The best 50 podcasts from a larger group of 185 for the week are shown below. Double or ctrl-click individual highlighted titles to get single podcasts and explore the source, although it’s easier to get all of them as a zip file here for the next four months. A collection of over 7500 similar podcasts grouped by topic can be downloaded in four chunks, here, here, here, and here, but those files total over 45GB and take awhile to transfer. The first entry of that collection is a text file listing all the titles for quick searches and researching. All these abstracts have also been assembled alphabetically in two large free volumes at this link and are updated quarterly. Even more diversity is possible using a podcast aggregator loaded with this opml file of 256 sources so even the discarded podcasts can be downloaded and you can make your own selected list.
Affordable Care Act 3d Yr 65 mins – “The Affordable Care Act – ObamaCare if you prefer – is headed into its active year three. Sign-up for the next year started Sunday. Two days after Republicans in the House voted for the 61st time to take it apart. On the campaign trail, GOP contenders are still talking about the repeal of ObamaCare. In communities across the country, millions of people are using it. In this hour we want to hear what that is like. The sign-up now. The service. The cost. And we’ll look at problems that remain, and how to fix them.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Affordable Care Act Enrollments 48 mins – “Two Princeton economists, Anne Case and Angus Deaton, analyzed health and mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources and concluded that middle-aged white Americans aren’t doing very well: In contrast to every other age group and every other racial and ethnic group since the late 1990’s death rates for white men and women aged 45 to 54 have been climbing. The uptick is largely attributed to increases in drug abuse, alcoholism and suicide and is particularly pronounced among those with a high school education or less.” [Three guests.] At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Alzheimers Cure 8 mins – “More than 40 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to increase drastically in the coming years. But no real progress has been made in the fight against the disease since its classification more than 100 years ago. Scientist Samuel Cohen shares a new breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research from his lab as well as a message of hope. “Alzheimer’s is a disease,” Cohen says, “and we can cure it.‘“ At the link click “Download,” right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Antibiotic Resistance 32 mins – “What happens when you combine an axe-wielding microbiologist and a disease-obsessed historian? A strange brew that’s hard to resist, even for a modern day microbe. In the war on devilish microbes, our weapons are starting to fail us. The antibiotics we once wielded like miraculous flaming swords seem more like lukewarm butter knives. But today we follow an odd couple to a storied land of elves and dragons. There, they uncover a 1000-year-old secret that makes us reconsider our most basic assumptions about human progress and wonder: What if the only way forward is backward?” At the link right-click “stream 3mu” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Assaults on Police 18 mins – “When you hear the charge “assaulting a police officer,” you might assume that an officer has been hurt or injured while serving the community. But in Washington, D.C., you might not be able to take so-called APOs at face value. In this story from May, reporter Patrick Madden of WAMU found that the charge of assaulting a police officer, which is meant to shield police from danger, also can be used as a tactic against citizens. Students at the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University and WAMU researched 2,000 cases to see where most APO charges go down in D.C. Check out the map they made to see where these arrests took place. Notice that concentrations occur in the central part of the urban area and in predominantly black neighborhoods in the Southeast. Nine out of 10 people charged were African American, even though half of the district’s population is black.” At the link find the title, “Assault on justice,” right-click “Media files Assault-on-justice-R.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Ballot Problems 20 mins – “When Americans woke up on November 8, 2000—the day after the presidential elections—it was unclear whether Democrat Al Gore or Republican George W. Bush had won. There had been anomalies in the polls in Florida, and there was uncertainty as to which candidate the state should award its electoral votes, which would decide the election. As four counties in particular in Florida came under scrutiny, it became increasingly obvious that a significant part of the problem had been caused by bad ballot design. The so-called butterfly ballots at the heart of the controversy featured two rows of names set to the left and right of a central spine. Voters cast their votes by punching out holes down the center, which corresponded to their choice of candidate on either side of the spine. While the option for George W. Bush was clear (the first hole), the option for Al Gore (the third hole) was not as obvious to voters, many of whom assumed the second name on the left would correspond to the second hole….” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Bank Access 48 mins – “On this episode of Slate Money, Mehrsa Baradaran, author of How the Other Half Banks, joins Felix Salmon of Fusion, Cathy O’Neil of mathbabe.org, and Slate’s Moneybox columnist Jordan Weissmann, to discuss unbanking in America. Topics discussed on today’s show include: How banks are failing poor and working class Americans; How postal banking could be a solution; The debate over prepaid debit cards.” At the link find the title, “The How the Other Half Banks Edition,” right-click “Media files SM15110301_money.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Brain Cell Growth 11 mins – “Can we, as adults, grow new neurons? Neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret says that we can, and she offers research and practical advice on how we can help our brains better perform neurogenesis—improving mood, increasing memory formation and preventing the decline associated with aging along the way.” At the link click “Download,” right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Brain History 19 mins – “The history of neuroscience is still in a relative infancy compared with other sciences. On this episode, Tom Jackson discussed an illustrated history of the brain.” At the link right-click “VBR MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Bug Out Bag 1 99 mins – “…At home many of your survival needs are seen to, shelter is a big one, if nothing else you have a roof over your head. But what if disaster strikes when you are not home? Or what if that roof isn’t over your head, what if a storm take it off? What if you have to leave for the night or several due to something as basic as a medical emergency of a family member. Every bit of that and more has happened to members of this audience, I have received countless “My BOB Saved My Butt” type emails ranging from the mundane to the insane. Today we talk about simply getting a basic BOB done and doing it fast and cheap along with a few items to keep in your vehicles to supplement what you can and can’t realistically carry in your BOB. The jist of today’s show is as follows, it is better that you have a very basic BOB that is lacking in a few areas then to have no BOB and be waiting for the budget, time, etc. to build a perfect one. In other words there will be tons of opportunity to say things like, “but what about ______” but that isn’t the point today. It is the basics, the minimum and a way to do it super fast, super cheap and build from there.” At the link right-click “download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Bug Out Bag 2 83 mins – “When people come to the concept of preparedness, prepping, modern survivalism of what ever they choose to call it, food storage jumps right up to the top of their list. And with good reason, we are basically biological machines and we run on food and water. While many things can effect our health and moral it is food that keeps us going. In fact it has been said that both Frederick the Great and Napoleon stated basically that, “an Army marches on its stomach”. Did either really say that? No one is sure but you can bet they both knew and understood this to be true…I will be honest, I do have some buckets of dried goods, I do have some MREs and I actually do have quite a bit of freeze dried canned foods, especially meats. Why? They are quick to prepare, damn near do last forever and in the case of bulk dry goods they are cheap and easy to store up quickly. They are not however the core of our food security planning. They are adjuncts and extenders, we by and large store what we eat daily and that is what today’s show is all about.” At the link right-click “download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Cells and Bacteria 42 mins – “Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the cell, the fundamental building block of life. First observed by Robert Hooke in 1665, cells occur in nature in a bewildering variety of forms. Every organism alive today consists of one or more cells: a single human body contains up to a hundred trillion of them. The first life on Earth was a single-celled organism which is thought to have appeared around three and a half billion years ago. That simple cell resembled today’s bacteria. But eventually these microscopic entities evolved into something far more complex, and single-celled life gave rise to much larger, complex multicellular organisms. But how did the first cell appear, and how did that prototype evolve into the sophisticated, highly specialised cells of the human body? With: Steve Jones Professor of Genetics at University College London Nick Lane Senior Lecturer in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London Cathie Martin Group Leader at the John Innes Centre and Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia Producer: Thomas Morris.” At the link find the title, “The Cell, 2012,” right-click “Media files p02q5c7q.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Chinese Health Care 7 mins – “Helena Wang with an overview of a china themed issue on the country’s progress towards universal health coverage.” At the link find the title, “China’s health reform: The Lancet: October 9, 2015,” right-click “Media files 09october.mp3” and elect “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Commercial Fishing Changes 18 mins – “Today on the show, how an economic fix took the deadliest job in America and made it safer. And why a lot of people are mad about it.” At the link find the title, “#661: The Less Deadly Catch,” right-click “Media files 20151104_pmoney_pmpod.mp3”and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Connectome 26 mins – “Larry Swanson is the Milo Don and Lucille Appleman Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California, Neurobiology Section. He joins us to talk about connectomes, the circuitry of the brain, and how this area of research began with the unraveling of the human genome. Computers are having a revolutionary impact on discovering on how the brain works and how different types of dementia affect the brain.” At the link right-click the play button beside “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Crowdwork 61 mins – “Crowdwork — “the process of taking tasks that would normally be delegated to an employee and distributing them to a large pool of online workers, the ‘crowd,’ in the form of an open call” — has become an entire category of global employment we could never have imagined existing a few short years ago. In this talk, Mary L. Gray — Senior Researcher at Microsoft Social Research — presents results of a two-year ethnographic and qualitative study of the cultural meaning, political implications, and ethical demands of crowdwork in India and the United States. The study examines the emergence of an Ambient Workforce — a distributed, always-on, at-the-ready, expansive labor market, dependent on a mix of intense bursts of activity AND a “long tail” of idling — and how society might help shape this explosively growing sector.” At the link right-click “Download the MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Crystallography 42 mins – “Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the history of crystallography, the study of crystals and their structure. The discovery in the early 20th century that X-rays could be diffracted by a crystal revolutionised our knowledge of materials. This crystal technology has touched most people’s lives, thanks to the vital role it plays in diverse scientific disciplines – from physics and chemistry, to molecular biology and mineralogy. To date, 28 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to scientists working with X-ray crystallography, an indication of its crucial importance. The history of crystallography began with the work of Johannes Kepler in the 17th century, but perhaps the most crucial leap in understanding came with the work of the father-and-son team the Braggs in 1912. They built on the work of the German physicist Max von Laue who had proved that X-rays are a form of light waves and that it was possible to scatter these rays using a crystal. The Braggs undertook seminal experiments which transformed our perception of crystals and their atomic arrangements, and led to some of the most significant scientific findings of the last century – such as revealing the structure of DNA. With: Judith Howard Director of the Biophysical Sciences Institute and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Durham Chris Hammond Life Fellow in Material Science at the University of Leeds Mike Glazer Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and Visiting Professor of Physics at the University of Warwick Producer: Natalia Fernandez.” At the link find the title, “Crystallography, 2012,” right-click “Media files p02q5c35.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Dimensionless Groups 4 mins – “So what is a dimensionless group? Well, here’s one we all recognize: The Mach number — the ratio of the speed of something compared with the speed of sound. Why dimensionless? It’s because we can report speed in many ways — miles per hour, meters per second, and so forth. Whatever dimensions (or units) we choose, the Mach number will be the same for any situation, for any given airplane, rocket, bullet, or baseball. A Mach number of 2 means something goes twice the speed of sound — no matter its actual speed or size…Now let’s get fancier: Think about a water faucet that’s only partly opened. A thin stream of water comes out. It’s a solid cylinder of water for several inches. Then it forms into droplets that appear to us only as a blur. That’s because surface tension pulls the stream into growing waves. And the waves break the stream into those droplets. Next, do that with a stream of light oil — same diameter, same speed. It has much lower surface tension, so it’ll go much farther before it breaks up. But, if we shrink the diameter of the stream, or let it emerge more slowly, we can make the break-up look just like the water jet. This situation has four variables in it: One is speed. But there’s also surface tension, liquid density, and the stream’s diameter. Nothing as simple as a Mach number or Pi will tell us when the two jets are similar. But we engineers are not deterred. This time we write a more complicated dimensionless group called the Weber number. It involves all those variables. When the Weber number is the same for two very different liquid streams, they’ll break up in the same way. If we engineers had to do laboratory tests of every situation that ever occurs, we’d never begin building anything. So we have to know when knowledge of one situation can serve another. We do that by expressing our lab results in dimensionless form. That way, we can, say, model airfoil behavior at lower speeds in water. We can model the way gravity affects a large system, by building a small system and putting it in a centrifuge.” At the link right-click “Click here for audio…” and select “Save Link As from the pop-up menu.
Discrimination in Britain 50 mins – “Stories of the pioneers who came to post war Britain from the Indian subcontinent. By the early 1970s the numbers from the Indian subcontinent had increased with family reunions and people fleeing Bangladesh following the war of Independence in 1971. Racist abuse became commonplace as immigration became a charged political issue.” At the link find the title, “Three Pounds in My Pocket – Part Two,” right-click “Media files p036pffw.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Dusty Baker 68 mins – “Dusty Baker, Former Manager, San Francisco Giants; Author, Kiss The Sky: My Weekend in Monterey for the Greatest Rock Concert Ever In conversation with Greg Dalton, Vice President, Climate One, The Commonwealth Club Part of The Good Lit Series underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation Dusty Baker enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, primarily with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, and then 20 years as a manager with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. He led the Giants to the 2002 National League pennant, and his 671 wins as a manager rank 16th all time. But that’s only part of his story. For his 18th birthday, Dusty Baker’s parents gave him a great present: Two tickets to the Monterey Pop Festival of June 1967, a three-day event featuring more than 30 bands. Baker’s lifelong love of music was set in motion, from country to hip-hop to Jimi Hendrix, whom Baker calls the most exciting performer he’s ever seen. He went on to years of friendship with musicians from B.B. King and John Lee Hooker to Elvin Bishop and Carlos Santana.” [And at the end he even mentions his new wine.] “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Female Sex Drive 28 mins – “Everything you always wanted to know about the FEMALE SEX DRIVE and a little more…Sex is the spark that ignites many relationships. But that heart racing enthusiasm you first have can diminish with time – and for some reason it seems to fade more quickly in women. From the controversial new theory that its monogamy that kills a lady’s lust, to whether taking testosterone can restore it, Dr Newby investigates the science of female libido.” At the link right-click “download video mp4” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Food Science 40 mins – “A kitchen wizard and a nutrition detective talk about the perfect hamburger, getting the most out of garlic, and why you should use vodka in just about everything.” At the link find the title, “Food + Science = Victory!,” right-click “Play Now” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Hardcore History 91 mins – “Dan Carlin is the host of my favorite podcast, Hardcore History. But… what?! History?! I know. I thought the same thing. How could a history podcast have a cult following?And yet it did. During research for launching The Tim Ferriss Show, I asked many of the top dogs on the iTunes charts: what is your favorite podcast? Almost without exception, the answer came back: Hardcore History….” At the link right-click “Download” must above the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Indonesian Peat Fires 60 mins – “Over the past few weeks, Planet Earth has experienced a severe climate crisis, and it hasn’t made the front page, or the top story on TV news. This catastrophe will hasten warming of oceans and land, add to rising seas, threaten more species with extinction – and change our whole view of environmental action, and what we need to do to save the climate… We get a report directly from the scene, with Dr. Daniel Murdiyarso, at the Center for International Forestry Research in Bogor Indonesia. Then I’ll thrash this crisis through with one of the long-standing reporters on tropical forests, Mongabay founder Rhett Butler.” At the link right-click “Download…Lo Fi” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Joint Special Operations Command 65 mins – “Sean Naylor talked about his book, Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command, in which he looks at the history of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). He was interviewed by Dana Priest.” At the link find the title,”After Words with Sean Naylor,” right-click “Media files program.415947.MP3-STD.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Ketogenic Diet 186 mins – “Dr. Dominic “Dom” D’Agostino (@DominicDAgosti2) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, and a Senior Research Scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC).He has also deadlifted 500 pounds for 10 reps after a seven-day fast. He’s a beast and — no big surprise — he’s a good buddy of Dr. Peter Attia, my MD friend who drinks “jet fuel” in search of optimal athletic performance.The primary focus of Dom’s laboratory is developing and testing metabolic therapies, including ketogenic diets, ketone esters and ketone supplements to induce nutritional/therapeutic ketosis. D’Agostino’s laboratory uses in vivo and in vitro techniques to understand the physiological, cellular and molecular mechanism of metabolic therapies and nutritional strategies for peak performance and resilience. His research is supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Department of Defense (DoD), private organizations and foundations.Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast.” At the link right-click “Media files Tim Ferriss Show, Dominic Dagostino.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Macromolecules 42 mins – “Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the giant molecules that form the basis of all life. Macromolecules, also known as polymers, are long chains of atoms. They form the proteins that make up our bodies, as well as many of the materials of modern life. Man’s ability to mimic the structure of macromolecules has led to the invention of plastics such as nylon, paints and adhesives. Most of our clothes are made of macromolecules, and our food is macromolecular. The medical sciences are making increasingly sophisticated use of macromolecules, from growing replacement skin and bone to their increasing use in drug delivery. One of the most famous macromolecules is DNA, an infinitely more complex polymer than man has ever managed to produce. We’ve only known about macromolecules for just over a century, so what is the story behind them and how might they change our lives in the future?With:Tony RyanPro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Science at the University of SheffieldAthene DonaldProfessor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Robinson CollegeCharlotte WilliamsReader in Polymer Chemistry and Catalysis at Imperial College, London Producer: Natalia Fernandez.” At the link find the title, “Macromolecules, 2011,” right-click “Media files p02q5crl.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Mamluk Tribe – “Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Mamluks, who ruled Egypt and Syria from about 1250 to 1517. Originally slave soldiers who managed to depose their masters, they went on to repel the Mongols and the Crusaders to become the dominant force in the medieval Islamic Middle Eastern world. Although the Mamluks were renowned as warriors, under their rule art, crafts and architecture blossomed. Little known by many in the West today, the Mamluks remained in power for almost 300 years until they were eventually overthrown by the Ottomans. With: Amira Bennison Reader in the History and Culture of the Maghrib at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Magdalene College Robert Irwin Former Senior Research Associate in the Department of History at SOAS, University of London Doris Behrens-Abouseif Nasser D Khalili Professor of Islamic Art and Archaeology at SOAS, University of London Producer: Victoria Brignell.” At the link find the title, “The Mamluks, 2013,” right-click “Media files p02q59vn.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Media Role and Problems 26 mins – “…at the Wharton School in Philadelphia, Bob convened a day-long media future summit to figure out how to keep the lights on. For the lunchtime keynote speaker, Bob was joined by Alec Baldwin, actor, activist, and host of Here’s The Thing, and each interviewed the other about all things media.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow under the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Mortality Rates 47 mins – “The new enrollment season for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act has begun. The health care law has led to millions of newly insured Americans, but an estimated 10.5 million who are eligible for coverage remain uninsured. The Obama administration has been encouraging more people to sign up, but expectations are modest even though penalties for not having insurance will increase in 2016. Many premiums are expected to rise as well, making shopping for the right plan even more important. Join Diane and a panel of experts who talk about navigating the third enrollment phase of the Affordable Care Act.” [Five guests.] At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Naive Realism 65 mins – “In psychology, they call it naive realism, the tendency to believe that the other side is wrong simply because they are misinformed. According to Lee Ross, co-author of the new book, The Wisest One in the Room, naive realism has three tenets. One, you tend to believe that you arrived at your political opinions after careful, rational analysis through unmediated thoughts and perceptions. Two, since you are extremely careful and devoted to sticking to the facts and thus free from bias and impervious to persuasion, anyone else who has read the things you have read or seen the things you have seen will naturally see things your way, given that they’ve pondered the matter as thoughtfully as you have. And three, if anyone does disagree with your political opinions it must be because they simply don’t have all the facts yet. Since this is the default position most humans take when processing a political opinion, when confronted with people who disagree, you tend to assume there must be a rational explanation. Usually, that explanation is that the other side is either lazy or stupid or corrupted by some nefarious information-scrambling entity like cable news, a blowhard pundit, a charming pastor or a lack thereof. Ross and Ward concluded that naive realism leads people to approach political arguments with the confidence that “rational open-minded discourse” will naturally lead to a rapid narrowing of disagreement, but that confidence usually short lived. Instead, they say our “repeated attempts at dialogue with those on the ‘other side’ of a contentious issue make us aware that they rarely yield to our attempts at enlightenment; nor do they yield to the efforts of articulate, fair-minded spokespersons who share our views.” In other words, it’s naive to think evidence presented from the sources you trust will sway your opponents because when they do the same, it never sways you. Listen in this episode as legendary psychologist Lee Ross explains how to identify, avoid, and combat this most pernicious of cognitive mistakes.” At the link right-click “Direct download: 062_-_Naive_Realism_-_Lee_Ross.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Ocean Warming 48 mins – “Warm the planet and you warm the oceans. Warm the oceans, and things change. First of all for sea life. Sometimes so fast it’s hard for humans to keep up. Last week a report in the journal Science looked at the collapse of cod and cod fishing in the Gulf of Maine. It fell so quickly and did not recover, we learn, because the Gulf of Maine was on a huge warming spike. Cod didn’t like it, and they were fished out. There are versions of this story – with different species, different addresses – all over the world. This hour On Point, a fish story out of Maine, and the global ocean impact of climate change.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Pacific Ocean Concerns 67 mins – “Simon Winchester, Historian & Author, A Crack in the Edge of the World and Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World’s Superpowers Winchester offers an enthralling biography of the Pacific Ocean and its role in the modern world. He explores our relationship with largest ocean of the planet and discusses how the unmapped depths will define our future. Winchester traces our geological history and describes his personal journey down the Alaskan highway, Yangtze River, Panama Canal, Philippines, northern Queensland and his time jailed in Tierra del Fuego, the land at the end of the world. He will share what he has learned and what we can look forward to.” At the link right-click “Play now” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Peggy Guggenheim 47 mins- “There’s a lot of history packed into the life of Peggy Guggenheim. Black sheep of the Guggenheims, her father went down with the Titanic. She was present at the creation of modern art and the modern world, and she became a kind of heroine of modern art. As the Nazis crept across Europe, she saved great artists and as many of their works of art as her sliver of the family fortune could buy. She lived her life with a defiant individualism and a heck of a lot of pluck, but she paid a heavy price for doing it her way.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Physical Training 117 mins – “This episode was a real treat. It was one of the most enlightening and lucid conversations about physical training I’ve ever had. If you want strength, power, endurance, and flexibility, it’s all covered in this one interview. Pavel also answered your 15 most popular questions in a follow-up episode….” At the link find “Download as MP3 by right-clicking here for Part 1 and right-clicking here for Part 2 and choose Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Poverty Film 62 mins – “Michael Matheson Miller of the Acton Institute and the Director of the documentary Poverty, Inc., talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his award-winning documentary on the barriers facing the poor around the world. Topics discussed include the incentives facing poverty-fighting NGOs and their staff, the importance of secure and well-defined property rights, and the costs and benefits of agricultural aid.” At the link find the title, “Michael Matheson Miller on Poverty, Inc,” right-click “Media files MathesonMillerpoverty.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Power Grid Attacks 53 mins – “It sounds like science fiction, but a cyberattack on America’s power grid could be launched from a single laptop anywhere in the world. The results would be devastating, especially in cities, where food and water shortages would occur in days. Nevertheless, veteran journalist Ted Koppel says our government is woefully unprepared for such a calamity. He joins us Tuesday to talk about his investigation into this unique threat and potential ways to prepare for a catastrophe that is all but inevitable.” At the link right-click the play button beside “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Printing Press History 42 mins – “Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and influence of William Caxton, the merchant who brought the printing press to the British Isles. After spending several years working as a printer in Bruges, Caxton returned to London and in 1476 set up his first printing press in Westminster, and also imported and sold other printed books. Caxton concentrated on producing popular books that he knew would sell, such as Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’ and small liturgical ‘books of hours’. The standard of Caxton’s printing may have lagged behind that on the continent, but he was a skilful businessman and unusually for printers at the time, he managed not to go bankrupt. The advent of print is now seen as one of the great revolutions in intellectual history – although many scholars believe it was a revolution that took many generations to have an effect. With: Richard Gameson Professor of the History of the Book at the University of Durham Julia Boffey Professor of Medieval Studies in the English Department at Queen Mary, University of London David Rundle Member of the History Faculty at the University of Oxford Producer: Natalia Fernandez.” At the link find the title, “Caxton and the Printing Press, Oct 2012,” right-click “Media files, p02q5c66.mp3”and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Prison Communications Management Unit 15 mins – “Investigative journalist Will Potter is the only reporter who has been inside a Communications Management Unit, or CMU, within a US prison. These units were opened secretly, and radically alter how prisoners are treated — even preventing them from hugging their children. Potter, a TED Fellow, shows us who is imprisoned here, and how the government is trying to keep them hidden. “The message was clear,” he says. “Don’t talk about this place.” Find sources for this talk at willpotter.com/cmu “ At the link click “Download,” right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Psychedelic Drug Use 115 mins – “In this episode, [with two MD’s]we step outside the lines of traditional medicine and discuss impulse control, introspection, and self-awareness through the use of powerful psychedelic and hallucinogenic agents like iboga, ibogaine, and 5-MeO-DMT. We also discuss flotation tanks, which can simulate or even replicate many of the benefits that can result from the use of psychedelic and psychotropic agents. So you don’t have to be willing to experiment with these drugs to receive something valuable from this episode.” Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as”.
Puerto Rico Economy 27 mins – “The US Commonwealth of Puerto Rico could be slipping into an economic “death spiral”, according to its Governor. Ten years of recession have led to deep cuts in services and more are on the way, as the government accepts it can’t pay its massive debts. Unemployment and poverty are spiraling, and younger citizens on this Caribbean island of 3.5 million are leaving in their droves, seeking jobs in New York or Miami. We meet some of them literally as they head to the airport, and meet some of the super-rich Americans coming the other way. Randy and Laura are two new arrivals, taking advantages of newly introduced tax breaks for those earning more than $200,000. Ed Butler looks at the contrasting life-styles of these two worlds, hears from property developers cashing in, and one man who may have lost all his savings investing in the island’s debt. And he examines the curious polarisation that’s developing as thousands of ordinary, working age employees head for the exit. Produced and presented by Ed Butler” At the link find the title, “Puerto Rico: The Have Nots and the Have Yachts,” right-click “Media files p0374l7v.mp3 and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Refugee Story 16 mins – “Today’s refugee crisis is the biggest since World War II, and it’s growing. When this talk was given, 50 million people had been forcefully displaced from their homes by conflict and war; now, a year later, the number is 60 million. There were 3 million Syrian refugees in 2014; now there are 4 million. Inside this overwhelming crisis are the individual human stories — of care, growth and family, in the face of lost education, lost home, lost future. Melissa Fleming of the UN’s refugee agency tells the refugees’ stories — and asks us to help them rebuild their world.” At the link click “Download,” right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
SEAL Trainer Willnick 255 mins – “Jocko Willink (@jockowillink) is one of the scariest human beings imaginable. He is a lean 230 pounds. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert who used to tap out 20 Navy SEALs per workout. He is a legend in the Special Operations world. His eyes look through you more than at you. He rarely does interviews, if ever. But, a few weeks ago, Jocko ended up staying at my house and we had a caffeinated mind meld. Here’s some background… Jocko enlisted in the Navy after high school and spent 20 years in the SEAL Teams, first as an enlisted SEAL operator and then as a SEAL officer. During his second tour in Iraq, he led SEAL Task Unit Bruiser in the Battle of Ramadi — some of the toughest and most sustained combat by the SEAL Teams since Vietnam. Under his leadership, Task Unit Bruiser became the most highly decorated Special Operations Unit of the entire war in Iraq and helped bring stability to Ramadi. Jocko was awarded the Bronze Star and a Silver Star.Upon returning to the United States, Jocko served as the Officer-in-Charge of training for all West Coast SEAL Teams, designing and implementing some of the most challenging and realistic combat training in the world.So why is Jocko opening up? Well, in part, we have mutual friends. Second, he is the co-author of an incredible new book — Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win — which I’ve been loving. Trust me. Buy it.” Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as”.
Security Hotspots 33 mins – “In this issue: Volkswagen and Cheating Software; Living in a Code Yellow World; Obama Administration Not Pursuing a Backdoor to Commercial Encryption; Stealing Fingerprints; Automatic Face Recognition and Surveillance; Bringing Frozen Liquids through Airport Security; SHA-1 Freestart Collision; from the October 15, 2015 “ At the link find the titel, “Crypto-Gram NewsletterCrypto-Gram 15 October 2015,” right-click “Media files crypto-gram-15-10.mp3” and select “Save Link As”
Sepsis 78 mins – “At smaccChicago, I had the honor to host an incredible panel of Sepsis Experts. I think most everyone who heard it was left with more questions than answers….An all-star panel discuss the burning issues in sepsis… Mervyn Singer (research guru, sepsis expert and self-proclaimed Sex-God) and Paul Marik (iconoclast and dogma-basher) reveal just how hard it is to describe what sepsis is. Flavia Machado (intensivist and researcher) brings common sense and the perspective from South America, representing middle-income countries. Kath Maitland (author of FEAST, African-based paediatrician and clinical trialist) talks about sepsis management issues in Africa, where sepsis strikes its biggest global impact. Heavyweight researcher and clinician John Myburgh, argues that the word “sepsis” should be removed from our language and turns the paradigm on its head, arguing for a more pragmatic approach to sepsis management. Simon Finfer (crit care clinician, clinical trialist, voice of reason) describes the history, the good, the bad and the ugly about the Surviving Sepsis Guidelines, and some of the controversy surrounding them.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Teen Media Usage 48 mins – “The way kids engaged with media used to be pretty straightforward – watch TV, listen to music or read. With the ubiquity of mobile devices, all these activities can be done in a variety of different ways. As a new study from Common Sense Media points out, this makes it harder than ever to define “screen time,” and to understand what is beneficial and what is detrimental to a child’s development. As researchers and parents wrestle with this issue, study after study confirms that kids of all ages, from babies to teens, are spending more and more time in front of screens. Diane and her guests discuss the latest research on screen time and kids.” [Four guests.] At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Thinking Ahead 12 mins – “You’re not at your best when you’re stressed. In fact, your brain has evolved over millennia to release cortisol in stressful situations, inhibiting rational, logical thinking but potentially helping you survive, say, being attacked by a lion. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin thinks there’s a way to avoid making critical mistakes in stressful situations, when your thinking becomes clouded — the pre-mortem. “We all are going to fail now and then,” he says. ‘The idea is to think ahead to what those failures might be.‘” At the link click “Download,” right-click “Download audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Toxic Stress 52 mins – “…we continue our series on documentary film with Paper Tigers. For a full year, director James Redford and his crew followed six troubled students at a Washington state alternative high school that adopted a radical new guidance program. Rather than focus on judgment and discipline, the school aims to help kids through deeper understanding and more effective treatment. The results: a dramatic reduction in fights and a five-fold graduation rate increase. Redford joins us to talk about it.” At the link right-click the play button beside “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Workplace Navigation 47 mins – “Work takes up a ton of our lives. And for most, it’s not just about doing one thing well. It’s also about getting along with a whole lot of people at work, in a whole lot of circumstances. From your first job interview, to showing up new, to climbing – maybe – a ladder, to battling and teaming up and going out. To handling jerks and making toasts. We hear a lot about flat hierarchies now and new ways, and it’s true. But there are ancient human social dynamics in there too, ready to take you up or take you down. This hour On Point, the social navigation of work.” At the link right-click “Download this story” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
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Media Mining Digest 