Te following audio files come from a larger group of 172 for this week. Double or ctrl-click individual highlighted links, below, to get single podcasts. A zip file of all 37 podcasts converted to 1.5x speed will download here for four months. Older groups of podcasts are discussed at the end of this episode.
Aid Supply Systems 23 mins – “When a famine swept through Somalia in 2011, it was hard for aid workers to get food distributed. Most of the country was too dangerous for non-Somalis to do the work. Instead, the United Nations looked at satellite images of camps filling up with tents and dispatched locals to deliver the food. A local industry around distributing aid and sheltering the poor sprung up. On today’s show, we visit a country with almost no government, but a lot of entrepreneurs. And we see what happens when locals decide to make money by becoming humanitarians for profit.” At the link find the title, “#535: Humanitarians, For A Price,” right-click “Media files npr_308437040.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Alice in Wonderland 108 mins (2 prts) – “The “Alice” books were published almost 150 years ago and are now classics, loved by millions around the world. But mystery still shrouds their author, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll. Cindy Bisaillon takes a look at the life of Charles Dodgson.” At the link find the titles, “Curiouser and Curiouser, Part 2 [and] Part 2,” right-click “Download Cucious and Curiouser, Part 1” and “Download Curiouser and Curiouser, Part 2 ” then select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menus.
Arab Spring Begins 27 mins – “Egyptian author Tarek Osman examines the build up to the Arab Spring. As with the previous experiments with liberalism, nationalism and Islamism, the region’s presidential hard men seek to consolidate their power by passing it onto their sons. At the same time, riding the wave of a population explosion which leaves two thirds of the Arab world under 25 years old, a new generation frustrated by the lack of jobs or political freedoms rises up to challenge the old order.” At the link find the title, “DocArchive: The Rise of the Arab Spring,” right-click “Media files docarchive 20140430-0332c.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Artificial Lighting 21 mins – “On today’s show: How we got from dim little candles made out of cow fat, to as much light as we want at the flick of a switch. The history of light explains why the world today is what it is. It explains why we aren’t all subsistence farmers, and why we can afford to have artists and massage therapists and plumbers. (And, yes, people who do radio stories about the history of light.) The history of light is the history of economic growth — of things getting faster, cheaper, and more efficient.” At the link find the title, “#534: The History of Light,” right-click “Media files npr 307005615.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Asian Carp 46 mins – “Take your motorboat down a Midwestern waterway infested with Asian carp and you will know see the problem in a hurry. It’s like a horror movie. The big, scaly fish explode from the water on all sides. They look like giant, airborne piranha, thrashing and leaping high in the air. A threat to life and limb that leaves a huge, bloody mess of fish in the bottom of the boat. They are taking over Midwest waterways. They drive out other life. Now they threaten the Great Lakes, the biggest collection of fresh water lakes on Earth. This hour On Point: the epic struggle to keep invasive Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Autism Research 16 mins – “In this factual talk, geneticist Wendy Chung shares what we know about autism spectrum disorder — for example, that autism has multiple, perhaps interlocking, causes. Looking beyond the worry and concern that can surround a diagnosis, Chung and her team look at what we’ve learned through studies, treatments and careful listening.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Autoimmunity 76 mins – “After a long absence, we’re back! With an episode about the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis and how immune cells navigate the around the body….” At the link right-click “Click for MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Battery Research 30 mins – ” Keith & Russ talk with Perla Balbuena, principal researcher of the Balbuena Research Group in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. She is involved in the computer modeling of batteries, and is exploring ways to improve electrolytes in batteries. Improving the electrolyte improves the whole chemistry of a battery.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Black College Funding 7 mins – “Student diversity is increasing at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, but often, state support is shrinking. A new report suggests strategies for HBCUs to win support.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Campaign Finance Disclosure 119 mins – “The Senate Rules and Administration Committee held a hearing on campaign finance law, the first congressional hearing since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier in the month that struck down aggregate limits on campaign contributions in April. Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, a critic of the court’s decision, made an opening statement and left without answering questions. Other witnesses included Ann Ravel of the Federal Election Commission.” 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.
Cannabinoid in Pepper 68 mins – That’s just to get your attention! Mention of it is made just before the mid-point of the program. This Week in Microbiology hosts Vincent Racaniello, Elio Schaechter, Michael Schmidt and Michele Swanson review how a pathogen promotes plant attractiveness to insect vectors, and activation of sensory neurons that modulate pain and inflammation by bacterial infection. Here’s a link that discusses the pepper aspect. At the link right-click “TWIM #77” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu to get the podcast.
Capitalism 46 mins – “Capitalism had a pretty great story in the twentieth century. The giant inequalities of the past receded. Wages rose. Democracy triumphed. And economists told us, by in large, this is what capitalism does. Now comes a new voice with a roaring bestseller, a ton of new data, and a very different story. Economist Thomas Piketty is the hottest thinker on the planet right now. And his message is that the twentieth century was an outlier. That capitalism is now pulling us back to inherited wealth and punishing inequality. If he’s right, what do we do? This hour On Point: Thomas Piketty, and “Capital in the Twenty-First Century.'” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
College Costs 8 mins – “This Spring, Tell Me More and Morning Edition have helped listeners navigate the higher education money maze. David Greene and Michel Martin do a wrap of the “Paying for College” series.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Death Cafes 108 mins (2 prts) – “Over the last century we pushed death from our collective mind by outsourcing our dead to mortuary professionals. But with the rise of death cafes, death doulas, and the beginnings of a green funeral movement, our thinking about death may be changing.” At the link find the titles, “Death Becomes Us, Part 1,[and] Part 2,” right-click “Download Death Becomes Us, Part 1” and “Download Death Becomes Us, Part 2” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menus.
Deportation Story 84 mins – “This Migration Policy Institute panel discussion examines the U.S. deportation system with analysis on migrant apprehensions, removals, returns, and criminal prosecutions, and launches the report, The Deportation Dilemma: Reconciling Tough and Humane Enforcement. Report authors Doris Meissner, MPI Director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program, and Marc Rosenblum, MPI Deputy Director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program, as well as commentators David V. Aguilar and Hiroshi Motomura and moderator Muzaffar Chishti, discuss the findings of the report, including the main drivers of deportation policy and how the system has changed over the past two decades.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Drug Executions 12 mins – “A botched execution in Oklahoma is raising new questions about the death penalty around the country. Karen Kasler of Ohio’s Statehouse News Bureau and The Dallas Morning News’ Wayne Slater explain.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Fossil Free Grid 25 mins – “…This week, Bill talks with two leaders who helped inspire the new fossil fuel divestment movement that Tutu is encouraging. Ellen Dorsey is executive director of the Wallace Global Fund and a catalyst in the coalition of 17 foundations known as Divest-Invest Philanthropy. Thomas Van Dyck is Senior Vice President – Financial Advisor at RBC Wealth Management, and founder of As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy foundation….” At the link find the title, “Full Show: Putting the Freeze on Global Warming,” right-click “Media files Moyers and Company 316 Podcast.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Genetically Modified Food 118 mins – “Consumer advocate Jeffrey Smith and biotechnology entrepreneur Gregory Stock debated the safety of genetically modified food (GMOs). Each gave an illustrated presentation, and then they offered rebuttals. Mr Smith in his argument talked about the health risks of GMOs and said government and industry had covered up the risks with “rigged research.” Mr. Stock disputed everything Mr. Smith said and said he lacked a scientific background. Following their debate, they responded to audience members’ questions. Topics included the ethics of GMOs, the role of the government, GMO labeling, and the potential to solve world hunger.“The Truth About GMOs” was a presentation of the Vail Symposium at the Timber Hearth Grill in The Club at Cordillera.” 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.
Governor Ann Richards 9 mins – “A new HBO film, All About Ann: Governor Richards of the Lone Star State looks at one of the most formidable political figures of her time, and the last Democrat ever to serve as governor of Texas.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Hemp Products 30 mins – “All of us have seen the explosion of hemp-based products – hemp seed oil and hemp clothing seem to be everywhere. But, up until now, all of these items have been imported into the US. Well, the ban on industrial hemp, a crop which, for some strange and suspicious reason got lumped in with its psychoactive cousin during this country’s anti-marijuana laws of the 1930s, finally looks to be ending.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Hep C Drug Cost 47mins – “We all know drugs can be super-expensive in the USA, but how about this for a pharmacy bill? The hottest new treatment for hepatitis C costs $1,000 a pill. Eighty-four thousand dollars for a twelve-week course. About three million Americans have hepatitis C. Do the math. Treat all those people and the whole system topples over. Billions and billions. But our system has no automatic brakes. Americans want the best in drug therapies. But as new drug prices climb, how far can we go? When do we hit a wall? Is it now? This hour On Point: super-expensive drugs, and the American way of health care.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Housing Market 46 mins – “Housing is historically one of the great engines of the American economy. Buying houses, selling houses, building homes. It got out of control before the great bust. In some places, the housing market is back like gangbusters now. But overall, nationally, housing sales slipped significantly last month. Mortgage rates are creeping back up. Borrowing is tougher. But it’s more than that. Sales are down but prices are up. Meaning, the affluent can buy, the middle class can’t. And then there are the young. This hour On Point: buying homes, selling homes, and the new dilemmas in American housing.” At the link right-click “Download the story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Infrastructure Decline 46 mins – “Some 63,000 bridges in the U.S. are deemed to be structurally deficient: not on the verge of collapsing, but in serious need of repair. This is actually good news: an increase in federal spending in the past few years has slightly lowered the number of U.S. bridges urgently needing maintenance. But experts warn there is a crisis at hand. The Highway Trust Fund is projected to run out of money by the end of the summer, federal taxes on gas and diesel haven’t been raised in 20 years, and despite support in both parties, it’s not clear what federal funding will be available for state and local infrastructure projects. Join us to discuss who will pick up the tab for road repairs. “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.” 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.
Internet Society Evolution 68 mins – Host Leo Laporte interviews Danah Boyd, a social media scholar, youth researcher, and author of “It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens.” She makes special mention of the Crisis Text Line. At the link right-click “Audio” beside the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Middle Class Decline 51 mins – “The U.S. middle class is no longer the world’s richest. Recent analysis shows that while wealthy Americans still outpace their peers in other advanced countries, our middle class is falling behind. That news comes at a time when nearly 40 percent of our nation’s unemployed have been out of work for six months or more. And a federal minimum wage law — which many say would indirectly benefit higher wage earners — has stalled. Some economists believe once the U.S. economy takes off again, the middle class will make a recovery. But others are not as optimistic. Diane and her [4] guests discuss the plight of the middle class in a post-recession job market.” 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.
Pedophilia 54 mins – “Pedophilia conjures up the most unspeakable crimes. Is it a psychiatric disorder that can be treated, or is it innate and unchangeable? We speak with ex-offenders and doctors on both sides of the debate.” At the link find the title,”Born That Way?” right-click “Download Born That Way?” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Personal Data Stories 66 mins – “We are becoming data. Between our mobile phones, browser history, wearable sensors, and connected devices in our homes, there’s more data about us than ever before. So how are we learning to live with all this data? Inspired by her ethnographic interview work with members of the quantified self community, Sara hopes to make these larger systemic shifts more relateable and concrete with personal narratives. This talk will share some examples of how we find clues, investigate, and reverse engineer what’s going on with our data, and call for more stories to help personalize our evolving relationship to data and the algorithms that govern”MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu to download the audio file.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Post Roman Britain 32 mins – “The days of subsistence farming and small local communities is drawing to a close. And just like the early egalitarian days came to an end with the concentration of wealth at the dynastic level, now we’re seeing a concentration of goods and trade at trading towns and the rise of a new urban and merchant class. And the farmers and their slaves, whether they knew it or not, were supporting the entire structure.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Public Spectrum 33 mins – “Most of the spectrum of frequency that exists in the US is occupied or owned by large wireless corporations, cable companies, by the government. But at least one small chunk of spectrum — “low-band spectrum” wireless, or TV white spaces (so-called because it is the space between the television dials) — has been somewhat open to the public. There are thousands of devices on the market that take advantage of this spectrum without paying a license fee, allowing consumers to transmit bits without interference from walls, trees, or radiation from devices like microwaves. But the Federal Communications Commission is now deciding whether to auction off this spectrum to the highest bidder, putting at risk not only billions of dollars in economic activity, but also very fundamental concepts of affordable public access to information spaces. And on May 15th, just a couple days away from this podcast, the FCC will be holding an open meeting to discuss whether auctioning off this spectrum would be a good idea. Harold Feld, senior vice president for Public Knowledge, recently sat down with David Weinberger to talk about why we should be concerned about auctioning off this spectrum.” At the link right-click “Audio MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sex Assaults on Campus 46 mins – “You’re going to be hearing a lot more about sexual assault on college campuses. Not that it’s new. The number out there for a couple of years now has been “one-in-five” women sexually assaulted sometime during college. But focus on the problem has grown and grown. So has outrage. Now the White House is weighing in with an action plan for colleges to expose and combat sexual assault. They’ve got movie stars and big athletes speaking out against it. They’ve got step-by-step recommendations for colleges to tackle it. Will it work? This hour On Point: the new drive against college sexual assault.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Smart Phone Searches 46 mins – “So, you’re arrested and here’s what police want. They want the power to search your cellphone, your smartphone, without a warrant. Right now, they’ve basically got it. Cases before the Supreme Court today will decide whether they keep it. The constitution guarantees Americans protection against “unreasonable search and seizure.” What should that mean now, when a single smartphone can hold much of the record of your life? Should that be constitutionally protected? This hour On Point: cellphones, smartphones, at the time of arrest, and unreasonable search and seizure in the digital age.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sutro Baths 20 mins – “If you’ve wandered around Machu Picchu, or Stonehenge, or the Colosseum, or even snuck into that abandoned house on the edge of town, you know the power in a piece of decrepit architecture. And even if you don’t want to leave your house, the internet is littered with evidence of the human love affair with all things abandoned. People flock to remainders of ancient civilizations, but people also flock to things that just look like they’re ancient. The combination of decomposition and romance makes a perfect cocktail of repulsion and allure. And for San Franciscans, this place is Sutro Baths.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Tribal Colleges 9 mins – “Native Americans face unique challenges to paying for college, including high poverty rates. We hear how tribal and other colleges are finding new ways to help these students succeed.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Wearables 62 mins – “Tenaya Hurst (@ArduinoWoman) shares her incredible enthusiasm for teaching Arduino and the San Jose’s Tech Museum of Innovation (The Tech). Being a geo-anthrop-actress, Tenaya teaches chemistry, geology, Arduino, and beginning wearables for the Tech, for their Galileo summer camp, for Oakland’s Workshop Weekend, and on her own recognizance through her website.” At the link right-click “Download MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Women in STEM 12 mins – “According to the latest data from the U.S. National Science Foundation, women make up less than 30 percent of university graduates in the fields of engineering and computer science. That’s a markedly lower rate of participation than for physics or mathematics, and considerably less for the biosciences, where half—or more—of graduates are women. In trying to account for this disparity, history may provide some answers. Even more so than science and medicine, engineering has historically been perceived as a masculine field. It wasn’t until the second half of the 20th century that women began to make inroads into engineering programs at U.S. universities and colleges.” At the link right-click “Download podcast” and select “Save 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.
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Media Mining Digest 