Podcast by fish biologist Jesse Black. We talk about ecological disasters, pollution, climate change, eco-colonialism, capitalism, fish, etc. Music by California Death Worm (californiadeathworm.bandcamp.com).
All of our science content is free, but if you'd like to toss us a few bucks to support our work on patreon.com/sludgefest- you will be blessed and anointed with pondwater.
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Everything is aggressively stupid and evil right now, so Lucy and I just talked about whatever we felt like for about an hour. With as few references to Elon Musk as we could manage. Need to tune your brain to TV static for an hour? This is the episode for you.
Energy drinks, television shows, AI slop, manosphere ghouls, edible books, biased steaks, and a sequel to the groundbreaking 2015 documentary Chappie.
CW: we do discuss briefly Criminal Minds, which is a pretty offensively shitty show about serial killers and sex criminals.
Please feel free to skip ~8-14 minutes in if you (understandably) don't want to hear about the television program Criminal Minds.
Working on the next proper Sludge episode too I promise <3
"I hope they are a little bit more than intrigued"
The fourth in our series on the environmental and humanitarian legacy of US uranium mines in The Navajo Nation. In this episode, we cover the 1950’s and 60’s. The Atomic Age promises endless energy and domestic convenience for middle-class white America, but is sustained Navajo miners and millers working long days in uranium mines at great expense to their long-term health and that of their families. Mining companies and government agencies fail to inform the Navajo community of the hazards for decades- until it is far too late to deny.
*Content warning* for upsetting content, discussions of illness, and reference to SA.
“MASE is rooted in the experiences of uranium-impacted communities of the southwestern U.S. We are communities working to restore and protect the natural and cultural environment through respectfully promoting intercultural engagement among communities and institutions for the benefit of all life and future generations.”
“In the late 1970s, Navajo uranium miners and their families asked for help to show that their lung diseases had been caused by their work in underground uranium mines in the 1940s-1960s. SRIC staff responded with medical and scientific data, in-community education strategies, and legislative support. As a result, Congress adopted legislation in 1990 to compensate former miners and their survivors. Ten years later, with SRIC's on going technical support to advocacy groups, the law was amended to cover virtually all uranium miners who worked before 1971. Currently, the Uranium Impact Assessment Program provides information on mining and community health, the legacy of uranium development, regulatory and policy issues related to remediation of contaminated sites, and current and proposed uranium development.”
Yellow Tree III
Épisode 3
mercredi 4 septembre 2024 • Durée 01:14:18
"Mean, bad man"
The third in our series on the environmental and humanitarian legacy of US uranium mines in The Navajo Nation. In this episode, we cover the years 1868-1960. The Navajo return home after being ethnically cleansed by the American military to Bosque Redondo. After losing nearly everything, they rebuild their lives, herds, and communities. The United States continues to attempt to forcibly assimilate the Navajo into the “American way” through through cruel boarding schools and draconian regulations on livestock. World War II, the Code Talkers, and the birth of the toxic uranium mining industry on Navajo lands.
Content warning for violence, upsetting content, and reference to SA.
“MASE is rooted in the experiences of uranium-impacted communities of the southwestern U.S. We are communities working to restore and protect the natural and cultural environment through respectfully promoting intercultural engagement among communities and institutions for the benefit of all life and future generations.”
Noel Smith has written a ton of really informative pieces on the modern state of uranium mine cleanup in The Navajo Nation- highly recommend giving them a read.
Yellow Tree II
Épisode 2
mardi 20 août 2024 • Durée 58:45
"Soup Will Be Your Salvation"
The second in our series on the environmental and humanitarian legacy of US uranium mines in The Navajo Nation and abroad. Before we talk about the mines, we need to discuss the historical context of settler-colonial oppression of the Navajo by the United States. In this episode, we cover the years 1849-1868, during which the United States military subjects the Navajo people to horrific, genocidal violence and displacement as a means to secure their land and resources as they expand westward.
Content warning for violence, upsetting content, and reference to SA.
Noel Smith has written a ton of really informative pieces on the modern state of uranium mine cleanup in The Navajo Nation- highly recommend giving them a read.
Red Nation Podcast. Uranium Stories: the largest nuclear disaster in US history, 43 years later. Episode link on patreon here.
Yellow Tree I
Épisode 1
lundi 12 août 2024 • Durée 53:48
The first in our series on the environmental and humanitarian legacy of US uranium mines in The Navajo Nation and abroad. Before we get there, we will need to bring along some history. In this episode, we outline the broader historical context, in which the Navajo find themselves beset by a succession of ruthless settler-colonial empires: first Spain, then Mexico, and finally the United States.
*Content warning* for violence, upsetting content, and reference to SA.
Next episode will be out in a week. Thank you for listening!
“MASE is rooted in the experiences of uranium-impacted communities of the southwestern U.S. We are communities working to restore and protect the natural and cultural environment through respectfully promoting intercultural engagement among communities and institutions for the benefit of all life and future generations.”
“In the late 1970s, Navajo uranium miners and their families asked for help to show that their lung diseases had been caused by their work in underground uranium mines in the 1940s-1960s. SRIC staff responded with medical and scientific data, in-community education strategies, and legislative support. As a result, Congress adopted legislation in 1990 to compensate former miners and their survivors. Ten years later, with SRIC's on going technical support to advocacy groups, the law was amended to cover virtually all uranium miners who worked before 1971. Currently, the Uranium Impact Assessment Program provides information on mining and community health, the legacy of uranium development, regulatory and policy issues related to remediation of contaminated sites, and current and proposed uranium development.”
Monster Soup feat. Lucy Valentine
vendredi 12 juillet 2024 • Durée 56:36
Join Jesse and Lucy Valentine of the Boonta Vista podcast as they wade through the sewage of yore. Waste pits below an ancient cathedral. The River Thames, swollen with turds. Favorite soups. Urine therapy. It’s all here.
Come, enter the Landscape of Thorns and join Jesse and Lucy Valentine (of the Boonta Vista podcast) by the fire. New episodes of Sludgefest are coming soon, and they're pretty upsetting so, we're taking a brief psychic rest to discuss mildly less depressing topics. Jonathan Frakes’ haunted chalkboard, Spam musubi, radioactive cats, car salesmen with sharpened nipples. It's all here.
Things you can do:
American Friends Service Committee (@afsc_org on twitter) compiled a list of campus protest orgs that need support here.
Join Jesse and Lucy Valentine from the Boonta Vista podcast as we take a dip in the viscous, multicolored pools of Lemon Springs. We discuss one of Australia’s weirdest environmental crimes and what it could mean for wildlife and collectors of horror film-memorabilia.
Listen to the Boonta Vista Podcast here or anywhere you get your pods.
Sludgefest produced by Jesse Black and Shannon Rawlings
See Substack post notes for sources and to see Lucy’s visual guide
Nauru Bonus: Interview with Dr. Julia Morris
dimanche 12 novembre 2023 • Durée 59:26
Jesse speaks with Dr. Julia Morris, author of the book Asylum and Extraction in the Republic of Nauru. It's a great book and tremendous piece of research which deeply informed our series on Nauru. If you haven't listened to the previous two episodes of our series on Nauru, you may want to check those out first.
Dr. Morris is Assistant Professor of International Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she researches migration policy with a focus on western outsourcing of asylum processing and offshore detention to other nations- often “former” colonial holdings. Her research has taken her to Australia, Geneva, Fiji, Jordan, Guatemala, Jordan, and of course, the Republic of Nauru.
In her book Asylum and Extraction in the Republic of Nauru,
she traces the path of extractive colonial industry imposed on the island nation by multiple countries throughout its history, particularly Australia. She draws parallels between the industries of phosphate mining and offshore detention, exploring how media representations and discourses in Australia have helped these industries grow and create toxic legacies for Nauruans and migrants.
Jesse's Notes:
You can donate to support refugees in Gaza at anera.org. DM Jesse a picture of your receipt and he'll give you free access to some (upcoming!!!) movie bonus eps.
Americans, please call your representatives to demand a ceasefire and end to the occupation of Palestine today. Ceasefiretoday.com has a bunch of useful links here.
Nauru Part 2: Resource Curse
lundi 25 septembre 2023 • Durée 01:39:37
The second and final episode of our series on Nauru. After gaining independence and taking control over the phosphate industry, the island undergoes an unprecedented economic boom, followed by a devastating crash. Amid financial crises, Nauru finds temporarily lifelines in two new industries- lifelines that further entangle the island with extractive capitalism and a dark colonial legacy.
For full works cited list, see the episode description for on substack here.
(It should be free to access- you might have to put in your email first? Idk substack is weird sometimes).
Podcasts Similaires Basées sur le Contenu
Découvrez des podcasts liées à Sludgefest. Explorez des podcasts avec des thèmes, sujets, et formats similaires. Ces similarités sont calculées grâce à des données tangibles, pas d'extrapolations !
Noel Smith has written a ton of really informative pieces on the modern state of uranium mine cleanup in The Navajo Nation- highly recommend giving them a read.
Red Nation Podcast. Uranium Stories: the largest nuclear disaster in US history, 43 years later. Episode link on patreon here.
“The Red Nation Podcast features discussions on Indigenous history, politics, and culture from a left perspective. Hosted by Nick Estes and Jen Marley with help from our friend and comrade Sina. The Red Nation Podcast is also the home of Red Power Hour, hosted by Melanie Yazzie and Elena Ortiz. Our show is entirely supported by our patrons on Patreon, support the show and get access to bonus content and other patron-exclusive benefits here: Patreon.com/redmediapr”
Sources:
Brugge, Doug, Timothy Benally, and Esther Yazzie-Lewis, eds. The Navajo people and uranium mining. UNM Press, 2007.
Denetdale, Jennifer Nez. Reclaiming Diné History: The Legacies of Navajo Chief Manuelito and Juanita. University of Arizona Press, 2015.
Pasternak, Judy. Yellow dirt: A poisoned land and the betrayal of the Navajos. New York: Free Press, 2011.
Voyles, Traci Brynne. Wastelanding: Legacies of uranium mining in Navajo country. U of Minnesota Press, 2015.
Art and Music
Country music by Alex Black (science_party on instagram)
Cover art by Emily, check out her Etsy page at cicadaxxseason!
If you want to support the show and help pay for books and coffee, you can toss us a couple bucks at patreon.com/sludgefest. If not, no worries- all the eps are free :)
We’ll see you next time. Remember that despair is useless and I love you!
Red Nation Podcast. Uranium Stories: the largest nuclear disaster in US history, 43 years later. Episode link on patreon here.
“The Red Nation Podcast features discussions on Indigenous history, politics, and culture from a left perspective. Hosted by Nick Estes and Jen Marley with help from our friend and comrade Sina. The Red Nation Podcast is also the home of Red Power Hour, hosted by Melanie Yazzie and Elena Ortiz. Our show is entirely supported by our patrons on Patreon, support the show and get access to bonus content and other patron-exclusive benefits here: Patreon.com/redmediapr”
Cover art by Emily, check out her Etsy page at cicadaxxseason!
If you want to support the show and help pay for books and coffee, you can toss us a couple bucks at patreon.com/sludgefest. If not, no worries- all the eps are free :)
We’ll see you next time. Remember that despair is useless and I love you!
“The Red Nation Podcast features discussions on Indigenous history, politics, and culture from a left perspective. Hosted by Nick Estes and Jen Marley with help from our friend and comrade Sina. The Red Nation Podcast is also the home of Red Power Hour, hosted by Melanie Yazzie and Elena Ortiz. Our show is entirely supported by our patrons on Patreon, support the show and get access to bonus content and other patron-exclusive benefits here: Patreon.com/redmediapr”
Sources
Long Walk: Tears of the Navajo by Utah PBS, 2007
Timestamps and names of Navajo speakers quoted in this episode:
Notation given as: speaker name; timestamp in podcast; timestamp in documentary
Cover art by Emily, check out her Etsy page at cicadaxxseason!
If you want to support the show and help pay for books and coffee, you can toss us a couple bucks at patreon.com/sludgefest. If not, no worries- all the eps are free :)
We’ll see you next time. Remember that despair is useless and I love you!
Noel Smith has written a ton of really informative pieces on the modern state of uranium mine cleanup in The Navajo Nation- highly recommend giving them a read.
Red Nation Podcast. Uranium Stories: the largest nuclear disaster in US history, 43 years later. Episode link on patreon here.
“The Red Nation Podcast features discussions on Indigenous history, politics, and culture from a left perspective. Hosted by Nick Estes and Jen Marley with help from our friend and comrade Sina. The Red Nation Podcast is also the home of Red Power Hour, hosted by Melanie Yazzie and Elena Ortiz. Our show is entirely supported by our patrons on Patreon, support the show and get access to bonus content and other patron-exclusive benefits here: Patreon.com/redmediapr”
Really can’t stress enough how much you should listen and support this podcast- extremely informative and motivating
Sources:
Denetdale, Jennifer Nez. The Long Walk: The Forced Navajo Exile. Infobase Publishing, 2009.
Denetdale, Jennifer Nez. Reclaiming Diné History: The Legacies of Navajo Chief Manuelito and Juanita. University of Arizona Press, 2015.
Sides, Hampton. Blood and Thunder. Anchor, 2007.
Pasternak, Judy. Yellow dirt: A poisoned land and the betrayal of the Navajos. New York: Free Press, 2011.
Voyles, Traci Brynne. Wastelanding: Legacies of uranium mining in Navajo country. U of Minnesota Press, 2015.
Long Walk: Tears of the Navajo by Utah PBS, 2007
Art and Music:
Country music by Alex Black (science_party on instagram)
Cover art by Emily, check out her Etsy page at cicadaxxseason!
If you want to support the show and help pay for books and coffee, you can toss us a couple bucks at patreon.com/sludgefest. If not, no worries- all the eps are free :)
We’ll see you next time. Remember that despair is useless and I love you!
Support the show at patreon.com/sludgefest
Sludgefest is produced by Jesse Black and Shannon Rawlings.
Music by California Death Worm (californiadeathworm.bandcampcom
Special thanks to Dr. Julia Morris for taking the time to speak with us!
Remember,
despair is useless, and i love you
Finally, all of our research episodes are entirely free, but
you can get access to sillier and generally less disturbing premium content for
just a dollar a month on our patreon (patreon.com/sludgefest)! We’ve got a
bunch of cool stuff cooking!
