The world has never been more connected. Yet never more divided. We yell at each other from inside our echo chambers. But change doesn’t happen inside an echo chamber. It’s time to get out, to stretch our legs, to step on some land mines. It's time to have an uncomfortable conversation with Josh Szeps. A DM Podcast
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While people might be familiar with Slipstream, they are likely not aware of the diverse range of projects Slipstream works on. From building unique relationships with Indigenous nations to spearheading energy resilience in under-served communities, Slipstream is dedicated to our principle of building a clean energy economy that works for everyone.
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Empower yourself! Listen to inspiring community energy stories from around the world on the theme of Decolonizing Power hosted by Mihskakwan James Harper and Freddie Huppé Campbell. Explore the unparalleled potential of renewable energy microgrids in Indigenous, Island and Coastal communities utilizing new technologies and applying circular economy principles to take climate action. Connect to a global network of leaders, including young innovators sprinting towards a sustainable, just and i ...
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Toronto Talks is the podcast from the Toronto Region Board of Trade. Each episode features prominent business leaders from across the Toronto region talking about some of the biggest challenges facing our economy - from productivity to congestion and beyond.
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DECELERATION.NEWS. Deceleration Podcast is an irregular podcast talking all things climate and environmental justice, rooted in San Antonio and the South Texas bioregion with global concerns. For the Earth. And all Her families.
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Seeing the world beyond news headlines: politicians, journalists and researchers share their insights onstage at the TED conference, TEDx events and partner events around the world. You can also download these and many other videos free on TED.com, with an interactive English transcript and subtitles in up to 80 languages. TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.
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How Indigenous Businesses Are Powering Canada’s Clean Energy Future with Tabatha Bull
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43:17Canada’s clean energy future depends on more than just minerals, it needs meaningful partnerships with Indigenous communities. In this episode, Tabatha Bull, President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, explains why Indigenous-led innovation is essential to the success of Canada’s energy transition and what needs to change for…
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"A.I., Artificial Souls, and the Crazy Conundrum of Consciousness" with Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel
1:04:16
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1:04:16Let's take a break from the news cycle for a moment, shall we? There's a lot of cool shit to ponder that's more important and more fascinating. Like, how does the gooey blob of atoms between your ears generate all of your experiences? And are we on track to producing machines that feel as alive as you? Eric Schwitzgebel is a legendary professor of …
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"Being Courageous in a Conformist World" with Sarah Wilson
1:15:08
1:15:08
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1:15:08Are we too spoilt to be creative? Are we succumbing to decadent decline? How do you dissent when the incentives are to conform? How do the French retain the art of disagreement while the Anglosphere gets stuck in predictable squabbles? How can we grow a pair of collective cojones and defiantly create a better future? Today's episode would normally …
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Anti-Zionism, antisemitism, Palestinians, Hamas, Israeli Arabs, diaspora Jews, Gaza, and now an all-out war with Iran. It's head-spinning, trying to make sense of Israel right now. Today, Josh comes to you battered and bruised by the slings and arrows of a national pile-on. He wrote the lead opinion piece in the big thumping weekend edition of Sydn…
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What It Will Take to Build a Stronger Toronto with Mayor Olivia Chow
19:22
19:22
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19:22At the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s 2025 Annual Lunch, the message was clear: it’s time to create the conditions for growth. This episode brings you into the room as we launched our bold new campaign, Stronger Starts Here, and heard directly from Mayor Olivia Chow about how Toronto is tackling congestion, accelerating housing, and preparing for …
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PREMIUM: “Old Media, New Media & the Truth” with legendary journalist Chris Uhlmann
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44:32Chris Uhlmann is one of the most experienced and well-known journalists Down Under. He worked for decades as either the host or the chief political reporter on many of the country's most respected news shows: The 7.30 Report, ABC News, Nine News, and ABC Radio's flagship current affairs show "A.M." He's made the leap to Substack, and joined Josh to…
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BONUS: The Playwright Who Just Won the Tony Awards
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47:08Over the weekend, the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play went to Eureka Day, a brave, hilarious satire of wokeness, vaccine denial, identity politics and social justice. Fresh from Broadway, the Sydney production is on now at the Seymour Centre. Its playwright, Jonathan Spector, joined Josh from California before his Tony triumph. Eureka Day is …
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“An Incredible Clean-Energy Future: Smart Homes, Smart Grids & Smart Thinkers” like energy entrepreneur Saul Griffith
1:00:10
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1:00:10If you want to feel optimistic about the mind-boggling potential of the renewable energy revolution, listen to Saul Griffith, one of the world's leading experts in electrification, decarbonisation and renewable energy technologies. He's founded a dozen Silicon Valley technology companies, R&D labs, and non-partisan organizations, and he was instrum…
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PREMIUM: "Trump, the Left, and the Future of Liberalism" with Yascha Mounk
35:19
35:19
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35:19While the showdown continues over Trump's military deployment against Los Angeles protestors, can we take heart from the resurgence of anti-Trump liberalism in Canada, Australia, the U.K. and Europe? Could the Democrats capture that energy? If the culture has moved on from "wokeness", then what's the next paradigm for the Left? How should we think …
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Episode Four - Instructing the Next Generation
1:00:21
1:00:21
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1:00:21Right now, the clean energy industry is booming, with an expected growth of 17.2% annually between now and 2030. And Sketchbox, a free energy modeling software from Slipstream, is an important tool in educating the next generation. In our latest podcast episode, Renee talks to Ben Heymer, Gabi Kim, and Jim Reichling—two Slipstreamers involved in th…
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"Influencers, In-Fights & New Media" with Hannah Ferguson
1:35:02
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1:35:02At 26, Hannah Ferguson is one of the most influential young women in Australia. Her media company, Cheek Media, boasts an army of politically-engaged, progressive female fans. Ferguson co-hosts the smash hit podcast Big Small Talk, which breaks down politics and pop culture. An unapologetic progressive, she recently interviewed the prime minister a…
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Andrew Sullivan is one of the most influential political writers of his generation. He became the face of the gay marriage fight, after writing the first major American article arguing for it in 1989. His 1995 book, Virtually Normal, became a bible of the marriage equality movement. Andrew had moved to America to get his PhD in politics from Harvar…
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"Why Gaza is Genocide" with Israeli Holocaust Historian Prof. Amos Goldberg
1:00:09
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1:00:09Terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" are thrown around a lot by anti-Israel activists. But when a leading Israeli Holocaust historian declares his own country to be a genocidal apartheid state, we ought to listen. Born and raised in Israel, Dr Goldberg is a professor in the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at The Hebrew Universi…
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PREVIEW: “Tariffs, Greenbacks, Qatar’s Air Force One, and American Empire” with Assoc. Prof. David Smith
28:19
28:19
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28:19How do you reconcile Trump's passion for American Greatness with his disengagement from international systems which America set up? What are the consequences so far of Trump's tariff flip-flops? Can Ukraine be resolved by the Great Powers alone? Do volatile bond markets predict the end of the U.S. dollar? Where does this all leave America in relati…
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Josh on... Can You Change People's Minds?
1:33:36
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1:33:36We've got a special treat for you today. Josh sat down with the hosts of the "Changed My Mind" podcast, who interrogated him about whether it's really possible, in our divided times, to change someone's mind. Josh shares his thoughts about the art of persuasion; reveals topics on which his position has changed; and wrestles with conundrums like fac…
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Toronto’s Prescription for Growth: Unlocking Life Sciences Potential with Gordon McCauley
28:02
28:02
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28:02In this episode of Toronto Talks, Giles Gherson sits down with Gordon McCauley, President and CEO of AdMare BioInnovations, to explore what it will take to turn the Toronto Region into a global life sciences powerhouse. From talent gaps and capital constraints to scaling barriers and regulatory inefficiencies, they get candid about the roadblocks—a…
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"The Game-ification of Everything" with Gurwinder Bhogal
1:42:43
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1:42:43Gurwinder rose to fame writing elaborately insightful Twitter threads about how to be human in the twenty-first century. He now publishes The Prism, on Substack, a guide to navigating the digital age. Watch this conversation on YouTube. And you’re missing out on our best ad-free content if you haven’t popped over to the Uncomfy Convos Substack page…
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“Free Thought vs Free Speech” with Jenara Nerenberg
1:05:25
1:05:25
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1:05:25Are people too disagreeable these days? Or, in fact, are we losing the knack for disagreement? Are we self-silencing? Or getting more rude? Jenara Nerenberg is the founder and host of The Neurodiversity Project. She's a Harvard graduate who lectures widely on neuroscience and diversity, and who runs workshops at institutions like the Stanford Gradu…
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"Does Alien Life Exist?" with astrophysicist Dr Sara Webb
1:21:17
1:21:17
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1:21:17Are we alone? If alien life exists, why can't we find it? What's "the great filter"? Why is the universe set up the way it is? What are the chances there 's some purpose to it all? And is BBC News correct in reporting that "Scientists find 'strongest evidence yet' of life on distant planet"? What have we actually found? What might it mean? Whenever…
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In this shockingly insightful episode, Renee talks to Slipstreamers Jon Koliner and Kevin Frost about the benefits of commercial and residential electrification, recent projects they’ve worked on, and why it’s time to finally ditch that gas stove. >Read more about the new 120 volt heat pump water heaters and what our study found out about them >Fin…
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“Conspiracies, Echo Chambers & Culture Wars” with Sacha Judd
1:44:24
1:44:24
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1:44:24The internet is a dumpster fire. Are you a firefighter? Or an arsonist? This episode is a cracker. Sacha Judd is an expert on internet subcultures. A former lawyer, she has become something like “the Mark Cuban of New Zealand” - a smart, left-wing investor in high-growth startups; advisor to businesses; and fierce commentator on Big Tech. Sacha wan…
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Building Toronto’s Next Great Community with Derek Goring, CEO of Northcrest Developments
39:02
39:02
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39:02Downsview is no longer just a part of Toronto’s past, it’s about to define the city’s future. In this episode, Derek Goring, CEO of Northcrest Developments and Chair of the Business Council of Toronto’s Climate and Energy Transition Council, joins Giles Gherson to reveal how the YZD project will transform 370 acres of land into seven new, complete …
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PREVIEW: Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dave Sweeney
50:27
50:27
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50:27Do nuclear weapons protect Western civilisation? Or are they an insane error that humanity should undo? Is nuclear power worth the cost and risk? Dave Sweeney co-founded the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Dave and Josh debate the risks and rewards of nuclear weapons and nuclear pow…
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BONUS: "Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Furore" with Tyson Yunkaporta
1:11:54
1:11:54
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1:11:54Have indigenous Welcomes-to-Country gone too far? On Friday, far-right hecklers disrupted the Welcome to Country (i.e. the land acknowledgment, in North American parlance) of a profound Australian national event, the Anzac Day Dawn Service. The protest has sparked a national firestorm about race, racism and remembrance. Josh shares his thoughts abo…
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"Facebook Whistleblower" Frances Haugen
1:13:36
1:13:36
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1:13:36What’s social media doing to us, and how would you fix it? Mark Zuckerberg has been a busy boy on the witness stand in Washington DC lately. In one of the most consequential antitrust cases in tech history, Meta is being sued by the U.S. government for allegedly maintaining a monopoly. It could reshape the future of social media, privacy regulation…
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"American Authoritarianism" with Matt Welch
1:24:55
1:24:55
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1:24:55What do you make of a U.S. government that snatches people off the street and disappears them into Central American prisons, forever, with no trial, and no way to appeal? Matt Welch is a libertarian journalist. He's no wild-eyed, Trump-loathing leftie. Fresh off the back of his appearance on Bill Maher, Matt joined Josh on Josh's streaming TV show,…
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“Reimagining Schooling” with Finnish education icon Prof. Pasi Sahlberg
1:48:09
1:48:09
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1:48:09What's the purpose of school? Why do we run schools the way we do? How might we reinvent education in an era of artificial intelligence and ADHD? Professor Pasi Sahlberg is one of the world's leading education experts. He ran Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture, moved to Washington DC to advise the World Bank on education, and was a visitin…
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No Time to Stall: Why Council Must Act on Congestion with Sal Iacono, President and CEO, Cadillac Fairview
18:44
18:44
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18:44As Toronto City Council prepares to debate the Board's Congestion Action Plan, business leaders are urging immediate action. In this episode, Sal Iacono, President and CEO of Cadillac Fairview and a member of the Board’s Congestion Governing Council, shares real-world examples of how gridlock is hurting business and why waiting to act is no longer …
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PREVIEW: "What Can Democrats Do?" with David Pakman
20:23
20:23
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20:23The Democratic Party is paralysed. It can't merely offer resistance to Trump. It also needs to offer an alternative to him. But how? Should they oppose his every move, as the likes of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Cory Booker believe? Or should they shut up and wait for the president to doom himself, as Senate minority leader …
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“Decoding the Gurus” with Chris Kavanagh and Matt Browne
1:18:53
1:18:53
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1:18:53When are independent shows like Uncomfortable Conversations serving a useful purpose... and when are they just preaching to the choir? "Decoding the Gurus" is a podcast that dissects how new-media personalities gain guru status. Frequently, such podcasters claim to be bravely challenging the status quo... while comfortably pandering to their team. …
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Anthony Bourdain’s “Lieutenant”, Laurie Woolever
1:11:24
1:11:24
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1:11:24Anthony Bourdain was Josh's hero. Laurie Woolever was, as Bourdain called her, his "lieutenant". A writer and culinary graduate, Laurie had worked for another gigantic cooking celebrity, Mario Batali, before he was brought down for alleged sexual harrassment. She spent almost ten years as Bourdain's right-hand-gal. The two of them wrote two books t…
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PREVIEW: "What Is the 'Patriarchy'?" with Prof. Cordelia Fine
38:46
38:46
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38:46Do males and females differ in what we want out of life? In what jobs we want to do? In how much we want to look after babies, or run a tech start-up, or sweep the living room, or be a CEO? Or are biological preferences just an excuse to justify inequality? Cordelia Fine is a feminist academic who studies scientific explanations of sex differences …
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Keeping Toronto Moving with Greg Percy, Interim TTC CEO
31:09
31:09
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31:09The TTC’s interim CEO, Greg Percy, joins our President and CEO Giles Gherson to talk about how we restore public confidence, build a stronger customer experience, and rethink the financial model that powers our city’s transit. This episode was recorded during the Board's 10th Annual Transportation Symposium: From Gridlock to Growth.…
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JUST JOSH: The Woke Catastrophe of “Snow White”
28:49
28:49
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28:49If you want to see what's wrong with not being offensive, watch Snow White. The new Disney re-make is so committed to not offending anyone that it’s a social-justice jumble. Snow White isn’t white as snow; her love interest isn’t a prince; the dwarves aren’t “dwarves”; but there IS a dwarf in a non-dwarf role; Snow White doesn’t need a man; the man…
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BOB CARR on Diplomacy, Statesmanship and Grief
1:40:32
1:40:32
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1:40:32Even if you're not Australian, you want to listen to this conversation with one of the nation's most iconic statesmen. Bob Carr is a former foreign minister of Australia (i.e. the secretary of state) and, before that, the longest-continuously-serving Premier of NSW, Australia's most populous state. He's an intellectual powerhouse, an icolonoclast, …
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In this episode, Renee talks to Kim Johnston and Holly Edinger, two Slipstreamers who handle Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy—or C-PACE—programs. This type of funding can help finance energy-efficiency, water efficiency and renewable energy improvements. And they can also bolster communities by creating jobs, stimulating the local economy,…
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PREVIEW: “Does Ukraine Still Matter?" with correspondent Misha Zelinsky
38:43
38:43
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38:43What are Trump and Putin cooking up for Ukraine? Can the Europeans sideline it? What options does Ukraine still have on the table? And does any of this really matter to non-Europeans any more? This week, the ceasefire talks that President Trump boasted he'd wrap up in 24 hours fell apart, again. Russia says it wants an end to the war, if Ukraine ef…
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Australia’s Shadow Treasurer, Angus Taylor
1:06:30
1:06:30
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1:06:30Angus Taylor is the Shadow Treasurer of Australia and a key figure of the Opposition, the centre-right Liberal Party. A former cabinet minister, businessman and Rhodes scholar, he's often discussed as a future prime minister. Opinion polls put his party's return to power in the May election as a 50/50 bet. Josh sat down with the Shadow Treasurer to…
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Quantum Computing's Next Frontier with Christian Weedbrook
29:03
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29:03What takes a supercomputer 7 million years, Christian Weedbrook’s Toronto-based quantum computer did in just two minutes. Christian Weedbrook, CEO and founder of Xanadu, sits down to explain quantum computing in plain English and why it matters for industries like health care and clean tech, what makes Toronto a global hub for talent, and why this …
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PREVIEW: "Two Jews Debate Israel" with Antony Loewenstein
40:50
40:50
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40:50How should moderate, secular Jews feel about Israel? How brutalising must Israel’s Gaza policy be before more Jews denounce it? Is Israel a well-intentioned country hijacked by right-wing leaders from its true purpose of peace? Or is it intrinsically committed to destroying Palestinians? Was a Jewish ethno-state a mistake from the start? Or is Isra…
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JOHN McWHORTER: Language, Race & Trump
1:25:46
1:25:46
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1:25:46John McWhorter is arguably the world’s most famous linguist. A professor at Columbia University and a columnist for the New York Times, he alternately enrages the right and the left as an anti-Trump, anti-woke, Black academic. John and Josh sat down in Sydney to discuss gay slang, the Trumpist right, Black provocateurs and “serving c***t”. Watch th…
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"Why Greenland Matters" with Sherri Goodman
42:01
42:01
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42:01When Trump floated the idea of the U.S. acquiring Greenland, some called it a random brain fart. But there is a real conversation among security experts about control of the Arctic in the 21st century. As climate change opens up new avenues for shipping, spying, mining, submarining and warfare, the far North Atlantic matters more and more. Sherri G…
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BONUS: Josh on Israel-Palestine Coverage
1:21:10
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1:21:10Last week, Arab leaders gathered in Egypt for a Palestine Summit. The 22-nation Arab League emerged with a re-energised Arab Peace Initiative to solve the Israel-Palestinian Conflict once and for all. Australia's largest and most trusted news organisation, the ABC, covered the event in an article entitled "This Plan Would End the Israel-Palestinian…
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"Trump, Gaza & Liberalism" with Senator Dave Sharma
59:18
59:18
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59:18Australians go to the polls in a few months. It looks surprisingly grim for the first-term, centre-left Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. As part of Uncomfortable Conversations' election coverage, Josh invited a select handful of prominent politicians who are likely to be the most interesting figures for listeners from all over t…
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We Build AI, Now It’s Time to Use It with Greta Cutulenco
28:58
28:58
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28:58Canada is a leader in AI research, but are we applying that technology to boost our own industries? Greta Cutulenco, CEO and co-founder of Acerta Analytics, joins us to discuss how we need to do a better job using AI to transform this country’s manufacturing sector. This episode is being released shortly after International Women’s Day, highlightin…
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How Canada Can Win the Trade War with the Hon. Mélanie Joly
29:44
29:44
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29:44Canada is facing a new trade war, and businesses are bracing for uncertainty. How can we defend our economic interests, secure investment, and navigate the unpredictability of U.S. trade policies? In this episode, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, joins Toronto’s business leaders for a frank conversation on the…
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"The Next Canadian PM” with Jen Gerson
1:13:45
1:13:45
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1:13:45Justin Trudeau's political career will end this weekend when his replacement is elected as the Canadian Liberal leader. This happens at a moment of extraordinary uncertainty for Canadians. As the U.S. launches a painful trade war, Canadians are being forced to rethink their economic and strategic future. What's going on up there? Who are the candid…
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"Hate Speech or Free Speech?" with Prof. Alan Davison
2:15:40
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2:15:40Perhaps the most dangerous idea is what to do about dangerous ideas. A spate of anti-semitic attacks has led to new laws that will punish Australians for "hate speech". But are hate-speech laws a band-aid over deeper problems like ethnic bigotry, religious conservatism, historical ignorance, social media, migrant integration, university bias, and I…
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“Chinese War Games” with Sam Roggeveen
1:44:17
1:44:17
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1:44:17How should medium-sized countries respond when they're bullied by a superpower? The question applies as much to Canada dealing with President Trump as to Australia reacting to China. Last Friday, the pilot of a Virgin Australia flight from Australia to New Zealand noticed a flash of weapons from a Chinese warship just a few hundred miles off the co…
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In this episode, Renee Pogue brings in three hard-working Slipstreamers, Deb Dynako, Laura Manthe, and Doug Ahl, to discuss Slipstream’s relationship with Native nations. Specifically spotlighting the work we do with these communities to assist them in their path to energy sovereignty. Click here for more information on the Minnesota CARD Project, …
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