Episode 157: Inmate Firefighters, China's Social Credit System, and Chanukah

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss convict firefighters, China’s new social credit system, and the history of Chanukah. 

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Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: 

• California’s latest wave of forest fires is being battled in part by inmates in the state’s prisons through a program that was instated in the 1940s. Natalia cited historian Heather Ann Thompson’s book Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971.
• Since 2014, the Chinese government has been building a “social credit system” to track – and reward and punish – its citizens’ behaviors. We commented on this piece on the dystopian comparisons being made by cultural observers of these measures.
• Chanukah is upon us and the Jewish “Festival of Lights” has an oft-overlooked military history. Niki and Natalia both recommended this Forward article about the significance of rationing oil.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia recommended historian Matthew Pressman’s new book, On Press: The Liberal Values That Shaped the News.
• Neil shared Julia Jacobs’ New York Times article, “Bush’s Letter to Clinton Cemented a Presidential Traditions, Historians Say.”
• Niki discussed Seyward Darby and Glenna Gordon’s Topic article, “The Secret Weapons of the Far Right.”