Exercise your ears: the 41 podcasts shown below present the best ideas, information and stories from a larger group of 293 for the week, to hear while your hands and eyes are busy. Get all the files as a group here, or double (ctrl-click) individual titles to get single podcasts and explore the source. A collection of 27,750 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 170GB 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 503 sources. And try PodcastRE from the University of Wisconsin with over 150,000 titles. Exercise your ears and relax the rest.
9-11 Attack Series 24 mins – “Actors Jeff Daniels and Peter Sarsgaard join Chuck to talk about their roles in the new Hulu series “The Looming Tower.” They also discuss how art and culture have changed, and how they can respond to crisis.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Afghanistani Translator Story 24 mins – “U.S. Army Captain Matt Zeller says he wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Janis Shinwari, an Afghan Translator who saved his life during an ambush. Years later, Zeller had the chance to return the favor to Janis — and many others. Thousands more still need help.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Aggregated Journalism 32 mins – “James Hohmann, author of the Washington Post’s Daily 202 newsletter, joins Chuck to talk about how news coverage is changing, what to look for in the midterms, and why Minnesota hasn’t gone red yet.” At the link find the square with three dots, right-click it, then right-click “Download” to get the podcast.
Alabama Politics 30 mins – “In 2017, Democratic pollster Paul Maslin teamed up with Joe Trippi to work on the longshot Doug Jones campaign in Alabama – and they believe they had a shot to win the state even before reports of sexual assault allegations were made against Roy Moore.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Andrea Mitchell 24 mins – “In Mitchell’s 40 years at NBC, she has made headlines with groundbreaking coverage of everything from the Jonestown Massacre to the Three Mile Island disaster to Fidel Castro’s regime. NBC’s Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent has covered 7 presidents during her tenure and witnessed and adapted to massive changes in the journalism industry. Mitchell didn’t know journalism would be her calling at first, she said. Entering college, she thought she would be a professional violinist and grew up spending eight hours daily practicing at music school. But she loved writing, history, and politics too much, and at the University of Pennsylvania, she quickly became involved with the Ivy League Radio Network.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Asteroid Impact 24 mins – “Whether it’s Black Mirror or Armageddon, dystopia and depicting the end of days continues to capture the imagination of writers and creatives. Chuck Todd sat down with William Cohen, former Secretary of Defense under Bill Clinton and author of “Final Strike”…. An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, and “Final Strike” is about the world’s race to save themselves….” At the link right-click “MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Beer Brewing 40 mins – “MTS 61, Charles Bamforth – Beer: eight thousand years of technology” At the link find the title, “MTS61,” which can be heard, but not downloaded; however, a copy is included in this blog archive.
Blockchain Technology 24 mins – “Paul Vigna, Wall Street Journal reporter and co-author of “The Truth Machine” joins Chuck to talk about Blockchain, bitcoin, and the future of cryptocurrency.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Cambridge Analytica 50 mins – “This Sunday on Meet the Press: An exclusive interview with Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie, Director of Trade and Industrial Policy Peter Navarro, and Sen Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), to discuss the White House’s response to the latest developments in Syria, tariffs on Chinese goods, criticism of Scott Pruitt, and the potential Facebook fallout. Chuck is also joined by the Meet the Press panel, New York Times correspondent Helene Cooper, presidential historian Doris Kearns-Goodwin, Editor for the Cook Political Report Charlie Cook and National Review editor Rich Lowry.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
CDC Disease Outbreaks 42 mins – “When a new biothreat or emerging infectious agent threatens, how are diagnostic protocols put into place? It’s up to the Laboratory Response Network (LRN), a multipartner network of public health, clinical and other labs, to generate and distribute reagents, and provide training to detect these threats. Julie Villanueva, Chief of the Laboratory Preparedness and Response Branch at the CDC, talks about the LRN and how no two weeks on the job are alike.” At the link you can listen, but not download the podcast; however, a copy is included in this blog archive.
Chinese CDC 45 mins – “George F. Gao discusses how China CDC promotes global public health during outbreaks SARS and Ebola. He also talks about running a structural biology lab, the importance of both basic and translational research, and the most important discovery of the 20th century. Julie’s Biggest Takeaways: China CDC was founded in 2001. Its experience with the SARS outbreak informed its response to the western Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014-2016, having learned that viruses don’t care about national borders and can quickly become an international problem. Responding to any major outbreak serves both altruistic and selfish motives, since quelling the outbreak decreases the chance that the disease will continue to circulate, potentially reaching your country. Basic research is fundamental for many translational applications to improve human health. By measuring the mutation rate, for example, of a circulating virus, scientists can determine if previous isolates can be used to generate vaccines. The basic research that led to new nucleic acid sequencing techniques has many important applications! When asking other scientists what the most important discovery of the 20th century is, many biomedical scientists name the discovery of the double helix. George points out that bird migration patterns have influenced our understanding of avian diseases like the flu. This discovery led scientists to understand more about the annual transmission patterns of flu, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary research. George has a foot in both basic and translational sciences and is an ardent supporter of both. The difficulty is in identifying basic research that has potential for application and providing opportunities to basic researchers to create companies and products based on their research. Another hurdles is collaborating and coordinating to ensure people talk to each other…” At the link right-click “MP3” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Chinese Publishing 12 mins – “When China Literature, China’s largest online publishing and ebook website, went public on the Hong Kong stock market nearly two years ago, share prices doubled on the first day of trading. Today, the stock is trading at close to its 52-week low and has lost more than two-thirds in value since its November 2017 debut. For Chinese readers, the result is a more limited choice of books, especially novels with adult themes. For foreign publishers and authors, the door to a promising new market may be closing.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Covid-19 Economic Impact 30 mins – “News on the coronavirus changes constantly. Keeping pace with those shifts is hard enough. Considering how they’ll impact our lives in the months and years ahead can seem impossible. A new podcast from the World Economic Forum hopes to change that. World vs Virus will go beyond the ever-changing headlines and help listeners understand how the pandemic is reshaping society, business and the economy. In the first episode, the economist Nouriel Roubini explains why the economic impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus will be different than anything we have seen before, and a mental health expert gives tips on staying sane. Hosted by World Economic Forum editor Robin Pomeroy and published every week, the podcast puts the news in context with insights and analysis from top global experts in economics, technology, health and culture as well as the World Economic Forum’s reporters and editors.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in this blog archive.
Covid-19 in NYC 22 mins – “Matt McCarthy wrote a bestselling book, Superbugs, about the threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Now this New York doctor is fighting on the front line against the COVID-19 virus which poses a similar threat. You can hear what it’s like to live and work as a doctor in a city at the US epicentre for the disease in this week’s World Vs Virus podcast.” At the link left-click the down-pointing arrow and select “OK” from the pop-up menu to get the podcast.
Covid-19 Lessons 12 mins – “We talk with Colleen Farrell who’s doing her third year of an internal medicine residency in New York City. Fortunately, we caught her during a one-week vacation (she was supposed to be taking two), and she chatted with us about how she and her colleagues are coping. We asked her what she thought COVID-19’s larger lessons would be, and she gave an interesting, impassioned answer.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Target As” from the pop-up menu.
Covid-19 Lockdown How Long 30 mins – “If your sense of touch is one your most important ways of dealing with the world, how to you cope with the threat of Coronavirus? YouTuber Molly Burke gives us her insights on the outbreak and urges us all not to forget people living with disabilities as we all try to protect our health.” At the link left-click the down-pointing arrow and select “OK” from the pop-up menu to get the podcast.
Covid-19 Triage 47 mins – “Journalist and New York Times op-ed writer Thomas Friedman says countries around the world are undergoing a stress test thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. This test, he says, is revealing the quality of nations’ governance, their health care systems, and the strength of their communities. Perhaps surprisingly, some autocratic regimes have fared well, he says, while some democracies – like the United States – have not. Friedman speaks with Elliot Gerson, an executive vice president at the Aspen Institute. Their conversation was held by the Society of Fellows at the Institute. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Cyber Defense 30 mins – “Michael Daniel, President of the Cyber Threat Alliance and former Special Adviser to President Obama joins Chuck to talk about the state of cyber defense. Along the way he describes how internet security is like disaster response, and why your Amazon Echo might not be so bad after all.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “OK” from the pop-up menu.
Dark Money Documentary 33 mins – “Filmmaker Kimberly Reed talks about her new documentary, “Dark Money,” in which she shows how the Citizens United decision impacts Republicans in Montana.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Dengue Discussion 30 mins – “MTS60, Thomas Scott – The Bone Breaking Virus” At the link find the title, MTS60,” which can be heard, but not downloaded; however, a copy is included in this blog archive.
Domestic Disturbances 30 mins– “Every year, thousands of musical acts go on tour and perform shows in front of millions of fans. But for fans of country music singer Martina McBride, the day of the concert is more than just a chance to cheer and sing along. It’s a chance to make a difference. “They’re just a very special breed of people,” Sheila Jones says of McBride’s fans. “I think they just feel so deeply and I think her music does that for you.” Jones is the executive director of Martina McBride’s Team Music is Love Foundation. For the past seven years and counting, she’s paired the needs of local communities with the eagerness of McBride’s fans to give back. The results have been impressive – hundreds of thousands of pounds of food distributed, thousands of concert tickets given to those in need, and countless special memories made. “I love the things that we’ve been able to do with it so far,” McBride says. “Building the music program in Guatemala. The cancer research grant that we were able to do. Sending food trucks down to Texas and Florida…I feel like it’s just going to have a ripple effect, starting little but getting widespread.” In this episode, you’ll hear how one country star is using her platform to make a difference — and how one fan brought it all to life.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy is included in this blog archive.
Doris Kearns Goodwin 24 mins – “Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin talks with Chuck Todd about Trump’s election, and looks back at Hillary Clinton’s legacy to imagine how she will be viewed by history.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow and select “OK” from the pop-up menu.
Electricity from Microbes 28 mins – “MTS63, Jeff Gralnick – I Sing the Microbe Electric” At the link find the title, MTS63,” which can be heard, but not downloaded; however, a copy is included in this blog archive.
Galileo Navigation Satellites 163 mins – “In this episode we get a peek into how OHB System AG in Bremen develops satellites — mostly based on the Galileo navigation satellites. We speak with Christian Pauly about systems engineering, with Mathias Tausche about manufacturing and integration, with Andreas Wortmann about the software on the satellites, and with Ingo Engeln about the company as a whole. As a background, you may want to listen to omega tau 26 about satellite buses. omega tau 204 on Planet Labs’ small satellites may be interesting as a contrast.” At the link right-click “Download MP3 File Directly” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Global Warming Webinar 63 mins – “For many global companies, the spread of COVID-19 has meant growing disruptions to global supply chains and major hits to their operations without a clear end in sight. Business leaders in China have been at the forefront of the response, and they face tough decisions that put their values and resolves to the test. Watch our webinar of two leaders in the Aspen Global Leadership Network, Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com, and Shane Tedjarati, President of Global High Growth Regions at Honeywell, as they shared how they are leading through this crisis and what we might learn from their experiences.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Global Warming Webinar 63 mins – “For many global companies, the spread of COVID-19 has meant growing disruptions to global supply chains and major hits to their operations without a clear end in sight. Business leaders in China have been at the forefront of the response, and they face tough decisions that put their values and resolves to the test. Watch our webinar of two leaders in the Aspen Global Leadership Network, Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com, and Shane Tedjarati, President of Global High Growth Regions at Honeywell, as they shared how they are leading through this crisis and what we might learn from their experiences.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Helicobacter pylori..39 mins.- “MTS64, MartinBlaser – Save Our Endangered Germs” At the link find the title, MTS64,” which can be heard, but not downloaded; however, a copy is included in this blog archive.
Hydroxychloroquine Use – “President Trump has continued to push the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for Covid-19, even though scientists say more research is needed to prove that it is safe and effective. But how’d we get here in the first place? Julia Carrie Wong is a reporter for The Guardian who has traced how a misleading, flawed study from France has become a widely-cited piece of evidence by media personalities on Fox and elsewhere. In this podcast extra, she explains what’s deeply wrong with the study’s conclusions and what happened when it got to be featured prominently by Trump’s preferred television network. Wong talks to Bob about what’s so appealing about the hydroxychloroquine narrative and why the administration might be so attracted to it.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Internet at 25 21 mins – “Today, March 12, marks the 30th anniversary of the World Wide Web. CERN, where in 1989, Tim Berners-Lee drafted his proposal for a way to link documents and data across the Internet, is celebrating the occasion, along with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the World Wide Web Foundation. In 2014, when the Web turned 25, CCC’s Chris Kenneally spoke with journalist and author John Naughton about the ways that the Web has sparked an innovation revolution that has yet to run its course. “When people ask me, ‘What is the Internet?’ I say it’s a global machine for springing surprises. That’s really what it is,” says Naughton.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Israel Creation 29 mins – “Martin Fletcher turns to fiction to tell ‘Promised Land’ story – Martin Fletcher covered the Middle East for 26 years at NBC News, but he turned to writing fiction as a way to humanize the tumult. Martin Fletcher has covered reality in the Middle East for 26 years at NBC News, but says he turned to writing fiction as a way to humanize the tumult in that part of the world. In his new novel, “Promised Land,” Fletcher recounts what life was like for two brothers and a refugee in Israel during the nation’s emergence after World War II. Fletcher tells NBC News’ Chuck Todd that he started out to write a non-fiction book but found it too limiting for the story he wanted to tell. “As journalists, we’re always talking about what happened to whom, where, how, but you don’t really get into what was it like to be that person, what was it like to be there at that time? And I just thought fiction was a better vehicle for that,” Fletcher said in the latest episode of “1947: The Meet the Press Podcast.” The book is the first part of a planned trilogy and covers just the first 20 years of Israel’s emergence, ending with the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. Fletcher says that readers will have to wait for the second book to see more on Israel-Palestine relations. “In the first 20 years of Israel’s existence, the Arabs and the local Palestinians were really almost of no import, they were ignored completely … I wanted the book to reflect reality,” Fletcher says. Fletcher also discussed present-day events, including President Donald Trump’s attacks on the press and how they follow similar rhetoric from Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
NSA Surveillance for Lawyers 24 mins – “Edward Snowden’s leaks about NSA surveillance have been a hot topic in the media for the last few months. But what do lawyers, specifically, need to worry about? The answer is: a lot. On this edition of Digital Detectives, hosts Sharon D. Nelson, Esq. and John W. Simek take the stage and examine NSA surveillance as it relates to lawyers. Tune in for an overview of Snowden and the NSA surveillance controversy, how effective (or ineffective) encrypting data is, whether the surveillance is having a chilling effect on lawyers, how to abide by the Model Rules of Professionalism 1.6, and an answer to the underlying question – has George Orwell’s dystopia, 1984, arrived a few decades late?” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Nuclear Power 33 mins – “Some say we are on the verge of a bright future in which nuclear power will play a major role in responding to climate change. Others say that we should expect more Fukushimas. Whichever way our nuclear future goes, there will be tradeoffs between energy and the environment. Hosts Michal Meyer and Robert Kenworthy speak with nuclear historians Alex Wellerstein and Linda Richards. They discuss how our turbulent nuclear past has shaped, for better and for worse, our current attitudes.”At the link left-click the down-pointing arrow at the sound bar and select “OK” from the pop-up menu.
Opioid Treatment 55 mins – “”We should never, ever forget that addiction treatment is a search for meaning in a place other than using drugs.” -Nancy Campbell, historian of drug addiction. In the final chapter of this series we travel to the heart of our modern opioid crisis. In what is now a notorious Philadelphia neighborhood called Kensington, we meet two victims of the epidemic and follow them on two distinct paths toward recovery. Our current devastating opioid crisis is unprecedented in its reach and deadliness, but it’s not the first such epidemic the United States has experienced or tried to treat. In fact, it’s the third. Treating America’s Opioid Addiction is a three-part series that investigates how we’ve understood and treated opioid addiction over more than a century. Through the years we’ve categorized opioid addiction as some combination of a moral failure, a mental illness, a biological disease, or a crime. And though we’ve desperately wanted the problem to be something science alone can solve, the more we look, the more complicated we learn it is.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Parenting 65 mins – “Economist and author Emily Oster of Brown University talks about her book Cribsheet with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Oster explores what the data and evidence can tell us about parenting in areas such as breastfeeding, sleep habits, discipline, vaccination, and food allergies. Oster often finds that commonly held views on some of these topics are not well supported by the evidence while on others, the evidence appears decisive. Oster thoughtfully explores the challenges of using empirical work and balances our sometimes ignorance with common sense.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
Political Debate 27 mins – “Former Virginia Governor Doug Wilder (D) explains to Chuck Todd why he is withholding his endorsement in the tightening race for governor.” At the link let-click the down-pointing arrow and select “OK” from the pop-up menu to download the podcast.
Republican Attitudes 28 mins – “Some frustrated Republicans are walking out instead of speaking up – With more than 450 days to go until Election Day 2020, many elected Republicans are already eyeing the exits. So far, we’ve seen 11 House Republicans say they’ll retire or seek another office in 2020. And don’t forget that GOP Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Pat Roberts of Kansas and Mike Enzi of Wyoming have already announced that they aren’t running again. The House exodus includes four GOP members from Texas alone, three of whom won re-election in 2018 by less than a 5-point margin. The story of these retirements isn’t just that some of them open up pickup opportunities for Democrats, though. It’s that they show just how uncomfortable many rank-and-file Republicans have been in the Trump era. Retirements are typically a tell about how members view their party’s chances in the next election. And yes, some of these folks are in their late 70s or older. And of course, the no-fun realities of being in the minority have a way of pushing burnt-out members towards the door. But these retirements also reflect an environment so toxic that even members with safe seats (and potentially promising futures on the Hill) are throwing in the towel. The buzziest recent retirement was Will Hurd — a Trump critic who was vocally upset about the direction of the party and faced a dicey reelection race.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Rudolf Nureyev 28 mins – “Rudolf Nureyev was one of the most dynamic performers of the twentieth century. “He was Mick Jagger before Mick Jagger,” remembers Elizabeth Kaye, who specialized in writing in-depth profiles of men in power for Esquire in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Kaye spent a full year with the famously volatile dancer, who unbeknownst to the public was dying of AIDS. She joins host David Brancacchio to discuss the defiance he still showed, even at the end of a glorious career, and the sadness she found behind unceasing charm and bravado.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Russian Investigation 24 mins – “Russian-American Journalist and winner of the National Book Award, Masha Gessen shares her perspective on Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump and the societies they lead, including the sexual harassment moment in the United States. She discusses her new book, The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia, now a National Book Award Winner.” At the link click “Reproducir” to hear the podcast. You can’t download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Science Communication 24 mins – “The Emmy Award winner has built a second career for himself as a communications expert: He participated in the creation of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, and he’s now out with a new book, “If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?” The book is geared toward bridging gaps in communication between professionals, often in the world of medicine. “They need the training exactly as much – no more and no less – than the rest of us,” Alda said, noting that his Center for Communicating Science has trained over 8,000 scientists and medical professionals across the world.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Troublemakers 87 mins – “Psychologist Charlan Nemeth of the University of California, Berkeley and author of In Defense of Troublemakers talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the ideas in the book–the power of groupthink, the power of conviction, and the opportunity for an authentic, persistent dissenter to have an impact on a group’s decision. The conversation concludes with a discussion of the challenges of doing careful research in modern times.” At the link right-click “Download” and select “Save Link As” from the pop-up menu.
University Buys Online System – “When leaders of Purdue University wanted to move into online education, they took the unusual step of buying an existing online university, a big one with 30,000 students. And here’s the most surprising part: that online school it bought, Kaplan University, was a for-profit business—part of a sector that’s been criticized for high costs and poor outcomes for students. It’s hard to think of another example of two more different higher education cultures placed under the same name.” At the link left-click the down-pointing arrow at the playback bar and select “OK” from the pop-up menu.
University Buys Online System – “When leaders of Purdue University wanted to move into online education, they took the unusual step of buying an existing online university, a big one with 30,000 students. And here’s the most surprising part: that online school it bought, Kaplan University, was a for-profit business—part of a sector that’s been criticized for high costs and poor outcomes for students. It’s hard to think of another example of two more different higher education cultures placed under the same name. The deal sparked vocal protests from Purdue professors, and hundreds of them signed petitions opposing the arrangement, calling it an unprecedented privatization of public education. Purdue leaders, meanwhile, say that Kaplan has better outcomes than other for-profits and that it serves an important audience of adult students who aren’t able to go to a traditional campus.” At the link right-click the down-pointing arrow at the playback bar and select “OK” on the pop-up menu
Us Versus Them 24 mins – “Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of the Eurasia Group, talks about his new book “Us Vs. Them” and explains why populism is on the rise.” At the link you can listen, but not download; however, a copy of the podcast is included in this blog archive.
Viruses in Air 36 mins – “MTS62, JessicaGreen – The Living Air” At the link find the title, MTS62,” which can be heard, but not downloaded; however, a copy is included in this blog archive.
Thanks for stopping by.
Media Mining Digest 