Talk the Walk with Ascend: Recent Episodes
Colby Mullis
Interview series with published academics. Interesting new information in an accessible conversation-style sit-down. We hold a belief that it is always worth it to listen to one another, even when we disagree or it challenges our current life-view.
Sometimes the guests topics will be uncomfortable (Cambridge published COVID misclassifications), sometimes they will be inspiring (reasons to feel optimistic about the natural world). Other times they will be down right affirming (identifying kundalini energy in quantitative ways).
Colby, the interviewer, is a Kundalini Yoga teacher and life-long student of the esoteric traditions. Sometimes she is learning, sometimes she is offering another way of seeing it. But the conversation is the process.
David and Colby carry on the conversation from last weeks episode.
Do politics need to inherently be dishonest? Is there another way of being? How do we step out of the old paradigm and into the new?
What does a new future look like?
Visit www.ascendhiking.com for links to the cited articles. These are all conversations posed at the Neohumanist Global Conference, and they are all extremely relevant to the conversations had here. Inspired by Dr. Ronald Brown's publication with the Cambridge Press, these conversations with David also reference back to some Russian literature put forward by David (who is completing his master's in Russian history and literature -- with an emphasis on spirituality).
Colby and David discuss the business of being human. Things like social hypocrisy...and how it is inescapable. They discuss whether or not desperate measures call for desperate action and what it means to define personal definitions of acceptable and unacceptable.
David has always been interested in spiritual expression within the historical context. For his Bachelors he studied the history of the western church with a focus on the Reformation. His graduate work has been on Russian history with a focus on religious dissenters and anti-enlightenment thinking during the 19thcentury.
David provided reading samples prior to this conversation -- the titles are listed below, but the proper link (if you're listening through Spotify) are at www.ascendhiking.com on the podcast page. It's a very easy site to navigate.
At one point in the conversation, David brings up Indigenous people and what has happened and continues to happen to them as a nation. I do not say much, I thought about editing this out, but...for those interested, in that moment -- I considered my words, and what I did not want to do was be a white girl having this discussion in a fast and unthought out manor. I have friends who I would prefer to interview and have these conversations with. When the time is right, that conversation will come.
Reading List:
"In the Land of Tolstoi: Experiences of famine and misrule" - Older sects chapter, pages 203 - 204, pages 221 - 223 "The House of the Dead" by FEDOR DOSTOÏEFFSKY - pages 91 - 94 "Notes from the Underground" by FEDOR DOSTOIEFFSKY - last paragraph of chapter VII (or whole chapter)
Colby and old friend, David Kaldahl reconnect to have a thoughtful conversation surrounding the contents of Dr. Brown's publication from the previous Episodes of Season 1.
Being that neither of these two are professionals, regarding the information surrounding the world complex, that is the first thing that they choose to acknowledge. Instead they choose to approach awkward topics such as "choosing what to believe", "choosing when to speak up about beliefs" and in which was spirituality conflicts and aligns with participating in life's action. David is completing his Master's in Russian History, with a focus on literature from the times of resistance and implementation of authoritative power...which honestly makes for a really interesting conversation. (See attachments below for some samples that are referenced by Colby and David throughout the conversation)
At the beginning of the conversation, Colby gives an introduction where she speaks directly to a friend who, throughout the course of the global-complex development, it has become evident they are worlds apart as far as beliefs go.
It is important to keep the friends who you can communicate through it close. Because it would be the greatest tragedy of all to begin loosing ones that you have loved to something that is already creating fear and sadness.
However, like the conversation Colby and David have, it is not always easy to definitely understand where we ourselves stand, let alone understand the position of others.
Reading List:
- "In the Land of Tolstoi: Experiences of famine and misrule" - Older sects chapter, pages 203 - 204, pages 221 - 223
- "The House of the Dead" by FEDOR DOSTOÏEFFSKY - pages 91 - 94
- "Notes from the Underground" by FEDOR DOSTOIEFFSKY - last paragraph of chapter VII (or whole chapter)
Easy conversation between Dr.Ronald Brown and Colby about Dr.Brown's publication with the Cambridge University Press, "Public Health Lessons Learned from Biases in Coronavirus Mortality Overestimations".
Dr. Brown's publication was recently selected as Editor's Choice in the Public Health & Disaster Medicine journal.
The conversation started in Episode 1 and 2, reviewing the methodology used.
Episode 3, the conversation shifted to a dialogue that followed the key points of the paper. The point is to help make this important information more accessible. The point is to help it be okay to have conversations about things that make sense to be having conversations about.
The following episodes of season 1, will include an old friend, David, to help Colby talk about another's perception and what it all means to each of them.
This is not an easy episode. Cambridge University Press published and peer-reviewed author, Dr. Brown and I discuss his manuscript
"Public health lessons learned from biases in Coronavirus mortality overestimation"
If you haven't listened from Episode 1 - I recommend you do that, because this is not the episode to jump in on. It is important that you understand the whole conversation of unpacking the Cambridge publication.
In this episode, Dr. Brown and I somehow immediately stumble into anecdotal stories about mask wearing and decision making processes surrounding public participation and information consumption.
All the opinions expressed from an anecdotal point of view are mine alone, and I have already made peace with the perception in which it may frame me. I have chosen my path not out of resistance, but out of care and consideration for the overall and long-term well-being of the collective (as I see it).
Everyone is doing their best with the information that they've got. No matter which side of the "line" they stand on. Everyone is making choices based on how to best show care for one another. Whether they show it in the same way as you, or not.
Episode 5 with Dr. Ronald Brown breaks up the discussion of his methodology used, and the findings written in his Cambridge University Press published manuscript, "Public health lessons learned from biases in Coronavirus mortality overestimation".
Dr. Brown and host, Colby, talks about dietetic principles, herbal foundations and radical responsibility pertaining to individual health. The conversation rounds off with acknowledging the power of peer-monitoring and social policing.
Episodes 1 & 2: Methodology used for the manuscript research.
Episodes 3 & 4: Discussion of case fatality rates vs. infection fatality rates, societal fear of "cases" and the mislabelling of "cases" within the media. Discussion of the pressures placed upon the media.
Guest author, Dr. Ronald Brown of the Cambridge University Press publication (linked here), helps explain the miscalculations and biases highlighted in his manuscript.
Colby Mullis, the host, and Dr. Brown discuss the heightened numbers of illnesses alongside Dr. Brown's refutation of the Case Fatality Rate and Infection Fatality Rate presented to congress.
This conversation contains no medical advice. This conversation is from the perspective of the peer-reviewed evidence presented in the Cambridge University Press publication.
Episode 3 means Dr. Brown and I begin discussing his most recent publication with the Cambridge University Press (Read Here).
We talk about:
- The technical definitions that are used in the publication.
- The implications of the different types of fatality rates.
- The ways in which projections are made.
- The sources that Dr. Brown pulled the information from that resulted in his findings.
Dr. Brown is the author of the publication "Public Health lessons learned from biases in coronavirus mortality overestimation".
If we are creatures that gathering experience and knowledge in order to learn and synthesize (create) new understandings -- what happens when there are barriers put in place between you and pieces of information?
- Omission
- Willful Ignorance (Your own choice)
- Physical accessibility to content (D/deaf)
It's funny to listen back and be releasing Episode 2 when I have improved in my editing and interviewing skills. There are a lot of questions I would have asked differently in this episode. But I did not.
Maybe you'll ask the same questions?
Maybe you'll be inspired to explore different avenues of thought or learn a new set of info that you can cross-apply to this series.
I hope that whatever the outcome you begin cultivating an awareness of the things that block your access to knowledge, as well as your ability to operate in total honesty with that knowledge.
We are all the status quo. We are all responsible for our own selves and the choices we make. That is not to say there is no such thing as social pressures -- it is to say, it is up to each of us as individuals to make ourselves aware of the ways that we contribute and pit ourselves against "what others think".
The views and opinions expressed by the participants of this podcast are not intended to provide medical advice. Listeners should carefully weigh all sources of information when making informed decisions that impact their health.
Listen as I do my best to learn how to conduct a podcast completely on the fly.
Dr. Ronald Brown and myself, Colby, discuss the publication "Breakthrough knowledge synthesization in the age of Google" a preamble to Episode 3 where the discussion focuses on his most recent publication with the Cambridge University Press; "Public health lessons learned in covid mortality overestimations". We look at the Grounded Theory methodology used in Dr. Brown's recent publication.
This is a video series that is being made, not because I want to push a political agenda, but because a weird set of twists and turns resulted in the need for diversified discussions.
My goals are to:
- Ask the right questions
- Help make academic publications more accessible
- Check my own personal biases at the door
I make no claim to being a major media representative or well-versed interview host. This is simply a best effort to present an interesting, peer-reviewed, side of the discussion.
Sometimes I will do well as your host, sometimes I will be learning. Such is life. I hope that you will permit me space to sort it out as I go, as I hope to encourage you to read some new articles, or at the very least, have new conversations and get inspired.
This introductory series of episodes is meant to create dialogue surrounding these publications. Science is an ongoing conversation of facts, evidence and knowledge. This is an effort to create space