Shows
The MonkeyBuddha TapesEpisode 015 – My Yiayia Sophie & Thea Kay Part 2On February 11th, 2023 I sat down with my Yiayia (Grandmother) Sophia Manta and Thea (Great Aunt) Kalliope Phillips for a much-awaited followup podcast from the episode I recorded with them back in 2019. Last week, Kay passed from pancreatic cancer. She lived a beautiful 92 years full of song, dance, family and stories, and I’m forever glad to have this recording with her.
2023-05-043h 42Podcast – The MonkeyBuddha DiariesEpisode 014 – Dr. William HowellDr. William Howell is the Chair of the Political Science Department at The University of Chicago and a scholar of the American presidency. He studies not presidents, but the structure and powers of the presidency itself, as well as how those powers have been twisted and reshaped by the many individuals to have held the …2019-06-251h 13The MonkeyBuddha TapesEpisode 014 – Dr. William Howell
Dr. William Howell is the Chair of the Political Science Department at The University of Chicago and a scholar of the American presidency. He studies not presidents, but the structure and powers of the presidency itself, as well as how those powers have been twisted and reshaped by the many individuals to have held the office.
Join us in this episode as we zoom out to ask exactly what kind of power an American President has, how Dr. Howell is proposing we alter the division of powers to better fit the incentives of various elected officials, and...2019-06-251h 13The MonkeyBuddha TapesEpisode 013 – Dr. Thomas Talhelm
How does the culture that we grow up in shape our priorities in life and ability to perceive the world? Where do the psychological differences between cultures come from in the first place? These are the kinds of questions pursued by Dr. Thomas Talhelm, Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Join us in this episode as we take a tour of the unlikely course of events that brought Thomas to Guangzhou in southern China, where he uncovered a source of psychological variation thousands of years old which is still...2019-06-121h 51Podcast – The MonkeyBuddha DiariesEpisode 013 – Dr. Thomas TalhelmHow does the culture that we grow up in shape our priorities in life and ability to perceive the world? Where do the psychological differences between cultures come from in the first place? These are the kinds of questions pursued by Dr. Thomas Talhelm, Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago Booth …2019-06-121h 51Podcast – The MonkeyBuddha DiariesEpisode 012 – My Yiayia Sophie, Thea Kay & Aunt JenineThe MonkeyBuddha Tapes is back, and more wholesome than ever! On January 13th I baked a loaf of bread, drove over to my Yiayia’s house and joined her, my Thea Kay and Aunt Jenine for a wide-ranging conversation about family history, the American Dream, and where to find the best love potions in Chicago. The …2019-02-241h 48The MonkeyBuddha TapesEpisode 012 – My Yiayia Sophie, Thea Kay & Aunt Jenine
The MonkeyBuddha Tapes is back, and more wholesome than ever! On January 13th I baked a loaf of bread, drove over to my Yiayia’s house and joined her, my Thea Kay and Aunt Jenine for a wide-ranging conversation about family history, the American Dream, and where to find the best love potions in Chicago.
The version playable above is an edited version, stripped of a few family stories to focus on the parts of the conversation relevant to the general population. If you want to hear the whole shabang, play it below or right-click this link an...2019-02-241h 48The MonkeyBuddha TapesEpisode 011 – Dr. Mark HansenThe MonkeyBuddha Tapes has arrived in Chicago! Last week I sat down with Dr. Mark Hansen, the Faculty Director for the University of Chicago’s MAPSS Program, former Dean of the Social Sciences Division, and “one of the nation’s leading scholars of American politics.” I was delighted to find that he was as approachable as he is accredited (read: very) and happy to share his insight into our current political landscape and passion for higher education.
It seemed necessary to include a few show notes on the many figures and events Dr. Hansen referenced that are...2018-10-241h 19Podcast – The MonkeyBuddha DiariesEpisode 011 – Dr. Mark HansenThe MonkeyBuddha Tapes has arrived in Chicago! Last week I sat down with Dr. Mark Hansen, the Faculty Director for the University of Chicago’s MAPSS Program, former Dean of the Social Sciences Division, and “one of the nation’s leading scholars of American politics.” I was delighted to find that he was as approachable as he …2018-10-241h 19Podcast – The MonkeyBuddha DiariesEpisode 010 – Moses MusinguziMoses is the headteacher of Kasiisi Primary School where he’s tasked each day with providing a quality education to over a thousand students with a staff of around 20 teachers. We get into the challenges faced in such a context, the tradeoffs of balancing formal with informal education, and how to make people happy. Webaale …2018-08-051h 17The MonkeyBuddha TapesEpisode 010 – Moses MusinguziMoses is the headteacher of Kasiisi Primary School where he’s tasked each day with providing a quality education to over a thousand students with a staff of around 20 teachers. We get into the challenges faced in such a context, the tradeoffs of balancing formal with informal education, and how to make people happy. Webaale Adyeri!
Intro song: Aruarian Dance by Nujabes
Outro song: I’ll Fly Away by Kanye West
House Kilimanjaro – the winning team from the Kasiisi inter-house football competition! Congratulations boys, hope you enjoyed your goat.
2018-08-051h 17The MonkeyBuddha TapesEpisode 009 – My DadWhen my dad and I were planning the itinerary for our week-and-a-half in Rwanda and Uganda, I made sure to stick “Record a dope podcast” on there. The trip was an interesting chance to watch my dad, whose perspective on things makes up a chunk of my own, encounter many things for the first time which have now become routine to me. Often times he came to the same conclusions, but often not. This episode covers bits and pieces of our trip, but also contains a lot of the vintage fatherly wisdom I’ve been starved for the past many m...2018-07-141h 28Podcast – The MonkeyBuddha DiariesEpisode 009 – My DadWhen my dad and I were planning the itinerary for our week-and-a-half in Rwanda and Uganda, I made sure to stick “Record a dope podcast” on there. The trip was an interesting chance to watch my dad, whose perspective on things makes up a chunk of my own, encounter many things for the first time …2018-07-141h 28The MonkeyBuddha TapesEpisode 008 – MarianneMarianne has done a lot of things and knows a lot of stuff. I’ve had the pleasure of living with her the last three weeks and learning more than I ever expected about yeasts, bees and cheeses. She’s kicking off an exciting new venture in Boston known as Uncommon Feasts, but we get to far more than just food on this new episode!
Outro music: Life Less Ordinary by Carbon Leaf
Intro music: Aruarian Dance by Nujabes
Recorded June 24th, 2018 at the beautiful KFSP Guesthose.
2018-06-2758 minPodcast – The MonkeyBuddha DiariesEpisode 008 – MarianneMarianne has done a lot of things and knows a lot of stuff. I’ve had the pleasure of living with her the last three weeks and learning more than I ever expected about yeasts, bees and cheeses. She’s kicking off an exciting new venture in Boston known as Uncommon Feasts, but we get to far …2018-06-2758 minThe MonkeyBuddha TapesEpisode 007 – Kahwa KansengerwaJoin me for a trip to the (wonderfully soundproofed) radio studio of KRC 102 FM for a conversation with Kahwa Kansengerwa! I’ve spoken before about the expeditious rate of development and widespread fondness for modernization found around Fort Portal — Kahwa is an exception to the rule. A self-proclaimed “traditionalist,” he’s spent the past several years using the insights provided by his education in Philosophy to preserve and revitalize the beautiful practices of his culture. Half of this episode is him schooling me on the rich practices and underlying meanings quickly slipping out from beneath the feet of the Toro Kingd...2018-04-111h 13Podcast – The MonkeyBuddha DiariesEpisode 007 – Kahwa KansengerwaJoin me for a trip to the (wonderfully soundproofed) radio studio of KRC 102 FM for a conversation with Kahwa Kansengerwa! I’ve spoken before about the expeditious rate of development and widespread fondness for modernization found around Fort Portal — Kahwa is an exception to the rule. A self-proclaimed “traditionalist,” he’s spent the past several …2018-04-111h 13The MonkeyBuddha TapesEpisode 006 – Manyindo Richard and Tusiime PatrickWhat should be the role of the state in regulating the free market to ensure price protections for rural agriculturalists?
This was NOT the question I expected to break down with today’s guests Manyindo Richard and Tusiime Patrick… but that’s where we arrived at. After considering the classic dilemma of the prince and the pauper in a Batooro context, we turned to the plight of matooke farmers in a nearby town called Rweihamba and ended up accidentally addressing one of the largest classical questions in politics and economics in a very real context. Plenty of laughs...2018-04-021h 30Podcast – The MonkeyBuddha DiariesEpisode 006 – Manyindo Richard and Tusiime PatrickWhat should be the role of the state in regulating the free market to ensure price protections for rural agriculturalists? This was NOT the question I expected to break down with today’s guests Manyindo Richard and Tusiime Patrick… but that’s where we arrived at. After considering the classic dilemma of the prince and the pauper …2018-04-021h 30The MonkeyBuddha TapesEpisode 005 – 17 Nonclusions From 17 Days In The US, Pt. 2We’re really cranking now! As promised, here’s part two of my solo podcast wrapping up everything significant that’s wandered through my head for the first portion of this experience. Here I cover Nonclusions 10 through 17, touching on such spicy topics as local optima, existential angst and greener grass! Heads up, the beginning might not …2018-01-3100 minPodcast – The MonkeyBuddha DiariesEpisode 005 – 17 Nonclusions From 17 Days In The US, Pt. 2We’re really cranking now! As promised, here’s part two of my solo podcast wrapping up everything significant that’s wandered through my head for the first portion of this experience. Here I cover Nonclusions 10 through 17, touching on such spicy topics as local optima, existential angst and greener grass! Heads up, the beginning might not …2018-01-311h 29