Nerd Farmer Podcast

On January 7th, a day after the coup and fascist insurrection at the nation’s Capitol, a Confederate flag suddenly appeared on the wall of a student in a virtual classroom in Tacoma, WA. Natalie Bowman, a parent of a first grader in the class, witnessed this. What she did next is an object lesson in being an ally and what anti-racist white people should do when they see symbols of hate in our schools and in greater society.

The flag came down, but the conversation that Natalie wants to have with the community is ongoing and is worth your time.

Yes, it’s all of our work.

Going Further 

• Natalie’s campaign to purchase anti-racist books for Tacoma students and families
• Caste – Join us for #NerdFarmReads Bookclub, we record this month

The Socials

• Natalie on Twitter

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Even if you aren’t from Tacoma, homelessness is likely an issue in your community. Tacoma Housing Now is a recently created community coalition committed to engaging in direct action protests in order to pressure local policymakers into taking meaningful action to house people in Tacoma. I think this point is worth emphasizing–they are by design a protest group.

The organization was created this winter in response to perceived inaction by City of Tacoma and Pierce County officials. Among their demands are the leveraging of vacant government properties to house people experiencing homelessness.

Parson, a former candidate for the 6th Congressional District, is a spokesperson for the organization. This interview was conducted right before Christmas, before the group’s direct action protest at the Travelodge in Fife, WA, which she briefly mentions in the conversation.

In segment two, we broadly discussed the landscape for progressive activism under the incoming Biden Administration.

Going Further 

• Occupying vacant Gault Middle School
• KNKX story on Tacoma Housing Now
• GoFundMe for Tacoma Housing Now
• Caste – Join us for #NerdFarmReads Bookclub, we record this month

The Socials

• Tacoma Housing Now – Twitter
• Tacoma Housing Now – Facebook (man, I really hate FB)

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Libro FM and TAPCO Credit Union

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After an appropriate period of mourning, it’s time to put a bow on the 2020 MLS season and the Sounders run to MLS Cup. It was a weird year. If we’re being honest, I’m not sure we should have been playing at all. There were on field racial justice protests, the MLS is Back Tourney, Vancouver playing home matches in Portland, Ben Olson finally getting the axe, and the Sounders having miracle after miracle but coming up short at the end.

In this conversation we welcomed Dave and Carol the erstwhile hosts of the Hands Free Footy Podcast onto the pod. We discussed moments and stories of the year, our picks for player of the year, end of season awards, and roster wishes for the off-season (some old-fashioned #rosterbation).

A highlight is Carol’s theory that Coach Schemetzer’s mom cyberbullied Fox Sports’ “analyst” Alexi Lalas.

Going Further 

• Dave & Carol’s Show Hands Free Footy (HFF)
• My prior visit to HFF
• Caste – Join us for #NerdFarmReads Bookclub

The Socials

• Hands Free Footy on Twitter

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Libro FM and TAPCO Credit Union

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In November, Chris Reykdal was re-elected to a second four-year term leading OPSI, the state’s department of K-12 education. Chris was elected in 2016 and he and his deputy, Dr. Michaela Miller, have spent much of the last four years butting heads with the current Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos on a variety of issues impacting students in Washington.

We had them both back the show on to talk about what they want in the next Secretary of Education. We also discussed how the state’s schools and districts are handling Covid, Reykdal’s policy vision for the next four years, and listener questions.

Going Further 

• Chris’ prior visit to the Farm
• Michaela’s prior visit to the Farm
• Caste – Join us for #NerdFarmReads Bookclub

The Socials

• Chris on Twitter
• Michaela on Twitter

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Libro FM and TAPCO Credit Union

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One of my favorite things to do on the show is have someone who is way smarter than me walk me through a topic I am curious about. This episode we’re looking at post-conflict states and what lessons we can apply from them to help us better understand life in the US in 2020.

Dr. Michelle O’Brien is a sociologist and demographer focused on the consequences of violent and non-violent political conflict. Her research has examined how political conflict — from neo-nationalism in Russia to genocide in Rwanda — has changed the institutional landscapes in those places, creating long-lasting social change.

Going Further 

• Michelle @ NYUAD
• Anatomy of Fascism
• War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning
• Caste – Join us for #NerdFarmReads Bookclub

The Socials

• @OBMich 

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Libro FM and TAPCO Credit Union

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Julie Anderson is the Pierce County Auditor. She oversees elections and voter registration for Pierce County. On this episode she explained the election security procedures in Washington State, how ballots will be tabulated, and why your the President, your uncle, and that guy from high school is wrong about vote by mail.

I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but if you haven’t voted already, FFS vote! If you have voted, nudge your friends who are irregular voters.

Also, stop doomscrolling Twitter, it’s not healthy.

Going Further 

• Pierce County Auditor Elections Office

The Socials

• @PierceCountyAud

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Libro FM and TAPCO Credit Union

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Derek Kilmer is the US Representative for 711,000 people in most of Tacoma and the entire Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas. He was elected to Congress in 2012.

In this conversation we talked about what will be on the House’s Agenda in the first hundred days of either a Biden Presidency or a Trump Second Term. I pushed him on the lack of messaging on what the House has passed, House leadership roles, and (deeply needed) oversight of the Executive Branch. He walked in detail through the Democrats legislative agenda, HBs 1-9 (jump to 7:45), which have all been passed by the House and are languishing (I said that word 3xs) on the Senate Majority Leader’s desk.

We also discussed what the House looks like if the Democrats maintain their majority and the President is reelected (sigh).

We ended the conversation with a bit about the Mandalorian Season 2.

Going Further 

• Mandalorian Season 2 – Trailer
• Derek’s Prior Visit to the Nerd Farm – Ep. 29

The Socials

• @RepDerekKilmer

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Libro FM and TAPCO Credit Union

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For better or worse, housing is a commodity. Let’s be honest — it’s for the worse. 

In the decade since the 2008 housing collapse, housing prices have exceeded the pre-crash highs and more than doubled from their mid-crash lows in many parts of the country. This has created tons of equity for existing homeowners and at the same time put homeownership out of reach for a ton of younger Millennials and Gen Z folks. This is also driving rising rents and homelessness.

Given the job market in Tacoma, this is obviously unsustainable. So we invited Jasmyn Jefferson, Managing Broker from Windermere Professional Partners on to talk me through all of it. 

I’ll be honest, I was conflicted throughout this conversation and remain so. This is a conversation where I am working from both sides of my brain: the progressive advocate who thinks our housing policy is insane and the homeowner who is benefitting from a run-up in home values. 

Going Further 

• Living Apart – Nikole Hannah Jones
• Race for Profit – Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

The Socials

• Jasmyn on Insta

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Libro FM and TAPCO Credit Union

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Sarah Frier is a technology reporter for Bloomberg. Her book No Filter is purportedly a history of Instagram, but it reads (to this reader) as an indictment of Facebook the corporation and its Founder Mark Zuckerberg and the effects his company is having on all of us.

An aspect of the interview and book that I struggled with is that recently I decided to nuke my Facebook account. The reasons are legion, but also unimportant. Suspending my account fixed the issues I was having with the platform, but I am keenly aware that every time I open WhatsApp (indispensable for life abroad) and Instagram I know I am still making money for Facebook. Part of this conversation was me seeking answers for how to navigate this.

Sarah is dope and you should listen to her interview and buy her book.

Going Further 

• No Filter on Libro FM
• Sarah’s author profile at Bloomberg

The Socials

• Sarah on Twitter
• Sara on Instagram

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Libro FM and TAPCO Credit Union

Please consider supporting the podcast by joining Channel 253 as a member

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This episode is our long awaited #NerdFarmReads conversation about Know My Name by Chanel Miller. Miller’s 2019 memoir is her story as a survivor of sexual assault by Brock Turner, the Stanford Rapist. The memoir is incredible and the conversation was illuminating. You don’t need to have read the book to enjoy the conversation.

In segment two, we discussed the sexual assault allegations agianst VP Biden and how this book influences how we view those charges. We walked away from this conversation with two axioms that we hope you embrace as well: 1. Believe women and 2. Be the Swede.

Going Further 

• Miller’s victim statement
• Vox on Tara Reade’s accusations – referred to in the show
• Know My Name on Libro FM – use the promo code “Tacoma”

The Socials

• Halley
• Cat
• Hope

Coming Up

• Talking about No Filter with Sarah Frier of Bloomberg
• A talk with food critic Sue Kidd

The Nerd Farmer Podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play and is brought to you by Libro FM and TAPCO Credit Union

Please consider supporting the podcast by joining Channel 253 as a member

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