Welcome to episode 150 of Activist #MMT. Today I talk with Maren Poitras, the creator and director of the MMT documentary, Finding the Money. I had the pleasure of seeing this film on October 1st, 2023, in New York City, with my Torrens professor Steven Hail, Torrens administrator Gabie Bond, and Torrens classmate Susan Borden. After the film, we all went to a nearby bar-restaurant, and I got to meet and speak with Maren at length. (A list of the audio chapters in this episode can be found below.) In today's episode, Maren and I talk about how she came to the film and how it's informed ..read more

Here's a preview of my soon-to-be-released interview with Finding the Money director, Maren Poitras. It's a four-minute segment where Maren describes what YOU can do to help Finding the Money be seen by others. The big launch is less than three weeks away. This means the most important thing is to get people to buy tickets for screenings. The documentary's website (findingmoneyfilm.com) is the best place to go for this, and especially the "where to watch" page. Here are the major upcoming screenings: This Tuesday, April 16, is the New York City premiere with "DOC NYC" at IFC Center at 7 pm. G ..read more

Welcome to episode 149 of Activist #MMT. Today's part two with post-Keynesian economist Steve Keen. Today's an hour-and-a-half-long video interview, where Steve walks me through the basics of his Minsky modeling software, and why it's an important tool for MMTers. (Here's a link to part 1. A list of the audio chapters in this episode can be found at the bottom of this post.) (The episode description continues below.) The full episode link to video Our process starts by creating a definition of the economy in what he calls Godley tables. Godley tables are not accounting, but meta-accounting. Th ..read more

Welcome to episode 148 of Activist #MMT. Today I talk with post-Keynesian economist Steve Keen about his decades-long fight against mainstream economics, what MMT convinced him of, and the couple parts of MMT he still disagrees with. This first part is a half-hour long audio interview, which will be followed next month by an hour-and-a-half-long video interview, where Steve walks me through the basics of his Minsky modeling software, and why he believes it's an important tool for MMTers. (Here's a link to PART TWO. A list of the audio chapters in this episode can be found right below.) MMT and ..read more

John Harvey reads the introduction to (chapter one of) his book, Contending Perspectives. Here's the original video from where this audio came. Here's a list of links to John reading every chapter (released so far) in his 2021 book Contending Perspectives. Note the original video is unedited, but the audio has been edited to eliminate obvious mistakes, coughs, interruptions, and etc. Audio chapters Use the below timestamps to navigate to each major section and occurrence in this section: 0:00 - The Cowboy Economist's cousin, John Harvey, introduces himself 0:41 - Page 1: Introduction 8:56 - P ..read more

Here's the original video from where this audio came. Here's a list of links to John reading every chapter (released so far) in his 2021 book Contending Perspectives. Note the original video is unedited, but the audio has been edited to eliminate obvious mistakes, coughs, interruptions, and etc. Audio chapters Use the below timestamps to navigate to each major section and occurrence in this section: 0:00 - Opening thoughts by John's cousin, the Cowboy Economist 6:37 - Page vi: Acknowledgements ..read more

Welcome to episode 147 of Activist #MMT. Today's the second in my two-part conversation with author, mathematician, and bond analyst Brian Romanchuk (Twitter/RomanchukBrian), on the basics of the secondary market and how it relates to the primary market. Today in part two, Brian continues describing the participants in the secondary market, why they do what they do, and shares several anecdotes from his many years of experience as a bond analyst for fixed income recipients in Canada. A fuller introduction can be found before part one. But for now, let's get right back to my conversation with B ..read more

Welcome to episode 146 of Activist #MMT. Today I talk with author, mathematician, and bond analyst Brian Romanchuk, on the basics of the secondary market and how it relates to the primary market. Brian starts with a brief tutorial of how bonds are priced, which is seen very differently from the points of view of the primary and secondary markets. For an in-depth treatment of this topic, you can listen to episodes 30 and 31 of MMT Podcast with Steven Hail. (Here's a link to part two. A list of the audio chapters in this episode can be found right below [above the full-question list].) Brian the ..read more

Welcome to episode 142 of Activist #MMT. Today's the final part of my three-part conversation with Emily Ruhl, on his 2008 paper, Religiously-defensible, divinely-supported genocide. Today we discuss principles seven to ten. My full and detailed question and summary list can be found in the show notes to part one. Also, be sure to see the list "audio chapters" in all three parts (look below!) to find exactly where each topic is discussed. You can financially support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/ActivistMMT. For as little as a dollar a month, all patrons get exclusive, super-early acces ..read more

Welcome to episode 144 of Activist #MMT. Today's part two of a three-part conversation with historian, author, and Harvard master's graduate, Emily Ruhl, on her new paper and master's thesis, In League with the Devine: How Religion Influenced Nazi Perpetrators of the Holocaust. You will find my detailed question list at the bottom of the show notes for part one. Also, be sure to see the list "audio chapters" in all three parts (look below!) to find exactly where each topic is discussed. A full introduction can be found at the beginning of part one, but for now, let's get right back to my conve ..read more