Exercise your ears: the 102 podcasts shown below present the best ideas, information and stories from a larger group of 607 for the week, to hear while your hands and eyes are busy. Get all the files as a group for the next four months here, or double (ctrl-click) individual titles to get single podcasts and explore the source. A collection of 23,435 podcasts, listed alphabetically and grouped by topic, can be downloaded piecemeal, with files A-E at this link, and the remainder here. You’ll be limited to a 4GB maximum per download at the last place, so multiple group downloads will be needed to get all files, totaling over 150GB and may take a few hours. The first entry in the collection is a text file with just titles for quicker reference. A collection of abstracts for all the podcasts is available at this link and updated quarterly. Get the discarded material, too, using a podcast aggregator loaded with this opml file of the 496 sources. And try PodcastRE from the University of Wisconsin with over 150,000 titles. Exercise your ears and relax the rest.
Activist Switchboard 29 mins – “One thing that we are consistently reminded of during election season is that each and every person can make a difference – whether it’s casting a vote in a super tight election, or confronting a US Senator in an elevator, the power of one can’t be easily dismissed. This week on Sea Change Radio, we explore how even someone who may not have lots of money or technical know-how but cares deeply for the environment can have an impact. Today we are speaking with Steve Seeger, the creator of Steve’s Weave, a new environmentally-focused community website which he hopes will soon be known as the “Green” Craigslist. We learn about what inspired Steve to embark on this project, hear about how his passion for recycling began at a young age, and discuss his new way of connecting eco-conscious individuals to each other, to opportunities, and to action. Then, we turn to the Sea Change Radio archives and meet Doniece Sandoval, the founder of Lava Mae, a nonprofit which provides shower-equipped buses to the homeless.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Agro Forestry 30 mins – “Occam’s Razor is a principle that tells us that the simplest solution to a problem tends to be the correct one. Farmers around the world are abiding by this philosophy in droves by practicing agroforesty, an ancient agricultural technique that supports biodiversity while simultaneously sequestering carbon. This week on Sea Change Radio, we learn all about agroforestry from Erik Hoffner, an editor at Mongabay. Hoffner takes a look at examples of agroforestry efforts around the globe, examines recent investments into the sector and shows how it stacks up to large, industrial agricultural systems. As you’ll see, sometimes the best answers are right under our noses the whole time.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
AI at War 20 mins ”The wars of the future will be fought in megacities around the world by soldiers connected – and possibly even augmented – by neural implants and AI. In this episode, we examine how military leaders are preparing for a radical shift in combat.
AI Economics 56 mins – “Joshua Gans is the author of Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence. He talks with Megan Morrone about how Artificial Intelligence is changing our economy.” At the link click “Download Options,” right-click “Audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Anti-Intellectualism 60 mins – “This week we get to the bottom of anti-intellectualism. We’ll be speaking with David Robson, senior journalist at BBC Future, about misology — the hatred of reason and argument — and how it may be connected to distrust of intellectuals. Then we’ll speak with Bruno Takahashi, associate professor of environmental journalism and communication at Michigan State University, about how the way we consume media affects our scientific knowledge and how we feel about scientists and the press.” At the link find the title, “#496 Anti-Intellectualism: Down With the Scientist!,” right-click “Play Now” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu. 
Astana Declaration 26 mins – “The Astana Declaration: a look back at primary care services 40 years after the Alma-Ata Declaration, and future priorities for strengthening primary care worldwide within the context of sustainable development.” At the link find the title, “The Astana Declaration,” right-click “Download audio” beside the comment and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Autism Diagnosis in Women 16 mins – “A Canadian women describes her late diagnosis.” At the link find the title, “Thousands of women with autism may be going undiagnosed because it’s a ‘male disorder’” right-click “Download Thousands of women with autism may be going undiagnosed because it’s a ‘male disorder’” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Brexit Effects 12 mins – “After 22 years as Editor-in-Chief of Nature, Sir Philip Campbell has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of Springer Nature publishing. He continues to lead the Springer Nature Editorial Advisory Group and maintain responsibility for editorial policies across the Springer Nature group. He says the major concern about Brexit within the science community is the loss of talent. And uncertainty. He describes the challenges for paid journals when some journals are free, but he says the charge for journals such as Nature, brings with it reliability that review has been done. He says with free news comes fake news. Philip Campbell also describes his approach to deniers of climate science and tells of his experience seeking review of a paper submitted by a climate science denier.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Caesareans Increase 15 mins – “Jocalyn Clark and guests Marleen Temmerman and Ana-Pilar Betran discuss the challenge of overuse and underuse of caesarean section procedures worldwide.” At the link find the title, “C-section Series,” right-click “Download audio” beside the comment and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Cancer Coaches 27 mins – “Dr Brian Goldman heads to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation to learn about an emerging health care profession: cancer coaches.” At the link find the title, “Why every cancer patient in Canada deserves a cancer coach,” right-click “Download Why every cancer patient in Canada deserves a cancer coach” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Carbon Dioxide and Crops 9 mins – “Robert Sharwood and Ben Long, both of ANU in Canberra are part of a worldwide effort to dramatically increase the yield of crop plants. Previous approaches mostly using selective breeding, have seen incremental increases. This research hopes to generate increased yields within the range 10-15%. The method involves delivering genes which drive the concentration of carbon dioxide around an enzyme within chloroplasts. The result is increased growth. This work has the potential to produce increased crop yield, mitigate against heatwaves and produce varieties more suited to growing in an atmosphere with elevated carbon dioxide.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Carbon Dioxide in Oceans 12 mins – “Ocean water from the North Atlantic travels south, slowly, deep down, and moves to the surface in the Southern Ocean around Antarctic. It moves vast quantities of heat and dissolved gases such as carbon dioxide. This circulation is a major driving force for our climate. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey are trying to understand the nature of the mixing of this water as it emerges from the depths. While the movement south is slow, once it rises, it joins the fast-moving Antarctic Circumpolar Current, equivalent to 500 Amazon Rivers.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Chocolate Age 7 mins – “Archaeologists find evidence that chocolate is older than the pyramids “ At the link find the title, “Aged chocolate: Archaeologists find evidence of 5000 year old chocolate drink,” right-click “Download Aged chocolate: Archaeologists find evidence of 5000 year old chocolate drink” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Climate and Angkor Demise (first item) 27 mins – “Angkor, in what is now modern Cambodia, was the capital city of the Khmer Empire. It flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. Angkor was a megacity supporting at least a million people (0.1% of the global population) during 1010–1220. The city houses the magnificent temple Angkor Wat, one of Cambodia’s popular tourist attractions. The city established a vast network of canals, embankments, moats and reservoirs to capture, store and distribute surface water resources. It was very extensive, covering up to 1200sq kilometres. The city foundered during the 15th Century and was largely, but not completely, abandoned by 1431. Did monsoon-driven flooding weaken the infrastructure of water management in the city and contribute to its demise? (Then) Antimicrobials in Livestock Feed – Global pharmaceutical companies are selling antibiotics as performance enhancers and artificial fatteners to livestock farmers in India. This unnecessary use of antibiotics has been made illegal in the US and Europe, as it is thought to increase the risk of antibiotic resistance. The practice is not illegal in India, but with the subcontinent suffering from the highest incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) it is something the whole world needs to worry about. (Then) Facing Hurricane Michael -Hurricane expert professor James Elsner, at Florida State University, has studied tropical cyclones for most of his career. He advocates for a higher Category Six to be created for the stronger and stronger storms we are seeing. He lives in Tallahassee in Florida and has just faced Hurricane Michael – is this the first time the expert has been face to face with a Category Five storm? (Then) Refuting Claims for Earliest Life – Two years ago, a paper was published in the journal Nature, stating that the earliest evidence of life on Earth had been discovered in rocks from Greenland’s Supercrustal Belt in Isua. Stromatolites – fossils of conical structures created by bacterial action were thought to have been identified in rocks that were at least 3.8 billion years old. However this week, also in the journal Nature, is a study refuting these claims and describing the conical structures as mere folds in the metamorphic rock.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Climate and Food Production (first item) 27 mins – “With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change announcing that we need to keep global warming under 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, Science in Action explores the impact of food production on the environment. A new study calculates the current and predicted impact of land and fresh water use, fertiliser pollution and the change to more Western meat and dairy-based diets by 2050 and concluded that our current mitigation measures are not going to be enough. And that our planet will not be able to sustain this level of environmental cost. (Then) Windfarms and Warming – A study of wind power generation across the continental United States calculates that the warming effect of wind turbines, due to possible circulatory changes in the atmosphere at night, could be enough to cause a 0.24 °C rise if the US switched to wind power for all their energy demands. It’s a small change, but coupled with other environmental impacts of sustainable energy production, it has to be factored in. (Then) Science Publishing and Copyright -Two scientific publishers are suing the academic networking site ResearchGate for breaking copyright laws. ResearchGate asks scientists to publish papers and articles on their site. The claim is that they are not putting enough checks in place to stop work that is copyrighted to pay-walled science journals being uploaded. Is social media, and greater connectivity on the internet, changing the way science publishing works and how profits are made? (Then) Drugs from Fingerprints – Illegal drug-use often has a contributing factor in cause of death. Testing for drug-use in both living and dead people relies on detecting the breakdown products (metabolites) for drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, opiates or amphetamines in bodily fluids (blood, urine, saliva) or tissue samples. These are invasive and take time. Now a University of East Anglia spin out company “Intelligent Fingerprinting” have developed a device called the fingerprint drug screening cartridge that can detect metabolites of illicit drugs in the sweat found in fingerprints. And furthermore they can do this on dead bodies as well as living people.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Climate Change Efforts 28 mins – “It’s election season. To say that the political atmosphere is polarized understates the wormhole into which the US has fallen. We have a president who tells easily disprovable lies without compunction, and a party of elected officials who line up behind him, drafting off his autocratic slipstream. This week’s guest on Sea Change Radio is Greg Sargent, longtime opinion writer for the Washington Post and author of the popular blog, The Plumline. His new book is “An Uncivil War: Taking Back Our Democracy In An Age Of Trumpian Disinformation And Thunderdome Politics.” We discuss the mess that is the state of this country’s politics, try to understand one party’s justification for voter suppression tactics, and examine the role of the media in shaping our opinions. Then, we dig into the Sea Change Radio archives to hear from political advisers Becky Bond and Zack Exley who remind us of the many things we can all do to pitch in as the election nears.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu
Climate Warming and Barley Shortage 9 mins – “As the climate gets warmer cold beer could be rarer” At the link find the title, “Beer shortages could be a result of climate change thanks to barley crop failures,” right-click “Download Beer shortages could be a result of climate change thanks to barley crop failures” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Computer Communication Devices 51 mins – “What do we expect from our virtual assistants and what happens when we let them be teacher, therapist, and friend? Journalist Judith Shulevitz joins us to talk about how much we should trust Alexa. Journalist Judith Shulevitz realized something strange was happening when she confessed to Alexa that she was lonely. Shulevitz says that’s something she wouldn’t even say aloud to husband, and it brought up a lot of questions about our relationship with artificial intelligence. What exactly do we expect our virtual assistants to do for us and what happens to our brains when we let them be teacher, therapist, and friend? Shulevitz joins us Wednesday to talk about how much we should trust Alexa.” At the link right-click the play button and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
CRISPR Impact 15 mins – “In labs around the world, scientists are using gene-editing technology to revive species that disappeared from the face of the earth long, long ago. In this episode, we talk to the researchers working on a project straight out of science fiction.
Diagnosing Women with Autism 16 mins – “A Canadian women describes her late diagnosis.” At the link find the title, “Thousands of women with autism may be going undiagnosed because it’s a ‘male disorder’,” right-click “Download Thousands of women with autism may be going undiagnosed because it’s a ‘male disorder’” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Ebola in the Congo 22 mins – “Marianne Guenot talks to Benedict Moran, author of the World Report “Fighting Ebola in conflict in the DR Congo”, about the effect of conflict on responding to a public health emergency.” At the link find the title, “Fighting Ebola in conflict in the DR Congo,” right-click “Download audio” beside the comment and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Egg History 45 mins – “We love eggs scrambled, fried, or poached; we couldn’t enjoy a quiche, meringue, or flan without them. But for scientists and archaeologists, these perfect packages are a source of both wonder and curiosity. Why do eggs come in such a spectacular variety of colors, shapes, and sizes? Why are we stuck mostly eating chicken eggs, when our ancestors feasted on emu, ostrich, and guillemot eggs? This episode, we explore the science and history of eggs, from dinosaurs to double-yolkers!” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow on the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Emily Dickinson 51 mins – “After the show today you might just ditch everything you thought you knew about the poet Emily Dickinson. Filmmaker Madeleine Olnek’s new film tries to correct the idea a lot of us have of Dickinson as a sullen, distant recluse. Wednesday, we continue our Through the Lens series with something decidedly different. We’re talking about a playful and probing new feature film about Emily Dickinson. As most of us learned in English class, Dickinson was a recluse, a wallflower, too sensitive for this world. Except she wasn’t. Madeleine Olnek’s film about the poet examines a more complicated character. Yes, she was sensitive, but she could also be vivacious and irreverent. Not to mention, transgressive.” At the link right-click the play button and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Environment Monitoring by Satellite 27 mins – “An ecologist who fell in love with computing, Jacqueline McGlade pioneered the use of satellites study the state of the global environment. Today thanks to programmes like Google Earth, we can see the surface of the earth in great detail. But when Jacqueline was a student, earth observation satellites were used for weather forecasting and not much else. Early in her career, she used satellite images to study fish populations, thinking it would be useful to know not only how many fish were in the sea but where they were likely to be. Few believed such an ambitious undertaking would be possible but, after a spell in Silicon Valley, Jacqueline found a way. The moving maps she created changed the way oceanographers and fishermen viewed the sea. In the early 1980s, she started trying to model the global climate using some of the earliest supercomputers and a roomful of un-networked PCs. As Executive Director of the European Environment Agency, she introduced monitoring systems for a range of environmental indicators and insisted that the information provided by Europe’s first earth observation satellite should be made available to everyone for free. She retired from her latest job, as chief scientist to the United Nations Environment Programme last year and now lives in a mud hut in the Masai Mara, having married a Masai chief.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Epilepsy Patterns 12 mins – “Mark Cook and Phillippa Karoly join The Lancet Neurology to discuss their retrospective study of cyclical patterns in epileptic seizures.” At the link find the title, “Epileptic seizures,” right-click “Download audio” bsedie the comment and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Equal Representation in New Hampshire 38 mins – “New Hampshire prides itself on having a volunteer, citizen legislature. But the legislators writing laws for the rest of the state are older, whiter, and disproportionately male compared to the state’s population. Factions inside the Democratic and Republican parties are trying to change that, here and across the country. This week on Word of Mouth, we get inside that effort.” At the link right-click the play button and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Food Safety 60 mins – “This week, let’s go back in time. Back to the 1900s, when life was pure and clean, and your milk was preserved with formaldehyde, your meat with Borax and your canned peas with copper. On second thought, that trip back in time doesn’t sound so great. This week, we’re meeting the Poison Squad. We’re spending the hour with Deborah Blum talking about the history of food regulation, or the lack thereof, and her new book “The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century”. This episode is hosted by Bethany Brookshire, science writer…” At the link find the title, “#498 The Poison Squad,” right-click “Play Now” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Food Supply Question (first item) 27 mins – “With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change announcing that we need to keep global warming under 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, Science in Action explores the impact of food production on the environment. A new study calculates the current and predicted impact of land and fresh water use, fertiliser pollution and the change to more Western meat and dairy-based diets by 2050 and concluded that our current mitigation measures are not going to be enough. And that our planet will not be able to sustain this level of environmental cost. (Then) Windfarms and Warming – A study of wind power generation across the continental United States calculates that the warming effect of wind turbines, due to possible circulatory changes in the atmosphere at night, could be enough to cause a 0.24 °C rise if the US switched to wind power for all their energy demands. It’s a small change, but coupled with other environmental impacts of sustainable energy production, it has to be factored in. (Then) Science Publishing and Copyright – Two scientific publishers are suing the academic networking site ResearchGate for breaking copyright laws. ResearchGate asks scientists to publish papers and articles on their site. The claim is that they are not putting enough checks in place to stop work that is copyrighted to pay-walled science journals being uploaded. Is social media, and greater connectivity on the internet, changing the way science publishing works and how profits are made? (Then) Drugs from Fingerprints – Illegal drug-use often has a contributing factor in cause of death. Testing for drug-use in both living and dead people relies on detecting the breakdown products (metabolites) for drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, opiates or amphetamines in bodily fluids (blood, urine, saliva) or tissue samples. These are invasive and take time. Now a University of East Anglia spin out company “Intelligent Fingerprinting” have developed a device called the fingerprint drug screening cartridge that can detect metabolites of illicit drugs in the sweat found in fingerprints. And furthermore they can do this on dead bodies as well as living people.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is available in the blog archive.
Gay Murder Investigation 51 mins – “Investigative journalist Eric Peterson recently uncovered a cold case murder that panicked Utah’s emerging LGBTQ subculture in the ‘70s and dealt a chilling blow to the area’s newly organizing gay rights movement. Investigative journalist Eric Peterson recently uncovered a cold case murder that panicked Utah’s emerging LGBTQ subculture in the ‘70s. Those who knew him say Anthony Adams was a rising star in Salt Lake’s newly organizing gay rights movement. When he was killed, police detectives called it “a bar pickup-turned-bloody,” and dismissed claims that it was an assassination. In either case, gay rights in the state were dealt a chilling blow. Peterson and local historian Ben Williams join us to talk about it.” At the link right-click the play button and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Glyphosate Use in Australia 12 mins – “Four Corners on 8th October 2018 raised concerns regarding Monsanto and its herbicide product, Roundup, based on the chemical glyphosate. Emeritus Professor Ben Selinger responds. He says some key facts were left out. He says the literature quoted looks at carcinogenic risk and not the hazard. By way of example, he says our roads contain asphalt, comprising high concentrations of dangerous chemicals but we live with it. He says glyphosate is not a high-risk substance. Roundup breaks down easily leaving no trace elements. Food crops sprayed with Roundup are checked for residue. There were problems in the past with dangerous persistence chemicals such as DDT and dieldrin. But glyphosate-based Roundup, if used with care, does not pose a risk.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” nd select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Gynecology for Disabled Women 27 mins – “Doctors need to see people with disabilities as sexual beings.” At the link find the title, “Women with disabilities have sex. So why are their sexual health needs often ignored?,” right-click “Download Women with disabilities have sex. So why are their sexual health needs often ignored?” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Hip Replacement 12 mins – “Sion Glyn-Jones discusses current practice and outstanding challenges for total hip replacement surgery, linked to a two-part Series about hip and knee replacement. ” At the link find the title, “Hip replacement,” right-click “Download audio” beside the comment and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Industrial Designer 50 mins -”…we continue our Through the Lens series with a documentary about the father of modern industrial design, Dieter Rams. While Rams may not be a household name, his influence can be seen in a lot of everyday household items, from calculators and electric razors to coffeemakers and radios. His mantra is simple: Less but better. Director Gary Hustwit’s film is a portrait of the iconic designer. It’s also an exploration of modern consumerism, sustainability, and the future of the things we use.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Internet History 89 mins – “Brian McCullough is the author of How the Internet Happened: from Netscape to the iPhone. He talks with Megan Morrone about the booms and busts of the early days of the Internet.” At the link find the title click “Download Options,” right-click “Audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Investing – Two Funds for Life 56 mins – “These 10 important lessons should be considered when putting to work the “2 Funds for Life” portfolio in your portfolio. Paul focuses on the likely long-term gains and the likely short-term losses, answers questions, and discusses the other sources of information on the strategies. For the video, articles, tables and Q&A about the “Two Funds for Life” investment strategy, go to: www.2fundsforlife.com” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu
Investing with Target Date Funds 53 mins – “After making the point in “The three greatest investment products” that the target date fund is the best of the three (mutual funds second, and index funds third), Paul discusses the glaring problems inherent in almost all target date funds. While challenges include high expenses, active management and too much in bonds, the biggest challenge is the lack of exposure to several very important asset classes.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu
Investment Q and A 43 mins – “In a recent conversation with Ken Roberts, of Ken’s Bulls and Bears, Paul answers some timely questions, such as: Do you expect value to be a top performer again? How much do you think investors should have in value? With the market being so high, what are you telling investors who are just retiring to do? Emerging markets have not done well recently. Do you think the possible returns are worth the risk? Tune in for these and a lot more.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu
Jamal Khashoggi Murder 33 mins – “On October 2nd, journalist Jamal Khashoggi stepped into Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul – and has not been heard from since. Growing evidence suggests Khashoggi was brutally murdered by a 15-member Saudi intelligence team, and that such a plot could not have happened without consent from the highest levels of the Saudi government. The entire incident has ignited a crisis between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia not seen since 9/11. While President Trump’s reaction has been to shield Saudi leaders from blame, the White House is facing difficult questions about their closest Middle East ally. Shadi Hamid, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, came into the studio to walk Diane through this complicated story. He says it’s time to re-think this relationship.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive.
John Kerry Memoir 27 mins – “John Kerry has long been in the public eye … as senator from Massachusetts, as a 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, and, most recently, as Secretary of State under President Obama. Now, Kerry is out with a new memoir, “Every Day is Extra.” It is a reflection on the many chapters of his life, but, as he looks back, Kerry is keenly interested in our current political moment. He has criticized President Trump for undemocratic leadership – and he thinks the upcoming midterms are a critical chance to change the course of the country.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
John Wesley Powell 51 mins – “John Wesley Powell was more than the explorer who first navigated the Grand Canyon. Biographer John Ross says he was also a visionary who asked questions that are still relevant in the American West. When you hear the name John Wesley Powell, you probably think of the gritty, one-armed explorer who first navigated the wild Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1869. But biographer John Ross says Powell was more than that. He was a visionary who started asking questions about the West that are still relevant today: Just how much can the land support and how should it be developed? John Ross joins us Tuesday to talk about Powell’s perilous journey and his vision for the American West.” At the link right-click the play button and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Kavanaugh Confirmation 34 mins – “David Frum has been an outspoken critic of President Trump since before he took office. He sees Trump’s presidency as a symptom of the country’s diminished commitment to liberal democracy. As he watched Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination unfold, his biggest concern was that Kavanaugh’s confirmation would be a significant step toward a more politicized Supreme Court, a Court that might have to rule on Trump’s presidential powers.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive.
Kavanaugh Confirmation Opposition 46 mins – “Virginia Heffernan talks to Benjamin Wittes, editor-in-chief of Lawfare and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, about why he admires Brett Kavanaugh’s legal record, but also why he wouldn’t vote to confirm Kavanaugh as a member of the Supreme Court. Further reading:Why I wouldn’t confirm Brett KavanaughKavanaugh’s Minnesota Law Review article, cited by Benjamin Wittes in this episodeKavanaugh on Judge David Barron’s book on Congress, the presidency, and war powers Follow Trumpcast on Twitter: @realtrumpcast” At the link find the title, “Benjamin Wittes admires Brett Kavanaugh’s legal record. So why wouldn’t he confirm him?, Oct, 2018,” right-click “Media files SLT5264684139.mp3” and select “Save Link As from the pop-up menu.
Kavanaugh FBI Investigation 30 mins – “Virginia Heffernan talks to Elie Honig, former federal and state prosecutor and now a professor at Rutgers University about who the FBI should be talking to and the significance of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s calendar entries. Also: what does Honig make of the questions asked by Rachel Mitchell? And John Di Domenico returns with more tweets! Further reading:Rachel Mitchell did sex-crime victims a disservice Three things the FBI must investigate on Ford and Kavanaugh” At the link find the title, “What should the FBI be examining about Judge Kavanaugh?, Oct, 2018, Media files PPY7936841358.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Kavanaugh Impact 34 mins – “David Frum has been an outspoken critic of President Trump since before he took office. He sees Trump’s presidency as a symptom of the country’s diminished commitment to liberal democracy. As he watched Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination unfold, his biggest concern was that Kavanaugh’s confirmation would be a significant step toward a more politicized Supreme Court, a Court that might have to rule on Trump’s presidential powers.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Kazakhstani Progress 50 mins – “ore than 25 years after independence, young Kazakhstanis are still trying to make sense of their dark history and their place in the new world order. At least half of the 18 million population of Kazakhstan is under 30 – born and raised in the post-Soviet era. Russian journalist Tatyana Movshevich goes to Almaty, the cultural capital of Kazakhstan to meet young Kazakhs and find out how they are moving their country forward, how they navigate their lives under an authoritarian regime and play their part in a global world.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Lab-Grown Diamonds 17 mins – “The days of diamond mining may be numbered, and lab-grown stones have become almost indistinguishable from those pulled from the earth. In this episode, we talk to the diamond dealers and growers hedging against a future in which the mines run dry.
Los Angeles Library Fire 37 mins – “On April 28, 1986, the biggest library fire in the history of the U.S. destroyed and damaged hundreds of thousands of books at the Los Angeles Central Library. Author Susan Orlean, living and working in New York at the time, didn’t learn about the event until years later. When she did, she knew it would become the topic of her next book. Called simply “The Library Book” Orlean explores not just the fire and the mystery behind how it occurred — but her own attachment to libraries and why they occupy such an important space in our society today.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Maria Hinojosa 52 mins – “…we wrap up our Realities of Diversity series with Latina journalist Maria Hinojosa. She joined us to discuss what she’s learned about racism and how to have difficult conversations about race. Monday, we’re wrapping up our Realities of Diversity series with Maria Hinojosa. She’s Mexican-American, an immigrant, and a Latina journalist who came to her work as a way of telling stories about people like her – stories she says she didn’t see growing up. She joined us recently to discuss what she’s learned over the years about the nature of racism and how you go about having difficult conversations with people who are feeling anxious and afraid about the demographic changes in the country.” At the link right-click the play button and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Marijuana in Canada 27 mins – “Recorded at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario, scientists and physicians from the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research tackle questions ranging from whether it’s safe to drive after using cannabis, the dangers of second-hand pot smoke to how long the drug stays in your system, and how it interacts with other drugs – and much more.” At the link find the title, “The cannabis question show,” right-click “Download The cannabis question show” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Marijuana Use in Canada 54 mins – “Cannabis and the brain: the knowns and the big unknowns; What’s in a pot plant? Exploring the genes of your favourite ganja; Cultivating cannabis: Five tips on how to grow your own a bit better at home; Cannabis in a van: American researchers get creative to study high-potency products; Addiction and cannabis: it’s real and this is what you need to know about it.” At the link find the title, “The Great Canadian Ganja Experiment – The Science of Cannabis: Quirks & Quarks explores the questions researchers want to answer with the dawn of legal recreational use, Oct, 2018,” right-click “Media files quirksaio-NOM2tpY3-20181012.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Murders of Women in Serbia 26 mins – “Violence against women is a persistent problem in Serbia. The numbers aren’t clear, but in the last decade more than 330 women have been murdered by men, mostly partners or close family members. Already this year, more than twenty women have been murdered and countless others abused. According to some studies, 1 in 3 women has experienced physical violence, and almost half of all women have endured psychological violence. In November 2016 the Serbian Parliament adopted a new law on the Prevention Of Domestic Violence, introducing a series of legal and protection measures. The legal aspects were aimed at meeting the standards set by the Council Of Europe Convention On Domestic Violence, ratified by Serbia in 2013. Despite the new law coming into force in June 2017, reported gender-based violence is on the rise. As Serbia continues its negotiations to join the European Union, Nicola Kelly reports from Belgrade on the progress to address violence against women. She speaks to victims of abuse and relatives of those killed and asks what more can be done to address what critics say are systemic institutional failings.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Neutrino Discussion 12 mins – “Fifty kilometres west of downtown Chicago is Fermilab. This facility is on the forefront of research in particle physics. Their focus is neutrinos, those tiny ubiquitous particles that seemingly pass through matter without any effect and are difficult to detect. It is thought neutrinos could reveal important information which could help solve some of the big questions about mass in the universe and the very existence of a universe at all! Dan Falk visits Fermilab and takes us deep underground to see their facilities which shoot neutrinos through hundreds of kilometres of solid rock to see how they change.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Open Access Books 19 mins – “In 2017, the Directory of Open Access Books marked the 10,000 titles milestone. Today, this important service lists almost 13,000 academic peer-reviewed books, monographs and chapters from 282 publishers.” At the link find the title, “The Rise of Open Access Books, Oct, 2018,” right-click “Media files RiseOfOABooks.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Opioid Crisis in Kentucky P1 50 mins – “The opioid epidemic in America is hurting all levels of society – in this three part documentary series we explore its impact, in real-time, on people in one city, Louisville, Kentucky. We work with a team of reporters on the Louisville Courier Journal as they follow opioid stories across the community – in particular, how it is affecting schools and colleges, as well as health care, law and order and prisons.” The link has no download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive.
Opioid Crisis in Kentucky P2 50 mins – “The opioid epidemic in America is impacting the criminal justice system. We meet the drug court judge who tells us about her hopes for those going through the court. We attend the drug court graduation ceremony and follow the police as they search for drugs. And, we assess the impact on Louisville’s city jail, which runs the state Kentucky’s biggest detox centre.” The link has no download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive.
Opioid Crisis in Kentucky P3 47 mins – “The opioid epidemic in America is hurting all levels of society. In Louisville, Kentucky, drug overdose related deaths are twice the national average. What will the impact be on the next generation? We hear of babies born addicted as a result of their mothers’ drug use, an inspiring school choir and the families finding ways to face up to the epidemic. A mother is campaigning to hold pharmaceutical companies to account and citizens, faith groups and politicians are responding to the crisis.” The link has no download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive.
Orthopedic Vet 29 mins – “For all his success as a Supervet on TV and as a pioneering orthopedic surgeon, Noel Fitzpatrick insists that his life has been full of failures. He didn’t enjoy studying for his specialist vet exams and spent ten years working as an actor before setting up his veterinary practice, Fitzpatrick Referrals. Determined to offer animals access to medical treatments and facilities that are more commonly reserved for humans, he has pioneered several new surgical procedures for small animals, specialising in spinal injuries and creating bionic limbs. The prosthetic leg he made for a German shepherd dog Storm was the first of its kind, inspired by the method that was used to rebuild the arm of one of the victims of the 7/7 bombing in London. And he built the world’s first prosthetic paws for a cat called Oscar whose feet had been crushed by a combine harvester. Now he’s on a mission to break down the barriers between human and veterinary medicine so that both animals and humans can benefit from cutting edge research, without the need to do experiments on animals.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Overfishing in Africa 27 mins – “Overfishing is blighting traditional livelihoods along the coast of Senegal. Fish catches are collapsing there after years of overfishing, mainly by foreign trawlers, some of whom are fishing illegally. Meanwhile, Senegal’s traditional fishermen have been evicted from the rich waters of neighbouring Mauritania, leading to a vicious circle of rapidly falling catches, economic desperation and yet more overfishing. Some have continued crossing the border, provoking an armed response from Mauritania’s coastguard. Senegal’s main traditional fishing port St Louis has seen anti-Mauritanian violence break out as a result. Alfonso Daniels travels to St Louis to find a community in despair, with some young men now seeing no choice but to join the exodus of migrants trying to reach Europe. He also gains rare access to Mauritania – usually off-limits to foreign journalists – and discovers an insatiable onshore fish processing industry now being encouraged across the region, and consuming catches on a vast scale. Much of the industry is fed by big foreign trawlers, and the end product, known as fishmeal, exported to wealthier countries to feed livestock and aquaculture. At the centre of this story is the humble sardinella, a small oily fish which migrates up and down the West African coast, breeding and supporting other species as it moves across borders. With bigger and more nutritious fish routinely exported, sardinella is a staple for several West African countries whose people cannot afford meat. It is also the stock that fishmeal factories typically utilise. Its increasing scarcity threatens millions with malnutrition. As fish stocks collapse and powerful interests vie for those that remain, ordinary Africans are paying the price.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Paralympic Concerns 27 mins – “Last year, Assignment investigated whether some athletes and coaches game the Paralympic classification system in order to win medals. We heard allegations that some competitors had gone to astonishing lengths such as taping up their arms to make their disability appear worse. A parliamentary select committee hearing looked into the way British Paralympic athletes are classified and questions were raised over whether the system was fit for purpose. In this programme, we examine fresh claims of athletes exaggerating or even faking a disability to get ahead in para sports. We look at the case of an athlete where concerns have been raised after they competed in several different disability classifications. A Paralympic gold medallist tells Assignment that he believes that gaming the system in para sports is at a similar level to cheating in able bodied sports and reveals the tell-tale signs that athletes may be trying to get into an easier classification. Reporter Simon Cox speaks to a former international classifier – the people responsible for ensuring athletes are placed in the right category – who reveals how it is possible for classifiers to be fooled. But the head of the British Paralympic Association says he does not believe cheating happens at any meaningful level. The concerns raised by the programme come as a report by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee into sports governance which has examined classification in para sports is due to be published in the UK.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Parkinsons Cause (first item) 27 mins – “For a long time, Parkinson’s disease was thought to be merely a disorder of the nervous system. But in the past decade researchers have started to look elsewhere in the body for clues to this debilitating disease—particularly in the gut. Host Meagan Cantwell talks with Viviane Labrie of the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan, about new research suggesting people without their appendixes have a reduced risk of Parkinson’s. Labrie also describes the possible mechanism behind this connection. And host Sarah Crespi talks with Peter Fratzl of the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany, about what materials scientists can learn from nature. The natural world might not produce innovations like carbon nanotubes, but evolution has forged innumerable materials from very limited resources—mostly sugars, proteins, and minerals. Fratzl discusses how plants make time-release seedpods that are triggered by nothing but fire and rain, the amazing suckerin protein that comprises squid teeth, and how cicadas make their transparent, self-cleaning wings from simple building blocks.” At the link right-click “Download MP3” and select “Save link As” from the pop-up menu.
Parkinsons Off Condition 52 mins – ““Off” times (or periods) are when Parkinson’s symptoms return because medication, specifically levodopa, isn’t working optimally. In this month’s Third Thursdays Webinar, our panelists including a person with Parkinson’s, a biotech entrepreneur and an Edmond J. Safra Fellow in Movement Disorders define “off,” discuss ways to manage these periods and the importance of therapies in development to prevent or alleviate these times. The panel is moderated by a member of The Michael J. Fox Foundation Patient Council.” At the link right-click “Download Audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu
Pediatrics 27 mins – “The dissident doctor who put women and children first You may not know Dr. Michael Klein’s name, but if you’ve had a child in the past 30 years, he may have played a key role in how that baby came into the world. Klein was a pioneer in pushing the medical system to put the needs of mothers and babies first — including exposing the fact that the episiotomy, a once-routine procedure performed on mothers giving birth was doing more harm than good. Brian speaks to him about his new memoir: Dissident Doctor: Catching Babies and Challenging the Medical Status Quo, and finds out how Klein’s past as a Vietnam draft deserter whose father was blacklisted in the McCarthy era, led him to a revolutionary career in medicine. (Perhaps you’ve heard of his daughter…Naomi?)” At the link find the title, “ The dissident doctor who put women and children first, ”right-click “Download The dissident doctor who put women and children first” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Philanthropy from Outside Africa 29 mins – “In 2016 The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged to invest five billion dollars in poverty reduction and health in Africa. Other big givers like the Rockefeller Foundation have spent billions on health, agriculture and livelihood programmes. Some say governments and global agencies have come to depend on the donations of big philanthropic donors for their programmes, but how much influence do they have, and with the rise of home-grown African wealth what is the future is for philanthropy here?” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Philanthropy in African Agriculture 27 mins – “Around one in four people in sub-Saharan Africa is malnourished, and tackling food insecurity is a huge challenge. Alan Kasujja explores how big philanthropy is putting a lot of money into supporting agriculture to improve livelihoods. He talks to farmers in Kenya about the development of new seeds and scientific solutions like fortified crops. But he also discovers that not all farmers are happy about it.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Philanthropy Inside Africa 27 mins – “With the rise of a wealthy class of high net worth individuals in Africa, home-grown philanthropy is on the rise. We meet some of these rich givers to find out what motivates them. The concept of philanthropy among communities is not new here, but as the economic landscape changes Alan Kasujja looks at what impact Africa’s new wealth might have, the impact of social media on how people donate, and what the future might hold for the concept of philanthropy in Africa.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Plastic Recycled Into Roads 9 mins – “The world is awash with plastic. One type which is often removed from recycling channels is soft plastic. It is used widely in distribution to wrap boxes and items on pallets. Passengers can be seen wrapping their bags with it at airports. Some supermarkets have collection points. The Downer Group makes asphalt for roads. They are running trials using soft plastic to replace bitumen in their asphalt mix. The advantage is a reduction in the use of new hydrocarbons in road making, with the potential to set up a hungry new use for the mountains of soft plastic which are either stockpiled or buried. Dante Cremasco describes the process using soft plastic in asphalt and how the trial is proceeding.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Poison in Fake Pot 71 mins – “Join Dan (@drusyniak) &Howard (@heshiegreshie) as they chat with Dr. Steve Aks as they talk about one of the more concerning toxicologic outbreaks in recent memory – the exposure to brodifacoum through synthetic cannabinoid use. Although still ongoing, this crisis highlights the importance of teamwork and collaboration. Delicious Links: From the Department of Health in Illinois – synthetic cannabinoids. A brief discussion of this very topic from Leon Gussow. Not the first problem associated with the synthetic cannabinoids. From the archive, Zombie Day in NYC. The emerging threat of superwarfarins: history, detection, mechanisms, and countermeasures. A case of brodifacoum intoxication with marijuana smoking. And if that wasn’t good enough, a case of severe coagulopathy as a consequence of smoking crack cocaine laced with rodenticide. Why is vitamin K so expensive? Rattled by drug price increases, hospitals seek ways to stay on guard. Why don’t we worry about kids with unintentional exposures to brodifacoum? From the Illinois Poison Center on the dangers of “Fake Weed” on NPR. Who was Wally Pipp? Why is Steve the “Wally Pipp” of the Dantastic Tox? That’s an answer for over a few drinks….” At the link find the title, “The Bloody Mess, Oct, 2018,” right-click “Media files S2e4_The Bloody Mess -10718_4.03_PM.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Politics and Long-Term Problems 8 mins – “Power and profit are short-term. But the world needs coordinated action on long-term problems. These include biodiversity, food security and climate. There are many more. Len Fisher describes the problem and offers a pathway for a solution, on how to communicate and get action on long-term problems from politicians who are here today, and likely gone tomorrow, or soon after.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Privacy Discussion 63 mins – “This episode features Peter Eckersley, an expert in law and computer science, who has worked with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Partnership on AI. Peter and Julia first delve into some of the most fundamental questions about privacy: What are the risks of losing privacy? Do we have more to fear from governments or industry? Which companies do a good job of protecting their users’ privacy? Are there tradeoffs between supporting privacy and supporting competitive markets? Next, they discuss Peter’s work measuring recent progress in AI, and debate to what extent recent progress is cause for optimism.” At the link right-click “Download Audio MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Probiotic Caution 16 mins – “Probiotics don’t live up to the hype, scientists say” At the link find the title, “Probiotics probably aren’t making you well, and they could make you sicker,” right-click “Download Probiotics probably aren’t making you well, and they could make you sicker” and select “Save Link As from the pop-up menu.
Product Development 32 mins – “This podcast is named The Everyday Innovator and I call the people who listen Everyday Innovators. That has meaning. Everyday Innovators see the world a little bit differently. We actively look for problems and unmet needs, recognizing that those are opportunities to create value for customers. Our mental wheels are constantly spinning, thinking about how we can make existing products better and create new products that wow customers. In short, where we find our most energy and satisfaction is creating products that customers love. So, when I saw a new book titled, Deliver Great Products That Customers Love, I knew I had found a kindred Everyday Innovator and I asked him to talk with us. The author of the book is Valerio Zanini. He has created products and led product teams for Fortune 500 companies including Cisco and Capital One, advised several small and medium businesses, and founded a Product Innovation, Design Thinking and Agile coaching practice called 5D Vision. He also has an awesome Italian accent, which you’ll hear in a moment.” At the link right-click “Download” at the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Propaganda in the Trump Era 18 mins – “Jacob Weisberg talks to Clint Watts, the author of Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News, about the question of cyberwar. What is it? What counts? Does the United States have a clear strategy around it? And what’s some basic internet hygiene we all can practice for safe surfing? Plus, John Di Domenico returns with the weekend’s tweets.” At the link find the title, “Cyberwar and Security in the Trump Era, Aug, 2018,” right-click “Media files SLT1325213276.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Quantum Mechanics 4 mins – “Until recently, the strange and mysterious world of quantum mechanics has been for physicists and chemists, not biologists. But as Kim Al-Khalili explains, mechanisms and phenomena within living cells, at the molecular scale, can only have their workings explained, by applying the ideas of quantum mechanics. Examples are genetic mutations, the working of some enzymes and some reactions which are part of photosynthesis.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Robot Restaurants 15 mins – “The restaurant industry is embracing automation, from robot-staffed espresso bars to fully automated burger chefs. In this episode, we explore what this means for workers, diners and–most importantly–the quality of our food.
Robotics Introduction 36 mins – “I have a special episode for you. I believe that as product managers and innovators, we have a responsibility to help prepare the next generation of innovators. I’ve explored this topic in a few past episodes and it is time to do it again. So, this episode is about encouraging you and providing you with ideas for helping future innovators. For this discussion, I traveled to a study room on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). I met with a new student, 17-year-old Kyle Markland. While being accepted to MIT is a significant accomplishment itself, what Kyle is known for is his robotic video tutorials. He is a kid teaching kids. His story is an inspiration to Everyday Innovators, as we can also encourage an interest in robotics and other STEM topics, as well as innovation in general, by sharing our experiences.” At the link right-click “Download” at the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Russian Hackers and Trump Election 23 mins – “There has yet to be a thorough investigation into exactly how much the Russian influence campaign affected the outcome of the 2016 election. The national intelligence community is prohibited from looking into domestic politics and Congress has refused to take up the cause. So, University of Pennsylvania professor Kathleen Hall Jamieson has decided to try fill that void. In a new book she attempts to find out exactly what we do, don’t, and may never know. The book is called “Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive.
Russian Tsar Family Murder 12 mins – “Bradford’s science and Media Museum contains some of the oldest photographs in the world. When curator Natalia Sidlina asked to see museum pieces with a Russian connection she didn’t expect a mysterious crate to land on her desk. It contained 22 photographic albums prepared by the English language tutor to the nieces and nephews of Russia’s last Tsar, Nicolas II. The tutor documented the family and their activities over an 8-year period between 1908 and 1916. Curator Natalia Sidlina describes the photographs and the intriguing story of the murder of the family and attempts to cover up the crime. An exhibition based on the photographs and other objects can be seen at London’s Science Museum until 24 March 2019.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Scientist Movement Freedom (first item) 27 mins “Two reports out this week are looking at internationalism and movement of scientists. The first is close to home in the form of a letter signed by a number of leading UK-based scientists (including 27 Nobel Laureates) to the UK Prime Minister and Jean-Claude Junker, President of the European Commission, citing grave concerns over Brexit becoming a barrier to scientific research, movement of scientists and collaboration. The second report is on the publication of results of a survey for the, Together Science Can campaign, looking more widely at the global movement of scientists. (Then) Bee Cloud – Roland goes to see the World Bee Project Hive Network and discovers how utilising cloud technology, could help analyse huge amount of data from beehives across the planet. (Then) Fish Evolution – The first vertebrates on Earth originated and diversified in the shallow water lagoons lining the mid-Paleozoic coastline. By understanding the habitat these creatures lived in 480-360 million years ago, we get a better idea of the evolutionary pressures which led some creatures to head back out of the water and evolve into land-dwelling animals.
Sexual Assault Report Delays 11 mins – “In recent publicised reports of sexual assault, often from events many years ago, some ask why those reporting the assault waited so long to make their report. There are often many reasons. One can be the effect of alcohol. Heather Flowe at the University of Birmingham reports on results of one experiment which show victims are more likely to blame themselves if they believe they consumed alcohol.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sexual Consent Issues P2 41 mins – “In the year since accusations of sexual assault were first brought against Harvey Weinstein, our news has been flooded with stories of sexual misconduct, indicting very visible figures in our public life. Most of these cases have involved unequivocal breaches of consent, some of which have been criminal. But what have also emerged are conversations surrounding more difficult situations to parse – ones that exist in a much grayer space. When we started our own reporting through this gray zone, we stumbled into a challenging conversation that we can’t stop thinking about. In this second episode of ‘In the No’, radio-maker Kaitlin Prest joins us for a conversation with Hanna Stotland, an educational consultant who specializes in crisis management. Her clients include students who have been expelled from school for sexual misconduct. In the aftermath, Hanna helps them reapply to school. While Hanna shares some of her more nuanced and confusing cases, we wrestle with questions of culpability, generational divides, and the utility of fear in changing our culture.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sexual Consent Issues P3 29 mins – “In the final episode of our “In The No” series, we sat down with several different groups of college-age women to talk about their sexual experiences. And we found that despite colleges now being steeped in conversations about consent, there was another conversation in intimate moments that just wasn’t happening. In search of a script, we dive into the details of BDSM negotiations and are left wondering if all of this talk about consent is ignoring a larger problem. Further reading: “It’s all about the Journey”: Skepticism and Spirituality in the BDSM Subculture, by Julie Fennell” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sheldon Adelson and Trump 30 mins – “Late on a Thursday evening in February 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plane landed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland for his first visit with President Donald Trump. A few hours earlier, the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson’s Boeing 737, which is so large it can seat 149 people, touched down at Reagan National Airport after a flight from Las Vegas. Adelson dined that night at the White House with Trump, Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Adelson and his wife, Miriam, were among Trump’s biggest benefactors, writing checks for $20 million in the campaign and pitching in an additional $5 million for the inaugural festivities. Adelson was in town to see the Japanese prime minister about a much greater sum of money. Japan, after years of acrimonious public debate, has legalized casinos. For more than a decade, Adelson and his company, Las Vegas Sands, have sought to build a multibillion-dollar casino resort there. He has called expanding to the country, one of the world’s last major untapped markets, the “holy grail.” Nearly every major casino company in the world is competing to secure one of a limited number of licenses to enter a market worth up to $25 billion per year. “This opportunity won’t come along again, potentially ever,” said Kahlil Philander, an academic who studies the industry…. “ At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sheldon Adelson and Trump 30 mins – “Virginia Heffernan talks to Justin Elliott, a reporter at Pro Publica, about his new report on Sheldon Adelson, his donations to Donald Trump, and the influence he’s gained within the administration.“ At the link find the title, “Sheldon Adelson’s Influence, Oct, 2018,” right-click “Media files SLT8740895648.mp3” for a short version of the podcast. A longer version is included in the blog archive.
Singers in Columbia 27 mins – “Down but not out in a Colombian border town, four Venezuelans pin their hopes on music. Cucuta is a desperate place, overflowing with Venezuelans who are streaming across the nearby border, fleeing economic collapse. In among the desperation are glimmers of hope, like the four young musicians busking their way round the city’s restaurants to earn money. Karenina Velandia, who grew up in Venezuela, follows her compatriots’ highs and lows as they try to scrape together enough to survive – not just for themselves, but for the parents, wives, and children they’ve left behind. Presenter: Karenina Velandia Producer: Simon Maybin” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Social Media Weaponization 43 mins – “Virginia Heffernan talks to Peter Singer, co-author of the book “LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media,” about how Trump began using social media to rebrand himself into political life, Mike Flynn’s Twitter habits, conspiracy theorists, and why it’s tough to disconnect (even though we know better).” At the link find the title, “Where The Trump Tweets Began”, Oct, 2018,” right-click “Media files SLT2967225418.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sound Podcast 51 mins – “…we’re talking about a podcast that challenges listeners to refine their sense of hearing. Host Dallas Taylor says there are a ton of shows about food and taste, but he wants to be the Gordon Ramsay for your ears. His show is called Twenty Thousand Hertz. Each episode takes a sound – like the NBC Chimes or the sound of space – and explores the story and science behind it. For Taylor, sound is a way to change how we experience and enjoy life and the world around us.” At the link right-click the play button and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Structural Engineer 60 mins – “This week we’re talking about towers, bridges, sinking cathedrals, and other feats of structural engineering. How do we build skyscrapers? How do engineers plan for disaster? What have we learned from structures that have failed about how to build things better? We speak with structural engineer Roma Agrawal about her book “Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures” and what the constructed world we live in looks like through an engineer’s eyes.” At the link find the title, “#497 Built,” right-click “Play Now” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Suicide Discussion 49 mins – “When someone takes their own life, how does it affect those left behind? Suicide claims the life of someone, somewhere in the world, approximately every 40 seconds, according to the World Health Organisation. And that rate is increasing. The devastating effects on those left behind can go on for generations, especially where suicide is taboo or difficult to talk about. Mark Dowd hears the stories of people bereaved by suicide and reflects on his own experience following the suicide of his brother Chris.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Swedens Crime Problem 27 mins – “In February 2017, President Trump made a speech to his supporters. He moved on to the topic of immigration and Sweden. “You look at what’s happening last night in Sweden,” he told the crowd at a rally in Florida. “They took in large numbers; they’re having problems like they never thought possible”. This confused the Swedes because they had not noticed anything happening that Friday night in their country. But since then there has been a spate of violent crime in Sweden. Ruth Alexander investigates.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Transit Vehicle Access 17 mins – “An important function of public transit is providing mobility for people with disabilities. This is particularly challenging because of the broad variety of needs and the complexity of providing appropriate facilities and services as a part of, or separate from, mainstream transit operations. Metro, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, serves the Washington, DC metropolitan area with rail transit, buses, and paratransit vehicles. Metro is a leader among U.S. cities in providing accessible transportation. To learn more about how Metro works to meet the needs of the disabled, we talk with David Shaffer, Metro’s Accessibility Policy Officer.” At the link find the title, “Accessible Public Transportation Services, Oct, 2018,” right-click “Listen to this episode now” and select ‘Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Tree of Life 60 mins – “The idea of the tree of life appears in many of the world’s religions, and it appears, famously, in science, with Darwin’s famous tree of life, where species evolve over millions of years from a common ancestor in the trunk to new species in the branches. But while Darwin’s tree of life endures in textbooks, t-shirts and tattoos, science has moved on. And the tree of life has become more of a tangle. We will speak with David Quammen about his new book “The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life”, and with Julie Dunning Hotopp, who studies how… ” At the link find the title, “#494 The Tangled Taxonomic Tree,” right-click “Play Now” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Trump and Saudia Arabia 12 mins – “The disappearance of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi Consulate has brought renewed attention to what’s been true for years: The United States — and its president — has an important, and extremely complicated, relationship with Saudi Arabia. Trump has been doing business with Saudis for years, even bragging during his presidential campaign about the large amount of money Saudi buyers paid for his apartments. “Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million,” he said at a rally in Mobile, Alabama, in August 2015. “Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.” In this Trump, Inc. podcast extra, WNYC’s Charlie Herman talks with The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold and Joe Nocera from Bloomberg Opinion about all the ways Saudi Arabia is intertwined with U.S. business interests, including those of the president himself.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Trump Deals 39 mins – “Since Donald Trump’s fortunes came surging back with the success of “The Apprentice” 14 years ago, his deals have often been scrutinized for the large number of his partners who have ventured to the very edges of the law, and sometimes beyond. Those associates have included accused money launderers, alleged funders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a felon who slashed someone in the face with a broken margarita glass. Trump and his company have typically countered by saying they were merely licensing his name on these real estate projects in exchange for a fee. They weren’t the developers or in any way responsible. But an eight-month investigation by ProPublica and WNYC reveals that the post-millennium Trump business model is different from what has been previously reported. The Trumps were typically way more than mere licensors or bystanders in their often-troubled deals. They were deeply involved in these projects. They helped mislead investors and buyers — and they profited handsomely from it….” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Trump Monetary Losses 13 mins – “Nearly 20 years ago, Donald Trump told Fortune magazine that he could run for president and make money doing it. “It’s very possible that I could be the first presidential candidate to run and make money on it,” he said in an interview in 2000. But now that he’s president, the story is looking a bit different. A new report from Forbes concluded that the presidency has not enriched Trump overall: Measuring Trump’s net worth before he announced his run for the presidency in 2015 to the last two years, Trump’s fortune has dropped from $4.5 billion to $3.1 billion. In a statement to the magazine, Eric Trump, who is co-managing the Trump Organization, said, “My father made a tremendous sacrifice when he left a company that he spent his entire life building to go into politics. Everything he does is for the good” of the American people. In this Trump, Inc. extra, Charlie Herman talks with one of the Forbes reporter who looked into Trump’s finances, Dan Alexander, and how Trump could have saved millions (and prevented a lot of headaches as well).” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Trump Tax Returns 30 mins – “From the moment during the presidential campaign that Donald Trump broke decades of precedent and declined to release his personal tax returns, the issue of Trump and the taxes he has paid (or not paid) has been the subject of widespread fascination, scrutiny and not a little controversy. That scrutiny ratcheted up significantly in recent weeks with two substantial media investigations of the tax-paying practices of Trump’s family and those of Trump in-law and White House official Jared Kushner. This week’s episode of Trump, Inc. brings clarity to a complex subject. It identifies three patterns in the president’s approach to taxes. First, it describes a history of ignoring norms (which, for presidential candidates, include releasing tax returns). Second, it delves into a recent New York Times investigation — which concluded that the president’s family committed “outright fraud” — to show a history of breaking tax rules. Finally, it examines Trump’s ability to change tax rules to benefit himself and his wealthy peers. The episode includes an interview with The New York Times’ Susanne Craig, the co-author of the expose that reported that Fred Trump passed $413 million in today’s dollars to his son Donald, who describes how she reported her article and the mysteries she and her colleagues unraveled. It also examines a second New York Times article that explored how Kushner exploited a seemingly prosaic tax technique — depreciation — to wipe out his taxable income. (Representatives of the Trumps and Kushners have denied any tax improprieties.) Finally, the episode looks at many of the ways in which Trump’s signature tax cut will redound to the benefit of the real estate industry. The bigger picture? As tax expert Jenny Johnson Ware puts it in the podcast, for taxpayers who want to be aggressive, ‘It’s a great time.’” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Trumps Nationalist 37 mins – “Pipe bombs, heated rhetoric and President Trump’s embrace of the word “nationalist.” With the midterm elections just around the corner, Diane checks in with NPR’s Ron Elving to hear his take on where the politics of division is taking us as a country. Then, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor announced that she has dementia and will be withdrawing from public life. We listen back to Diane’s 2006 interview with O’Connor, shortly after she stepped down from the bench.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in the blog archive.
Victorian Virtual Reality 30 mins – “In the Victorian era, plaster casts became a way to preserve important artifacts in 3-D. Now, virtual reality promises to preserve places and experiences. But who decides what gets preserved? And is the technology an accurate recreation of the experience, or does it fool us into thinking we’ve encountered the real thing when we’ve done nothing of the sort? Guests include: Jaron Lanier, VR pioneer; Nonny de la Pena, VR artist; Tristram Hunt, director of the Victoria and Albert Museum.” At the link find the title, “08: VR or It Didn’t Happen, Oct, 2018,” right-click “Media files SLT3607410792.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Virtual Assistants 30 mins – “What do we expect from our virtual assistants and what happens when we let them be teacher, therapist, and friend? Journalist Judith Shulevitz joins us to talk about how much we should trust Alexa. Journalist Judith Shulevitz realized something strange was happening when she confessed to Alexa that she was lonely. Shulevitz says that’s something she wouldn’t even say aloud to husband, and it brought up a lot of questions about our relationship with artificial intelligence. What exactly do we expect our virtual assistants to do for us and what happens to our brains when we let them be teacher, therapist, and friend? Shulevitz joins us Wednesday to talk about how much we should trust Alexa.” At the link right-click “Download audio,” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Visual Technology Impact 36 mins – “In 1969, an anthropologist introduced photographs and films to people in Papua New Guinea who’d never seen themselves represented in media before. It changed their conception of the world. In modern society, social media floods us with imagery at a pace we’ve never encountered before, and powerful video manipulation technology threatens to blur the line between real and fake. Are we the new Papuans, about to be overwhelmed by a wholesale media shift? Guests include: Nathan Jurgenson, Snapchat’s in-house sociologist; Hany Farid, Dartmouth computer science professor.” At the link find the title, “06: From Zero to Selfie, Oct, 2018,” right-click “Media files SLT7073952716.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Voting Drives 28 mins – “Voting. It’s the fundamental premise underpinning our governmental system. There shouldn’t be disagreement about that, irrespective of political party, right? Why, then, across the nation, are we seeing Republican-run state governments purging voter rolls and erecting barriers to prevent people from exercising their franchise. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Raven Brooks, the COO of Vote.Org, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to getting more Americans to vote. We discuss Vote.Org’s approach to voter registration, how the organization persists in the face of voter suppression tactics, and as we approach the midterm election on Nov. 6th, what’s happening with the vote in places like Florida, North Dakota, Georgia, Kansas, and Texas.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu
Voting Laws and District Maps 27 mins – “Giles Edwards travels to North Carolina to investigate whether new voting laws and partisan district maps could swing November’s elections. Over the last two decades the controversy over voting laws has become increasingly bitter. President Trump regularly complains about unfair rules and illegal votes, and North Carolina has become a key location where these arguments play out.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
White Cane Day 16 mins – “October 11 is White Cane Day in Minnesota and the Blindness community came out strong to support the awareness of the White Cane. Speakers shared the history of White Cane day and others talked about the freedom and independence the white cane brings to them. The Minnesota State Academy for the Blind shared their voices and sang aloud in the Capital’s Rotundra. With the support of the local Lions Clubs, MSAB, NFB of MN and Blind, Inc. the White Cane Day event was a great event with a lot of participation. From joining in on the song to marching in the walk from the St. Paul Capital to the St. Paul Cathedral and bac, participants chatted and talked while blazing through the chilly and windy Autumn day in Minnesota. As Carol Pankow put it, “Rain, sleet or snow, we do it and the weather doesn’t stop us. We just keep moving and grooving with life….” At the link find the title, “What Does White Cane Day Mean to You? Voices at the Capital 2018 (Transcript Provided),, Oct, 2018,” right-click”Media files AmyKavanaghCanes2Final.mp3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Women in Computer Industry 70 mins – “Claire Evans is the author of Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. She is also the founding editor of Terraform, VICE’s science-fiction vertical, and the singer of the band YACHT. She talks with Leo Laporte about the untold history of women in the computer industry.” At the link click “Download Options,” right-click “Audio” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Thanks for stopping by.
Media Mining Digest 