Nerd Farmer Podcast

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

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

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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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This week Nate hosted Crossing Division – Tacoma’s Talk Show, a sister podcast on the Channel 253 Network. He interviewed regular show host Evelyn Lopez about her recent discovery of the Tacoma Weekly’s pay-to-play endorsement scheme. This is a gobsmacking story and a great conversation. Don’t worry, we’ll be back with a regular episode of Nerd Farmer on next Monday; it will be our #NerdFarmReads conversation about Know My Name by Chanel Miller.

Show Notes

If you follow Evelyn Lopez on Twitter (and maybe you should), you probably saw a thread about local politics and the Tacoma Weekly paper. The Tacoma Weekly is a small, local, free publication that you might find in a Tacoma restaurant or office, or you might pick one up from one of their distribution boxes around town.

Recently, Evelyn found out that the Tacoma Weekly had emailed local candidates after the primary election to offer an advertising special to the first four candidates who responded. But they were not just offering ad space. For $2500 candidates could buy an ad package that included a Weekly Editorial, a Cover Story, and Tacoma Weekly Endorsement. That’s right, they offered their endorsement, plus news and editorial coverage for cash. This is a violation of one of our state’s campaign finance laws. RCW 42.17A.480 prohibits the solicitation of endorsement fees: “A person may not solicit from a candidate for public office … money or other property as a condition or consideration for an endorsement, article, or other communication in the news media promoting or opposing a candidate for public office …”

Sean Robinson, former reporter and current professor of journalism, explains how this activity violates the most basic ethics of journalism. And both Sean and Evelyn talk with guest host Nate Bowling about how this activity damages local elections, traps candidates into further campaign finance violations, and is bad for all of us.

Listen to the podcast for details on which candidates purchased the Tacoma Weekly package, and then let us know what you think.
Evelyn Lopez: @True_Tacoma
Sean Robinson: @seanrobinson1e4

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Derek Young is in his second term as a member of the Pierce County Council, representing District 7.

When I saw this article about police use of “vascular neck restraints” (an Orwellian law enforcement euphemism that attempts to skirt a ban on chokeholds) and a recent post from Dr. Anthony Chen from the Pierce County Health Department, I reached out to Derek to get his take. Both agencies fall under his oversight as a member of the County Council. He shared his thoughts and had some pointed comments about the performance of the current County Executive, Bruce Dammeier.

Even if you don’t live in Pierce County (I don’t at the moment), this is a fascinating conversation about local government and how the actions and inaction of local pols impact our lives.

Going Further 

• “We don’t choke people, but they pass out almost half the time we do the other thing”
• Derek’s prior appearance on the show

The Socials

• Derek on Twitter

Coming Up

• Fall & Back-to-School Book Recs on Libro FM
• Next Nerd Farm Reads: My Name by Chanel Miller
• 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 Alaska Airlines and TAPCO Credit Union

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

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Live sports are an important part of my life and this show. Before we departed the states we were season ticket holders to Tacoma Defiance, Sounders FC, and Husky football and had half season passes to Reign FC and the Rainier’s (I miss you Estadio Cheney). I was also the in-stadium announcer for Lincoln Football and back-up for basketball. In the past on this show, we’ve talked MLS, NWSL, Women’s World Cup, USL, and the NBA. But today, particularly in the US, life and sports are being upended by the Covid-19 outbreak.

There’s a lot to unpack in this situation. Americans in search of a feeling of normalcy are desperate for sports. But there are racial overtones to these demands, particularly in college sports, where the unpaid players are far more Black than the fans that cheer them on.

I don’t think America deserves sports right now, so I wanted to talk through all of this with some guests.

This is basically the US since March.

Starting Lineup

• Andrew Hammond, the TNT — three time show guest
• Michael-Shawn Dugar, the Athletic

The Socials

• Andrew
• Mike

Coming Up

• Next Nerd Farm Reads: My Name by Chanel Miller
• 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 Alaska Airlines

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

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