity in our food system.Born and raised on farms in Canada and New Zealand, Kelly brought her interest in farming into her academic career where she focused her research on food and agriculture systems, and did a lot of public engagement on different food system issues, such as food waste and inequality in food access. She's conducted significant research  exploring the classed dynamics of the “ethical” or “alternative” food system. You can read about her work here and here.Episode resources and notes:Correction: Ted stated that organic farming requires more water; this is not necessarily true, often it requires LESS water! 1940’s United Fruit Company video of the banana supply chain Ted referenced featuring “the Great White Fleet,” a great watch Netherlands protests around climate & farming regulations Is it possible to make 'ethical' food available to all, not just the rich?Access to ‘ethical’ food often available only to the wealthyThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Season three is here, and if we say so ourselves it's a Snack! Join Ted and Marni for a conversation about how progressives sometimes focus more on elitist dietary practices over increased food access for all.Here are some of the items we mention during the episode:One of our favorite TikToks about City life - thank you Jane Jacobs!The book that inspired that TikTok and that Marni is currently (slowly) reading.Donate to MAG, a great organization helping save lives and open land to farming and tourism in Laos by getting rid of all those bombs America dropped in Laos during the “Secret War"If you’d rather fund some amazing cute rats helping de-mine Cambodia (and other places), APOPO is doing amazing work saving lives and boosting economic development as well.Want to support a US organization that is addressing food deserts? Check out Daily TableWest Seattle's Delridge Farmer's MarketPandemic worsens food deserts for AmericaHouse republicans' policy related to food accessThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Season 3 starts on September 19th so now is the time to subscribe!We have a lot of fun in store for you this season like...Food PoliticsPatriotismPhilanthropy (should we abolish it?)and much much more!Thank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

In our last bonus episode before season 3, Ted and Marni talk about Americans' relationship to international travel, our shared love for solo travel, and why wanderlust drives us both.Thank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Another bonus episode! Join Ted and Marni for an earnest conversation with professional Dominatrix and fetish wrestler Katarina "The Domme Kat" Pierce, and sexual health educator Momo, about the wide world of sex work. We'll get their perspective on *everything* Sex Robots too. Did we mention that Momo had a sex robots blog back in the 2000s?Learn more about Kat via her website or Instagram, or visit her Link Tree. Follow and learn (and laugh!) from Momo on Instagram.Check out this book that comes up during the episode as well.  Thank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Podcaster, Political Commentator and founder of the More Freedom Foundation Rob Morris joins Ted and Marni for this bonus episode to reveal the unseen violence of US Sanctions, and we do our very best to have fun while doing it.Check out Rob across multiple social channels:YouTubeTwitterInstagram, TikTok, and Threads: @morefreedomfoundation Listen to Rob's podcastRead Rob's BookThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying Woke Points?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Just like any reputable educational institution, Woke Points works in semesters. So now's the time we sign off for Ted and Marni to take a summer break! Now is also a great time to catch up on any episodes from Season 1 or Season 2 that you've missed. Season 3 is coming at the end of August.Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

University of Alabama Communications Professor and author AJ Bauer joins Ted and Marni for this week's deep dive into the history of truth and fairness in media.  By the end, we wonder, "is truth even the right goal?"Follow AJ on Twitter, and buy his books: the acclaimed News on the Right: Studying Conservative News Cultures, and his forthcoming Making the Liberal Media.Resources from this episode:Institute for Public KnowledgeNews on the Right: Studying Conservative News CulturesThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying season 2?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

In this episode, Ted blows Marni's mind by explaining to her that once upon a time it was legally mandated that news outlets (at least those using terrestrial channels) present both sides of a story.  Our current Fox News vs MSNBC world seems very far from the days of the Fairness Doctrine. While we recognize that cable news would not actually fall under the decree of the rule we discuss in this episode, we do wonder whether it could have helped us avoid the extremes we live with now. Resources from this episode:Host: Deep into the mercenary world of take-no-prisoners political talk radio by David Foster WallaceZiegler's takedown of David Foster Wallace5 Facts About Fox NewsWhat Happened When Fox News Viewers Watched CNN for a MonthTrump Couldn't Have Incited Sedition Without Fox NewsFairness Doctrine Topic GuideThank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying season 2?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Have you had enough Sex Robots talk yet? Of course not! In this episode, Ted and Marni welcome Tania Leiman, Dean of Law at Flinders University, and legal scholar Madi McCarthy (no relation to Ted), both of whom have studied and written extensively about how the law handles intimate AI.Find Tania's publications here.Thank you to Inny PDX for the music!Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org, so if you purchase books through these links you help sustain both our podcast *and* independent bookstores across the country — thank you!Enjoying season 2?Please stay subscribed and continue to follow us to stay apprised of updates and new episodes!Follow Woke Points:@wokepointspod on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a CoffeeHave feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com