If Oceans Could Speak podcast

1:15:36

In this episode, we welcome back David French, columnist for The New York Times , former constitutional attorney, and author of Divided We Fall . We discuss the current state of American democracy, the challenges of political division, and how we can engage in civil discourse despite deep ideological differences. David also shares a personal update on his family and reflects on the profound trials and growth that come with adversity. 📌 What We Discuss: ✔️ How David and his family navigated the challenges of a serious health crisis. ✔️ The rise of political polarization and the factors driving it. ✔️ Why distinguishing between “unwise, unethical, and unlawful” is crucial in analyzing political actions. ✔️ How consuming different perspectives (even opposing ones) helps in understanding political dynamics. ✔️ The role of Christian values in politics and how they are being redefined. ⏳ Episode Highlights 📍 [00:01:00] – David French’s background and his journey from litigation to journalism. 📍 [00:02:30] – Personal update: David shares his wife Nancy’s battle with cancer and their journey as a family. 📍 [00:06:00] – How to navigate personal trials while maintaining faith and resilience. 📍 [00:10:00] – The danger of political paranoia and the pitfalls of extreme polarization. 📍 [00:18:00] – The "friend-enemy" paradigm in American politics and its influence in Christian fundamentalism. 📍 [00:24:00] – Revisiting Divided We Fall : How America’s divisions have devolved since 2020. 📍 [00:40:00] – The categories and differences of unwise, unethical, and unlawful political actions. 📍 [00:55:00] – The balance between justice, kindness, and humility in political engagement. 📍 [01:00:00] – The After Party initiative: A Christian approach to politics focused on values rather than policy. 💬 Featured Quotes 🔹 "You don't know who you truly are until your values are tested." – David French 🔹 "If we focus on the relational, we can have better conversations even across deep differences." – Corey Nathan 🔹 "Justice, kindness, and humility—if you're missing one, you're doing it wrong." – David French 🔹 "The United States has a history of shifting without repenting. We just move on." – David French 📚 Resources Mentioned David French’s Writing: New York Times David’s Book: Divided We Fall The After Party Initiative – More Info Advisory Opinions Podcast (with Sarah Isgur & David French) – Listen Here 📣 Call to Action If you found this conversation insightful, please: ✅ Subscribe to Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other on your favorite podcast platform. ✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics ✅ Support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion 🔗 Connect With Us on Social Media @coreysnathan: Bluesky LinkedIn Instagram Threads Facebook Substack David French: 🔗 Twitter | BlueSky | New York Times Our Sponsors Meza Wealth Management: www.mezawealth.com Prolux Autogroup: www.proluxautogroup.com or www.granadahillsairporttransportation.com Let’s keep talking politics and religion—with gentleness and respect. 🎙️💡…

If Oceans Could Speak

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We share diverse perspectives on the oceans around us, raise awareness of ocean change, and foster a collective connection to the blue planet. This podcast has been a personal project for a small team of researchers, united through the EU4Ocean Coalition for Ocean Literacy and through their passion for ocean advocacy. We hope you enjoy listening! www.eu-oceanliteracy.eu

19 episodes

#Science #EU4Ocean

If Oceans Could Speak

updated 2 years ago

Series home•Feed

19 episodes

#Science #EU4Ocean

All episodes

1
Blanca Moreno-Dodson: the past, present and future of an integrated Mediterranean 28:11

2 years ago28:11

28:11

1
Lisa Sofian and Nabil Aouad: On a mission with SWIM LEBANON 55:01

2 years ago55:01

55:01

In this eighth episode of '' If Oceans Could Spea k'', we are delighted to have Lisa Sofian and Nabil Aouad with us, who show that arts, sports and ocean activism go hand in hand. In this episode you will learn about the Sustainable Waste Intercity Marathon’s creation (SWIM), and its development into a nation wide beach cleaning campaign, bringing together - almost spontaneously - over 2700 people from local communities, researchers, activists, civil society, and more! In addition to their sports activities, SWIM is combining their efforts with “ Chance Association ” which works closely with kids that have cancer and blood disorders, in order to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy environment for us humans as well! Follow these inspiring stories, and concrete results, in this Arabic episode moderated by Vera. Learn more: https://www.swimlebanon.org/…

1
Stefano Pedone and Mattia Borroni: Sustainable food, tradition and innovation around the Italian Coasts 46:11

3 years ago46:11

46:11

Have you ever wondered what it means to eat sustainably on the Mediterranean coasts? Today's episode explores this question from an Italian perspective with our guests Stefano Pedone and Mattia Borroni . Stefano is a marine biologist and project officer at Worldrise association and Mattia is a chef in his own restaurant, “Alexander”. Both young ocean lovers at heart, our guests followed different walks of life to join forces in promoting the consumption of sustainable, local seafood in the regional cooking world of Italy. Both are involved in Worldrise’s SEAstainable initiative and Meroir project carried out in the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Liguria. We tap in to their personal and professional experiences around cuisine, environmental protection, and sustainable fisheries. From the need to create a new sensitivity to sustainable food from the ocean in the public and to bridge the gap between old and new generations in the field, this episode also reveals the importance of bringing traditional, small-scale fishing traditions back and re-discovering “lost” local products and flavours, in order to eat more sustainably on the Mediterranean coast. Learn more at: Worldrise SEAstainable Meroir Alexander restaurant (Ravenna, Italy)…

1
Federico Morisio: Connecting professional sports with ocean literacy 50:13

3 years ago50:13

50:13

Sports are without a doubt a vital component that shapes our connection with the ocean. Yet, when talking about ocean literacy and ocean conservation per se, we tend to think less about professional sportsmen, sportswomen, and athletes. We were therefore delighted to discuss with Federico Morisio about the place professional sports has, and should have, in promoting ocean literacy. Federico is a 26-year-old professional windsurfer. Internationally recognised, he won, among other, the international IWT Pacasmayo Wave Classic 2017, being nominated "Most Improved Rider 2017" and finishing the International Windsurfing Tour 2018 in 4th place overall. He is passionate about sustainability and how to improve through life to become a better person. Next to his competitions, he is therefore engaged in a variety of projects where he tries to lead by example including the EU4Ocean Youth4Ocean Forum ('Mediterranean Young Ocean Advocate'), Marevivo Onlus ('Cavaliere del Mare'), the 'Starfish Champion' initiative of the European Commission and Starboard ('ocean ambassador'). Thank you Federico for sharing your unique connection to the Mediterranean Sea and for kicking off the discussion on ocean literacy and sports! Learn more at federicomorisio.com…

1
Greg Lecoeur: Telling stories from under the sea 29:07

3 years ago29:07

29:07

In our fifth episode, we reach the French Mediterranean coast and Greg Lecoeur, who shares with us his journeys, his experiences with marine wildlife, the power of images and how raising awareness begins with individual actions. A lover of the Mediterranean Sea since early childhood, Greg became interested in marine biology and diving at a very young age. At the age of 32, with a diving instructor's certificate in his pocket, he sold his company and lived his dream: a year around the world with his camera. Since then, Lecoeur has dedicated all his time to his passion for the marine world. Greg was National Geographic's Photographer of the Year in 2016 and has been honoured with many other international awards ever since, including the recent Underwater Photographer of the Year in 2020. By telling the oceans' stories, Greg aims to raise awareness everywhere he goes, talking to communities about the preservation of underwater ecosystems and sharing the stories of local heroes that do their part to enhance ocean literacy each day. His next quest: documenting his home - the Mediterranean Sea! Learn more here: https://www.greglecoeur.com…

1
María del Carmen García-Martínez: Empowering women in marine sciences 24:53

3 years ago24:53

24:53

In our fourth episode, we will go to Spain to talk to María del Carmen García-Martínez, who is a researcher and director of the Spanish Oceanography Institute in Malaga. Among her many commitments, María Carmen is involved in Océanicas, a project that visualises the role of women in oceanography. Pursuing a career in science can still pose many challenges to women, but maybe even more so in a very masculinized territory such as the sea? María Carmen will explain to us the 'leaking pipeline' problem, sexual harassment on the sea and what needs to be changed in marine science to achieve real gender equality. Along the way, we will discover how María Carmen entered a marine science career herself, how she moved from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea, the challenges she observed with regard to human activities and her overall connection to the sea. Finally we will talk about Oceanicas , a project that highlights the role that women have played and still play in marine science. Learn more here: https://oceanicas.ieo.es…

1
Jina Talj: Invasive species and other fishy things! 44:58

3 years ago44:58

44:58

As we are surfing the Mediterranean, we come across our dear guest Jina Talj, a marine ecologist, founder and executive director of the Lebanese NGO ' Diaries of the Ocean '. In this third episode, Vera interviews Jina Talj to learn more about the Mediterranean marine environment, with a particular focus on the Invasive species actions related to the NGO's lionfish campaign. You don’t know what invasive species are? No problem, you can tune in to learn about what they are, where they come from, how/why they are harmful to our Mediterranean ecosystems, and how we can reduce their numbers. A summary on the journey towards the successful “Eat the lionfish'' campaign, with funny anecdotes along the way! Diaries of the Ocean works closely with local communities on many other aspects of the sea, such as supporting women in the fishing sectors, increasing transparency in the nascent oil and gas sector, and increasing Ocean Literacy among the youth. They also have released two seasons of their own podcast , “Talk of the Ocean” and “Talk of the Energy”. Learn more here: https://diariesoftheocean.org/…

1
Lefteris Arapakis: building solutions together with the fishers. 35:11

3 years ago35:11

35:11

Today we dive into the turquoise waters of Greece, where innovative solutions and traditional fisheries are working together to make a difference to the people and the environment of the Mediterranean. In our first full length episode of this season we meet Lefteris Arapakis , a young social entrepreneur and the 2021 UNEP-MAP Ambassador for the Mediterranean Coast. Lefteris talks to us about Enaleia, a social enterprise he co-founded with a mission to make the marine ecosystem sustainable by tackling both overfishing and plastic pollution. Lefteris immerses us in his journey - from Enaleia's beginnings as a fishing school to the fully-fledged organisation that it is today. Enaleia now works alongside 1500 fishers in 28 ports (and growing!) to clean up plastic from the sea and integrate the material into the circular economy, all the while enabling extra income, education and employment for fishing communities. This episode reminds us of the power of local engagement and how solutions can - and need to be - built together! Thank you Lefteris! Learn more here: https://enaleia.com/…

1
Mediterranean stories across borders: introducing this season's multi-lingual hosts and episodes 14:41

3 years ago14:41

14:41

Building on the Mediterranean’s rich cultural identity, this season we will be multi-lingual featuring stories in French, Italian, Spanish and Arabic. To capture these voices, we have new hosts on board that help us dive into these new perspectives and communities. In this episode, we will introduce our new hosts and navigate together the first waters of this season, learning more about the people behind the voices. What is their relationship with the sea? What makes the Mediterranean special? What stories will they uncover? Listen to this brief introduction to the new season and get excited to set sails with our hosts. The Mediterranean Sea truly is full of inspiration and untapped potential. It is time that we listen to it! Click here for more information/plus d'information/معلومات اكثر/maggiori informazioni/más información. Find out more at www.eu-oceanliteracy.eu and connect using #EU4Ocean and #IfOceansCouldSpeak…

1
Season 2 - Trailer 2:21

3 years ago2:21

2:21

We are delighted to reveal that If Oceans Could Speak is returning with a new and exciting second season. After our first season highlighted the mighty Arctic Ocean, this summer we are heading south - to the shores of the majestic Mediterranean sea. The Mediterranean brings new ideas, cultures, voices, and a whole new line-up of hosts and guests to bring this truly diverse part of the world to life, no matter which language you speak. With episodes spanning English, French, Italian, Arabic and Spanish languages, tune in to listen to sport stars, scientists and gourmet chefs who are mobilising communities to make a difference to the sea around them. Click here for more information/plus d'information/معلومات اكثر/maggiori informazioni/más información. This podcast is an output from The EU4Ocean Coalition for Ocean Literacy. Supported by the European Commission, this bottom-up, inclusive initiative aims at uniting the voices of experts and enthusiasts to make the ocean a concern of everyone. Find out more at www.eu-oceanliteracy.eu and connect using #EU4Ocean and #IfOceansCouldSpeak…

1
Dr Victoria Qutuuq Buschman: Arctic indigenous knowledge for Arctic conservation 40:28

3 years ago40:28

40:28

We have reached the final episode in our Arctic-focused series of If Oceans Could Speak. And what a finale it is! Today’s conversation is with Iñupiaq Inuit and conservation biologist Dr Victoria Qutuuq Buschman . Victoria joined us from her office in Nuuk, Greenland, just a few days before her journey to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. Victoria describes, so wonderfully, the relationship between her Inuit community and the Arctic Ocean, its sea ice and its whales, and explains how these experiences led her on her path to become the first Iñupiaq doctor of conservation biology. Victoria champions indigenous knowledge and the unique contributions it can bring to Arctic science and governance at all levels. With Victoria’s experiences, we explore a multitude of critical topics around indiginous knowledge, its meaningful inclusion within Arctic science and policy, and the narratives, conversations and exchanges we should be having to better understand and support Arctic people and wildlife in the face of climate change. Victoria's words and insights are essential. To explore more, do not miss her blog and webpage: https://www.victoriabuschman.com/…

1
Kimberly Aiken: Be the change 31:19

3 years ago31:19

31:19

Today’s conversation is with Kimberly Aiken, Research and Policy Associate for the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC). Kimberly previously worked on Arctic issues as a Policy Intern with the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany and on the Polar and Climate Programme at GRID-Arendal in Norway. We are delighted to hear her perspective on both poles! In her refreshing and poetic way, Kimberly retells the journey to her polar career so far, the idols that inspired her, and the actions that keeps her hopeful. We talk to Kimberly about the social and human dimensions of environmental change in the Arctic. She passionately reflects on the importance of expanding diversity and inclusion efforts in all areas of polar research and policy, from traditional knowledge systems to supporting youth from all backgrounds. Kimberly’s compelling and profound words speak of optimism and hope both in the face of change and through the power of change. Kimberly’s article: https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/trailblazer-arctic-tribute-first-african-american-reach-both-poles/#:~:text=The%20Arctic%20Institute-,Trailblazer%20in%20the%20Arctic%3A%20A%20Tribute%20to%20the%20First,American%20to%20Reach%20Both%20Poles&text=It%20has%20been%20over%20100,uncommonly%20known%20to%20the%20world .…

1
Profs Mia Bennett and Rachael Lorna Johnstone: The future of the Arctic’s resources - from local development to global impact 38:17

3 years ago38:17

38:17

In this episode we are delighted to talk with Professors Rachael Lorna Johnstone and Mia Bennett. Mia is an Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong and Rachael is a Professor of Law at the University in Akureyri in the North of Iceland and at Ilisimatusarfik, the University of Greenland, in Nuuk. What exactly does the Arctic Ocean provide people and nations? How do people access these resources? and how are they shared amongst us? These are key questions for the sustainability of development in the Arctic and they are at the heart of today's discussion with Mia and Rachael. Mia and Rachael share their wealth of knowledge on all matters Arctic and bring its state of affairs into sharp focus. We learn how its infrastructure has changed since the Cold War, the opportunities and challenges that climate change could bring for its communities, and what we stand to lose if we don't listen to the Arctic Ocean and the communities that know it best. Thank you Mia and Rachael, for sharing your valuable insights and for bringing the Arctic closer to home than ever.…

1
Drs Tymon Zielinski and Volker Rachold: Inspire through education 32:12

3 years ago32:12

32:12

Today our guests are Dr Tymon Zielinski and Dr Volker Rachold. Volker is Head of the German Arctic Office based at AWI, working at the science-policy interface. Tymon is a leader of the Climate and Ocean Research and Education Unit at IOPAN, Poland. This episode is particularly special to us as our guests are not only esteemed Arctic researchers, they also represent the EU4Ocean - the very initiative that brought us together and brought this podcast to life! Together, Tymon and Volker look back on their careers and time in the Arctic and share their hopes and concerns regarding its future. They also share their passion for Ocean Education and “Ocean Literacy” – the tool which they believe can be a game changer in spreading awareness of the Arctic environment and lead to positive action. Making the ocean a concern of everyone, especially young people, is the vision of the EU4Ocean. Tymon and Volker believe this is one of many examples of how strong cooperation and communication in the Arctic will be key for its future. Learn more and stay tuned on EU4Ocean events: http://www.eu-oceanliteracy.eu/…

1
Lera Auerbach: When words aren’t enough, there is music 27:49

3 years ago27:49