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Episode 67: Oscar Romero, The Scandal of Redemption

4/25/2018

For this special May 1 edition of the show, Danny Anderson and Nathan Gilmour discuss a new book by Plough Publishing. In celebration of his upcoming canonization, Plough has published a series of homilies by Archbishop Oscar Romero called The Scandal of Redemption. Romero, who was assassinated in 1980 for his outspoken defense of El Salvador’s economically and politically oppressed citizens, was a divisive figure in Catholicism in his life. His political work, inspired in large part by the murder of his friend, Father Rutilio Grande, identified him with Liberation Theology for many Christians, who feared this movement’s association with Communism. The truth about Romero’s beliefs is much more nuanced and complex, however. Through his homilies (delivered as radio addresses to the nation’s poor), the truth about Romero’s political beliefs, and their intricate relationship to Catholic Theology, is revealed. The show wishes to thank Plough Publishing for providing exam copies of this wonderful book.

Also, don’t forget to submit a proposal to the upcoming Mount Aloysius College Conference on Teaching. If you want to learn more about effective teaching methods, this conference is a wonderful opportunity, and Danny Anderson would love to meet you in person! Proposals due by May 18 (see link below).
Links
The Scandal of Redemption, by Oscar Romero
Torture and Eucharist, by William T. Cavanaugh
The Ministry of Special Cases, by Nathan Englander
Mount Aloysius Conference on College Teaching

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Episode 66: The Story of Stuff, an Earth Day 2018 Special

4/18/2018

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Happy Earth Day, 2018! For this special episode, Danny is joined by his brilliant wife, Kim Anderson for a conversation with Brett Chamberlin from the Story of Stuff Project. Founded in 2007 with Annie Leonard’s film of the same title, which has received more than 50 million views, the Story of Stuff Project seeks to provide educational and organizational resources for combating the damaging effects that consumerism has caused the planet and the economy. Included in the discussion: the deep problems our consumerist mode of capitalism causes to our planet; how Nestle is able to put untold millions of gallons of water into its plastic bottles; what citizens can do to break these destructive cycles; and what role Christians and other people of faith can play in providing better stewardship of the planet.
Links:
Story of Stuff Project website
Story of Stuff Video
Videos about the Nestle water extraction
Faith-based Program for Christian Teens

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Episode 65: Ready Player One - Nostalgia for Fun and Profit

4/11/2018

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Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of Ernest Cline’s divisive 2011 novel is the subject of this episode. Jordan Poss of Piedmont Technical College and Nathan Magee of Mount Aloysius College join Danny for this discussion. Cline’s novel, though initially beloved suffered the scorn of critics in the wake of Gamergate. How has Spielberg’s adaptation addressed those concerns? What is it about the 1980s that fosters such nostalgia right now? What political position does this film take on consumerism and corporations? Exactly what kind of an artist is Spielberg and why is he obsessed with Stanley Kubrick? All this and much much more!

Links:
Constance Grady, “The Ready Player One
Backlash Explained
Inkoo Kang, “Ready Player One Is a Feat of State-of-the-Art Pop Culture Navel-Gazing”
Yuval Leven The Fractured Republic
Warren Ellis Transmetropolitan

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Episode 64: PA Gerrymandering with Tom Prigg

4/4/2018

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If you’ve been following political news lately, you probably know that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has redrawn its congressional map after finding the previous version to be illegally gerrymandered. This was hailed as a victory for democracy in most circles, but lost in the celebration was the chaos that the decision brought to this year’s congressional races. Candidates who had been running for the better part of a year in one district were suddenly thrust into completely different districts just weeks before the primaries. Joining Danny to discuss this is Tom Prigg, Democratic candidate for Congress, who has lived this chaos first hand. Learn about Tom’s unorthodox background (neuroscientist, sniper, stuntman, iceberg climber), his motivation for running, and what the re-districting experience has been like for him and his campaign.
Links:
FiveThirtyEight on PA’s new districts
Controversial Politico article about Johnstown
Johnstown’s response to the Politico article
Tom Prigg’s response to the Politico article
Tom Prigg’s Campaign site

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Episode 67: Oscar Romero, The Scandal of Redemption

Episode 66: The Story of Stuff, an Earth Day 2018 Special

Episode 65: Ready Player One - Nostalgia for Fun and Profit

Episode 64: PA Gerrymandering with Tom Prigg

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