The Meandering Pod

Did you know 5 families control more than half of the Korean economy and ALL of its politicians? Meet the Chaebol - the driving force behind Koreas economic miracle but also the root of many of the countries present day issues from corruption and inequality to a hyper competitive social structure and declining birth rate. In this episode, for the first time in Meandering history, Cam and Dom jump on the mic and dive deep into terrifying control Korea’s oligarchs have over the people - as well as the terrifying control the global tech oligarchs have over all of us, as the world transitions from Capitalism to ‘Techno Feudalism’ as outlined in Economist Yanis Varoufakis’s book by the same name.

How much do you know about protists? How much do you know about their behaviour and intelligence? I’m gonna guess very little, as that’s where I was not that long ago. The world of these obscure creatures is incredibly complex and fascinating, as they interact with their environment and make decisions and weigh up risks. In this episode, I interview researcher Alid Al-Asmar about slime moulds (the “blob”) ciliates (unicellular beings with eyelashes) and his personal favourite - nematodes (little round worms).Dom joins me for the end for a comparison of his intelligence to that of protists. Brutal, but demonstrates my point. Below are the articles I cite in the show.Does being multi-headed make you better at solving problems?ScienceDirect.comhttps://www.sciencedirect.comDoes being multi-headed make you better at solving problems? A survey of ...A ciliate memorises the geometry of a swimming arearoyalsocietypublishing.orghttps://royalsocietypublishing.orgA ciliate memorizes the geometry of a swimming arena | The Royal SocietyC. Elegant transfers across a gap under an electric field as dispersal behaviourNational Institutes of Health (.gov)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govCaenorhabditis elegans transfers across a gap under an electric field as ...Maze-solving by an amoeboid organismNaturehttps://www.nature.comMaze-solving by an amoeboid organismRules for Biologically Inspired Adaptive Network DesignScience | AAAShttps://www.science.orgRules for Biologically Inspired Adaptive Network DesignGeometrical preference of anchoring sites in the unicellular organism Stentor coeruleusPNAShttps://www.pnas.orgGeometrical preference of anchoring sites in the unicellular organism ...

Wowee, it’s been a hot second! And it’s HALF WAY THROUGH OUR TRIP! Another group episode for all your travel ramblings and, of course, the reveal of who topped the brick rankings for the past three months. The four of us are finally reunited (however briefly) for meandering shenanigans - involving saunas, cherry blossom festivals and hitting the spring snow slopes in the Japanese Alps. Also, we have a guest on the show: our friend Drea, whose contributions are the highlights of the show. We’d listen to them all day any day, make a podcast Drea (ironic seeing as they don’t listen to podcasts, this is the first one of ours they’ve heard!).Anyway, some of the pertinent info we promised in the show:The Chinese spirit is called Baijo. It is insane. We also had a lot of shochu, sake, umeshu, and lots of Asahi, seeing as we travelled through the town Asahi.Our book recommendations are: The Membranes, a novel by Chi Ta-WeiDiscipline by Randa Abdel-FattahThe Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne FadimanWater, Wood and Wild Things: Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain Town by Hannah KirschnerTechnofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis VaroufakisWe hope you enjoy the show! Click the bell, leave a comment, subscribe, it boosts our serotonin if not our outreach. Lots of love, all us beans.

How much do you know about Myanmar? Have you heard of the iconic Aung San Sui Kyi? Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, martyr of democracy who has spent 20 years of her life in house arrest, who fell from grace on an international stage and it is now unknown if the 80 year old mother of Myanmar is still alive? Lock in to this gripping episode to find out more. Lotta and Cam discuss Suu Kyi‘s life, the historical events that lead to the current civil war and sham elections, to Rohingya crisis, scam centres: in short, why we didn’t not go to Myanmar. A incredibly privileged position to take - as so many people from myanmar are trying to escape or rave their lives from the violence raging around them. If you want to donate to help some of the most vulnerable people in this theatre of terror, here are some suggestions:The Women‘s Peace Network of Myanmar supports the most vulnerable people on the path to a democratic and violence free Myanmar. Ere you can donate to help educate Rohingya girls in refugee camps.https://www.womenspeacenetwork.orgYou can donate to help victims of modern slavery and forced marriage in Myanmar here, including the scam centres on the Thai - Myanmar border we talk about in the episode. They also focus on the exploitation of women and girls who are incredibly vulnerable and are facing heightened risks of sex-trafficking, forced marriage and forced labour.https://www.freedomfund.org/hotspot/myanmar/If you‘re interested to learn more, here are some resources:Clare Hammond‘s Book, ON THE SHADOW TRACKS: A Journey Through Occupied MyanmarThe podcast What‘s Happening in MyanmarFor a fortnightly update on the situation in Myanmar through experts and interviewsThanks for listening to this big one! Remember to share, subscribe and like!

This week join Dom and Lotta for a chat about a cool thing many birds do - migration! Inspired by a bird watching mission to Poyang Lake in China, for Lotta’s birdday, Dom and Lotta have become amateur bird nerds, and can’t wait to chat all the amazing wonders of these rather globalised birds. Why do they migrate? How do they navigate? Why do they fly in V-formation? How long can they fly without stopping? How can we love and protect them? Have a cheeky listen to find out the answers.

Sit down with a cuppa and prepare to have your socks blown off about the humble drink, tea. What is it? Where did it come from? When did the British start drinking teas? Join me as I take part in a tea ceremony with tea master Mabel in her home in Kunming, trying ripe Pu’er, Oolong and White Tea as we explore the historical and cultural force that is tea. Teas have inspired spirituality and purity, tea grounds and holds people, tea is everyone’s friend. But there is another side to tea too. Tea has been the catalyst to wars, slavery and incredible human cruelty. How can that be? I learnt so much in this conversation and hope you do too!Here is Mabol’s brand, where you can learn about tea and learn some Chinese too! https://www.discovercha.com/learn-chinese-with-mabolhttps://www.facebook.com/Mabol2DiscoverCha/https://www.instagram.com/mabol_discover_cha/https://www.youtube.com/@discovercha

Laos has the unenviable title of being the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world. In this episode, we’ll be unpacking why, as well as the dangerous legacy of unexploded ordinances (UXOs) left in the lives of everyday Laotian people. Join Bec this week as she interviews two representatives from Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Bella and Ben, about the history, ramifications and ongoing work related to UXOs in Laos. The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a global humanitarian and advocacy organisation that finds, removes and destroys landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs from places affected by conflict. MAG has been working in Laos since 1994 clearing unexploded bombs and providing explosive ordnance risk education, helping families safely farm, build, and live without fear. Our guests from MAG Laos: Mathida Khattiyavong (Ben), Communications OfficerIsabelle Urumath (Bella), Grants and Communications Manager Ways to support MAG Laos and stay engaged in their work: Website for donationsFacebook Instagram Vientiane Visitor CentreXieng Khouang Visitor CentreSources for extra reading: Obama's 2016 remarks in Laos (mentioned during interview)Collateral Damage: The Legacy of the Secret War on Laos (peer-reviewed study from 2024 published in The Economic Journal)

Join Lotta and Dom as they dive deep into the floodwaters that hit South East Asia last year - and swim through the nuanced and shocking currents of human’s relationships with floods from the past into the future. We also do a bit of a nerd out about the climate - if you’ve decided to skip that section, jump to 13:25!Some papers , books and other resources I recommend checking out if you’re curious!https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-021-00199-z - the article which links ENSO to climate changeIn Praise of Floods by James C. Scott - a different view of rivers, that tries to decenter humans within the river ecosystemhttps://coastal.climatecentral.org/map/9/105.8996/20.8793/?theme=sea_level_rise&map_type=year&basemap=roadmap&contiguous=true&elevation_model=best_available&forecast_year=2050&pathway=ssp3rcp70&percentile=p50&refresh=true&return_level=return_level_1&rl_model=coast_rp&slr_model=ipcc_2021_med - a map with projected sea level rises worldwide. Interactive, fun and soberingAmphibious Anthropologies, Living in Wet Environments - a super cool collection of writings of people living in changing wet environments I’m dying to read! https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181129-the-underground-cathedral-protecting-tokyo-from-floods - Tokyo’s flood cathedral

Another group episode beans! Here, you will be updated on our journeys through Malaysia and how we reunited in Thailand. Listen for food highlights, a shallow dive on LGBTQIA+ rights in Malaysia and, of course, BRICK #1! Including who won it last time after we left the choice to you guys…Sick advocacy groups working in Malaysia you should totally follow on your socials and check out in general: https://www.instagram.com/jejakaorg/?hl=enhttps://justiceforsisters.org/en/https://www.planetromeofoundation.org/pelangi-campaign/If you want to donate for Thai flood relief in the wake of the floods that Hat Yai and other cities under water, donate here:https://www.donationhub.or.th/project/106/detail/ENOur fave books from recently! The Rosie Project by Graeme SimsionAtlas of the Heart by Brene BrownMinistry of Moral Panic by Amanda Lee KoehSugarbread by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Listen up, another group episode! This time recorded hundreds of miles apart over zoom.Here, we discuss the second half of our time in Indonesia, as well as Dom's dengue scare which resulted in the group temporarily splitting up and Cam and Bec pushing on to Singapore and Malaysia.We also take a shallow dive into how Singapore launders Russian oil and sells it to Australia.The Asia TimesCentre for Research on Clean Energy and Clean AirOur GoFundMe for BC can be found ⁠here⁠. Please consider donating if you have the means! Join us for some meandering shenanigans, and catch ya next time! BOOK RECSFiction: Indonesian authors: The Rainbow Troops (Andrea Hirata)The Wandering (Intan Paramaditha)Singaporean Authors: Sugarbread (Balli Kaur Jaswal)Australian Authors: Juice (Time Winton)Non-fiction and memoir:Desi Girl (Sarah Malik)All I Ever Wanted To Be Was Hot (Lucinda Froomes Price)

Have you ever thought, damn, what a waste to flush my poop down the toilet! Well, permaculture has the answer - compost that sh!t. Join Dom and Dwi as they talk about permaculture and Dwi’s permaculture project, Omah Lor, set on the slopes of a volcano in Central Java, Indonesia.Permaculture is: the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated systems of food production, housing, appropriate technology, and community development. Permaculture is built upon an ethic of caring for the earth and interacting with the environment in mutually beneficial ways. Follow Omah Lor on instagram: OmahlorprojectDwi’s Book Recommendations:Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual - by Bill MollisonTeaming with Microbes - by Jeff LowenfelTeaming with Fungi - by Jeff LowenfelTeaming with Nutrients - by Jeff LowenfelTeaming with Bacteria - by Jeff LowenfelLearn more about permaculture and the 12 design principles here:https://worldpermacultureassociation.com/holmgren-principles/Go online and watch some permy vids! It’s a crazy world to exploreThanks everyone!

Hello everyone, thanks for joining us for another episode ofThe Meandering Pod. This week we’re introducing a two-part series for the firsttime. It’s about the Montara Oil Spill, which happened in the Timor Sea in 2009. Bec and Dom will focus in this episode on the Australian side of the story, and next episode we’ll look into the Indonesian side of the story. A big thanks to Fraser Maywood, chair of Sustainable EnergyNow, for providing background information about the oil and gas industry (but not specific details of the incident). Links to important sources: - Montara Oil Spill Commission of Inquiry - Sydney Morning Herald Reporting About PRRT Appeal - ABC Reporting About Destroyed Evidence - Boiling Cold Reporting on Jadestone Energy