The following audio files come from a larger group of 238 for this week. Double or ctrl-click individual highlighted links, below, to get single podcasts. A zip file of all 41 podcasts converted to 1.5x speed will download here for four months. Older groups of podcasts are discussed at the end of this episode.
A.U.M.F. 59 mins – “This hour we pull apart one sentence, written in the hours after September 11th, 2001, that has led to the longest war in U.S. history. We examine how just 60 words of legal language have blurred the line between war and peace. In the hours after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a lawyer sat down in front of a computer and started writing a legal justification for taking action against those responsible. The language that he drafted and that President George W. Bush signed into law – called the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) – has at its heart one single sentence, 60 words long. Over the last decade, those 60 words have become the legal foundation for the ‘war on terror.'” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Aereo CEO 31 mins – “Chet Kanojia, the founder of Aereo, talked about the case to be heard the next week by the U.S. Supreme Court, American Broadcasting Companies v. Aereo. Broadcasters accused Aereo of violating copyright law by transmitting their broadcasts without permission. Mr. Kanojia said Aereo uses individual cloud-based antennas for every user and that the individual watchers pull down the content from the cloud, and therefore these are not the public performances that broadcasters claim are violating copyright law. Some cable and satellite companies, which currently pay retransmission fees to broadcasters, support Aereo, saying Aereo is not violating copyright law.” At the link you can view the show; audio download costs $.99; a copy of the audio file is in the zip file of this episode’s introduction.
Affirmative Action Ban – “A decade ago, the Supreme Court ruled that colleges and universities could take race into account as one of several variables in the admissions process. But in 2006, the state of Michigan passed a constitutional amendment banning affirmative action at its public universities. And yesterday, the Supreme Court upheld the Michigan law. Supporters of the decision say it affirms the right of voters to decide what’s best for admissions policies at their state colleges. But opponents argue it leads to a lack of diversity in higher education. We discuss the Supreme Court’s decision and the future of affirmative action at public colleges and universities.” You can listen at the link, but not download; however, the zip collection noted in this episode’s introduction contains a copy of the audio file.
Affordable Care (Act) 59 mins – “The former White House adviser on health care provides an explicit outline of how the Affordable Care Act is reshaping American health care for the better. He also outlines what he calls six megatrends that will determine the market for health care until the end of the decade. He talks with Dr. Sally Satel, American Enterprise Institute fellow specializing in health policy…Ezekiel Emanuel is vice provost and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. He served from 2009-2011 as the special advisor for health policy to the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. He is a New York Times columnist, a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and the author of nine books.” At the link right-click (there or here) “After Words with Ezekiel Emanuel” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Artificial Intelligence 51 mins – “A special theme hour – starring a computer competing against a comedian for laughs, the Army’s recruitment chatbot, and Google crushing on robots.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow under the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Bundy Range War 52mins – “Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy hasn’t paid his grazing fees in 20 years, and supporters see it as an act of civil disobedience protesting BLM policy and federal ownership of the land where he grazes cattle. But when agents arrived to impound his herd earlier this month, Bundy answered with 1,000 protestors – including armed militia from around the country. Wednesday, we’re talking about the standoff: who was there, why they showed up, and what it means for the ongoing debate over public lands in the West.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Casinos in Asia 27 mins – “Vietnamese now cross in their thousands to visit Cambodian border casinos. Ed Butler reports on (some of) the darker aspects of Cambodia’s gambling boom.” At the link find the title, “Docs: Cambodia’s Gambling Boom 17 Apr 2014,” right-click “Media files docarchive_20140417-0330a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Charging Stations 14 mins – “Can one person accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles? Sure, if he’s Elon Musk. But what about one more typical person, who doesn’t run a car company? Sven Thesen thinks that answer is yes. He calls himself an EV evangelist and devotes himself to speeding up the adoption of electric vehicles. He’s been doing this for a decade now, and his efforts have made a difference—at least in his home town. Last year he convinced the city of Palo Alto to allow him to put a public EV charging station on the city-owned land between the sidewalk and curb in front of his house—he pays for the electricity used. This fall, he convinced the Palo Alto city council to pass an ordinance requiring all new construction to be prewired for the easy installation of EV charging stations. And he’s not stopping there.” At the link right-click “Download Podcast” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Comics of War 53 mins – “Comics as Documentary: Words, Images, and War –This week our lecture is presented by the Boston University Arts & Sciences Center for the Humanities… Our speaker is Hillary Chute, professor of English at the University of Chicago.” “I am interested in the ways people address history and understand their lives through cultural invention. My current teaching and research interests lie in contemporary American literature, specifically in how public and private histories take shape in the form of innovative narrative work. I am particularly interested in the relationships between word and image, fiction and nonfiction that we see in contemporary comics, a field with roots in the 1970s that is also connected to deeper histories of drawn reportage and visual witnessing….” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Cool Tools 59 mins – Dr Moira Gun of Tech Nation interviews Kevin Kelly, former editor-in-chief, “Wired” magazine and author of Cool Tools: A catalog of possibilities. “Cool Tools is a highly curated selection of the best tools available for individuals and small groups. Tools include hand tools, maps, how-to books, vehicles, software, specialized devices, gizmos, websites — and anything useful. Tools are selected and presented in the book if they are the best of kind, the cheapest, or the only thing available that will do the job. This is an oversized book which reviews over 1,500 different tools, explaining why each one is great, and what its benefits are. Indirectly the book illuminates the possibilities contained in such tools and the whole catalog serves an education outside the classroom. The content in this book was derived from ten years of user reviews published at the Cool Tools website, cool-tools.org.” At the link find “Show Originating on February 18, 2014,” right-click the start button of the listening bar and select “Save Audio As” from the poop-up menu to download the podcast.
DNA vs RNA 46 mins – “Lisl, Diego, Dave and guest host Dr. Mary Cavanagh speak with graduate students Jason Buenrostro and Lauren Chircus on building new technologies, RNA-protein interactions, and strawberry-rhubarb pies….” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Duke Lacrosse Case 60 mins – “William D. Cohan talked his book The Price of Silence: The Duke Lacrosse Scandal, the Power of the Elite, and the Corruption of Our Great Universities, in which he discusses the Duke University lacrosse scandal of 2006. Cohan acknowledged that, although the three Duke lacrosse players were declared innocent of all rape charges, there were some inconsistencies that did not point to innocence. Mr. Cohan also detailed the cases against the three Duke players: David Evans, Reade Seligmann, and Collin Finnerty. He described how the three young men have gone on to lead successful lives, and have put the scandal behind them. Mr. Cohan talked about the media coverage that followed the scandal, and likened it to the “Malaysian Airlines of its day”. Mr. Cohan, who has also written books about Wall Street and financial corruption, said that this book had created just as much uproar as the others.” You can listen and watch at the link, but a download costs $.99; however, the zip collection noted in this episode’s introduction contains a copy of the audio file.
Freedom of Speech 76 mins – “Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg talked about their views of the First Amendment and the origins and contemporary meanings of freedom. They were also asked questions about National Security Agency surveillance programs, cameras in the courts, and their personal friendship. They also answered questions from audience members. This program was part of the “The Kalb Report,” produced by the George Washington University’s Global Media Institute in partnership with the National Press Club and the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School.” You can listen and watch at the link, but a download costs $.99; however, the zip collection noted in this episode’s introduction contains a copy of the audio file.
Gabriel García Márquez 46 mins – “… in the twentieth century, nobody wielded magical realism like the literary giant out of Latin America, out of Colombia. In “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” “Love in the Time of Cholera” and more, “Gabo” – as the Latin world knew him – created worlds of interwoven fantasy and reality so rich and revealing that readers around the world were swept away. He won the Nobel Prize. Transfixed the world. Last week he died. This hour On Point: Gabriel García Márquez and the spell of his magical realism.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Galapagos 54 mins – “Join Robyn Williams off the coast of Ecuador for a tour of the Galapagos Islands.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Gun Politics 46 mins – “Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s new $50 million dollar push for gun control. We’ll look at the plan to take on Washington and the gun lobby.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Health Costs – “Has technology fueled the healthcare crisis? Amitabh Chandra, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, explains the real – but often overlooked – reasons for our healthcare problems.” At the link find the title, “The Real Solutions to Our Health Care Crisis,” right-click “Media files IHUB-041914-B.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Huntington’s Disease 53 mins – “In a special show from Cambridge and New Zealand, Hannah Critchlow investigates the research into Huntington’s Disease. How has the search to correct a single gene enhanced our understanding of how the brain functions? How are sheep helping to unpick the puzzle of the human mind? Plus we visit a brain bank to find out how tissue donors are supporting the scientific research.” At the link right-click “Download as MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Inequality 25 mins – “The median pay for the top 100 highest-paid CEOs at America’s publicly traded companies was a handsome $13.9 million in 2013. That’s a 9 percent increase from the previous year, according to a new Equilar pay study for The New York Times. These types of jumps in executive compensation may have more of an effect on our widening income inequality than previously thought. A new book that’s the talk of academia and the media, Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty, a 42-year-old who teaches at the Paris School of Economics, shows that two-thirds of America’s increase in income inequality over the past four decades is the result of steep raises given to the country’s highest earners.
Islamism Arises 27 mins – “Eyptian author Tarek Osman explores the events which converged and led to the rise of Islamism from the 1970s onwards, a force which came to fill the vacuum left by Arab Nationalism. He investigates the reasons for the re-emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood, the influence of the conservative, oil-rich Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, and the three pivotal events in 1979 which boosted Islamism.” At the link find the title, “DocArchive: The Rise of Islamism,” right-click “Media files docarchive 20140423-0332a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Louis Black 60 mins – “Lewis Black on Politics and Social Issues: Lewis Black spoke about political and social issues. He described growing up in the middle class and becoming a socialist. Following his speech, he answered written questions submitted by audience members. Question topics ranged from Rush Limbaugh to the choice of Stephen Colbert to replace David Letterman, and whether or not the Washington Redskins should change their team name. The program contains many instances of language that some may find objectionable.” You can listen and watch at the link, but a download costs $.99; however, the zip collection noted in this episode’s introduction contains a copy of the audio file.
Marathon Running 54 mins – “With a tip of the hat in the direction of today’s 118th running of the Boston Marathon, Paul Kennedy pays tribute to the ultimate test of physical endurance.” At the link find the title, “Marathon: Going the Distance,” right-click (here or there) “Download Marathon: Going the Distance” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Marijuana Issues 51 mins – “Across the country, public attitudes towards legalizing marijuana have shifted and state legislatures are responding. No state has gone as far as Washington State or Colorado—where marijuana sales are legal—but many are moving to decriminalize the drug or make it available for medical use. And cash strapped states considering legalization are closely watching Colorado where the governor recently predicted a tax windfall. But while politicians are more eager to get on board, public health officials continue to raise alarm bells about the safety of lighting up. Guest host Susan Page and her[4] guests discuss the business and changing politics of marijuana.” You can listen at the link, but not download; however, the zip collection noted in this episode’s introduction contains a copy of the audio file.
Mimicking Nature 55 mins – “Electronics in the body to kill bacteria after surgery [electroceuticals]; Student ideas come to life in the Design Kitchen [low-cost incubator]; Austria builds on its main natural resource – ingenuity; New approach in drug design for treating prostate cancer; Biomimicry [Shark’s Paintbrush]; Hope that brain-building genes leads to treatments” At the link right-click “Download Audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
News Manual 59 mins – Dr Moira Gunn of Tech Nation talks with Alain De Botton, journalist and author of The News: A User’s Manual about what’s happened to “The News” in this digital age. At the link find “Show Originating on March 18, 2014,” right-click the start button of the listening bar and select “Save Audio As” from the poop-up menu to download the podcast.
Not So Special Students – “Two years ago, high school teacher David McCullough, Jr. gave a commencement speech at a school outside of Boston. He thought his audience was the graduating class, but the electronic world was eavesdropping. The 12-minute speech went viral. Suddenly he received emails from around the world and CNN and NBC wanted interviews. McCullough’s speech startled many because he told students they were not special. He criticized well-meaning but micro-managing parents for the intense pressure put on teenagers to excel. He argued that students are so afraid of failure that they miss the opportunity to make and learn from mistakes, and ultimately could miss out on having a fulfilling, happy life.” You can listen at the link, but not download; however, the zip collection noted in this episode’s introduction contains a copy of the audio file.
Ocean Conservation 54 mins – “Native Californian Shah Selbe has a lifelong love of the ocean. Concerned when he learned about the severe threat illegal fishing poses to both the human and animal populations that depend on the ocean, Shah put his engineering training to work looking for a solution. His approach demonstrates the potential for technology to help us address the globe’s most pressing environmental problems. Shah is the creator of FishNET, a platform approach to tracking illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing worldwide….” At the link right-click “Download MP3”
OpenStaxsCollege.org 60 mins – Hosts Randal Schwartz and Simon Phipps interview guests Ross Reedstrom and Kathi Fletcher about OpenStax CNX (previously Connexions), a shared content repository of educational resources – primarily textbook style content. Ross Reedstrom is Chief Sysadmin as well as a developer for OpenStax CNX. Kathi Fletcher is the Product Manager for OpenStax Tutor at Rice University. At the link right-click “Audio” beside the down-pointing arrow on the left and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Poverty Increase 55 mins – “A half-century ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared war on poverty. Since then, the percentage of poor Americans has declined, but more than 46 million still live below the poverty line today. That’s about 15 percent of the population. Whether the war on poverty was a success or failure is the subject of passionate debate and heavily ideological. Many economists say without the social programs implemented to fight poverty, millions more Americans would be poor. Critics argue those programs took away incentives to work and created an underclass dependent on government subsidies. Diane and guests talk about the causes and consequences of poverty in America.”
You can listen at the link, but not download; however, the zip collection noted in this episode’s introduction contains a copy of the audio file.
Pursuing Peace 55 mins – “Mary Ann Wright (born 1947) is a former United States Army colonel and retired U.S. State Department official, known for her outspoken opposition to the Iraq War. She received the State Department Award for Heroism in 1997, after helping to evacuate several thousand people during the civil war in Sierra Leone.[1] She is most noted for having been one of three State Department officials to publicly resign in direct protest of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Wright was also a passenger on the Challenger 1, which along with the Mavi Marmara, was part of the Gaza flotilla.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sex Assaults on Campus 51 mins – “This week, American University officials announced an investigation into emails that referred to sexual assault and rape. In late March, a Harvard University student anonymously disclosed her own experience with sexual assault in the school paper and how she believed the school failed to respond. At Florida State, a New York Times investigation showed the university’s mishandling of a rape allegation against their star football player. These kinds of incidences have caught the attention of the President and members of Congress, and a White House task force is expected to release recommendations early next week. Diane and her [4] guests discuss sexual assault on campus.” You can listen at the link, but not download; however, the zip collection noted in this episode’s introduction contains a copy of the audio file.
Social Security Program 34 mins – “In this episode of the Debt Dialogues, Don Watkins talks with Charles Blahous, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and a public trustee for Social Security and Medicare, about the Social Security program — and how it will affect young Americans in the years ahead.” At the link right-click “Download MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Thyroid Cancer 9 mins – “Marcia Brose discusses results of a phase III trial of the kinase inhibitor sorafenib for treating radioactive iodine-refractory thyroid cancer.” At the link find the title, “Listen to The Lancet: 24 April,” right-click “Media files 24april.mp3 ” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Transportation Costs 12mins – “The former head of R&D for General Motors, Larry Burns, talks about the convergence of lightweight electric vehicles and self-driving cars in new systems of personal transportation…” At the link right-click “Download Podcast” and select “Save link As” from the pop-up menu.
Upstart.com 12 mins – “Dave Girouard, former Google executive and CEO/founder of Upstart, has a radical – and controversial – solution for young people burdened with student loans. Get ready to invest in a graduate, then receive a cut of their future earnings.” At the link find the title, “The Latest Start-up: You,” right-click “Media files IHUB-042614-A.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Uranium Chemistry 30 mins – “Keith & Russ talk with Andrew Gaunt, a chemistry researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Gaunt explains the 3 types of radioactivity, and the work he does at LANL with plutonium compounds. He also talks about the problems the U.S. is facing in disposing spent nuclear fuel, and presents possible solutions.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Vint Cerf Internet Father II 67 mins – Host Leo Laporte interviews Vint Cerf. Cerf is Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist and Co-Inventor of the Internet. This is part 2 of a discussion which began with a 46 min. Q and A session in TWiT Live Specials #195. At the two links right-click “Audio” beside the down-pointing arrows and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menus.
Wall Street Work 36 mins – “Kevin Roose – Bestselling author of Young Money: Inside the Hidden World of Wall Street’s Post-Crash Recruits. Kevin spent more than three years shadowing eight entry-level analysts at leading investment firms. He chronicled their stories, triumphs, and disappointments in this unprecedented (and unauthorized) story. Kevin currently writes for New York magazine and previously for The New York Times….” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Whistleblowing 86 mins – “National security whistle-blowers explained the challenges they faced when trying to expose wrongdoing or violations of the law and discussed the critical balance between civil liberties and national security. Speakers included Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers; Tom Drake, a former NSA executive who was prosecuted as a spy; and Edward Snowden’s attorney, Jesselyn Radack. Authors Sandy Tolan and Narda Zacchino participated from the audience. “Whistleblowing and Journalism: The Role of Watchdogs in the National Security Era” was a panel of the Annenberg School event, “Patriot or Traitor? Whistleblowing and Journalism in the Age of Government Surveillance,” which was part of the Government Accountability Project’s “American Whistleblower Tour: Essential Voices for Accountability.'” You can listen and watch at the link, but a download costs $.99; however, the zip collection noted in this episode’s introduction contains a copy of the audio file.
Wristwatch History 4 mins – “From the trenches of WWI, an enduring invention that you may be wearing right now.” At the link find the title, “What’s the Backstory? A Wartime Invention Goes Mainstream.” right-click “Media files IHUB-041914-D.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Zero Tolerance 12 mins – “The mass shooting at Columbine High School spurred schools to adopt “zero tolerance” policies. Do they work? NPR Education Correspondent Claudio Sanchez and former principal Bill Bond discuss.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “ave Link As” from the pop-up menu.
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An alphabetic encyclopedia of over 2800 of these hyperlinked descriptions is here and updated quarterly. Jan-Jun 2013 files in 18 zip segments (832 podcasts) can be downloaded here, and a list of those files here; Jul-Dec 2013 files in 13 zip segments (720 podcasts) downloaded here, and a list here; Jan-Jun 2012 files in 8 segments (360 podcasts) and a list are here, and Jul-Dec here in 13 parts (593 podcasts). For 2011 a list and 5 segments (184 podcasts). For 2010 and earlier 64 podcasts are listed here and zipped as Part 1 and Part 2. (Dead links in old episodes are due to updating; try a current episode.) Over 180 feeds used to prepare this weekly blog are harvested with Feedreader3. The feeds are available in this opml file which Feedreader can import. A list of the feeds is here. Free Commander is used to compare old with new downloads and remove duplicates. MP3 Speed Changer is used on batches of new files to boost playback speed 150%. A speed listening background article is here. Please comment on any problems with the links and downloads.
Thank you for visiting.
Media Mining Digest 