The war between the U.S. and Iran has began on February 28th, 2026 and as of the time of this recording, the war is still going on. There's been ceasefires, but as an American, the day to day impact of the war is primarily felt when I go to fill up my gas tank or when clients cancel their appointments because it's no longer "in the budget." So when I talk to friends in Türkiye, I often wonder if the disruption caused by war extends beyond the gas pump. On occasion, my mind drifts to a wonderful young man I chatted with briefly, very handsome, and we were trying to see if we could work together. Despite his talents and professionalism, I could not work with him because he lived in Iran. We are living in a time where the global economy allows people to work from anywhere in the world, and yet there are many people who can't work despite having the talent, and the price of gas is the least of their worries. It's easy to sit alone with these thoughts, after all, many in the U.S. avoid talking about politics or talking about anything that might be perceived as leading down a path of uncomfortable feelings. It's way more fun to talk about that viral TikTok food trend, than it is to talk about the fact that congress has done nothing to exercise it's powers to end the war that they did not even approve. Sitting in silence doesn't fully solve a problem, so I was delighted to find a wicked smart Iranian-American who could help me understand how Iranians feel and what they want.
If you want to know more about the history of the U.S. and Iran, if you want to know more about what an end to the war could look like, if you want to know more about how you can help the global community that is being human, then you are going to love my chat with Zolal Habibi.

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LA Times Article: U.S. Designates 30 Groups as Terrorists October 9th, 1997
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-09-mn-40874-story.html

LA Times Article: Iran dissident group removed from U.S. terrorist list
https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/world-now/story/2012-09-28/iran-dissident-group-removed-from-u-s-terrorist-list

Protests, they come in many shapes and shades. Some protests are hand held signs, marches through the street with fists raised high, chants, slogans, and cries for change. Some protests are silent, a card swiped elsewhere, and a conscious consumer effort to simply engage elsewhere. Some protests are in the shape of a vote. An upswell that hits like an ocean wave every 4 years in the U.S. Political commentators and traditional journalist are filling posts, page, and the airwaves with predictions related to the protest that the latest polls reveal, but a little trip down the lane in New York City and me remembering the vast number of protests, I have witnessed since 2008. Almost 20 years of rally cries and yet, today my feelings towards those protest, is no different than I felt 18 years ago, 6 years ago, or 6 months ago... protesters and politicians claim they want change, but is it all just for show? So darlings, Let's chat about it.

An interesting opinion piece in the NY Times about rallying behind a cause and then changing one's mind about the way in which support was shown. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/opinion/aoc-woke-1.html

Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers https://newsletter.platypuseconomics.com/p/how-to-fake-a-voting-scandal

Music by Mound City by Coleman Hawkins (recorded 1929)

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This podcast is recorded in a style that pays homage to talents like Miss Monitor (Tedi Thurman) and explores topics designed to stimulate conversations.

Sometimes something so mind-boggling occurs, that there's a burning desire to learn more... to know more. That's what I felt when I read the New York Times headline, A Fight Over Abortion and Surrogacy Ends With a Baby Born in Texas. My mind was filled with more than a dozen questions like:
How could this happen?
Why would anyone do this?
Who is wrong?
What is the law?!
There are times when I do lots of research to ensure that I am sharing facts on this podcast, and despite going down a rabbit whole on the subject of children born with disabilities born into large families and the cost, I grabbed the mic and recorded this episode as a stream of consciousness. Nothing that I researched changed the initial questions. While I wanted more from the times article, I had to accept that I wasn't owed anything more about the very painful struggle that all parties involved are going through. What has been shared with the J. David Goodman, is enough to spark a conversation within myself. I am not owed anything more. So darlings, there are a few longer pauses in this chat, but perhaps that space will give you time to ask yourself some big questions along the way, .. Let's chat about it.

Music by Mound City by Coleman Hawkins (recorded 1929)

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This podcast is recorded in a style that pays homage to talents like Miss Monitor (Tedi Thurman) and explores topics designed to stimulate conversations.

Simple little stories from the "glamourous" life of a showgirl.

Anyone who has spent any time in the working in the arts, in nightlife, or has embarked on virtually any career path in a major city, can attest to the fact that friends are fast made (definitely makes the work more tolerable) those not in your daily orbit may fall to the wayside. It takes a lot to maintain relationships, especially those relationships that offer very little other than a brief moment of pleasure.

In Pillow Talk, The Luvely Rae delivers short antidotes on nightlife and working in entertainment in the U.S. These stories lead to bigger questions such as: what do we owe one another

Music The Mooche by Duke Ellington (recorded 1928)

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This podcast is recorded in a style that pays homage to talents like Miss Monitor (Tedi Thurman) and explores topics designed to stimulate conversations.

Let's Chat! Share Your Ideas for Episodes & Opinion

Let's Chat! Share Your Ideas for Episodes & Opinion

Television... movies... for over a century these artforms have brough people together. Whether it's in a dark theater, the office water cooler, online chatrooms, even convention centers, the visual story has helped people build community not just through congregation, but through shared experience. So am I alone in feeling that the visual conversation has been hijacked? Instead of feeling compelled to talk about the wild ride that was an episode, I've been feeling compelled to consume more episodes. Like a bag of chips, I can't enjoy just one, but instead I must consume the totality of what is available. No longer the child who wants to stay up late for one more story, but rather the slave acting against want and will, having to reach the end despite the pain that may ensue. It seems that I may not be alone, so... Let's chat about it.

Music by Mound City by Coleman Hawkins (recorded 1929)

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This podcast is recorded in a style that pays homage to talents like Miss Monitor (Tedi Thurman) and explores topics designed to stimulate conversations.

Let's Chat! Share Your Ideas for Episodes & Opinion

Happy Birthday America! Over the 4th of July weekend the current president of the United States unveiled the oft-talked-about plant to give the American people money. Funny... the same political party doling out Trump accounts, is the same political party that post the pandemic cried that the government was foolish to give Americans stimulus checks. You may have already heard what economist and financial commentators have to say about these accounts, but you haven't heard my voice on the matter. So lean in close darling, because I'd love to chat.

Looking for easy to digest economic commentary without a sea of talking heads or grumpy old men talking over each other? Check out Platypus Economics. Where one economics professor spends his time trying to translate the U.S. headlines into easy to understand numbers for the rest of us.
Platypus Economics Podcast

Looking for something else to move you?
If you are fortunate enough to have engaged in a delectable conversation with someone of flesh-and-blood, following this episode, then you may have found yourself filled with an abundance of feelings. Take a listen to Once More with Feeling. A saucy little playlist filled with songs that will move you, when you don't want to sleep.
Listen to: Once More With Feeling

Let's Chat! Share Your Ideas for Episodes & Opinion

There are a few states in the U.S. that are known for being proud, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, and Texas are few that instantly come to mind. Thanks to a recent mandate by the Texas Board of Education, I have looked into my crystal ball, and predicted a whole heap of problems headed for the "Lone Star" state in the new school year. The board's decision to mandate bible stories in classrooms smells like an influx of lawsuits waiting to happen, and I for one am hoping that an often overlooked group of trouble makers get involved and fight the good fit. Because the rich zealots who worked so tirelessly (have to give them credit for their passion) to make this mandate happen, are not the ones with kids attending these schools; hence, they haven't earned the right to have a say in what Texans should be learning in order to prepare for the real world. Besides, why is the board of education doing more to prepare kids for the afterlife than they are to prepare kids for life on earth? Let's chat about it.

Music by Mound City by Coleman Hawkins (recorded 1929)

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This podcast is recorded in a style that pays homage to talents like Miss Monitor (Tedi Thurman) and explores topics designed to stimulate conversations.

Let's Chat! Share Your Ideas for Episodes & Opinion

Dating Apps, are they a necessary evil in this tech age that encourages isolation and emoji communication? Swiping and liking can be a thrill, but is the connection even real if everything is enshrouded in witty banty? Is it possible to say, "let's avoid these time wasters," without being cautioned about posting diatribes and being unkind. Let's chat about it.

Music by Mound City by Coleman Hawkins (recorded 1929)

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This podcast is recorded in a style that pays homage to talents like Miss Monitor (Tedi Thurman) and explores topics designed to stimulate conversations.