Daniel Volovets, MD

A collage of book covers of new nature & science books. Featured here are Atlas Obscura Wild Life, Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party, Every Living Thing, Alien Earths, Becoming Earth, and Deep Water

A collage of book covers of new nature & science books. Featured here are Frostbite, The Inner Clock, How to Kill an Asteroid, The Great River, The Last Fire Season, and Hoof Beats

A collage of book covers of new nature & science books. Featured here are The Serviceberry, Not the End of the World, Nature's Ghosts, Meet the Neighbors, The Light Eaters, and Our Moon

A collage of book covers of new nature & science books. Featured here are Turning to Stone, The Weight of Nature, What If We Get It Right?, Waves in An Impossible Sea, The Tree Collectors, and Why We Remember

I was deeply disappointed by the lack of nature/science/climate/enviro on many major end-of-year book lists—so I decided to make my own!

Introducing: ✨🎁📚 The 2024 Holiday Gift Guide to Nature & Science Books ✨🎁📚

Please share: Let's make this go viral in time for Black Friday / holiday shopping!

Thank you very much for listening!

YouTube video by Daniel Volovets Estate - Bruno Martino

Here's my take on "Estate," a pieve originally by Bruno Martino but popularized by João Gilberto... some darker harmonies in this arrangement, floating above echoes of bossa-nova and flamenco flourishes... #classicalguitar #brazilianjazz #bossanova #flamenco #guitar

Definitely worth a watch sober. :) It's a fever dream as it is, in the second half at least.

All of Miyazaki's films are masterpieces, exploring themes re: feminism, anti-capitalism, industrialization, labor rights, pastoral romanticism, and so many other thoughtfully-explored topics. Grateful to be living in the same time as, in the words of Guillermo del Toro, "the Mozart of our times."

Then I remember that Miyazaki's likely final film is another candidate for his magnum opus - the philosophical, surreal, pensive "The Boy and the Heron." It's a beautiful reflection on grief, loss, and legacy and a soulful balsam for our times that was well worth the 10 year wait.

At least once every few years, I re-read Hayao Miyazaki's magnum opus, the manga "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind." More relevant than ever as the world continues to largely ignore climate change, it's a cautionary tale that also reminds us that, somehow, we must figure out how to keep living.

Centrist Dems seize opening at the DNC: ‘I don’t want to be the freak show party’ Recriminations over Kamala Harris’ defeat are shaping the early stages of the race for DNC chair.

Our current political reality is going to go far beyond the next four years if this is the lesson Democrats are taking from the election loss. Further abandoning progressive values when those policies are consistently popular across the aisle would be the textbook definition of an unforced error.

HR 9495 will go to a vote this week, likely Tuesday or Wednesday. Again. It's called a "nonprofit killer," a "threat to free speech," and will give Trump unprecedented power.

Tell your congresspeople to vote "no" on this bill.

See how your reps voted the first time

Find your rep's info here.

Thank you for listening!

I’m struggling with this a bit being in medicine/psychiatry. I have no interest in engaging with bad faith arguments or literal Nazis. I think the real work ahead will be packaging progressive ideas in a way that reflect the needs of the working class, while holding strong to social justice causes.

The art style here makes me think of Streets of Rage for some reason. So, Streets of Rage II. :)

Thank you, Claire!

YouTube video by Daniel Volovets Soleares - Niño Ricardo

Here's one of my favorite pieces I learned from my flamenco maestro El Payo Humberto. A living legend, he spent a lot of time in Spain in the 60s and 70s with some of the most important figures in flamenco and studied with Niño Ricardo, who composed this piece.

Would appreciate a follow-back, looking to get involved in any ongoing / new resistance efforts.

I love any and all old school games -- aside from all the classics others have mentioned, I'll give a shout-out to the phenomenal Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War for the SNES. It's Japan-exclusive, but has a fantastic fan translation. Rumored to be getting a Switch remake at some point!

Not to say that going multiplatform is a problem -- in fact, it actually may be healthier for the industry long-term -- but it just seems disingenuous when the advertised point of the acquisitions was to "welcome *insert company here* to the Xbox family." All just corporate / anti-worker nonsense.

I'm shocked that people didn't see the corporate consolidation as inevitably causing huge problems. Look at Embracer and how quickly they shuttered so many studios they acquired, Microsoft's pivot to a multiplatform strategy despite ongoing acquisitions...

Hi Amy -- I'm a psychiatrist based in Minneapolis, MN also interested in the same. Very interested in joining ongoing efforts re: resistance/advocacy or helping facilitate new ones.

That’s a great point. Relatedly, Nintendo’s approach of using technology in creative ways, not necessarily for raw horsepower, definitely seems to have been the right approach over the years. Certainly much more sustainable when considering ballooning budgets and team sizes for AAA projects.

This type of comparison is more unsettling to me than the initial post. Yikes!!

YouTube video by Daniel Volovets Daniel Volovets Interview on Twin Cities Live

In the meantime, I'll be sharing some of my older recordings. First up, here's an interview I did on "Twin Cities Live." I talk about my musical influences and balancing music + medicine. Featuring my composition "Reverie" and an arrangement of Jobim's "Chega de Saudade." #classicalguitar #flamenco

The past year has been quieter for me musically due to health/personal reasons. Thankfully, space seems to be emerging to get back into things. I've got a bunch of stuff in the works -- a few albums-worth of new music and four books compiling my arrangements and compositions. Stay tuned!

The absolute insanity of RFK Jr.’s nomination to lead the HHS cannot be overstated. Absolutely unhinged, anti-science, dangerous as hell. I am planning to double down on efforts to remind folks about the importance of vaccines, fighting misinformation wherever possible. #PsychSky #Skychiatry #Medsky

#PsychSky #Skychiatry #Medsky

I am curious to hear from others who find themselves in a similar position / mind-space. Have you thought about ways to effectively advocate? What does meaningful resistance look like in our current political climate?

3) Making space, as difficult as it may be right now, for outreach to those who looked past Trump's entire ethos because of said domestic malaise, without compromising on my values and the rights of those Trump regularly dehumanizes. I don't know how to reach out to those who are "beyond the pale."

2) Reflecting on the failures of the Democratic Party: abandoning progressive policies, neglecting the working class, their indefensible position on Gaza, etc... but also the relative apathy of most voters re: foreign policy. How do we treat our domestic malaise without embracing isolationism?

1) Seeking ways to involve myself in macro-level advocacy regarding issues like access to mental health care, gender-affirming care, and abortion/reproductive health care. I hope to bring my clinical experience to the table to make the case for these issues from a narrative medicine perspective.

Although I am mostly in a place of anger, frustration, and even despondence at the reality many in the US will face over the next four years, I think those of us in positions of privilege can't afford to stay in such a place if we want to be effective advocates. Some thoughts on the work to come...