Podcasts: Vaya Con Muñoz
Vaya Con Muñoz
Vaya con Muñoz is hosted by Natalia Muñoz, a multimedia journalist from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Interviews and rants and raves on politics, culture and media, in English and en español. Airs Saturdays 10-11am and Sunday nights at 7pm.
Vaya Con Muñoz 10.23.21
This week Nathaniel Waring fills in for Natalia, and is joined by Kate Albright-Hanna, Tanisha Arena, and Dan Torres to discuss the recent announcements by Adam Hines and Paul Mark, and what it means for Western Mass; what has happened to a generation that brought us the hippy revolution in the 1960s, and what McGovern has to do with it; the recent death of General Powell, and our reactions to Trump’s statement; how Colin Powell’s death is related to covid, and what we can take away from it; the intersection of labor “shortages” in trucking, strikes popping up around the country, and the negotiations around the 3.5T infrastructure package; what it means to be a Capitalist, and why most of us shouldn’t consider ourselves one; how the science fiction of the last generation is becoming our reality today, and what science fiction authors missed about a huge swath of Americans; and how the housing market collapse could lead to the revolution, and how the reality of that might differ from how we imagine it will go down..
Vaya Con Muñoz 10.16.21
This week we are joined by Dan Torres, Tanisha Arena, Kate Albright-Hanna, and Nathaniel Waring to discuss the recent decision by a federal judge in Austin Texas to block the abortion ban, and what we might expect the supreme court to do in it’s wake; how abortion is about body autonomy, and how that can play into the conversation about abortion; the controversy in Northampton about the bianial art exibit, and how we all feel about how it went down; what racial lines look like in latin America, and how it differs between regions of South America; how the Amazon rainforest is vital to our survial in an age of climate change, and what role if any the USA should play in putting presure on Brazil to be better stewards to the trees; William Shatner’s space flight, and the intricacies of Nathaniel’s Star Trek obsession; and the returning fashion from the 90s, and how those of us who were in our teens and twenties in the 90s feel about it/
Vaya Con Muñoz 10.9.21
This week we are joined by Kate Albright-Hanna, Tanisha Arena, Matt Szafranski, Dan Torres, and Nathaniel Waring in discussing if America is redeemable, and what that would look like; the recent crash of Facebook and it’s subsidiaries, and whether Social Media is a neg positive or not; the Northampton Arts Council’s decision to cancel their show, and where the line exists between censoring art and not being offensive; the Northampton mayoral race, and where the two candidates stack up; the Holyoke mayoral race, and how Michael Sulivan is being backed by conservative white citizens of Holyoke; and Kate’s research into matriarchal societies, and how that relates to our current state of affairs.
YesNo
Vaya Con Muñoz 10.2.21
This week on the show we are joined by Tanisha Arena, Kate Albright-Hanna, Dan Torres, Matt Szafranski, and Nathaniel Waring to discuss shipping delays being caused by vacination requirements differnt between countries, and how that will effect all sorts of products we depend on; workers of the world uniting, and how that might happen; whether the soul of the nation can be restored, and if it ever had one to begin with; whether we should all start stocking up on good again for another lockdown, and how this preparation differs from 2020; how all profit is a theft from labor, and how workers in the world need to have solidarity; the mayoral election in Northampton, and how the turnout compares to Holyoke and Springfield; the erosion of interest in who and how people are represented at the state level, and how the dying local news plays into it; Elizabeth Warren’s recent visit to Northampton, and how it differed from previous town halls she has thrown; moderates in the senate holding up the infrastructure bill, and the panel’s frustration with the Democrats not living up to our expectations; why turkey legs are sold at renesaunce faires, when they are from different continents; an annonamous letter spewing racism that was sent to all of the black student organizations, and how it’s a part of an overall increase in racist incidents on campus; recent protest at a fraternaty at Umass based on an alleged sexual assault, and how alumni of colleges can use their voices to influene their alma maters; and how America treats the value of life differntly accross class.
Vaya Con Muñoz 9.25.21
This week on the show we are joined by Kate Albright-Hanna, Tanisha Arena, Dan Torres, Matt Szafranski, and Nathaniel Waring in discussing the recent confrontation between boarder patrol officers and Haitian asylum seekers, and the lackluster response from the Biden administration; how immigration has changed over the history of the United States, and how racism plays into that change; the recent primary election in Holyoke for Major, and what the turnout says about politics in Holyoke; local election officials, and why they tend to be retirees; why Trump has such a hold on the mass media, and what can be done by news sources to keep him from taking over the attention again in 2024; the upcoming confirmation of Rachel Rollins to the top federal prosecutor position in Massachusetts, and how it ties in to a recent wave of progressive district attorneys running and getting elected; and generational trauma, and how that plays into white supremacy.
Vaya Con Muñoz 9.18.21
This week on the program we are joined once again by Kate Albright-Hanna, Tanisha Arena, Dan Torres, and Nathaniel Waring in discussing the ACLU’s defending of hate speech, and why we think they’re so vocal about doing so; What limits exist on the freedom of speech, and what limits should; the recall election in California, and what the results means for the state and the country; Kate’s half-baked idea about neurotypical vs neurodivergent thinking, and how politics would be different if there were more people on the spectrum in politics; Biden’s foreign policy, and how Bernie Sanders has had an effect on the administration; how capitalism is being subverted by the rich elite, and whether capitalism has within it the solutions to our problems; AOC’s dress at the NY gala, and if it was a good political stunt or not; what is up with everyone wanting us to rate them constantly in our lives, and what it means for our children.
Vaya Con Muñoz 9.11.21
This week on the show we are joined by Tanisha Arena, Dan Torres, Matt Szafranski, and Nathaniel Waring to discuss our memories of, and feeling about, 9/11; the preliminary election in Holyoke for Mayor, and where the candidates fall on the political and idelogical spectrum; the situation in Texas, and how it is a consequence of the US electing Trump instead of Hillary; abortion’s future in the united states, and whether the GOP actually wants abortion to be illegal countrywide; what it means to be a Warren Democrat, and what is different between Warren, Bernie, and Ed Markey.
Vaya Con Muñoz 9.4.21
This week on Vaya we are joined by our regulars, Tanisha Arena, Kate Albright-Hanna, Dan Torres, Matt Szafranski, and Nathaniel Waring to discuss the anounced closing of the Coca Cola plant in Northampton, and what it will mean for municipal budgets and the local economy; the rising cost of rent in western Massachusetts, and what can be done to stem the gentrification of our part of the state; The withdraw from Afghanistan, and the roll of the press in both the war and the withdrawl; the recent anti-abortion law that was signed into law in Texas, and what it means for the state of women’s rights in America; and what shows all of us on the panel have been binge watching;
Vaya Con Muñoz 8.28.21
This week on the show we are joined by Matt Szafranski, Dan Torres, Tanisha Arena, and Nathaniel Waring to discuss Governor Newsom’s recall, and what it might mean for California; the racial and gender makeup of the elected officials of the democratic party, and how it does or doesn’t match the membership of the party; whether Biden will run again, and whether he should; Obama’s legacy in Afghanistan and at home, and what we wish he had done in his second term; The pioneer valley labor federation’s endorsements, and if local union endorsements actually mean anything; The Battle of Blair Mountain, which happened 100 years ago this week, and how it affected unionism in the United States; The recent election in Zambia, and what it might mean for the region; what the census will mean for western mass, and where the blame lies for the lackluster population growth in the region.
Vaya Con Muñoz 8.14
This week on the show we are joined by our whole case of regulars – Kate Albright-Hanna, Matt Szafranski, Tanisha Arena, Dan Torres, and Nathaniel Waring – to discuss the American withdrawl from Afghanistan, and what it will mean for the country; Trump’s tax returns, and whether we might finally see them in the hands of the Ways and Means commitee; Obama’s birthday party, and what it says about him and about us as a nation; Cuomo’s resignation, and whether he should have done so or not; the intersection of being a woman of color and being a lesbian, and how that plays out in day to day life; the upcoming senate elections, and where the Democrats’ chances lie; and the situation in Brazil, and what will happen with Bolsonaro.
