Oats for Breakfast

Episode Notes In this episode, we tackle the housing crisis with James Hardwick, a seasoned activist with over a decade of experience supporting adults facing poverty and houselessness. Drawing on his insightful series of articles for Canadian Dimension, we explore some pressing questions in the housing debate. Can immigration be blamed for rising housing costs? Will building more homes solve the crisis? What approaches should be taken to address homelessness? You can find James' articles on housing here: https://canadiandimension.com/articles/author/james-hardwick Have thoughts about the show? You can write to oatsforbreakfastpod [at] gmail [dot] com. Music: "Home Sweet Home" by Willbe. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Norman Finkelstein is a political scientist whose work focuses on the Israel-Palestine conflict. He is the author of numerous books, including Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict and Gaza: An Inquest into its Martyrdom. This conversation is largely about one of Professor Finkelstein’s first books: The Rise and Fall of Palestine. Published almost two decades ago, the book is based on the time Finkelstein spent in the West Bank, while the first intifada was underway. We talked about Rise and Fall and about how the book's contents relate to what’s happening in Gaza today. Our conversation also touched on the US election results and what they might mean for Gaza and the wider region. Have thoughts about the show? You can write to oatsforbreakfastpod [at] gmail [dot] com. Music: "Home Sweet Home" by Willbe. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes This episode of Oats for Breakfast features an interview with journalist and filmmaker Paul Jay about a recent essay he wrote titled, "Trump’s Unholy Alliance: Risking the Apocalypse for Dollars.” The essay looks at the two major poles of support that Trump’s current run for the presidency has based on: Silicon Valley tech billionaires on the one hand and Christian nationalists on the other. During the podcast interview, Paul discusses why a second Trump term would be qualitative different and, more dangerous, than previous Republican presidencies, including Trump’s first term in office. We also talk about what it might take, over the long term, to beat back the advances that the far-right has been making in the US and Canada. Find more from Paul Jay here: https://theanalysis.news/ If you'd like to get in touch with us, you can email oatsforbreakfastpod [at] gmail [dot] com Music: "Home Sweet Home" by Willbe. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes This episode features an interview with M.V. Ramana about his book Nuclear is Not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change (Verso 2024). Professor Ramana delves into the common misconception that nuclear energy is a viable fix for the climate crisis, explaining why it's neither cost-effective, timely, nor safe. With renewable sources like solar and wind now economically competitive, he argues that nuclear energy's risks and delays are unnecessary distractions from real climate solutions. If you'd like to get in touch with us, you can email oatsforbreakfastpod [at] gmail [dot] com Music: "Home Sweet Home" by Willbe. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Oats chats with political scientist Adolph Reed Jr. about his 2022 book The South: Jim Crow and Its Afterlives. The discussion features personal reflections from Adolph Reed about what everyday life was like during the Jim Crow era. We also talk about the concepts of "race" and "race relations", as they are understood today, are a the product of that era; about how Jim Crow gets unhelpfully analogized with reference to the modern-day prison system; and a few other related things. Have thoughts about the show? Share them by writing to oatsforbreakfastpod [at] gmail [dot] com. Music: "Home Sweet Home" by Willbe. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes In this episode, we reflect on the work and ideas of Noam Chomsky, the esteemed linguist and public intellectual, who recently suffered a stroke which has rendered him unable to participate in public discourse. Chomsky has been a beacon of inspiration and insight for many on the Left for decades, and his absence is being deeply felt. We delve into some of Chomsky's core ideas — exploring his incisive critique of US foreign policy, his staunch defence of free expression, and the political philosophies that shaped his thought, from anarchism to Zionism. A fair number of biographical details also come up throughout the discussion, offering a look at the man behind the ideas. Have thoughts about this episode? Share them with us by writing to oatsforbreakfastpod [at] gmail [dot] com. Music: "Home Sweet Home" by Willbe. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes After a three-year hiatus, Oats for Breakfast is making a comeback. In this return episode, we chat with Montreal-based journalist Anaïs Elboujdaini about her experience of being in Israel on October 7, 2023—the day of the Hamas attack. We also discuss the reporting she has been doing on Gaza since that time. Support Anaïs and read the stories mentioned in the episode here: https://linktr.ee/anaiselboujdaini Follow Anaïs on Instagram so you can keep up with her work: https://www.instagram.com/anais.reporter If you'd like to get in touch with us, you can email oatsforbreakfastpod [at] gmail [dot] com Music: "Home Sweet Home" by Willbe. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

In collaboration with Jamhoor, Oats for Breakfast hosts a discussion on the ongoing public health catastrophe in India. Those interested in supporting relief efforts in India can find a list of organizations and people looking for donations here: https://mutualaidindia.com/

Oats chats with post-doctoral fellow Adam King about the failed attempt to organize an Amazon fulfillment centre in Bessemer, Alabama. You can read the piece that our discussion is based on here: https://readpassage.com/p/what-the-failed-amazon-union-drive-means-for-labour-everywhere/ Notes go here

We chat with Professor Navyug Gill about the ongoing farmers' protest in India. The discussion touches on: the intent of the Indian government to further neoliberalize and corporatize the farming sector the scale of the protest and the farmers' demands the nature of the BJP and its broader agenda reforms that would actually benefit farmers and agriculture in India and lots more. This episode of Oats for Breakfast was produced in collaboration with Jamhoor (https://www.jamhoor.org/), a Toronto-based media organization that amplifies marginalized and progressive voices from South Asia. Access the episode transcript here: https://oatspodcast.com/podcast/episode-64-the-indian-farmers-protest/

Oats chats with Julian von Bargen about a book he recently co-edited, 'Challenging the Right, Augmenting the Left: Recasting Leftist Imagination.' We dig into the book's treatment of the environmental crisis, political parties and movements, as well as about the history of civil liberties and the free speech debate. Support Oats for Breakfast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/oatsforbreakfast

Oats chats about housing injustice in Toronto with Brendan Jowett, a tenant lawyer who has fought to prevent the clearance of homeless encampments in city parks during the pandemic. We discuss Toronto's deepening housing crisis, the rent strike movement, and what people can do to get involved in fighting against housing injustice. Support Oats for Breakfast by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/oatsforbreakfast

We chat with author and activist Charlie Demers about Primary Obsessions, a novel about a psychologist who helps people overcome mental health problems by day and tries to solve a murder mystery by night. You can grab a copy of Primary Obsessions from wherever you get your books. Subscribe to Charlie's latest essays and podcast here: https://charliedemers.substack.com/ Charlie will be giving a talk on March 3 about Comedy, Free Expression, & Social Justice. Check it out here: https://cfe.ryerson.ca/events/comedy-free-expression-social-justice Support Oats for Breakfast by becoming a patron: https://patreon.com/oatsforbreakfast

Oats chats with Kyle Bailey about the limits of stakeholder capitalism, corporate citizenship, and corporate social responsibility. The discussion is based on a journal article Kyle wrote, which can be accessed here: https://www.ppesydney.net/issue-86-summer-2020-2021/

We follow up our broad discussion about agriculture by zooming in on the local urban agriculture movement -- we chat about its positive aspects as well as its limits. Learn more about the Black Creek Community Farm here: https://www.blackcreekfarm.ca/

Episode Notes Oats chats about the problems within the modern-day food system, whether technological achievements like GMOs are a good thing, and about the limits of traditional agricultural societies. Support Oats for Breakfast by becoming a patron: www.patreon.com/oatsforbreakfast

Episode Notes This episode of Oats for Breakfast features a discussion with Adolph Reed Jr. that was organized and live-streamed by Ryerson University's Centre for Free Expression. You can access the full video version of the discussion on the CFE's website: https://cfe.ryerson.ca/key-resources/podcasts/anti-black-racism-and-inequality-what-be-done Support Oats for Breakfast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/oatsforbreakfast

Oats for Breakfast will be on hiatus for the month of November. We'll be back again in December. The Patreon billing has been paused so patrons won't be charged this month.

Oats for Breakfast chats with podcaster Andre Goulet about the recently-launched Harbinger Media Network, an initiative that's bringing together left-wing content creators from around the country. Find out more about Harbinger here: https://harbingermedianetwork.com/

Oats interviews sociologist Lisa Kowalchuk about 'We Resist: Defending the Common Good in Hostile Times', a volume she co-edited. We also chat about the working conditions of nurses in Central America and about St. James Town Storeys, a Toronto-based podcast that Lisa co-hosts. 'We Resist': https://www.mqup.ca/we-resist-products-9780228001423.php St. James Town Storeys: https://stjamestownstoreys.com/