The Conversation

Having recently returned from his latest visit to some of the most remote areas of Bolivia, Ramesh Srinivasan, director of the UC Digital Cultures Lab and an Associate Professor in Information Studies  at UCLA, joins The Young Turks’ Dave Koller to discuss how cultural diversity can be empowered through technology efforts. Bolivia is such a richly multicultural nation that it can be seen as an interesting example for many of us across the world who are interested in how to support cultural diversity in a world where this is being lost. Srinivasan shares fascinating stories of how Bolivia’s indigenous communities are reinventing traditional media - specifically radio - to spread information across far-flung regions of the country, promote indigenous causes and help organize labor and workers. He provokes us to think about how social media and Internet initiatives can learn from radio.Also discussed in this wide-ranging interview:- The emerging and dynamic politics of South America, with an eye toward Bolivia and the pope's recent visit to the region- The tensions and paradoxes associated with Bolivian president Evo Morales- How radio may provide an answer to the angst we feel about the Internet- Why new media and the Internet have failed to take hold with rural and indigenous communities and how radio can be a teacher in overcoming this.- How technologies can support indigenous and non-western values and beliefs.- What those of us in the west can learn from Bolivia’s efforts to promote connectedness.- The first-hand experience of seeing Bolivians’ reaction to Pope Francis’ recent visit.Visit the UC Digital Cultures Lab's website: http://digitalcultures.netFollow Ramesh on Twitter: @rameshmediaFollow Dave on Twitter: @DaveKollerWatch Ramesh’s interview with Cenk Uygur on Tahrir Square and social media: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pi29UzPnMsWatch Ramesh’s earlier interview with Dave on the South American Indigenous Internet: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTaNyJRlq84Like this interview? Enough that you want to throw a little Bitcoin our way? Great! Do it here: https://www.coinbase.com/TYTFor more interviews, subscribe to our channel HERE:  https://www.youtube.com/user/TYTInterviewsSupport The Young Turks by Subscribing http://www.youtube.com/user/theyoungturksFriend Us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tytinterviewsFollow Us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/theyoungturksSupport TYT for FREE by doing your Amazon shopping through this link (bookmark it!)  http://www.amazon.com/?tag=theyoungturks-20Support The Young Turks by becoming a member of TYT Nation at http://http://www.tytnetwork.com/subscribe. Your membership supports the day to day operations and is vital for our continued success and growth. In exchange, we provided members only bonuses! We tape a special Post Game show Mon-Thurs and you get access to the entire live show at your convenience in video, audio and podcast formats. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When we hear the term “Stem Cell Research”, we automatically think of controversy, and the conflict between religious groups and medical researchers that stole headlines in the lead up to the 2000 election. Today, stem cell research has progressed beyond using cells from embryos and is now an essential part of medical research – and potentially treatment – in adults.Watch the first video in this series where Cenk interviews Praveen Singh and Jayde Lovell:Stem Cell Research: At TYT It's Personal (Cenk Uygur Interview w/ Praveen Singh and Jayde Lovell)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb0umBLB-18&list=PLvTWdtzKwG6eaI3iFSEbvHUWyNO7WsZmG&index=2 Just one frontier for stem cell research is finding a cure for acute heart conditions. Around 280,000 people die every year from heart attacks, and many of those people will die with no warning and no prior history of heart disease. Research into the cause of these heart attacks is difficult – studying the genetic mutations that cause these heart attacks is all but impossible, as most carrying the mutation will never know they have it. But new stem cell technology allows doctors to use blood cells from an affected adult to grow both healthy and diseased tissue, giving scientists an opportunity to study the disease and trial potential cures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One day, at age 31, The Young Turks' Head of Business Development Praveen Singh unexpectedly passed out at work. After a trip to the emergency room and multiple subsequent tests, she was told her episode had been caused by an irregular heart beat associated with a condition called "ventricular tachycardia."Watch the second video in this series where Cenk interviews the research team:How Stem Cell Research Is Curing Congenital Heart Defects (Interview w/ Cenk Uygur) https://youtu.be/ilVjSnE5t44In this interview with TYT host Cenk Uygur and TYT science correspondent Jayde Lovell, Singh talks about the international fact-finding journey she embarked on to learn more about her condition and the difficult decisions she's had to make about whether to follow medical advice and have a defibrillator implanted and to take medications for the rest of her life.The three also discuss how and why stem cell research is a uniquely effective method for uncovering the root cause of ventricular tachycardia and critical to helping isolate and cure a range of cardiac conditions that lead to the premature deaths of thousands of Americans.Find out more about ventricular tachycardia on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventricular_tachycardiaFollow Praveen on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PraveenNYCFollow Jayde on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JaydeLovellFollow Cenk on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CenkUygurTo learn more about the research and support the research study, go to http://www.PraveenNYC.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Judah Friedlander got his “big break” when he was cast as slacker comedy writer Frank Rossitano on the NBC hit sitcom 30 Rock. But before that Friedlander had been a working standup for decades, acted in dozens of popular films and TV shows and taught the masses the secrets to becoming an undisputed World Champion in “How to Beat Up Anybody: An Instructional and Inspirational Karate Book.” Now Judah’s got a new cartoon book out, titled “If the Raindrops United,” filled with his uniquely subversive, thought-provoking and hilarious drawings.In this wide-ranging interview with The Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur, Friedlander talks about:- What “if the raindrops united” means and its message for humanity- His experiences getting cock-blocked by reverse anti-semitism - Developing his “World Champion” persona and how its evolved over the years- Which GOP presidential candidate stole his act, right down to the wardrobe choices- How the marketing of “American Exceptionalism” and a “We’re #1” attitude keeps the US from addressing glaring societal flaws and shortcomings.- Why American schooling is about keeping kids from learning to think for themselves- Why too few people are able to view the world through the lens of anyone else’s experienceBuy Judah’s book: http://www.powells.com/book/if-the-ra...Visit Judah online: www.judahfriedlander.comFollow Judah on Twitter: @JudahFriedlanderFollow Cenk on Twitter: @CenkUygur Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Winning a leading role on the wildly successful Mighty Morphin Power Rangers show more than 20 years ago dramatically altered the trajectory of actor Walter Jones’ career.In this wide-ranging interview with The Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur, Jones talks about:- His struggles growing up the child of a single mom in Detroit, including one incident at age four when he shot the middle finger off of his left hand.- Donning costumes to work the theme park and cruise ship circuits while pursuing his big break.- The challenges faced by black actors in Hollywood, and whether racism was involved in casting him as the “black” Power Ranger.- Barely escaping being kidnapped while working on a horror film in Romania.- Whether playing the black Power Ranger helped him score with the ladies.- How even 20 years after leaving the show, he’s still highly sought after for autographs at Comic Cons across the globe.Follow Walter on Twitter: @WalterejonesFollow Cenk on Twitter: @CenkUygur Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Growing up as the only child of legendary comedian George Carlin wasn’t all laughs and jocular exchanges of the “seven dirty words.” In her new memoir, “A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up With George,” author, radio host and podcaster Kelly Carlin describes her tumultuous upbringing, awash in drugs, alcohol and screaming fights - but also with a great deal a lot of love and affection.In this interview with satirist and radio host Jimmy Dore, Carlin pulls the curtain back on what most people don’t know - or understand - about her famous father, while sharing intimate details abour her struggles as the child of alcoholic/addict parents, her escape from an abusive marriage and the peace of mind she’s achieved by charting her own path to personal fulfillment.Get a copy of “A Carlin Home Companion”: http://ow.ly/THrVRFind out more about Kelly Carlin: http://thekellycarlinsite.com/ Follow Kelly Carlin on Twitter: @Kelly_CarlinFollow Jimmy Dore on Twitter: @Jimmy_Dore Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lawrence Lessig is running for president as a Democrat, but you wouldn’t know it from watching the first Democratic debate on CNN. Lessig’s solitary focus is on ending the corrosive, corrupting influence of money on the American political system, a position that may be too hot for the Democratic National Committee, which barred Lessig from the first Democratic debate on October 13th in Las Vegas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris Ryan is the author, along with his wife Cacilda Jetha, of the New York Times bestseller “Sex At Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships,” which advice columnist Dan Savage described as "the single most important book about human sexuality since Alfred Kinsey unleashed Sexual Behavior in the Human Male on the American public in 1948."In this wide-ranging interview with The Young Turks’ Ana Kasparian, Ryan discusses why sexual monogamy among humans is a very recent invention, the critical difference between intimacy and sex, why polyamorous relationships are often much healthier - with better communication and less jealousy - than traditional pair bonds, the primitive roots of the cuckolding fetish, and why it can be perfectly OK to say, “go ahead, fuck the nanny.”To find out more about Chris Ryan, visit www.chrisryanphd.comBuy Sex at Dawn: www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780061707810-2­0Listen to Chris Ryan’s podcast, Tangentially Speaking: http://chrisryanphd.com/tangentially-...Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisRyanPhDFollow Ana on Twitter: @anakasparian Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dave Spencer is a "Rockefeller Republican" in two senses: first, in that he believes the GOP should be more open to compromise, evidence-based and reasonable and second, because his great-great-grandfather was actually John D. Rockefeller.Spencer suffered a life-threatening car accident at age 19, which cost him his right leg and full use of his right arm. Since then he's - Has an MBA from Stanford, worked as a volunteer motivational speaker for amputees and trauma victims, started BayKids, a nonprofit organization that serves children through self-empowerment programs in the greater San Francisco area and founded "Practically Republican."Practically Republican’s stated objective is, "To engage, organize and motivate a new kind of GOP supporter; one who is fact and issue-oriented and invites conversation, respects differences of opinion, believes in compromise and puts sound policy before partisanship.”In this interview, Spencer and The Young Turks' Cenk Uygur discuss:- The demographic time bomb that threatens the future of the GOP- Whether the Republican Party has lost its way- If Ted Cruz is right about campaign finance reform- Whether more socializing among congressional reps would lead to more compromise- Which is more important to politicians - money or votesAnd much more.For more info on Practically Republican, visit www.practicallyrepublican or follow them on Twitter at @PracticallyGOPFollow Cenk on Twitter: @CenkUygurLike this interview? Enough that you want to throw a little Bitcoin our way? Great! Do it here: https://www.coinbase.com/TYT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harvard Law Professor and longtime political activist Lawrence Lessig wants to win the presidency of the United States to accomplish one critical objective: ending the corrupting influence of money on politics. With that done, he says he’ll step down and let someone else take over the Oval Office. It’s a radical notion, the single-issue presidential candidacy, but as he points out, only a radical solution can wrest back control of our democracy from the monied interests who have steadily come to dominate American political life. In this exclusive interview, Lessig and The Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur discuss:- The Kickstarter campaign that will decide whether Lessig officially runs for president.- Why, even if one of them were to become president, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have no hope of eliminating money from politics.- Why the American people would get behind a one-issue candidacy to get money out of politics.- Why the Democratic party is as guilty as Republicans for the current corrupt system.- Whether Donald Trump’s candidacy is helpful or harmful to the cause of money in politics.- The Three Prongs of Political Corruption that a Citizen Equality Act would deal with.- Whether he would govern as president on other issues while trying to pass the Citizen Equality Act.- How the fight against money in politics is the Civil Rights issue of our time, and that now is when the American people need to come together in shared sacrifice to take back democracy.Find out more about Lawrence Lessig here: http://www.lessig.orgDonate to the Lawrence Lessig for President Kickstarter here: https://lessigforpresident.comFollow him on Twitter: @LessigHelp Cenk pass an amendment to get money out of politics: www.wolf-pac.comFollow Cenk on Twitter: @CenkUygurLike this interview? Enough that you want to throw a little Bitcoin our way? Great! Do it here: https://www.coinbase.com/TYT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices