The Allusionist - 212. Four Letter Words: Park

Get in, winner: we're going on a field trip. We're spending the day in five of Vancouver's city parks with Justin McElroy, Municipal Affairs Reporter for the CBC and ranker of Vancouver's 243 parks at VancouverParkGuide.ca. Together we ponder: what IS a park? You think you know, then along comes a slab of concrete called a park to test your taxonomy.

Visit theallusionist.org/park for photos of the parks and more information about them, plus a transcript of the episode.

Events are happening! Get info at theallusionist.org/events about the meetup on 13 August in one of Vancouver's beach parks, the listening party for the live Radio 4 broadcast of our piece Souvenirs, and for Four Letter Word season, a watchalong of the films Dick and Dicks: The Musical. Want to join that? Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, livestreams with me and my collection of dictionaries, and the charming and supportive Allusioverse Discord community, where we're watching the current seasons of Great British Sewing Bee and Bake Off: The Professionals.

This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. The music is by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.

Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social… If I’m there, I’m there as @allusionistshow. 

Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

• Understance, a growing Vancouver BC company making thoughtfully designed, pretty and comfy bras, undies and sleepwear. They’re having a sale on June 26-July 1 so get over there and stock up at understance.com or at their stores in Vancouver, Burnaby, Calgary and Toronto.

• Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online forever home. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist.

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It Could Happen Here - The Genocide Budget (And How to Stop It)

Mia and Gare discuss the contents of the recently passed budget bill and how its worst provisions can be defeated.

Sources:

Trans Income Project: https://www.transincomeproject.org/donate

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/07/planned-parenthood-trump-lawsuit

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/one-big-beautiful-bill-medicaid-work-requirements-affordable-care-act-immigrants/#:~:text=The%20bill%20would%20require%20states%20that%20have,individual)%20and%20138%25%20of%20that%20amount%20($21%2C597).&text=The%20Senate%20bill%20would%20allow%20states%20to,who%20seek%20emergency%20room%20care%20for%20nonemergencies.

https://www.chalkbeat.org/2025/05/16/school-choice-expansion-in-budget-bill-puts-federal-stamp-on-gop-priority/

https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/trumps-budget-bill-attack-public-schools-working-families-and-immigrants

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/10-egregious-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/

https://time.com/7299514/bill-will-devastate-public-schools

https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/the-senate-passed-a-federal-voucher-program-whats-in-it/2025/07

https://www.au.org/the-latest/articles/not-beautiful-trumps-budget-forces-a-national-voucher-plan-on-america/

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/23/nx-s1-5397175/trump-federal-voucher-private-school

https://itep.org/trump-megabill-expensive-private-school-vouchers/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/how-trump-s-big-spending-bill-will-overhaul-repayment-for-millions-of-student-loan-borrowers/ar-AA1HXbVa?cvid=7271B17CDE424D63B5C23D6A3D1E71B7&ocid=msnHomepage

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-signs-big-tax-cut-spending-bill-law-july-fourth-ceremony-rcna216753

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/05/trump-budget-bill-states-border-security/84463777007/

https://newrepublic.com/post/197412/donald-trump-big-beautiful-budget-bill-devastating-poll

https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-senate-reconciliation-bill/

https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/how-might-federal-medicaid-cuts-in-the-senate-passed-reconciliation-bill-affect-rural-areas/

https://www.cbpp.org/research/medicaid-and-chip/senate-reconciliation-amendment-would-cut-hundreds-of-billions-more-from

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-in-trump-big-beautiful-bill-senate-version/

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/house-reconciliation-bill-immigration-border-security/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/heres-whats-in-the-big-bill-that-just-passed-the-senate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Strange News: Tuvalu is Drowning, Chinese EVs, Eating Cheese and More

Australia is astonished as a full one-third of all residents of Tuvalu apply for the new, limited 'climate visa,' sparking concerns about the future of islands nations amid the global sea level rising. Chinese manufacturers are in hot water over an international scheme to flood markets with 'used' electric vehicles. A guy commits robbery dressed as Scooby-Doo, and studies prove cheese can give you nightmares. All this and more in the week's strange news segment.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Native America Calling - Monday, July 7, 2025 – Two authors offer a kids-eye view of the importance of relatives

“Fierce Aunties” by author Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa, Tsimshian) is a colorful, enthusiastic celebration of the Indigenous women we need in our lives. Goodluck’s children’s book explores the many ways women provide support for the young people who look up to them. Another writer, Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve (Sicangu and Ponca), also explores the power of relatives in her young readers chapter book, “The Summer of the Bone Horses.” The book is also an homage to her late brother by telling an interesting piece of his story on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in the late 1940s. Among the awards won by the long-time children’s book author and educator is the National Humanities Medal. Both books are illustrated by the talented artist Steph Littlebird (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde). We’ll hear from all three women about their work.

 

Break 1 Music: Xgap’isgu (song) Saltwater Hank (artist) Siip’Nsk (album)

Break 2 Music: Coffee (song) James Bilagody (artist) Near Midnight (album)

It Could Happen Here - Palestine’s Stolen Future

Guest host Dana El Kurd, Palestinian researcher and writer, provides an overview of Palestinian politics, explains the legitimacy crisis within Palestinian politics, and outlines the impact international actors have had on Palestinian leadership and strategy. She highlights how these issues affect ending the war on Gaza, and the future of Palestine more broadly.  

Sources:

Raz Segal on genocide - https://jewishcurrents.org/a-textbook-case-of-genocide

Omer Bartov on genocide – https://www.democracynow.org/2024/12/30/omer_bartov_israel_gaza_genocide

Amos Goldberg on genocide - https://thefirethesetimes.com/2025/05/25/intent-holocaust-studies-and-the-gaza-genocide-w-amos-goldberg/

Khaled Elgindy on Biden’s “bear hug” - https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/10/biden-israel-hamas-war-gaza-us-policy/

Bezalel Smotrich on population transfer - https://www.timesofisrael.com/smotrich-says-gaza-to-be-totally-destroyed-population-concentrated-in-small-area/

Nissim Vaturi on population transfer - https://www.timesofisrael.com/occupy-expel-settle-minister-mks-at-far-right-rally-call-to-empty-gaza-of-gazans/

Arab Peace Initiative - https://www.kas.de/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=a5dab26d-a2fe-dc66-8910-a13730828279&groupId=268421

Arab Center Washington – “The Biden Administration and the Middle East in 2023” - https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/the-biden-administration-and-the-middle-east-in-2023/

Mike Huckabee on Palestinians - https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/12/politics/mike-huckabee-palestinian-comments-trump-israel-ambassador

Steve Witkoff making deals with Hamas - https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-says-witkoffs-gaza-ceasefire-proposal-must-lead-end-war-2025-05-31/

Adam Boehler “we are not an agent of Israel” - https://www.axios.com/2025/03/09/adam-boehler-hamas-israel-talks

Philippe Lazzarini on Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/unrwa-commissioner-general-gaza-aid-distribution-has-become-death-trap

Doctors without Borders on Gaza Humanitarian Foundation -  https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/siege-gaza-msf-denounces-new-aid-mechanism-proposed-us-and-israel

Jake Woods, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, resigns - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/26/gaza-humanitarian-foundation-aid-group-jake-wood-resigns

Saudi Minister on Two-State Solution - https://www.mofa.gov.sa/en/ministry/news/Pages/His-Highness-the-Foreign-Minister-A-Two-State-Solution-is-the-Only-Path-to-Achieving-a-Just-and-Lasting-Peace-in-the-Regio.aspx

France & Saudi sponsor peace conference - https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-855969

Qatari foreign minister on Saudi sponsored peace conference - https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250613-qatar-france-fms-underscore-importance-of-upcoming-un-two-state-solution-conference-as-real-opportunity-for-peace/

The Oslo Accords and the Palestinian Authority background - https://www.palquest.org/en/highlight/31121/x-oslo-process-and-establishment-palestinian-authority

Yitzhak Rabin’s final address to the Knesset - https://www.palquest.org/en/historictext/24965/yitzhaq-rabin%E2%80%99s-address-knesset-after-israeli-palestinian-agreement

Mapping Palestinian Politics – European Council on Foreign Relations - https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/plo/

“Abbas is America’s Man” - https://jewishcurrents.org/abbas-is-americas-man

Tariq Dana – “Lost in Transition: The Palestinian National Movement After Oslo” - https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/from-the-river-to-the-sea-9781978752658/

Wendy Pearlman – “Violence, Nonviolence, and the Palestinian National Movement” - https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/violence-nonviolence-and-the-palestinian-national-movement/0F8D188C7D514D49F68D827066E0FABD

BDS call - https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi/pacbi-call

Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research – September 2023 poll - https://www.pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2089%20English%20Full%20Text%20September%202023.pdf

Interview with Ukrainian outlet “Commons” - https://commons.com.ua/en/intervyu-z-danoyu-el-kurd/

Protests against Hamas – July 2023 - https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/07/30/thousands-of-marchers-in-gaza-in-rare-public-display-of-discontent-with-hamas_6073136_4.html

Protests against Hamas - https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/25/middleeast/anti-hamas-protests-gaza-intl-latam

Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research – May 2025 poll - https://www.pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2095%20press%20release%206May2025%20ENGLISH.pdf

Changes in PLO structure and new Vice President role - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/08/palestinians-leader-mahmoud-abbas-president

Polling on Hussein Al-Sheikh - https://pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2092%20English%20full%20text%20July2024.pdf

Palestinian National Conference - https://ncpalestine.org/

A Land for All - https://www.2s1h.org/en

Israeli backed gangs in Gaza - https://zeteo.com/p/who-is-abu-shabab-meet-the-gaza-gangster

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Good Bad Billionaire - John D Rockefeller: The first billionaire

John D Rockefeller built his fortune refining oil and founding Standard Oil. A pioneer of the U.S. business trust, he helped shape the structure of the modern corporation. His influence lives on in companies like Chevron, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips, and in institutions like the Rockefeller Foundation. But not everyone saw him as a visionary. President Theodore Roosevelt branded the Rockefeller family a “malefactor of great wealth,” and Rockefeller’s monopoly helped spark America’s first antitrust laws. To some, he was a ruthless robber baron; to others, a generous philanthropist who gave away over $500 million. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng unpack the contradictions of Rockefeller’s empire. Can great giving make up for great power?

Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast exploring the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics and success. There are leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility, before inviting you to make up your own mind: are they good, bad or just another billionaire?

It Could Happen Here - CZM Book Club Presents: The Evolution of an Agitator, by Lizzie M. Holmes

Margaret reads you a story about the endless quest to find the roots of inequality. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Introducing: United States of Kennedy

Hello, Stuff They Don't Want You To Know Fans! We want to share a new show you might like, United States of Kennedy. 

About the show: United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.

Listen here and subscribe to United States of Kennedy on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It Could Happen Here - It Could Happen Here Weekly 189

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. 

- How to Organize a Meeting (And Stay Sane), Pt. 1

- How to Organize a Meeting (And Stay Sane), Pt. 2

- The Fall of the House of Liver King

- Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #23

You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today!

http://apple.co/coolerzone 

Sources/Links:

How to Organize a Meeting (And Stay Sane)

https://libcom.org/article/how-hold-good-meeting-rustys-rules-order

Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #23

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/27/us/birthright-citizenship-supreme-court?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes 

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/mother-and-young-kids-inside-during-explosive-huntington-park-raid-suspect-not-home/  

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bob-vylan-visa-revoked-state-department-1235375566/

https://bsky.app/profile/mclem.org/post/3lstr4lfyns2w

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-denaturalization-convicted-distributor-child-sexual-abuse 

https://bsky.app/profile/immdef.bsky.social

https://laopinion.com/2025/06/30/hija-de-inmigrante-secuestrada-por-encapuchados-no-encuentra-a-su-madre-enferma/

https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2025cv0306-71

https://x.com/RepOgles/status/1938301392416084150

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/01/kirsten-gillibrand-zohran-mamdani-00436031

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU8dU-K1qZ4 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article309792865.html

https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/berks/tesla-sedan-hit-by-train-after-self-driving-error-in-berks-county-stops-train-traffic/article_aa1cbbf4-7918-4379-b557-da80f9596103.html 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/heres-whats-in-the-big-bill-that-just-passed-the-senate

https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/how-might-federal-medicaid-cuts-in-the-senate-passed-reconciliation-bill-affect-rural-areas/

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/02/trump-trade-vietnam-deal.html

https://newrepublic.com/post/197412/donald-trump-big-beautiful-budget-bill-devastating-poll

https://www.cbpp.org/research/medicaid-and-chip/senate-reconciliation-amendment-would-cut-hundreds-of-billions-more-from

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-in-trump-big-beautiful-bill-senate-version/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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