Up until July of 2018, 17-year-old Siti Nurannisaa was like many other kids finishing up their last year of high school - she was stressed out by exams, not sleeping well, and looking forward to getting the school year over with. However, her life took a sudden, unexpected turn when a sharp tap on her shoulder sent her into a strange, nightmarish series of visions from which she could not escape. Her nearby classmates watched as she fell to the ground, screaming uncontrollably -- and, moments later, they heard other children screaming throughout the school. Whatever happened to Sita appeared to be contagious ... and this was not the first case of what some authorities would later describe as "mass possession." Join Ben, Matt and Noel as the explore the bizarre case of "The Screaming Girls of Malaysia."
Do ghosts wander the tunnels of Gibraltar? Why are so many families (Ben's included) convinced they receive mysterious omens of the future in their dreams? Multiple listeners respond to the episode on the deaths at Deepcut, raising question about the deaths at Fort Hood, Texas, as well as the suicide epidemic in Bridgend, Wales. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.
Baratunde learns about mutual aid and local, distributed approaches to feeding ourselves during this time of crisis. José Andrés, chef, humanitarian, and founder of World Central Kitchen, speaks about the power of food to build community, and his belief that we can indeed feed ourselves with dignity in this moment if we have the political will to do so. Two representatives of the LA Community Fridge movement tell us about how neighbors are feeding neighbors and learning more about each other in the process.
While COVID has exposed the fragility of so many systems including how we eat, we look at two approaches to feeding ourselves that are largely outside the realm of government action and funding, both anchored by local community action, and provide new ways to address the food crisis in America.
Show Notes + Links
We are grateful to José Andrés and Liana Sanchez and Katelan Cunningham, volunteers with LA Community Fridges.
Follow @ChefJoseAndres on Twitter and @lacommunityfridges on IG and their linktree here.
We will post this episode, a transcript, show notes and more at howtocitizen.com.
Please show your support for the show in the form of a review and rating. It makes a huge difference with the algorithmic overlords!
ACTIONS FOR THIS EPISODE, HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO
Internal Action:
Internalize the idea of mutual aid versus charity by reflecting on these questions.
Is it easy for you to ask your neighbors for help? Why or why not?
Think of a time when someone tried to help you and had good intentions, but missed the mark because they didn’t listen. How did that make you feel? Did you tell them they missed the mark in meeting your need? Why or why not? (Hint: your response often relates to power dynamics in a relationship).
Think of a time when you asked for help from someone you knew and that you had supported in the past. Was it easy or hard to receive from them?
If your brother or sister was in need, would you prefer giving to a charity to help them or supporting them directly?
Explore more about mutual aid during this pandemic here and here.
External Action:
Look into whether your neighborhood could benefit from a Community Fridge or some other mutual aid project depending on what your community needs.
These two guides, here and here, will help you get started. Please note, this is a mutual aid model! So if you find yourself wanting to set up a top-down nonprofit or collect funds to operate or structure the work, your efforts are not aligned with mutual aid. Please read more in the links above about how mutual aid works.
Lend your voice to make sure the bipartisan The FEED Act becomes law.
Under this proposed law, local, state, and tribal governments would be allowed to contract with restaurants and nonprofits to distribute meals using existing FEMA disaster funds. It is a bipartisan bill - introduced in the Senate by Kamala Harris and Tim Scott and introduced in the House by both parties!! But it’s stuck. We want you to help unstick it.
Call the U.S. Capitol main number to reach your elected officials -- (202) 224-3121-- or dial their offices directly after identifying them online. Here are some tips on how to call Congress, and here are the House and Senate versions of the bill.
If you take any of these actions, share that with us - action@howtocitizen.com. Mention Feeding Ourselves in the subject line. And brag online about your citizening using #howtocitizen.
We love feedback from our listeners - comments@howtocitizen.com.
How To Citizen with Baratunde is a production of iHeartRadio Podcasts. executive produced by Miles Gray, Nick Stumpf, Elizabeth Stewart, and Baratunde Thurston. Produced by Joelle Smith, edited by Justin Smith. Powered by you.
How much power does the mind wield over physical matter? Could certain human beings, through the force of focused thought alone, walk on fire, lay on nails, and survive being buried alive for days at a time? Listen in to learn more about the fact, fiction and controversy surrounding the famous feats of the mystics.
The placebo effect is pretty freaky when you think about it: just believing that a harmless substance is a medicine can really produce measurable benefits. It sounds crazy, but the placebo effect is real, and its implications continue to fascinate scientists. So why does it appear to be getting stronger?
An enterprising UK resident has found a new way to profit from the pandemic -- taking people on tours of the nearly-abandoned 'ghost ships' floating off the coast as the cruise industry struggles to survive the disastrous economic effects of COVID-19. The X-Files universe may soon have a new, animated spin-off. Investigations continue as US Marshals bust an enormous, insidious child trafficking ring in Georgia. Tune in for all this and more in this week's Strange News segment.
In the world of spirits and apparitions, the poltergeist is a unique type of ghost -- one known for its alleged ability to move physical objects (often in violent, unpredictable ways), to target and torment specific human beings and, perhaps strangest of all, to suddenly, one day, disappear. While not everyone uses the name 'poltergeist,' legends of these and similar creatures occur in numerous civilizations throughout history. Some stories are proven hoaxes. But others, the true believers argue, are more difficult to explain.
Is pop superstar Britney Spears really being held hostage? What is it like to witness a derecho firsthand, and live to tell the tale? Can human beings really, without warning, burst into a ball of mysterious, fatal flames? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this week's listener mail segment.
Baratunde builds off the last episode of his previous podcast, We’re Having a Moment. He speaks with two esteemed guests, Dr. Phil Goff, who works directly with police departments around the country, and Zach Norris, who works with communities, about ways we can reclaim public safety that don’t always need to involve the police.
Find Zach @zachwnorris and at zachnorris.com. Visit Ella Baker Center, and @ellabakercenter on social media. Also grab his book, We Keep Us Safe here.
Find this episode, a transcript, show notes and more at howtocitizen.com. Please rate and review this podcast and share feedback at comments@howtocitizen.com. Use #howtocitizen on social media.
For this episode, here is what you can do.
INTERNAL ACTIONS
It starts with you. Explore your own relationship to feeling safe and living among your neighbors. Answer some of the following questions for yourself AND in discussion with at least one other member of your community.
What do you need to feel safe in your community?
What makes you feel unsafe in your community?
How do you get to know your neighbors?
When was the last time you made eye contact with someone in your neighborhood?
When was the last time you talked to one of your neighbors?
What can neighbors do to keep each other safe?
Has a neighbor ever made you feel unsafe? What happened and what would have made it better?
Don’t look away. Get educated on how policing works where you live.
How much of your city and county budget go to police. What percentage is this of the total? What rank is police expenditure among top spending categories?
Who runs law enforcement in your area? City? County? Sheriff? Chief? Who has hire/fire authority?
What is your most local access to law enforcement? Where is the nearest station or precinct?
Who is already working on public safety issues where you live?
Identify who is responsible for and makes public safety decisions where you live and find out which positions get voted in.
When is the next election for these positions in your community and who is running?
Good neighbors don’t just call the cops. Know who you call instead of the police.
Create a resource you can keep on hand or enter into your phone that looks like this great example from DSMNTL IG account for Washington, DC.
Bonus: Create these alternative number guides physically and digitally and share them widely with your neighbors, local businesses, and online.
EXTERNAL ACTIONS
Work with local groups to help get new policies enacted that we know work.
Lend your voice to CampaignZero by supporting its nation-wide campaign to end police violence. You can track state legislation on their homepage to see progress.
Join or create an event as part of the Night Out for Safety and Liberation on October 6. If you don’t feel comfortable going to or hosting a physical event, host a discussion with your family or online with community based on the NOSL discussion guide.
Be a supportive bystander and report police interactions.
Download the Mobile Justice App (created in 2015 by the ACLU to help people report on police interactions). According to the ACLU, it is completely within a US citizen’s Constitutional rights to record interactions with the police. *Note that if you do film a crime, you may become a key witness as a part of an investigation.
Share your answers with us. Send and email to action@howtocitizen.com. Include “public safety” in the subject line.
And if you liked what you heard here, please share the show, leave a review, AND sign up for Baratunde's newsletter at baratunde.com where he announces upcoming live tapings.
In the ancient days, when medicine and spirituality were inseparable, people often used rituals and invocations to elicit help from divine sources. This practice continues today, through a number of techniques collectively known as faith healing. But what is it, exactly? How does it work? Could mere physical touch from the right person heal otherwise incurable medical conditions? Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they dive into fact and fiction of faith healing.
