Fred’s Front Porch Podcast
A pocast for a kinder, gentler nation
Idealism, fiction, and whatever comes up. I’ve been doing my podcast since September, 2019. It’s my effort to change the world. The fact that I will be unsuccessful is irrelevant. “To believe you can change the world is insanity; failure to try is cowardice.” So, here I am trying.
You’ll find some entertaining short stories, some of which are mine, and some of which are classics of literature.
You’ll find lots of discussion of Universal Basic Income, COVID-19, the facts of poverty, and advocacy for Universal Healthcare. You’ll hear, over and over, that we all matter. There is no Them; we are all Us.
Most Popular Episode
Episode 195: Speedy Shine’s Backyard Dogcast
Hi hoomans! I’m starting my own Dogcast, and I hope you will like it lots and lots. This Moontime I tell you a little bit about how I got to be here with Smelly Old Man. We will do this once every Moontime, and if you want, you can join my Special Level of the show. Your dog will love it.
Speedy Shine's Backyard Dogcast
Featured Episode
Diabetes and Depression
Episode 199
April 5th, 2023
Diabetes and Depression
There is a strong connection between Diabetes and Depression. They feed into each other. One makes the other worse.
There are, however, ways of coping.
Here’s the blog version:
Here’s the Medium link:
https://frededer.medium.com/diabetes-and-depression-94e0adb74f7
Support Speedy Shine and his Smelly Old Man on Patreon:
Recent Episodes
Universe Selectors, Incorporated Episode 1
“Thank you for contacting Universe Selectors Incorporated. In which Universe would you like to be deposited in this endless moment?” Horace blinked. “Um… what?” “We currently have access to just over seven hundred thirty-seven nonillion possible universes,...
A Slap in The Face
Fred’s Facebook March 28, 2022 4:49 PM I recognize that much of what I'm about to write (or, if you’re listening to the podcast, say) is due to seeing the world through the lens of clinical depression. I see the sadder parts of the world with greater clarity,...
Envisioning a Future That Allows Us to Travel to The Past
I need to begin this evening with a gargantuan disclaimer. I’m not a scientist of any sort. I’m not an astronomer, in particular. I’m certainly not a mathematician. I have no expertise of any kind in what I’m discussing tonight. (If I’m...
One Planet, One People… Please? 2022
Carl Sagan warned us about Mutually Assured Destruction 40 years ago. If we do survive a nuclear war, the condition of our planet will be such that any life afterward will be miserable. We humans have spent trillions of dollars in an effort to learn to...
Is Government The Problem or The Solution?
Government is the source of more problems than I can count. If you want to do something, you almost certainly need a license of some sort. If you live here, they’re going to take your money in the form of taxes. If you want to have a voice anyone in...
Cameras In The Classroom
Camera in a Classroom Iowa Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that would force all public-school classrooms to have a camera that would livestream classes which parents and guardians could view online. Under the bill, school staff who did not keep...
Preserving Liberty
American Flag My first idea was to call this episode “Preserving Democracy.” The moment, however, that I refer to our system of government as a democracy, someone will shout, “We’re not a democracy; we’re a republic,” and we’re already wasting time on...
My Life Now
Speedy Shine and Me It is probably unwise to do this episode because it’s likely to cost me some of the Patreon support that has helped me to get to the life I have always wanted. Sometimes when someone thinks I’m doing all right, they stop supporting me because...
The Utopia We Could Create: One Dear Land
“No longer do we see slum conditions in any part of our country. Landlords vie with each other to offer the finest affordable housing to prospective tenants, knowing that, thanks to their basic incomes, they will be able to pay the rent regularly. ...
The Front Porch
I feel like I'm one of those hosts who annoy me during Pledge Week on PBS. I'm watching something I really enjoy, on a station devoid of the commercials that can destroy any work of Art, and in they come with their tote bags and coffee mugs trying to get me to send...
Thinking About People…
People are, of course, the point of existence. What happens to them is important. We love. We fear and fight and fuck things up. We build extraordinary lives and worlds and monuments and homes. We destroy them even more quickly when we...
The New Neighbors Episode 3 “It’s just too lonely. You can’t begin to conceive of the depths of isolation that I must endure.” It was a voice. No one had ever heard anything like it before. It came from every device on the planet. It...
The New Neighbors Part 2
April 5 The Oval Office 2:23 AM We sat in a dark silence. We were essentially drifting through space. We were all smaller than we had been a moment ago. In the absolute darkness, the Milky Way became visible in all its splendor and mystery. The...
The New Neighbors Episode 1
April 5 2:12 AM The Oval Office I was, by any meaningful measurement, the most powerful and influential man on Earth, and, for all practical purposes, the universe. There is no Them; we are all Us. I got elected on that idea. I’d been President for six...
Speedy Shine’s Backyard Dogcast Episode 7: The Scary Time
Smelly Old Man telleded about our problems in his show, and he letteded me tell my side, so I hope you getteded to hear it. He’s scared of me now. And when he gets scared, I get scared, and then we’re both afraid it will happen again. That’s not the...
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Stay Tuned For Our Latest Episodes
Join our podcast newsletter email list to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes, behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive content, and special offers! As a subscriber, you’ll be the first to know about new episodes, guest announcements, and upcoming events.
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