Heart Yoga Radio

CAMPUS BUMS OR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE? ON STUDENT PROTESTS - INTERESTING TIMES 79

In this podcast, I take issue with Professor Steven Pinker's take on the campus protests now spreading through the student body in the USA as revealed by an interview he did with the Radio 4 Today Programme this morning. I also tease out historical resonances with the student unrest that was, like the current protests, also initiated at Columbia University in 1968 and which subsequently spread across the world and signalled the demise of the Vietnam War. For what it's worth, I offer encouragement and advice to students participating in the protests and sketch the argument for their absolute necessity. [Free. 28 minutes.]

THE DIN OF RATTLING SABRES - INTERESTING TIMES 76

In this podcast, I reflect on growing geo-political tensions around Iran's intent to retaliate against Israel's attack on its Damascus embassy in which several prominent members of Iran's military were assassinated. I include in my considerations some of the cultural effects of these developments in the UK, particularly the calls for conscription, Labour's intent to increase spending on the military should it gain power, and its full embrace of nukes. Throughout, I use some previous considerations developed on this channel of the several crucial features of historical fascism as a lens with which to gain purchase on these matters. [Free. 17 minutes.]

THOUGHT FOR TODAY - INTERESTING TIMES 75

In this podcast we take a critical look at the output of BBC Radio 4's Today Programme which has an influential position in the distribution of news to the UK. We take a couple of examples for closer scrutiny, the daily homiletic  Thought for Today slot, and a particular interview with opposition shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, on her back-peddling on green issues. [Free. 28 minutes. Strong language.] 

RULES BASED ORDER? - INTERESTING TIMES 74

In this podcast, I reflect on the ramification of The International Court of Justice's initial ruling on the charge of genocide levelled against the State of Israel by The Republic of South Africa. [Free. 29 minutes.]

CHUANG TZU 3 - CRACKING THE SAFE

In this podcast, we discuss Chuang Tzu's Cracking the Safe [ix. 2.], which outlines the emergence and persistence of kleptocratic states and the operations of their rulers.  Chuang Tzu mocks the plethora of 'rules and principles' rhetorically expounded by kleptocrats and characterises them as merely the ideological support for unwieldly bureaucracies. Against this mode of social organisation, Chuang Tzu proposes simplicity and bucolic peace. We discuss the resonances between this passage and 'classical anarchism'. [Free. 46 minutes.]

LOOKING BACK OVER 2023 & FORWARD TO 2024 - INTERESTING TIMES 73

In this podcast, we look aback over 2023 and offer our prognostications for 2024. Amongst themes discussed are war, environment, economy and geopolitics. [Free. 52 minutes.]

TURKEY, DEVOLUTION, GAZA - INTERESTING TIMES 72

In this podcast, we walk into the labyrinth of current affairs discourse surrounding the genocide taking place in Gaza. Considerations include: the possibility of escalation of violence into regional war, the geo-politics of Turkey and NATO, the strengths of the the Turkish army and Hezbollah, the opinions of world governments as reflected by the United Nation Security Council and the General Assembly, the opinions of the worlds' "street" and more. [Free. 43 minutes.] 

CHUANG TZU 2 - CUTTING UP AN OX

In this podcast, we discuss the Chapter of the Chuang Tzu entitled Cutting Up An Ox. In this chapter, we see the application of non-doing (wu wei) to a specific practical task and how it enables the highest degree of skill. We expand on Chuang Tzu's phenomenology of this application of wu wei. We discuss the application of this skill to creative as well as artisanal tasks, and also to meditation and living in general.  [Free. 53 minutes.]

WHAT DOES THE BBC WANT YOU TO THINK TODAY? RAW THOUGHT

In this podcast, we discuss two recent propaganda offensives that the BBC is engaging in and which the rest of the MSM are parroting. They are the propositions that (1) carbon capture and storage can mitigate climate disruption and we can accordingly go on with business as usual, and that (2) the Israeli state are the good guys. Needless to say, we dispute both of those propositions. [Free. 32 minutes.]

A MAD MONDAY IN UK POLITICS & BEYOND - INTERESTING TIMES 71

In this podcast, we discuss three political events reported in the UK on Monday morning [13/11/23]. They are: the sacking of the Home Secretary, the appointment of David Cameron as Foreign Secretary, and the Liberal Democrats call for a cease fire in Gaza. We relate all of these to the unfolding cataclysm in Gaza, and its history and geopolitics. [Free. 52 minutes.]