Exercise your ears: the 59 podcasts shown below present the best ideas, information and stories from a larger group of 345 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 23,756 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 157GB 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.
Altruism 44 mins – “Matthieu Ricard is a molecular biologist, Buddhist monk and best-selling author. He was a guest on The Diane Rehm Show in June 2015 to discuss his book ‘Altruism: The Power Of Compassion To Change Yourself And The World’.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive and can be downloaded from there.
American Decline 42 mins – “In Hollywood movies diplomats always get a bad rap. I’m picturing Claude Rains as “Mr. Dryden” in Lawrence of Arabia looking, as Clyde Rains always does, somewhat reptilian as he hunches over a map of the Middle East with General Allenby, smirking secretively. Hollywood diplomats are slippery. Untrustworthy. More often than not, they turn out to be double agents. On screen, definitive action plays better than careful talk or compromise. This is true of America in general and of our politics in particular—we’re just not comfortable with ambiguity. Leave that to the French. Americans are about gettin’ things done. But the geopolitical world is complex, and allegedly getting more so every day. Meanwhile, over the last several presidencies, America has quietly been shifting its foreign policy approach from diplomacy to military muscle. With the current president, the gutting of the State Department in favor of the Pentagon is starting to look like Friday the 13th part whatever. My guest today is investigative journalist and former State Department official Ronan Farrow. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his his work in the New Yorker on the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal. His new book is War on Peace, The End of Diplomacy and The Decline of American Influence — and the title is pretty much self-explanatory.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
American Fragmentation 48 mins – “A nation born in revolution will forever struggle against chaos. Jill Lepore, author of THESE TRUTHS, on the political divide, public shaming, and the future of democracy. How the two parties got as ideologically divided as they are now. (Hint: Not the organic will of the people) Public shaming: The dangers of using destructive means to constructive ends.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
American History Lessons 36 mins – “In this moment of political discontent, when we talk of deep divides and a growing sense that our democracy has gone off track, historians counsel us to look to our past for guidance. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Joseph Ellis returned to the founding of our country in search of lessons for today. His takeaway? We have lost the ability to argue. In his new book, “American Dialogue: The Founders and Us,” Ellis considers some of the major issues that divided the members of the country’s founding generation -and continue to be fought over 200 years later. He tells Diane that we may not find answers in history, but we can learn how to frame the debate.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive and can be downloaded from there.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive and can be downloaded from there.
Andrew Weil 105 mins – “Andrew Weil, M.D. (@DrWeil) is a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine. Dr. Weil received a degree in biology (botany) from Harvard College in 1964 and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1968. After completing a medical internship at Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco, he worked a year with the National Institute of Mental Health, then wrote his first book, The Natural Mind. From 1971-75, as a Fellow of the Institute of Current World Affairs, Dr. Weil traveled widely in North and South America and Africa collecting information on drug use in other cultures, medicinal plants, and alternative methods of treating disease. From 1971-84 he was on the research staff of the Harvard Botanical Museum and conducted investigations of medicinal and psychoactive plants. Dr. Weil is the founder and Director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, where he also holds the Lovell-Jones Endowed Chair in Integrative Rheumatology and is Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health. Through its Fellowship and Integrative Medicine in Residency curricula, the Center is now training doctors and nurse practitioners around the world. A New York Times best-selling author, Dr. Weil is the author of 15 books on health and well-being, including Mind Over Meds, Fast Food, Good Food, True Food, Spontaneous Happiness, Healthy Aging, and Eight Weeks to Optimum Health.” At the link “Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Astronomer’s Life 29 mins – “Maggie Aderin-Pocock has been fascinated by space since she was a young child. When she was six years old she caught the bug when she saw a picture of an astronaut on the front of a book in her primary school library. As a teenager she built her own telescope. After studying physics and mechanical engineering, Maggie worked in industrial research before returning to her first love, astronomy, when she managed the building of an instrument on a giant telescope in Chile. Now, she spends her time presenting TV programmes, in particular the BBC’s Sky at Night, and inspiring the next generation of schoolchildren to become scientists. Maggie’s come a long way since her own childhood. Her parents separated when she was four years old, and their prolonged custody battle meant she attended 13 schools in as many years. In addition, she was diagnosed as dyslexic and put in remedial classes where she wasn’t ever expected to achieve academically.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Birthright Citizenship Discussion 64 mins – “President Trump’s declaration that he could revoke birthright citizenship with an executive order has set off a firestorm of controversy among legal scholars. On this episode, Akhil Reed Amar and Edward Erler debate whether or not the 14th Amendment requires birthright citizenship for all, and dive into the disputed history and original meaning of the Constitution’s Citizenship Clause. Jeffrey Rosen moderates as Amar argues that birthright citizenship is constitutionally required, while Erler asserts that it is not and that Congress has the power to change it—and should.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Bitcoin Energy Usage 56 mins – “Bitcoin ‘mining’ is harder on the environment than mining for gold” At the link find the title, “Bitcoin mining uses more energy than mining for real gold,” right-click “Download Bitcoin mining uses more energy than mining for real gold” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Car Trends 27 mins – “Slate Money on GM’s plant closures, Carlos Ghosn in hot water, Trump trash-talking the Fed, and whether or not we should care about Apple and Microsoft’s market caps.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Carbon Control Efforts 29 mins – “If you’re someone who’s curious about the geopolitical implications of carbon fuel and the ecological havoc it wreaks, you’ve probably come across some of Richard Heinberg‘s work. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with this senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute who has authored over 13 books and regularly ponders the past and future of humanity and the earth in his Museletter. We discuss the global debt crunch, the search for tight oil, and the concomitant acceleration of climate change. Heinberg also tells us his thoughts on negative emissions technologies and regenerative agriculture, and explains why he refers to the past ten years as ‘our bonus decade.’” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Cave Pictures in Somaliland 27 mins – “Somaliland’s rich archaeological heritage was practically unknown 15 years ago. Now thanks to Dr. Sada Mire, Somali archaeologist and author, medieval Islamic towns, pre-Islamic Christian burial sites, and pre-historic cave paintings have been uncovered. One of them, Laas Geel, has been described as one of the most important rock-art sites in eastern Africa. Dr Sada Mire takes us there to see astonishing rock paintings more than 5000 years old in near perfect condition. Their remoteness has until recently protected them but there is little security around these sites. There has already been some looting, and the cave paintings are rapidly deteriorating and have lost some of their colour since their discovery. But Somaliland is in a uniquely difficult position; its archaeological sites fit the criteria to receive Unesco world heritage status, but as a country that is not internationally recognised it cannot get Unesco status and the funding that would help protect its sites. What can a place that is not even allowed to be a country do to protect some of the world’s most precious heritage? Dr Sada Mire and Bidhaan Dahir of the BBC Somali Service explore the possibilities.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Chemical Weapons 38 mins – “Alastair Hay, now Emeritus Professor of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Leeds, is a chemist who’s had a dual career as an academic researcher and an outspoken activist and campaigner. The common theme has been the application of his knowledge to how chemicals affect our lives, in the workplace and during conflicts. Alastair Hay is best known for his work to rid the world of chemical weapons, a concern about this horrific form of warfare that goes back to the use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. His work culminated in the Chemical Weapons Convention, which came into force in 1997, outlawing their production, stockpiling and use. He spent his childhood in Zimbabwe and returned to the UK when he won a scholarship from Shell to study chemistry in London in the late 1960s. After a spell working on the biochemistry of animals, including a stint at London Zoo where one of his more difficult jobs was taking blood from penguins, he moved on to studying the effects of chemicals on humans. Jim al-Khalili talks to Alastair Hay about his love of chemistry and his shock to see that chemical weapons are still being used over twenty years after the signing of the Convention.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
China’s Hidden Prison Camps 27 mins – “China is accused of locking up as many as a million Muslims in its western region of Xinjiang. The government denies this, claiming people willingly attend special ‘vocational schools’ to combat ‘terrorism and religious extremism’. But a BBC investigation has found evidence of a vast, and rapidly growing, network of detention centres where people are held against their will and often abused and humiliated.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Climate Assessment Report – “Last Friday the U.S. government released a report on climate change that laid out with alarming specificity the impacts of global warming on the country. If you missed the news, that was the point. The Trump White House intentionally released the National Climate Assessment the day after Thanksgiving, when many are busy with family and shopping. Not only has the White House denied that climate change is caused by humans, the administration is also implementing policies that will increase greenhouse gas emissions. New York Times energy and environmental policy reporter Coral Davenport joined Diane on the podcast to talk about the report, and the reaction from President Trump and his administration.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive and can be downloaded from there.”
Competition Psychology 37 mins – “Tiger Woods. Phil Mickelson. 18 Holes. 9 million dollars. Two of the most dominant golfers in the past two decades face off against each other for ultimate bragging rights in their rivalry. How does the brain function in a high-pressure situation like this? Does the course favor a certain golfer? On this episode of Playing with Science, hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice team up with neuroscientist and StarTalk All-Stars host Heather Berlin and sports physicist “The Good Professor” John Eric Goff to investigate the science behind this epic match, both physical and mental.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Conversion Theory P1 45 mins – “Today on Radiolab, we’re playing part of a series that Jad worked on called UnErased: The history of conversion therapy in America. The episode we’re playing today, the third in the series, is one of the rarest stories of all: a man who publicly experiences a profound change of heart. This is a profile of one of the gods of psychotherapy, who through a reckoning with his own work (oddly enough in the pages of Playboy magazine), becomes the first domino to fall in science’s ultimate disowning of the “gay cure.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Conversion Theory P2 52 mins – “Today on Radiolab, we’re playing the fourth and final episode of a series Jad worked on called UnErased: The history of conversion therapy in America. Imagine… You’re openly gay. Then, you become the leader of the largest ex-gay organization and, under your leadership, many lives are destroyed. You leave that organization, come out as gay – again – and find love. Do you deserve to be happy? This is a story of identity, making amends and John Smid’s reckoning with his life.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Cork Industry 30 mins – “What do cork, coffee cups, lettuce, and excessive travel have in common? They are all areas of personal choice that have an environmental impact, and they are all things we will be discussing with our guest today on Sea Change Radio. Lloyd Alter is a design professor as well as an editor at TreeHugger.com. This week he joins us and expounds on the virtues of cork, a surprisingly sustainable alternative to fossil-fuel-based products for sound-proofing, insulation, home-building, and, of course, bottling wine. We also talk about the waste generated by ubiquitous coffee-to-go, the diminishing need for travel in the era of electronic communication, and what Alter posits to be the idiocy of lettuce. As many of us think about making New Year’s resolutions for 2019, Alter gives us some ideas as to what we might put on our lists.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Cuyana CEO 19 mins – “Seth Stevenson talks to Cuyana CEO Karla Gallardo about her upbringing in Ecuador and how it inspired her to make products that last. Gallardo also explains why she focused on female investors when she started the company and what it was like to see Meghan Markle sporting a Cuyana bag.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Dangerous Game 45 mins – “Sheelah Kolhatkar is a staff writer at the New Yorker and a former “risk arbitrage analyst” for two hedge funds in New York City. For the New Yorker, Sheelah writes about Wall Street, Silicon Valley, economics and national politics, among other things. Her latest book is the New York Times bestseller Black Edge, about the largest insider trading investigation in history and the transformation of Wall Street and the U.S. economy. This week’s episode is a departure for us – a deep dive into the personalities, culture, and ideas driving the big banks and the hedge funds of Wall Street. Jason and Sheelah talk about what it was like for her as a woman in that male-dominated industry, how hedge funds have reshaped the whole Wall Street landscape and with it, the global economy, and why billionaire investors are almost required to collect Picassos.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Democracy Revival 45 mins – “Jason Gots: I want to tell you a story. It’s November 5, 2016, a few days before Election Day. I’m staring at Facebook, promising myself I’m going to delete the app once and for all from my phone, today. Enough of the political echo chamber. Enough of the ranting. Then I’m sucked into a video, because that’s what happens. It’s CNN’s Van Jones sitting in the living room of a family in Pennsylvania. Unlike me and most every other liberal coastal elite I know, he’s talking to people who support Donald Trump for President. Listening. Trying to understand. And pulling no punches in expressing his own anger and anxiety over where our country might be headed. In the year leading up to this moment, I had seen nothing like it. And it gave me hope. I’m so happy to welcome CNN Contributor and former Obama Administration adviser Van Jones to Think Again. His new book is Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Diets Around the World 8 mins – “ How many calories do you consume in a day? Is it more or less than the recommended 2,000? How does it compare to the butter-rich 4,900 of a Tibetan monk — or the scant 800 of a Maasai herder in Kenya? These are the questions asked by photographer Peter Menzel and his wife, Faith D’Aluisio, in their new book, What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.” I want people to understand their own diets better — and their own chemistry and their own biology,” Menzell tells NPR’s Michele Norris. “And make better decisions for themselves.” To do that, he and D’Aluisio decided to lay it all out. Literally. This is not the first project of its kind for Menzel and D’Aluisio. A few years ago, their book Hungry Planet showed what families eat over the course of a week. Before that, Material World displayed the anatomy of household possessions around the world. For their newest project, the duo traveled to 30 countries to document what we humans eat on an average day. And their findings are fascinating. Take Joao Agustinho Cardoso, for example. He’s a Brazilian fisherman who consumes a whopping 5,200 calories a day. But, as Menzel’s photo shows, he has an average build, and the quantity of food on his table seems reasonably healthy: whole milk, an entire freshwater fish, pinto beans and noodles. The secret, Menzel explains, is an active lifestyle and high-fiber foods — and a lot of cooking oil. American truck driver Conrad Tolby, on the other hand, gets his 5,400 calories from cheeseburgers, fried foods and Starbucks. Menzel’s photographs are accompanied by D’Aluisio’s text, which delineates each diet but also gives cultural context. She explains why, for example, Millie Mitra in India drinks her own urine; it’s a practice called shivambu, described in ancient texts as cleansing and curative. For D’Aluisio, the goal is to get readers to compare and contrast — to situate one’s personal diet against that of a 12-year-old runaway in Bangladesh or an acrobat in China.” At the link find the title, “Food Photos: Around The World In 80 Diets, 2010,” right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Eating Questions 45 mins – “This is the first of many episodes that will feature the guys answering listener questions. This episode features questions and answers on topics such as: Juicing; Omad; Counting calories (even if eating healthy) What to do if you have a sweet tooth. Food ingredient to always avoid. How do you make your bone broth. What organ to start with if you’re not used to organs. How to get your kids to eat healthy. Have a Wild Health question? Shoot it over to matt@wildhealthpodcast.com mike@wildhealthpodcast.com or jody@wildhealthpodcast.com” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the audio file is included in the blog archive.
Endangered Species 29 mins – “How splendid would it be if humans could somehow find a way to truly co-exist with the rest of the planet’s creatures? This week on Sea Change Radio, we focus on two people doing what they can to protect endangered species around the globe. First, we speak to Brooke Bessesen, an author and wildlife researcher whose new book about a small, rare type of porpoise in the Sea of Cortez called the vaquita is facing possible extinction. Then, we take a look back at our 2017 discussion with Topher White. His organization, Rainforest Connection, up-cycles defunct cell phones with solar charging technology and then places them strategically in rainforests all over the world to monitor human activity like poaching and deforestation.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Enlightenment 36 mins – “I admit it. I confess. I’ve got a touch of what my guest today calls “progressophobia”. Ever since Charles Dickens got hold of me back in middle school, and William Blake after that, I’ve been a little suspicious of the Great Onward March of science and technology. Gene therapy, healthier crops, safer, more efficient forms of nuclear energy? Very nice, very nice. But what about eugenics, climate change, and Fukushima? For every problem human ingenuity solves, doesn’t human nature create a new one, on a bigger scale? Dammit, Spock, can your cold, calculating reason fathom the mysteries of the human heart? But you know what? After devouring all 453 pages and 75 graphs of psychologist Steven Pinker’s new book ENLIGHTENMENT NOW, I admit defeat. The defeat of defeatism. This man has done the math. Since the 18th century things have been getting better in pretty much every dimension of human well-being. Health, safety, education, happiness, you name it… And we’ve done it with the most reliable tools we have: reason, science, and Enlightenment humanism.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Facebook Politics 37 mins – “On If Then, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus discuss the ongoing fallout at Facebook over the company’s decision to hire a conservative PR firm to surface opposition research in order to attack Facebook’s nonprofit critics by highlighting their funding ties to the liberal financier George Soros, playing into a popular, untrue, and anti-Semitic right-wing trope. As internal and external turmoil continues to rile major American technology companies, their employees are organizing for serious change. The hosts dig into what they’ve accomplished so far and what continued employee pressure and mounting labor actions means down the line. Then, an interview with Antonio Regalado, a senior editor at the MIT Technology Review, on a story he broke Sunday night: the very first efforts to gene-edit babies reportedly born this month in China.* The trio discusses the history of gene-editing technology and the debate about using it on humans. To some, gene-editing is a form of medicine, like a vaccination. To others, it’s a form of enhancement. How easy is this to do? And will we have a future where the health of tomorrow’s children, or those whose parents can afford it, will be determined before they’re even born?” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Facebook Problems 27 mins – “It may be an understatement to say 2018 has been a rough year for Facebook. The company has been accused of aggressive tactics that push competitors out of the market. It faces growing concerns over privacy and how it uses – and misuses – personal data. And governments have raised questions about Facebook’s affect on democracy, itself. As online campaigns circulate urging users to shut down their accounts, lawmakers in Washington wonder whether it is time change the way it regulates Facebook and other tech giants.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive and can be downloaded from there.
Fashion Trends and Instagram 33 mins – “It’s hard to sum up who Eva Chen is in one simple title. She’s a former magazine editor. She’s a social media star. She’s a fashion icon – particularly for women in their twenties and thirties. And now, she’s a children’s book author. On Instagram she documents her life in photos– what she wears, the highs and lows of being a mother to two young kids, and her job as director of fashion partnerships at Instagram. Evan Chen’s new children’s book is “Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes.” Eva stopped by the studio last week on her book tour to talk with Diane.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive and can be downloaded from there.
Formula One Cars 28 mins – “How do you convince Formula One racing drivers that they are speeding round the race track at Le Mans when, in fact, they are sitting in a simulator in the McLaren offices in Woking? Apparently it’s all about getting the vibrations right. Racing drivers really do drive by the seat of their pants. They’re also highly attuned to the sound f the engine and instinctively associate different sounds with different speeds. When Caroline Hargrove started trying to build a driveable model of a Formula One car many thought it just wouldn’t be possible. Today, all the major manufacturers of Formula One cars use simulators to help them design faster cars and improve driver performance. Caroline talks to Jim Al-Khalili about how she stumbled upon a job in Formula One and stayed for twenty years. And why she now wants to build digital twins for human beings.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Hasidic Judaism 52 mins – “When I started college at New York University in 1990, nobody lived in Brooklyn. Brooklyn was the dark side of the moon. At least that’s how we NYU students thought about it. Lots of people lived in Brooklyn, of course. Just not us. It’s 2018, and Brooklyn has become an international brand, synonymous with artisanal pickles, gastropubs, and luxury condos. It’s the place even former NYU students can’t afford to live anymore. But in a couple of Brooklyn neighborhoods, people are still dressing and living in many ways like it’s the 18th century, and adhering to laws that date back centuries, even millennia earlier. I’m talking about Hasidic Judaism, and particularly, today, about Borough Park, Brooklyn, where this community thrives. And even more particularly about one woman—Rachel “Ruchie” Frier—who, in spite of being religiously observant as most humans would define it has nonetheless become a thorn in the side of the more conservative elements of this already deeply conservative community. The all-female volunteer ambulance corps she started was a radical move for Borough Park, and it’s the subject of 93Queen, a new documentary by Paula Eiselt.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Health Inequalities 28 mins – “When George Davey-Smith started work as an epidemiologist, he hoped to prove that the cause of coronary disease in South Wales soon after the miner’s strike was Thatcherism. The miners said they thought it was a combination of having a poor constitution and bad fortune. Thirty years later, George admits he would have done well to listen to them. Having spent decades studying the influence on our health of a huge number of variables, from lifestyle factors like car ownership to our genetic inheritance and most recently epi-genetic effects; George has concluded that whether or not individuals get sick is, to a significant extent, down to chance. But that’s not to say that public health interventions are a waste of time.They can boost the overall health of a population, significantly.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Human Evolution 72 mins – “An update: we revisit our episode about normalcy. Evolution results from the ability of organisms to change. But how do you tell the difference between a sea change and a ripple in the water? Is a peacenik baboon, a man in a dress, or a cuddly fox a sign of things to come? Or just a flukey outlier from the norm? And is there ever really a norm? This episode we return to two stories where choice has challenged destiny to see what’s changed and what has become deeply normal.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Immigration History 52 mins – “Colorado State University-Pueblo professor Matt Harris teaches a class about the anti-slavery movement before the Civil War.” At the link under the title, “Lectures in History,” click “Past Programs,” find the title, “Pre-Civil War Anti-Slavery Movement Sept 1, 2018,” right-click it and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
India Books 19 mins – “With thousands of publishers working in dozens of languages, India is the seventh-largest book publishing nation on Earth. The English-language book market alone is the world’s second-largest, after the US. In addition, the Indian smartphone market is the fastest-growing on the planet, with 300 million users. While Indian-language news and entertainment available on those devices may be leading a generation away from traditional print media, including books, the Association of Publishers in India (API) considers books to be essential to India’s future – as resources for educational ambitions and as outlets for creative expression.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Jamal Khashoggi Murder 30 mins – “It’s been nearly two months since journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey. The CIA concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ordered the killing, but President Trump has remained steadfast in his support of the U.S. – Saudi relationship. The whole incident has shined a bright light on the behavior of Saudi Arabia on the international stage – particularly in the ongoing brutal war in Yemen. It has also raised questions about President Trump’s financial ties to the Saudi kingdom. New York Times White House correspondent Mark Landler has been following the story closely. As he wrote recently, “For Mr. Trump, it is enough that Prince Mohammed denied any involvement in the killing in phone calls with him.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive and can be downloaded from there.
Jamal Khashoggi Murder 34 mins – “Virginia Heffernan discusses the murder of Jamal Khashoggi with Adam Coogle of Human Rights Watch. It’s a sobering reminder that the current administration seems to be turning a blind eye to human rights abuses.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
James Comey 36 mins – “Virginia Heffernan talks to analyst Mieke Eoyang, vice president of Third Way’s national security program, about all things James Comey, including his testimony, takes on his role and righteousness, and what we would want to hear from him. Plus, Rex Tillerson, the new U.N. ambassador and how Trump elects women to his Cabinet, and more Trump-Russia.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Jeff Flake and Mueller 19 mins – “Sen. Jeff Flake is demanding legislation to protect the Mueller probe. High-profile conservatives are peeling off from the Federalist Society to stand up to the Trump administration. Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick explains why she thinks this is a pivotal moment for the Trump administration and its discontents.” At the link right-click “MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Lost Roanoke Colony 51 mins – “…we’re talking about the lost colony of Roanoke. In 1590, some 100 English settlers vanished from present-day North Carolina with little trace. It’s a story that has captured the imagination of Americans, with theories as vastly different as peaceful coexist with indigenous tribes to alien abduction. In a new book, journalist Andrew Lawler looks for traces of the colonists with historians and archaeologists and explores how the story of Roanoke has become part of the myth of America.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Michael Flynn and Trump 33 mins – “This week brings major news from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into ties between the Trump administration and Russia. As the public learns more from the secretive world of Mueller’s prosecution, it seems people are holding their breath for “the big one” – the thing that cracks it all open. But Ben Wittes says not so fast. Wittes is editor-in-chief of Lawfare and a close follower of the various investigations surrounding President Trump and his associates. Wittes says if there is a moment that will bring down President Trump, it’s not going to be legal – it will be political.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is in the blog archive and can be downloaded from there.
Mind Wandering 58 mins – “When was the last time you were bored? I mean really, well and truly, staring at the patterns in the wallpaper bored? Statistics suggest that you’re probably listening to this show on a smartphone. Which means you own a smartphone. Which means it’s probably always close at hand, full of apps and podcasts to distract you the instant that uncomfortable feeling of boredom creeps in. Which means your brain almost never gets the chance to sit with that restlessness and come up with creative alternatives, from daydreaming to doing something brilliant (or at least less boring) in real life. If that’s not you, awesome. But it’s a lot of us these days. My guest today, Manoush Zomorodi, is the host of Note to Self – a popular radio show and podcast on how we live with technology. An experiment she did on the show with the eager help of 20,000 fans became the subject of her new book Bored and Brilliant: how spacing out can unlock your most productive and creative self.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Native American Sovereignty 66 mins – “A very packed show. All the Mueller moves with Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, now a Fellow in Criminal Justice at Pace Law School. Plus Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Riyaz Kanji, an attorney for the Creek Nation, to explore the fascinating questions and disgraceful history involved in Carpenter v. Murphy, a case argued by Kanji before the Supreme Court last week that started with a murder and now involves questions of sovereignty over 3 million acres in Oklahoma.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Networks and Power 90 mins – “ Niall Ferguson is a senior research fellow at Jesus College, Oxford, and at the Hoover Institution, Stanford, as well as visiting professor at the New College of the Humanities, London. His books include The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook (02018); Civilization: The West and the Rest (02012); and The Ascent of Money (02009). Historian Niall Ferguson: “Globalization is in crisis. Populism is on the march. Authoritarian states are ascendant. Technology meanwhile marches inexorably ahead, threatening to render most human beings redundant or immortal or both. How do we make sense of all this?” Ferguson analyzes the structure and prospects of “Cyberia” as yet another round in the endless battle between hierarchy and networks that has wrought spasms of innovation and chaos throughout history. He examines those previous rounds (including all that was set in motion by the printing press) in light of the current paradoxes of radical networking enabled by digital technology being the engine of massive hierarchical companies (Facebook, Amazon, Google, Twitter, and their equivalents in China) and exploited by populists and authoritarians around the world. He puts the fundamental question this way: “Is our age likely to repeat the experience of the period after 1500, when the printing revolution unleashed wave after wave of revolution? Will the new networks liberate us from the shackles of the administrative state as the revolutionary networks of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries freed our ancestors from the shackles of spiritual and temporal hierarchy? Or will the established hierarchies of our time succeed more quickly than their imperial predecessors in co-opting the networks, and enlist them in their ancient vice of waging war?” Niall Ferguson is currently a senior research fellow at Jesus College, Oxford, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and visiting professor at the New College of the Humanities. His books include The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook (2018); Civilization: The West and the Rest (2012); and The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World (2009).” At the link click “Download,” right-click “Audio Podcast” on the pop-up menu and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Neural Imaging 90 mins – “With her stunning breakthroughs in neural imaging, Mary Lou Jepsen is making the brain readable (and stimulatable) in real time. That will revolutionize brain study and brain medicine, but what about brain communication? Could a direct high-resolution interface to the brain lead to what might be called practical mental telepathy? What are the prospects for brain enhancement? What are the ethics of direct brain reading and intervention? Mary Lou Jepsen founds programs and companies on the hairy edges of physics, invents solutions and takes them to prototype all the way through to high volume mass production. She’s done this at Intel, MIT’s Media Lab, One Laptop Per Child, Pixel Qi, Google X, and Facebook (Oculus). She is the founder and CEO of Openwater, which is “devising a new generation of imaging technologies, with high resolution and low costs, enabling medical diagnoses and treatments, and a new era of fluid and affordable brain-to-computer communications.” At the link click “Download,” right-click “Audio Podcast” on the pop-up menu and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Neurologist at Work 28 mins – “Suzanne O’Sullivan has been described as “a detective of the mind”. She’s a neurologist who helps some patients with the strangest of symptoms, from so-called ‘Alice in Wonderland’ seizures to those suffering from temporary blindness or paralysis, and that turn out to originate in their subconscious minds. By the time these people get to see Dr Suzanne O’Sullivan they’ll often have been to many specialists, undergone a range of tests and given a variety of diagnoses. Suzanne’s an expert on epilepsy, and the unusual ways that seizures can manifest themselves, who currently works at University College Hospital in London and for the Epilepsy Society. As well as diagnosing and treating patients, Suzanne has also written books about some of her most memorable, and frankly bizarre, cases. Her first book, It’s All in Your Head, which won the Wellcome Book prize in 2016, describes many of her case studies involving patients whose illnesses are psychosomatic. But, she argues that this is an area of medicine that has not been studied deeply enough yet. After all, for the patients themselves, these debilitating symptoms are all too real.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Presidential Restraint 45 mins – “This episode of Whistlestop travels back to Nov. 9, 1989, when East and West Berliners took sledgehammers to the Berlin Wall and President H.W. George Bush showed restraint in not making grandiose statements about American-style democracy. Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidential history. Hosted by Political Gabfest host John Dickerson, each installment will revisit memorable moments from America’s presidential carnival.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Professions Future 60 mins – “This week, we’re thinking about how rapidly advancing technology will change our future, our work, and our well-being. We speak to Richard and Daniel Susskind about their book “The Future of Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts” about the impacts technology may have on professional work. And Nicholas Agar comes on to talk about his book “The Sceptical Optimist” and the ways new technologies will affect our perceptions and well-being.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow at the end of the sound bar and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Richard Dawkins 54 mins – “Today’s guest is internationally best-selling author, speaker, and passionate advocate for reason and science as against superstition Richard Dawkins. From 1995 to 2008 Richard Dawkins was the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. Among his many books are The Selfish Gene, the God Delusion, and his two-part autobiography: An Appetite for Wonder and A Brief Candle in the Dark. His latest is a collection of essays, stories, and speeches called Science in the Soul, spanning many decades and the major themes of Richard’s work. In this episode, which Dawkins described as “one of the best interviews I have ever had,” Richard and Jason talk about whether pescatarianism makes any sense, where morality should come from (since, as Hume says, “you can’t get an ‘ought’ from an ‘is’), the greatness of Christopher Hitchens, and the evils of nationalism.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Rosanne Cash 60 mins – ““She Remembers Everything” is the name of the latest Rosanne Cash album, the 14th of her amazing career. Rosanne and her husband and musical collaborator, John Leventhal, sit down with Broken Record’s Bruce Headlam to play songs from the album, talk about songwriting, her musical family and how “She Remembers Everything” grew out of today’s politics. They also perform cover versions of two American classics, “Long Black Veil” and “Farewell Angelina.” At the link left-click “Share” at the sound bar, then right-click the download arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Ruby Ridge Incident 26 mins – “In this second episode of Standoff, our new narrative miniseries on the story of Ruby Ridge, host Ruth Graham breaks down what led to a shootout on the Weaver family property on Aug. 21, 1992, that left three people dead.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Seed Industry 28 mins – “There’s no time better than after a holiday of feasting to remember where we get our food. Ultimately, most of our complex recipes begin with the simple seed. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to author and environmental journalist Mark Schapiro to discuss the current state of agribusiness and his book Seeds of Resistance. We take a look back at his last book, Carbon Shock, to see how it has weathered the past five years of increased climate change-related events, discuss the unlikely feud over corn nuts and examine some of the valuable work of leading seed advocates around the globe.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Shackleton Legacy 52 mins- “…. the writer David Grann joins us to share the remarkable and inspiring story of Henry Worsley. A devoted husband and father and a former British special forces officer, Worsley was obsessed with the legacy of Ernest Shackleton. He yearned to walk in Shackleton’s footsteps, both figuratively and literally. In his attempt to walk across Antarctica alone, Worsely battled life-threatening exhaustion and the unforgiving polar landscape. He also redrew the boundaries of human courage and endurance.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Silk Road Countries 72 mins – “Today’s guest Peter Frankopan is a historian at Oxford University, where he is Director of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research. He works on the history of the Mediterranean, Russia, the Middle East, Persia, Central Asia and beyond, and on relations between Christianity and Islam. Peter’s new book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, is an international bestseller, described by William Dalrymple as a ‘historical epic of dazzling range, ambition and achievement’. At an anxious moment in Western history, Frankopan encourages us to take a historical perspective, understanding how change happens in societies and how people typically react to it. This conversation unpacks the fascinating and dense history of the Silk Road countries and digs deep into the economic and social forces that shape our lives.” At the link left-click “Share” on the sound bar, right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Sport Injuries 49 mins – “You can’t talk about sports without talking about injuries. They’re an occupational hazard on every level from weekend warrior to elite professional athletes. If you’re an athlete in any capacity, it’s likely at some point you’ll be injured. On this episode of Playing with Science, hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly investigate the world of sports injuries and the science of recovery. They are joined by Dr. Joshua Dines, physician for the New York Mets and New York Rangers, and, Dr. Jim Taylor, sports psychologist. Find out what the most common injuries are in sports. Explore how technology has advanced the field enough to drastically shorten the recovery timeline on what used to be career-ending injuries. Gary gives us a player’s perspective throughout the episode as he describes his experiences dealing with serious injury during his playing career. You’ll hear how the culture has developed, and stayed the same, around player injuries. Chuck and Joshua recreate a typical conversation between doctor and general manager that demonstrates the cold-blooded and honest nature of teams dealing with long-term injuries. Chuck tells us why he could never coach. We discuss how the balance of rest and physical exercise constitute a good recovery. You’ll learn about the dangers of re-injury, and how injuries can vary depending on the player. Joshua tells us the three main areas he sees surgical procedures progressing. Find out more about the use of stem cells to rebuild ligaments. We discuss if high-level surgical procedures ever make their way to the general public. You’ll hear why wearing braces for extended periods of time might weaken strength. Jim takes us inside the brain of an athlete and explains why an injury to the body is also an injury to the mind. Discover the steps of mental rehabilitation and the cognitive dissonance that can occur after a major injury. You’ll also learn why the best option for recovery is always to stick with the program. All that, plus, we investigate the best ways to prevent injuries.” At the link you can sign up to listen; however, a copy of the podcast is also included in the blog archive.
Ultra Marathoners 49 mins – “50, 100, 200 miles and more – ultramarathons are no joke. On this episode of Playing with Science, hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice catch up with ultramarathon runner and world record breaker Ann Trason and Shawn Bearden, a.k.a. Dr. Ultra, as we pull back the curtain on endurance racing. We define ultrarunning and explore how the definition can change depending on who you’re asking. Find out about the longest classified road race – the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. Discover more about how runners plan their schedules around events in which they will compete during the year. Dr. Ultra breaks down “bioenergetics” and how the body functions during endurance running. Learn how diet and physical behavior can help a runner’s efficiency in performance and how recovery is a vital part of training. Investigate why certain recovery techniques are over-hyped and unnecessary. We also discuss the law of distinguishing return during endurance running. Dr. Ultra tells us the single most important thing in training. Find the connections between mentally preparing for ultra-running and mindfulness and meditation. You’ll also learn simple ways to prevent injuries and the impact of the placebo effect, and why Dr. Ultra’s soccer past has helped his performance as an ultra-runner….” At the link you can sign up to listen; however, a copy of the podcast is also included in the blog archive.
Voting Opposition 7 mins – “Negro Queue in Mississippi Is Symbol of Frustration in Voter Registration Drive; SPEED-UP DOUBTED UNDER RIGHTS BILL; Few Applicants Succeed in Getting Names on Books Despite Long Effort” At the link find the title, “Election Eve Rebroadcast (In Line), Nov 2018,” right-click “Play Now” and select “Save link As” from the pop-up menu.
Voting Struggle in America 52 mins – “…we’re talking about the modern struggle to vote in America. When it was passed in 1965 the Voting Rights Act was meant to enfranchise racial minorities long denied the ballot. But has it really worked out like that? Not according to investigative journalist Ari Berman. Having studied the past 50 years of electoral history, Berman says that a “committed group of counterrevolutionaries” have fought to undermine the VRA and shatter the achievements of the civil rights movement.” At the link right-click “Listen” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Vulcanologist 27 mins – “Clive Oppenheimer has, more than once, been threatened with guns (a Life Scientific first?). He’s dodged and ducked lava bombs and he’s risked instant death in scorching and explosive eruptions.
He studies volcanoes; science that by necessity, requires his presence at the volcanic hotspots of the world. It was at the lip of a bubbling lava crater on one of the earth’s most active volcanoes, Mount Erebus in Antarctica, that he met the film and documentary maker Werner Herzog. The two became friends and went on to make a volcano movie together. Clive, who’s Professor of Volcanology at the University of Cambridge, tells Jim academics and film makers share the same complementary skill set: thorough research, slick location recording and a familiarity with rejection as 9 out of 10 film pitches (or grant proposals) are turned down! As well as a forensic fascination with the dramatic impact of ancient and modern volcanism on the landscape, Clive discusses how multiple scientific disciplines are now needed to understand the complex historical, archaeological, climatological and environmental impacts of the earth’s volcanic eruptions. He wades into the bitter academic row about what did it for the dinosaurs 65 million years ago: meteorite or volcanism? And he details the importance of Mount Pinatubo’s 1991 eruption in the Philippines for our deeper understanding of anthropogenic climate change.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Wendell Wilkie 60 mins – “Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer David Levering Lewis recalled the life of Wendell Wilkie, a midwestern businessman turned politician, who unsuccessfully ran as the Republican nominee for president in 1940. David Levering Lewis was joined in conversation by author and editor Lewis Lapham.” At the link right-click “Q&A with David Levering Lewis,” and select ‘Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
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Media Mining Digest 