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PODCAST

Talk Cocktail

Jeff Schechtman

Jeff Schechtman talks with authors, journalists, newsmakers and opinion shapers, and sheds light on the issues of the day, from local stories to national and international headlines and ideas. jeffschechtman.substack.com

news & politics

All Episodes

39:17

In a World of Chaos, Design Matters Even More

Talk Cocktail ·

2025/02/01

From their Venice Beach studio, Charles and Ray Eames revolutionized design in post-war Los Angeles, shaping the modernist ethos of California and beyond. Known for their groundbreaking Case Study House No. 8, furniture, and films, their work seamlessly blended art, science, and functionality.In my California Sun conversation, Daniel Ostroff, editor of “An Eames Anthology,” he shares fresh insights into the couple’s philosophy and enduring relevance.Note: The Eames House, which is located in Pacific

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32:11

The internet's librarian

Talk Cocktail ·

2025/01/29

Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, housed in a former San Francisco church with Greek columns that echo the ancient Library of Alexandria, discusses his three-decade mission to preserve humanity's digital knowledge and culture. Now facing unprecedented challenges, including a major cyberattack and legal battles with publishers over the site's distribution of copyrighted materials, Kahle reflects on the growing threats to digital preservation while reaffirming his commitment to

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28:38

Can Algorithms and Empathy Coexist?

Talk Cocktail ·

2025/01/29

There has been a lot of talk this week about the futue of AI. But what if we’ve been asking the wrong question about AI and technology? Not “What can it do for us?” but “What is it doing to us?”In this recent WhoWhatWhy podcast I talk with Chris Colbert, former managing director of the Harvard Innovation Labs, to explore a provocative idea: that technology as we know it may be dead — and that’s exactly what humanity needs to thrive.Drawing from his new book, Technology is Dead: The Path to a More

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25:50

David Ulin finds hope in a burning city

Talk Cocktail ·

2025/01/25

David Ulin, one of Los Angeles’s most perceptive chroniclers and an editor of Joan Didion’s collected works, reflects on the city’s unprecedented urban wildfires through the lens of history, identity, and belonging. Ulin, in this California Sun podcast, talks to me about how disasters in Los Angeles paradoxically forge deeper connections between Angelenos and their landscape. Drawing parallels to 9/11 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, he explores how this watershed moment — with its destruction

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27:55

When the Hydrants Ran Dry in Los Angeles

Talk Cocktail ·

2025/01/22

When LA’s hydrants failed during massive fires, misinformation spread. What really happened – and the hard truths about our urban water systems.In my latest WhoWhatWhy podcast, I talk to one of California’s leading water experts who cuts through the noise to explain what really happened. Gregory Pierce — director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and of the Human Rights to Water Solutions Lab — delivers a masterclass in understanding this infrastructure crisis. The story that emerged about

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27:56

When the Hydrants Ran Dry in Los Angeles

Talk Cocktail ·

2025/01/22

When LA’s hydrants failed during massive fires, misinformation spread. What really happened – and the hard truths about our urban water systems.In my latest WhoWhatWhy podcast, I talk to one of California’s leading water experts who cuts through the noise to explain what really happened.Gregory Pierce — director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and of the Human Rights to Water Solutions Lab — delivers a masterclass in understanding this infrastructure crisis.The story that emerged about what

en

33:23

Reagan: His Life and Legend' - How Far Today's GOP...

Talk Cocktail ·

2025/01/20

Oh, how the party has changed. At a moment when the Republican Party has shifted dramatically from its Reaganite roots, I talk with Washington Post columnist Max Boot, whose definitive biography of Ronald Reagan arrives with particular resonance. Through a decade of research, Boot reveals a pragmatic leader who would likely be puzzled by today's GOP—a president who supported immigration reform, worked with Gorbachev to reduce nuclear weapons, and prided himself on compromise, getting "80 percent

en

28:37

Algorithms and Empathy: The Human Cost of Innovation

Talk Cocktail ·

2025/01/20

What if we’ve been asking the wrong question about technology all along? Not “What can it do for us?” but “What is it doing to us?” In my recent WhoWhatWhy podcast we talk with Chris Colbert, former managing director of the Harvard Innovation Labs, to explore a provocative idea: that technology as we know it may be dead — and that’s exactly what humanity needs to thrive. Drawing from his new book, Technology is Dead: The Path to a More Human Future, Colbert talks to me about how our obsession with

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32:12

The Internet’s Librarian

Talk Cocktail ·

2025/01/18

We begin the year by looking in the “Wayback Machine.”Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, housed in a former San Francisco church with Greek columns that echo the ancient Library of Alexandria, discusses his three-decade mission to preserve humanity’s digital knowledge and culture. Now facing unprecedented challenges, including a major cyberattack and legal battles with publishers over the site’s distribution of copyrighted materials. In this California Sun podcast Kahle talks to me

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26:11

Mike Davis Saw It All Coming

Talk Cocktail ·

2025/01/15

Welcome back: There are brilliant new voices speaking to California's fires, climate change, and ecology - what this ongoing tragedy means for Californians. But one of the most resonant voices comes from the past. Mike Davis, author of "City of Quartz," "Ecology of Fear," and "Dead Cities," seems to be quoted almost daily in discussions of the current fires. His understanding of Southern California through the lens of its fires has become essential reading; whenever flames rage across the state,

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26:49

Paws for Thought: A Rescue Revolution

Talk Cocktail ·

2024/12/18

The last thing we need this week is another expression of alarm about events in Washington, or anywhere else for that matter. How about something positive about our companions.In a recent California Sun podcast I talked with author Carol Mithers about her new book, “Rethinking Rescue,” which explores a groundbreaking approach to animal welfare pioneered by Lori Weise, the founder of L.A.’s Downtown Dog Rescue. Known as the “Dog Lady,” Weise focuses on preventing pets from entering shelters by

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26:45

Red vs. Blue America: Federalism in the Fight Against...

Talk Cocktail ·

2024/12/14

In this recentWhoWhatWhy podcast, I talk with veteran journalist Sasha Abramsky who reveals a striking paradox: Progressives, long suspicious of states’ rights — once a reactionary battle cry against civil rights and federal reforms — are now embracing state power as their best defense against growing authoritarianism.As the federal government tilts rightward, blue states are forming unprecedented coalitions to preserve democratic values and progressive policies. But could these defensive measures

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26:44

Red vs. Blue America: Federalism in the Fight Against...

Talk Cocktail ·

2024/12/14

In this WhoWhatWhy podcast, veteran journalist Sasha Abramsky reveals a striking paradox: Progressives, long suspicious of states’ rights — once a reactionary battle cry against civil rights and federal reforms — are now embracing state power as their best defense against growing authoritarianism. As the federal government tilts rightward, blue states are forming unprecedented coalitions to preserve democratic values and progressive policies. But could these defensive measures actually accelerate

en

31:05

Don't Build, Rebuild

Talk Cocktail ·

2024/12/11

In this California Sun podcast I talk with architectural critic Aaron Betsky. He challenges conventional thinking about our built environment in his new book “Don’t Build, Rebuild,” in which he makes the case for transforming existing structures rather than constructing new ones. From San Francisco’s empty offices to Los Angeles’s historic core, Betsky explores how this approach can not only address housing shortages and climate change but also preserve the soul and stories embedded in our

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33:24

Reagan: His Life and Legend' - How Far Today's GOP...

Talk Cocktail ·

2024/12/07

At a time when the Republican Party has shifted dramatically from its Reaganite roots, Washington Post columnist Max Boot's definitive biography of Ronald Reagan arrives with particular resonance. Through a decade of research, Boot reveals a pragmatic leader who would likely be puzzled by today's GOP—a president who supported immigration reform, worked with Gorbachev to reduce nuclear weapons, and prided himself on compromise, getting "80 percent of what he wanted" rather than demanding everything

en

43:09

The Comfort of Our False Beliefs: Why We Crave...

Talk Cocktail ·

2024/12/04

In a world drowning in misinformation, we keep pointing fingers at those who create and spread false narratives. But what if the real story isn’t about them — it’s about us?In this recentWhoWhatWhy podcast I talk with professor Dannagal Goldthwaite Young, author of Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive Our Appetite for Misinformation, we discover a surprising truth: Humans are naturally drawn to misinformation. It’s not just about believing what we want to believe — it’s about satisfying

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43:09

The Comfort of Our False Beliefs: Why We Crave...

Talk Cocktail ·

2024/12/04

In a world drowning in misinformation, we keep pointing fingers at those who create and spread false narratives. But what if the real story isn’t about them — it’s about us?In this recentWhoWhatWhy podcast I talk with professor Dannagal Goldthwaite Young, author of Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive Our Appetite for Misinformation, we discover a surprising truth: Humans are naturally drawn to misinformation.It’s not just about believing what we want to believe — it’s about satisfying our

en

42:20

The End of Weird: Austin's Makeover

Talk Cocktail ·

2024/11/29

The recent election has sparked new discussions about changing demographics across America. Austin, Texas is no exception. Long celebrated as a liberal bubble in the heart of red Texas, this once magical and creative city is transforming dramatically. From the controversial new University of Austin, featured this past Sunday on 60 Minutes, to Elon Musk's growing presence with SpaceX, to the influx of tech giants like Larry Ellison and Oracle, along with characters like Joe Rogan and Alex Jones,

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42:20

The End of Weird: Austin's Makeover

Talk Cocktail ·

2024/11/27

The recent election has sparked new discussions about changing demographics across America. Austin, Texas is no exception. Long celebrated as a liberal bubble in the heart of red Texas, this once magical and creative city is transforming dramatically. From the controversial new University of Austin, featured this past Sunday on 60 Minutes, to Elon Musk's growing presence with SpaceX, to the influx of tech giants like Larry Ellison and Oracle, along with characters like Joe Rogan and Alex Jones, the

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35:53

Wall Street's Glass Ceiling Cracked, Long Before...

Talk Cocktail ·

2024/11/24

While women have yet to shatter the ultimate glass ceiling of the White House, they've been steadily scaling the towering heights of Wall Street since the 1960s. The author of the groundbreaking book "She Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street," historian Paulina Bren talks to me about how these trailblazers navigated the male-dominated world of finance. From Muriel Siebert becoming the first woman to own a NYSE seat in 1967 to the waves of female graduates entering finance in the

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