Shows
Views from Cleve-Mandu PodcastSeason One RecapViews from Cleve-Mandu is taking a brief respite with the plan to return with more episodes sometime this Spring. When we return the direction, format, and release schedule may change. This first season was exploratory, serving more as a learning experience for us than an attempt to build and grow an audience. Right now, we gathering analytics on the first season and assessing what the best direction for the show will be. As always, we are open to feedback and various pitches.Our first season explored a wide range of topics, and we sometimes found...2025-02-0906 min
Views from Cleve-Mandu PodcastEpisode 7: The Cost of ReadingEpisode Note:This episode was the inaugural recording of the podcast. It predates Stetson’s use of a microphone to record. Suffice to say, we will provide better audio quality in other recordings, and we’ll continue to improve the overall quality.Today, we discuss the tradeoffs involved in reading a whole book. Stetson has previously written about the tepid interest that American’s have for reading as a leisure activity (the median American likely doesn’t read a single book annually in any format). Plus, Stetson and Manjul approach reading a bit differently. Stetson is more...2024-12-1553 min
Views from Cleve-Mandu PodcastEpisode 6: Elephant Inside, Tail OutsideIn today’s episode, Manjul quizzes Stetson on the meaning of Nepali proverbs. This fun exercise is one entry in the larger mission of the show, which includes exploring similarities and differences across our different backgrounds. We had a hunch we would find some surprising areas of cultural resonance. Human cultures, despite their diversity, often share universal elements. Plus, there is a shared population history for people of European and South Asian ancestry due to out-migration from the Pontic Steppe during the Bronze Age. This migration is already thought to have contributed to some amount of...2024-12-0146 min
Views from Cleve-Mandu PodcastEpisode 4: Electoral Politics in 2024“I never discuss anything else except politics and religion. There is nothing else to discuss.”―G.K. ChestertonThe 2024 election is imminent! Thus, Manjul and I thought we’d provide some light coverage of American civics, focusing on the electoral college, and then dip our toes into some of the presidential race dynamics. We were aiming to debate electoral college’s contemporary validity, but we didn’t quite get around to that. For those interested, we will link to some content that addresses that question more directly. It is likely that many listene...2024-11-0451 min
Views from Cleve-Mandu PodcastEpisode 2: The Deep History of UsSome time early in life, we are introduced to the ideas of academic fields interested in the evolution and history of humans. For many, this triggers their first intellectual awakening. In our private conversations, human origins is a subject we’ve returned to a few times. These discussions have been stimulating and often cut to the core of what it means to be human. These ideas have deep implications for how we should think about ourselves as individuals and populations and as a species.We couldn’t even come close to covering everything in this brie...2024-10-0748 min
Views from Cleve-Mandu PodcastIntroducing Views from Cleve-ManduHi, thank you for listening. This is Stetson of the Holodoxa channel at Substack. Today, I’d like to introduce a new podcast venture. One we’re calling “Views from Cleve-Mandu.” This funny title is a mashup of the names of the hometowns of the hosts, Cleveland and Kathmandu. Which reminds me, I should actually introduce my co-host, Manjul. Manjul is someone I’ve known for almost a decade now. He's a sharp guy. Our connection came courtesy of our wives. They’ve been lifelong friends. When we all get together, Manjul and I have a lot of inte...2024-09-2202 min