Woke Points

What it (Was) Like to Visit Gaza

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. [https://open.substack.com/pub/webandworld/p/what-it-was-like-to-visit-gaza?r=1o80c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=true] 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 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ9PKQbkJv8]" * Ezra Klein's interview with Nimrod Novik [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-different-path-israel-could-have-taken-and-maybe-still-can/id1548604447?i=1000637918937], a fellow at the Israel Policy Forum and a member of the executive committee of Commanders for Israel’s Security * Gaza Sky Geeks [https://gazaskygeeks.com/], Gaza's first and only tech accelerator, which hosted Ted's visits * Gaza Online [https://www.gaza.online/] — help a Gazan tremendously for very little money by buying an eSIM card to provide vital mobile data access to someone in Gaza today * Ted's newsletter, The Web and the World [https://open.substack.com/pub/webandworld/p/what-it-was-like-to-visit-gaza?r=1o80c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=true] We chose not to include our usual bright, upbeat music in this episode, but usually we rely on Inny PDX [https://www.instagram.com/innypdx/]for our excellent tunes — thank you! Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org [https://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 [https://www.instagram.com/wokepointspod/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/wokepointspod], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wokepointspodcast?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]. Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a Coffee [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wokepoints] Have feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Kissinger's Death Sheds New Light on The Secret War — with Legacies of War's Danae Hendrickson

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 [https://www.legaciesofwar.org/bio-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 Obituaries [https://www.todayintabs.com/p/the-new-england-review-of-henry-kissinger] * Henry Kissinger, the Devil at the Dinner Party [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/henry-kissinger-new-york-city-obituary.html] * Henry Kissinger Dead at 100 [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/henry-kissinger-new-york-city-obituary.html] * Why Laos Has Been Bombed More than Any Other Country [https://www.history.com/news/laos-most-bombed-country-vietnam-war] * Kennedy and Khrushchev Agree on Neutrality for Laos [https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kennedy-and-khrushchev-agree-on-neutrality-for-laos] * Tham Piew Cave [https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tham-piew-missile-cave] * Biden: sending cluster munitions to Ukraine was ‘difficult decision,’ but ‘they needed them' [https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/07/politics/joe-biden-cluster-munitions-ukraine/index.html] * Convention on Cluster Munitions [https://www.clusterconvention.org/] * Mother of Five Killed by UXO [https://laotiantimes.com/2023/12/07/mother-of-five-killed-by-uxo-continues-to-portray-burden-of-secret-war/] * Legacies of War's The Originals [https://www.legaciesofwar.org/the-originals] Books: * Jessica Pearce Rotondi, What We Inherit [https://bookshop.org/a/92883/9781951213077] * Naomi Klein, Shock Doctrine [https://bookshop.org/a/92883/9780312427993] * Zygmunt Bauman, Modernity and the Holocaust [https://bookshop.org/a/92883/9780801487194] Who to Support: * Legacies of War [https://www.legaciesofwar.org/] * MAG International [https://www.maginternational.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsburBhCIARIsAExmsu73ukULjev_PLb9LNZq0aH4PSMK5Z68PzP47qFrHSTpCrWORyllLgUaAozcEALw_wcB] * COPE [https://copelaos.org/] * APOPO [https://apopo.org/?v=7516fd43adaa] Thank you to Inny PDX [https://www.instagram.com/innypdx/]for the music! Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org [https://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 [https://www.instagram.com/wokepointspod/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/wokepointspod], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wokepointspodcast?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]. Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a Coffee [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wokepoints] Have feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Outdoorsy Talk with Real Scientist Dr. Joe Boomgard-Zagrodnik

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, Topophilia [https://bookshop.org/a/92883/9780231073950] * Links: * William Cronon, “The Trouble with Wilderness [https://www.williamcronon.net/writing/Trouble_with_Wilderness_Main.html]” Keep learning from Joe: The Convergence Zone [https://theconvergencezone.com/] Twitter/X [https://twitter.com/joejoezz] Google Scholar [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=kok88kUAAAAJ&hl=en] Thank you to Inny PDX [https://www.instagram.com/innypdx/]for the music! Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org [https://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 [https://www.instagram.com/wokepointspod/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/wokepointspod], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wokepointspodcast?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]. Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a Coffee [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wokepoints] Have feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

Taking a Shot at Talking Guns

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 Moon [https://bookshop.org/a/92883/9780307742483] * One Hundred Years of Solitude [https://bookshop.org/a/92883/9780060883287] Links: * Pew, “Key facts about Americans and guns [https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/]” * Pew, “Gun Violence Widely Viewed as a Major – and Growing – National Problem [https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/06/28/gun-violence-widely-viewed-as-a-major-and-growing-national-problem/]” * HCN, “Meet the gun-toting ‘Tenacious Unicorns’ in rural Colorado [https://www.hcn.org/issues/53.2/south-communities-meet-the-gun-toting-tenacious-unicorns-in-rural-colorado]” * TNR, “Antifa Is Arming Itself Against a Trump Crackdown [https://newrepublic.com/article/154110/antifa-arming-trump-crackdown]” * Atlantic, “Guns Have Always Been Regulated [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/guns-have-always-been-regulated/420531/]” * Harpers, ”Good Guys with Guns [https://harpers.org/archive/2020/04/good-guys-with-guns-socialist-gun-club/]” * Gallup, “Stark Gender Gap in Gun Ownership, Views of Gun Laws in U.S. [https://news.gallup.com/poll/406238/stark-gender-gap-gun-ownership-views-gun-laws.aspx#:~:text=%25%20Who%20personally%20own%20a%20gun&text=The%20latest%20data%2C%20from%202021,%2D2008%20to%2022%25%20currently.]” * Atlantic, “The Secret History of Guns [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/09/the-secret-history-of-guns/308608/]” * NJSBF, “The Evolution of the Second Amendment [https://njsbf.org/2020/11/10/the-evolution-of-the-second-amendment/]” * Socialist Rifle Association [https://socialistra.org/about/] * The Pink Pistols [https://www.pinkpistols.org/] Thank you to Inny PDX [https://www.instagram.com/innypdx/]for the music! Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org [https://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 [https://www.instagram.com/wokepointspod/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/wokepointspod], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wokepointspodcast?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]. Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a Coffee [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wokepoints] Have feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com

The Atlantic's Elliot Ackerman on Reinstating the Draft

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 [https://time.com/5696950/bring-back-the-draft/] about reinstating the draft * Pre-order Elliot's latest book, 2054 [https://bookshop.org/a/92883/9780593489864] * Buy Elliot's National Book Award-nominated novel, Halcyon [https://bookshop.org/a/92883/9780593321621] * Read more of Elliot's thoughts on war and military service in his book, Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning [https://bookshop.org/a/92883/9780525559986] * Elliot's recent interview with Terry Gross [https://www.npr.org/2023/11/10/1211788853/a-marine-veteran-says-the-contradictions-of-war-can-make-you-feel-insane] — that's right, we interviewed someone before Terry Gross did! Thank you to Inny PDX [https://www.instagram.com/innypdx/]for the music! Woke Points uses affiliate links for purchases made with the excellent Bookshop.org [https://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 [https://www.instagram.com/wokepointspod/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/wokepointspod], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@wokepointspodcast?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]. Help keep Woke Points going & growing with support through Buy Me a Coffee [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wokepoints] Have feedback and/or topic suggestions to share? email: wokepointspod@gmail.com