The following audio files come from a larger group of 150 for the week. Double or ctrl-click individual highlighted links, below, to get single podcasts. A zip file of all 53 podcasts converted to 1.5x speed will download here for four months. Older groups of podcasts are discussed at the end of this episode.
Activist Russell Brand 47 mins – “The wild, funny, blithely offensive comedian Russell Brand takes on the world’s woes with us. He says he’s got the answer. British comedian, actor, provocateur, activist Russell Brand knows how to mix it up wild and funny. With his big mane, sharp mind, and glittering irreverence he has cut a wide swath in entertainment realms. Played the blazing rock star in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. Married and divorced Katy Perry. Toured doing stand-up last year with his Messiah Complex show. And now Russell Brand is going all-in on politics. Revolution, actually. Our world, our system is worn out and we know it, he says. Time for revolt.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Affordable Care Act 35 mins – “Health care journalists Julie Rovner and Margot Sanger-Katz talk about the state of the Affordable Care Act and what changes are expected in 2015 for health care coverage under the law.” At the link find the title, “Washington Journal: Julie Rovner and Margot Sanger-Katz on the Affordable Care Act,” right-click “Media files program.382877.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
African Boat Immigrants 27 mins – “One boat, two families; trying to escape war in Syria, desperate to start a new life in Europe. In October 2013, dozens of migrants aboard that boat died, as it travelled across the Mediterranean Sea. But some eventually made it to Malta. What happened next?” At the link find the title, “DocArchive: Surviving the Most Lethal Route in the World,” right-click “Media files docarchive_20141230-1245a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Automation Pitfalls 52 mins – “If you always use GPS to navigate your destination, do you ever learn where you are? If spell-check keeps you from making mistakes, do you eventually forget how to spell? Nicholas Carr says automation is a fine tool, but we have to be careful about what we concede to computers. Monday, he joins Doug to explain how giving up our decision making means giving up something essential to being human. Nicholas Carr’s book is called The Glass Cage: Automation and Us [Indiebound|Amazon]” At the link right-click the play button beside “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Bikes for Handicapped 57 mins – “Joyce welcomes back Charlie LaVallee, CEO of Variety, the Children’s Charity of Pittsburgh. Variety’s mission is to provide children with disabilities in Southwestern Pennsylvania with unique programs, experiences, and adaptive equipment so they may live life to the fullest. Mr. LaVallee will discuss the organization’s success with the “My Bike” program, and the start of the “My Voice” program. The “My Bike” program provides adaptive bikes to children with disabilities so they may have the freedom of a bike and the joy of riding alongside friends. The new “My Voice” program strives to provide electronic tablets to allow kids who cannot speak, a method to communicate with others.” At the link right-click “Download MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Biodiversity Decline 54 mins – “23 birds, 78 frogs, and 27 mammal species are strongly believed to have become extinct since Europeans settled Australia. The sorry list continues to grow. More than 1,700 species of animals and plants are listed by the Australian Government as being at risk of extinction. Nearly 1 in 4 of our mammal species and around 1 in 7 of our bird species are listed as threatened. 2013 saw the loss of a penguin, a cuttlefish and a garfish. And these are just the large species which are easy to see. What’s happening to smaller species? This rapid rate of extinction is a response to a world changing fast. As the human population increases, at 200,000 people per day, or 73 million people per year, there is increasing pressure on ecosystems as we replace natural vegetation with agriculture, and pump pollution into the water and atmosphere. Rather than acknowledge the damage and change, most governments seek to increase activities which are causing the damage. Robyn Williams chairs a discussion recorded at the 2014 WOMAD festival in Adelaide about the state of the planet, and our options as temperatures rise, and we continue to foul our nest. “Download Audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Bitcoin in Court 5 mins – “With great power comes great responsibility. That’s Spiderman’s mantra, but the phrase was also used recently by Charlie Shrem to defend himself in court. …Shrem was sentenced to two years in prison this month for allowing his company to aid in the completion of illegal transactions. …The message? “We’re going to prosecute you to show the world that you cannot be involved in this kind of virtual currency and do illegal transactions without our knowledge and without us watching over your backs.’” At the link right-click on the down-pointing arrow at the right end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Black and Latino Coalitions 54 mins – “Black and Latino Coalitions from the 1960s to Today: This week we have a panel discussion presented by the Boston University African American Studies Program, titled “Black and Latino Coalitions from the 1960s to Today.” Our speakers are: Babson College Professor of History and Foodways, Frederick Douglass Opie; and Boston Chief of Health and Human Services, Felix Arroyo.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Blind Politician 28 mins – “Peter White joins the Rt Hon David Blunkett MP and his dog Cosby on a walk in the Derbyshire countryside, to talk about retirement, the outdoors, football and poetry. Back in David’s cottage, Peter asks about his book library and his skills as a cook.” At the link find the title, “InTouch 30 Dec 14: Rt Hon David Blunkett MP,” right-click “Download 13MB” fro a limited time and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Book Publishing 40 mins – “How can publishers efficiently and affordably monetize their backlist content? What new opportunities and business models exist for publishers, agents, and authors to license, remix, and resell that content? And how does direct to consumer publishing fit into the mix? The potential of the backlist may have never been greater, yet the challenge to make more of your backlist is, likewise, more difficult than ever… Wile the panel urged publishers to leverage technology in their licensing efforts, CCC’s Michael Healy warned against this approach as a panacea. “It seems to me you’re never going to automate, to a great degree, the kinds of transactions that bring us all to the Frankfurt Book Fair. It’s an intensely personal as well as being a global business.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Cancer Doctor 27 mins – “On this holiday edition and season finale of White Coat, Black Art, Dr. Brian Goldman’s conversation with Nikhil Joshi, physician and cancer survivor.” At the link find the title, “WCBA – Dr C. The Christmas Edition,” right-click “Download WCBA – Dr C. The Christmas Edition” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
CEO Salaries 19 mins – “CEO pay comes up a lot in the news. The stories often include someone complaining that it’s too high. Then there’s someone on the other side, defending CEO pay. But that’s usually that’s where the stories stop. On today’s show: an actual story about CEO pay, with a beginning, middle, and an end. It’s the story of two guys who tried to cut the pay of the CEO at a small pneumatic tool company on Long Island….” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Childrens’ Climate Crusade 25 mins – “The very agencies created to protect our environment have been hijacked by the polluting industries they were meant to regulate. It may just turn out that the judicial system, our children and their children will save us from ourselves. The new legal framework for this crusade against global warming is called atmospheric trust litigation. It takes the fate of the Earth into the courts, arguing that the planet’s atmosphere – its air, water, land, plants and animals — are the responsibility of government, held in its trust to insure the survival of all generations to come. It’s the strategy being used by Bill’s recent guest, Kelsey Juliana, a co-plaintiff in a major lawsuit spearheaded by Our Children’s Trust, that could force the state of Oregon to take a more aggressive stance against the carbon emissions.” At the link find the title, “Full Show: The Children’s Climate Crusade,” right-click “Media files Moyers and Company 352 Podcast.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Circuit Board Design 47 mins – Several electronics engineers discuss practical problems in the design and placement of components on printed circuit boards. At the link find Episode 22, right-click “Direct Download Link” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Columbia Aftermath 27 mins – “In Medellin there’s a huge dump. Locals say it’s where the truth is buried – they’re talking about victims killed in the armed conflict. Now there are moves to excavate it.” At the link find the title, “DocArchive: Colombia – Where the Truth Lies Buried,” right-click “Media files docarchive 20150101-0232a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
David Rubenstein 51 mins – “The Carlyle Group is one of the largest and most successful private equity firms in the world. It was founded nearly 30 years ago by David Rubenstein, then a Washington, D.C. lawyer and former aide to President Jimmy Carter. Now a billionaire, Rubenstein may be better known for giving away money than making it. He, like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, has vowed to donate at least half of his fortune before he dies. One focus of his philanthropy is preserving the history of a country he says has given him so much. A conversation with David Rubenstein about the role of private equity and what he calls “patriotic giving.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Elite School Failings 53 mins – “William Deresiewicz talks about his book [Excellent Sheep], in which he argues that the most sought after universities in the country fall short of providing the key components of a good education.” At the link find the title, “After Words: William Deresiewicz,” right-click “Media files program.375743.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Exercise 15 mins – “Most people blame lack of time for being out of shape. So maybe the solution is to exercise more efficiently.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Fact Checkers 62 mins – “Glenn Kessler, a reporter for the [Washington Post], talks about his writing career, his approach to the “Fact Checker” blog, how he awards the “Biggest Pinocchio’s of 2014,” and a video he produced about false statements made by presidents.” At the link find the title, “Q&A: Glenn Kessler,” right-click “Media files program.381897.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Gender Discrimination 59 mins – “Townhall.com News Editor Katie Pavlich discusses her book [Assault and Flattery: The Truth About the Left and Their War on Women]. She talks about the political divide in the country between the right and left, and her views on the Republican Party.” At the link find the title, “Q&A: Katie Pavlich,” right-click “Media files program.377762.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Green Illusions P1 60 mins – “Are we suffering from illusions about alternative energy? Have solar panels become a pointless fetish that could make climate change worse? What about electric cars? Is the whole “green energy” game just an extension of the fossil fuel industry, dressed up in green clothing? Those are the claims made by a California engineer, and student of alternative energy. Ozzie Zehner published all this in his 2012 book ” Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism“. The book has won awards and caused a stir. For this radio program, I’m going to run you a talk given by Ozzie on September 19th, 2012. It’s part of the “Authors at Google” series – and there were green energy techies from Google in the audience. We’ll get some questions from them….” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow at the right end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.” At the link right-click “Lo-Fi” beise “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Green Illusions P2 60 mins – “…Dan Miller has a history in the telecommunications and aerospace industries. Dan is passionate about solving climate change, as you can hear in his Tedx talk on You tube. Dan regularly gives talks to the public and business on climate change. We have a wide- ranging discussion on alternative energy, plus his appraisal of the problems with the Ozzie Zehner talk. Dan makes a lot of good points. Probably the best is that Ozzie seems to make his projections based on our current energy system, rather than assessing the changes as more and more renewable energy comes online. Or course, since fossil fuels are limited, the world must change to renewable energy sooner or later. If later, we encounter climate catastrophe first…..” At the link right-click “Lo-Fi” beside ”Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Herbie Hancock 51 mins – “Herbie Hancock is best known as a jazz artist. But his music spans genres as well as decades. He was a child piano prodigy, performing a Mozart concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra when he was 11 years old. As a young man, he was invited to join the Miles Davis Quintet-and his career took off. He began winning Grammy awards— he has earned 14 to date—and he won an Oscar for his musical score for the movie “Round Midnight.” In a new memoir, the 74-year-old Hancock talks about his life and his music, and how Buddhism has guided him along the way.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Horn Meters 4 mins – “The honking of car horns in India is everywhere. It’s enough to make anyone lose their mind — and make me wear earplugs whenever I step out of my house. …Jayraj Salgaonkar is a publisher, economist and analyst, a big hit on cable TV news shows. He says the honking is a problem peculiar to our part of the world. People honk here for no rhyme or reason — “Just to prove their existence,” he muses. Whatever their motivation, Salgaonkar got fed up and decided to try and hit drivers where it counts: in their pocketbooks. Over the last eight years, he’s worked with the Indian Institute of Technology to develop what they call “Oren” — a horn usage meter.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Humor 52 mins – “”I just shot an elephant in my pajamas,” said Groucho Marx. “How he got in my pajamas I don’t know.” To the neuroscientist Scott Weems, jokes like Groucho’s aren’t just funny; they’re opportunities to explore the brain’s inner-workings. Weems wants to know why we find things funny and why our brains and bodies respond to inconsistent ideas by laughing. He joins us Friday to talk about what humor reveals about how we think and feel, and its deep connection to elephants in pajamas…and our humanity. Scott Weems is a cognitive neuroscientist and the author of Ha! The Science of When We Laugh and Why [Amazon|Indiebound].” At the link right-click the play button beside “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Immunotherapy 20 mins – “How close are we to practice-changing scores that determine a patient’s risk and type of treatment needed? Experts at the 2014 Ruesch Symposium estimate that real-time immunotherapy is almost here.” At the link find the title, “Countdown to GI Immunotherapy ” right-click “837019.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Internet Streaming 29 mins – “Senior research analysts at MoffettNathanson Research discuss the impact of video streaming on cable, satellite and broadcast TV. CBS and HBO are developing web-streaming content, joining Netflix, Hulu and Amazon in the space.” At the link find the title, “The Communicators: Craig Moffett and Michael Nathanson,” and right-click “Media files program.379454.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Journalism Trends 63 mins – “Author Sharyl Attkisson discusses her book, [Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama’s Washington], about her experiences while pursuing information about White House policies.” At the link find the title, “Washington Journal: Sharyl Attkisson on [Stonewalled],” right-click “Media files program.381069.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Lemur Poop Value 4 mins – “…Wild lemurs only live here in Madagascar, the huge island off the coast of southern Africa. But the island’s environment, and its lemurs, are in serious trouble. It’s been almost entirely deforested, and many lemur species are critically endangered… Many lemur species are now critically endangered due to widespread deforestation. But their poop often holds the key to reforesting parts of the island. Louis casts his eyes toward a group of greater bamboo lemurs lounging in the trees… Lemurs eat a lot of seeds as they forage through the forest. But most of those seeds just pass right on through and out the other end. That’s good news for the forest… because the lemurs’ gut linings and digestive enzymes make the pooped-out seeds much more likely to germinate… The pre-digested seeds…are the core of Louis’s effort to plant more than 100,000 acres of forest on this part of the island over the next 20 years. It’s run through … the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow at the end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Liberal and Conservative News Sources 57 mins – “Amy Mitchell, the director of journalism research at the Pew Research Center, talks about political polarization and its relationship with media-viewing habits.” At the link find the title, “The Communicators: Amy Mitchell,” right-click “Media files program.375756.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Lipinski Stradivarius 24 mins – “A startling 300-year journey of a Stradivarius violin through the lives of geniuses, dictators, refugees, and the Milwaukee thieves who stole it from violinist Frank Almond.” At the link find the title, “DocArchive: The Lipinski 28 Dec 2014,” right-click “Media files docarchive 20141228-2005a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Mali Gold King 50 mins – “The richest man of all time was 14th Century monarch King Mansa Musa, who reigned over Mali from 1312 to 1337. His fortune came from gold and salt, and control of trade routes.” At the link find the title, “DocArchive: Musa’s Money,” right-click “Media files docarchive 20141230-0905a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Maria Bamford 46 mins – “Maria Bamford is the kind of comedian who doesn’t slow down for the slow wing of the audience. She lays it all out there, full of twists and turns and the mind’s curlicues and says, in effect, hang on. Through religion and family, shame and shopping, sex and suicide and the mind’s dark side. She’s had her own issues there, bipolar, and just keeps going. With “Arrested Development,” Louis CK, her own albums. She’s the American Comedy Awards “ Best Club Comic, 2014.” And she’s with us.” At the link right-click “Download this File” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
MINT Countries Sequel 27 mins – “A year ago, we asked former Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill to identify the next big emerging economies, and he picked the MINT nations – Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey. How has 2014 been for these countries – are they proving to be the drivers of growth that were predicted?” At the link find the title, “DocArchive: MINT – One Year On,” right-click “Media files docarchive 20150101-0430a.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Molecular Profiling 25 mins – “Dr John Marshall asks tough questions of experts at the 2014 Ruesch Symposium about whether information gained from molecular testing can tailor therapy and lower costs.” At the link find the title, “Can Molecular Profiling Lower Cancer Costs?” right-click “837058.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
MOOC’s 14 mins – “Taking a close look at massive open online courses and how they can be evaluated and improved.” At the link find the title, “Measuring MOOCs,” right-click “SciencePodcast_150102.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Oil Prices 28 mins – “Author, former oil trader and frequent TV commentator Dan Dicker tries to help us make sense of recent oil market fluctuations.” At the link find the title, “Plunging Oil Prices: Dan Dicker Part II,” right-click “Media files SC-2014-12-30.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Password Stories 41 mins – Host Leo Laporte interviews Ian Urbina talks about what passwords mean to people beyond their access to email or social networking accounts. At the link right-click “Audio” beside the blue down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Pilot Jobs 67 mins – “This week I have another great episode of listener email with my good friend, Flight Instructor, and Aerospace Director at Polk State College Eric Crump. In this episode we answer questions related to: Questions from a College Grad; The CTP Requirement; Pilot Shortage; PRIA Requests….” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Postal Workers 40 mins – “American Postal Workers Union President Mark Dimondstein talks about U.S. Postal Service changes scheduled for 2015, including the reduction of 7,000 jobs.” At the link find the title, “Washington Journal: Mark Dimondstein on 2015 Postal Service Changes,” right-click “Media files program.381844.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Printed Circuit Board Design 47 mins – This is part two of a discussion by engineers about things to consider when placing circuit parts and subsystems on a circuit board. At the link find the title, “Episode 22,” right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sadness 12 mins – “Feeling a little blue after the holidays? You may want to rethink that pick-me-up shopping spree you have planned. Psychological research shows that sadness negatively affects decision-making – especially when it comes to financial matters – even when people believe they’re making rational choices.… But emotions don’t have to undermine our best intentions. Emotions are stronger than thoughts, Lerner argues, and thus we can learn to use our emotions as motivators.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Slum Schools 67 mins – “James Tooley, Professor of Education at Newcastle University, talks to EconTalk host Russ Roberts about low-cost for-profit private schools in the slums and rural areas of poor countries. Tooley shows how surprisingly widespread private schools are for the poor and how effective they are relative to public schools where teacher attendance and performance can be very disappointing. The conversation closes with whether public schooling should remain the ideal in poor countries.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Social Network Power 13 mins – “We’ve all made promises to ourselves on New Year’s. And yet somehow, by mid-February, we’re decidedly less resolved. We blame willpower, we blame distractions, we blame all kinds of things. But this year, consider blaming your co-worker’s cousin’s friend. It’s easy to think about contagion in terms of physical illness – we’re smack dab in the middle of flu season now, and you might be running for cover when a sniffling co-worker approaches. But you might not think about moods and mental states as having the same kind of power — meaning that what you weigh, or how even how happy you are, is contagious. “We have been able to show that seemingly very personal things, like your emotional state, or your body size, or how kind you are, or whether you vote, depends on whether other people around you do that, and even other people you don’t know,” explains Nicholas Christakis, professor at Yale and co-author of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks.” At the link find the title, “Happiness (and Weight) are Contagious,” right-click “IHUB-010315-A.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Socrates 52 mins – “…the acclaimed British historian Bettany Hughes is joining us to talk about one of history’s most fascinating characters, Socrates. You know much of the story: Socrates was a brilliant, disheveled figure of 5th-century Athens who wandered around the city barefoot asking random people the most important questions about life. Hughes says Socrates is relevant for us now in a materialistic society because he’s asking “what is the right way to live?” [Bettany Hughes is a historian and broadcaster. She’s the author of Helen of Troy [Amazon|Indiebound] and The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life [Amazon|Indiebound]” At the link right-click the play button beside “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sugar Hazard 52 mins – “ENCORE The sweet stuff is getting sour press. Some researchers say sugar is toxic. A new study seems to support that idea: mice fed the human equivalent of an extra three sodas a day become infertile or die. But should cupcakes be regulated like alcohol? Hear both sides of the debate. Another researcher says that animal studies are misleading, and that for good health, you should count calories, not candy and carbs. Plus, an investigative reporter exposes the tricks that giant food companies employ to keep you hooked on sugar, salt, and fat.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Supreme Court Role 53 mins – “Damon Root talks about his book [Overruled], in which he explores the battle between those who believe the Supreme Court should engage in judicial activism and those who believe the court is obligated to exercise judicial restraint.” At the link find the title, “After Words: Damon Root,” right-click “Media files program.375744.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Technocreep 60 mins – “This week, we’re learning about the ever-expanding streams of our personal information being collected by businesses and governments. We’ll talk to author and futurist Tom Keenan about his book “Technocreep: the Surrender of Privacy and the Capitalization of Intimacy.” And security expert Bruce Schneier returns to talk about the use and misuse of passwords to safeguard our most important data.” At the link right-click “Listen Now” and select “Save link As” from the pop-up menu.
Trees 51 mins – “Whether you are sitting at your desk, in the kitchen, or walking down the street, you’re likely near something that came from a tree. But biologist and world-renowned tree expert Nalini Nakarni says that our relationship with trees goes much deeper than the resources they provide. From spirituality and recreation to medicine and the arts, trees play many roles in our lives. Tuesday, Nakarni joins Doug to discuss what trees can teach us about our place in the world. Dr. Nalini Nadkarni teaches biology at the University of Utah. She also works with the University’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME). Her book is called Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections to Tree .” At the link right-click the play button beside “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Troll Prosecutions 8 mins – “Sweden has a high Internet penetration rate — almost 95 percent of people can access high-speed conections…. It’s not surprising, then, that a lot of Swedes spend large amounts of time on the Internet — alongside countless Internet trolls. Internet trolls plague most any forum that offers people the chance to comment. But according to reporter Adrian Chen, there is a push in Sweden to confront such online hatred. A TV show called Trolljägarna (Troll Hunters) researches and tracks down purported trolls. The host, Robert Aschberg, confronts the subjects on camera…. One of their most successful and controversial projects came last year, when they outed a number of politicians and university professors who had commented on stories on a right-wing website called Avpixlat….” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow at the end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Tsunami After 10 Years 13 mins – “…Ten years ago, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake sent massive waves plowing through a dozen countries, including hard-hit Indonesia as well as Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. The water tossed around boats and houses — anything in its path really — as if they were toys. Nearly a quarter million people died. More than a million more were made homeless. It’s one of the worst natural disasters ever… “It affected maybe 200 meters (650 feet) onto land. But everthing beyond that point was normal. So people could actually go and help,” he says. “There was what we call a wave of compassion to counter the waves of destruction. People collected whatever they could collect and went and shared with the people who were affected. That was really a key part that helped to try and make things normal.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow at the right end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Value of Life 64 mins – “This episode, we make three earnest, possibly foolhardy, attempts to put a price on the priceless. We figure out the dollar value for an accidental death, another day of life, and the work of bats and bees as we try to keep our careful calculations from falling apart in the face of the realities of life, and love, and loss.” At the link right-click “Stream m3u” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Voice Hearing 53 mins – “We all have an inner voice. Most of us know they’re not real. But, for up to 15% of the population at some points in their lives, they can take on a different tone, as a terrifying experience that cannot be distinguished from reality. Where do they come from, and what do they say to sufferers? And how can the symptoms be treated? In this special guest episode, the Wellcome Trust’s Chris Chapman hears the stories of schizophrenics affected by voices and explores a new approach to giving sufferers control over their experiences…” At the link right-click “Download as mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
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ARCHIVE
An alphabetic encyclopedia of 5000 of these hyperlinked descriptions is here and updated quarterly. A file of the podcasts is here , updated weekly, and can be downloaded as a 30+ GB zipped file, or individually. A separate folder of C-Span, Diane Rehm, et. al. files that aren’t available at their sites is here, too, and can also be downloaded as a zip file or individually. Over 210 feeds used to prepare this blog are harvested with a podcast aggregator. The feeds are available in this opml file which most aggregators can import. A list of the feeds is here. 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.
Media Mining Digest 