Episode of the day: "Anatomy of Doubt"

"Anatomy of Doubt"

Podcast: This American Life (Episode 581)



"Stories about doubt: how it germinated, spread, and eventually took hold of an entire community, with terrible consequences."

Histrionic personalities - we all have someone in our lives like that... I do, and I can understand the doubt...

Listen to "Anatomy of Doubt"

More information:

ProPublica

Episode of the day: "Galapagos"

"Galapagos"

Podcast: Radiolab

This one is from the archives. I've listened to it when it first aired and then again... and again. Would love to go to the Galapagos, therefore any opportunity to know more about the place is welcomed. This is the best documentary on the Galapagos I have ever watched/listened to. But this episode is more than just a documentary, it is yet another Man vs Nature saga.

"The strange story of a small group of islands that raise a big question: is it inevitable that even our most sacred natural landscapes will eventually get swallowed up by humans? And just how far are we willing to go to stop that from happening? The Galapagos archipelago - the place that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection. 179 years later, the Galapagos are undergoing rapid changes."

Listen to "Galapagos"

More information:

Learn more about Project Isabela

Lonesome George on Wikipedia

Episode of the day: "That's one way to do it"

"That's one way to do it"

Podcast: This American Life (Episode 580)

Two very interesting stories about people's motivation and drive. The story of a fascinating young, black, gay voter who defies political categorization. Admirable young guy, but his apparent thirst for power can be a bit disquieting.

And a story of Sigrid Frye-Revere who was fed up with the kidney donation system in the US. So, she went somewhere that seemed to be doing a better job with its transplant patients - Iran. Sigrid is the author of the book The Kidney Sellers.

Listen to "That's one way to do it"

More information:

An article about Alex Chalgren on Fox Fusion

The Kidney Sellers on Amazon

Episode(s) of the day:"Hindsight, Part 1" and "Hindsight, Part 2"

"Hindsight, Part 1" and "Hindsight, Part 2"

Podcast: Serial (S02 Episode 07 and Episode 08)

I've been obsessed with this podcast. I even find myself rewinding some parts as I feel I haven't given my full attention to a particular description of events or opinion. Bowe is a hero, but Bowe is also a desertor. Bowe truly sticks to his values but then Bowe is a threat to the normal functioning of society. Should we applaud him or sentence him? What a difficult dichotomy! Bowe's rescue caused trouble and cost lives, yet Bowe's story may be crucial for the necessary continuous rearrangement of structures like the military.

"It makes sense if you're Bowe Bergdahl."

Congrats Serial team for outstanding reporting.

Listen to "Hindsight, Part 1"

Listen to "Hindsight, Part 2"

More information:

The Guardian releases photos of Bowe in Afghanistan before he disappeared

Episode of the day: "A Doctor's Love Affair with Vicodin"

"A Doctor's Love Affair with Vicodin"

Podcast: Only Human

Have you ever struggled with addiction? Why is it that painkiller addiction has increased so much. Do we need to tackle availability of these medications or something deeper in the social framework?

"Peter Grinspoon spent years addicted to painkillers - as a successful physician who also prescribed them. He kept his addiction secret and often shared pills with his patients, until he was caught. In this episode, the author of "Free Refills" talks about his lifelong infatuation with drugs, and his eventual recovery"

Listen to "A Doctor's Love Affair with Vicodin"

More information:

Free Refills on Amazon

New York Post

Episode of the day: "Simpatico"

"Simpatico"

Podcast: Snap Judgement (Episode 605)

Very nice and entertaining set of stories. I especially enjoyed the second and third stories.

Second story - "When the two greatest auction houses in the world - Christies and Sothebys -- vied for the privilege of auctioning off $20 million worth of art in 2004, little did they know that they would be forced to engage in an ancient form of ritualized combat known as...rock paper scissors."
Third story - "Dawn always felt disconnected from the rest of the world. Her undiagnosed Autism prevented her from understanding her surroundings without a protective barrier...until she found another creature like her, behind a barrier."

I just love life stories of people like Dawn's.

Listen to "Simpatico"

More information:

Article on The New York Times

Article about Dawn Prince-Hughes

Dawn's interview on BBC World Service

Dawn's books on Amazon

Episode of the day: "Miss Manhatan"

"Miss Manhattan"

Podcast: 99% Invisible (Episode 200)

"Audrey Munson was once the most famous artist’s model in the United States. Over 30 statues at the Metropolitan Museum of Art were made in her likeness, and she adorns dozens of memorials and bridges and buildings all over the city. Although the body and face of Audrey Munson have been immortalized in iron and marble, her name is mostly forgotten. In the early 20th century, however, she was famous."

Listen to "Miss Manhattan"

More information:

American Venus is a book about Audrey Munson's life.

Article on The New York Times

Article on Keith York City

Episode of the day: "Remembering Anarcha"

"Remembering Anarcha"

Podcast: Hidden Brain (Episode 20)

"J. Marion Sims is remembered as the father of modern gynecology. Forgotten are the mothers - the enslaved women whose bodies were sacrificed for the advancement of his research."

Listen to "Remembering Anarcha"

More information:

Vanessa Northington Gamble

J. Marion Sims

Episode of the day: "Accidental Gay Parents"

"Accidental Gay Parents"

Podcast: The Longest Shortest Time (Episode 60)

"This is this story of a couple of twenty-somethings going to court against family to become the legal guardians of two children in desperate need of a safe home. (Hint: extra hard when you are gay.) This is also a super romantic love story. Side note: Trystan is trans, which adds a whole other interesting element to the episode."

This is an episode from last year that I had saved. A moving and extraordinary expression of parenting. Just wish for a more tolerant world!

Listen to "Accidental Gay Parents"

More information:

It's Conceivable

Episode of the day: "The Return of the Colonel"

"The Return of the Colonel"

Podcast: Planet Money (Episode 684)

"We think of franchises as corporate behemoths: Tons of identical stores all selling the same thing. But actually, each store is run kind of like a small business—and the franchise owners don't always get along with corporate headquarters. In this episode, we look at the secret war going on inside every franchise. It all goes back to a guy with a white beard and a black string tie: Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken."

Listen to "The Return of the Colonel"

More information:

Colonel Sanders

CNN

Episode of the day: "Fix"

Episode of the day "Fix"

Podcast: Love + Radio

"A crusader for truth, or, as Karl Rove called him: “a nut with internet access”? Jason Leopold wanted to be a part of something, and that quest brought him through a labyrinthine world of decadent glam metal, dangerous mafioso, love, and investigative journalism challenging the heights of government and corporate power. Jason Leopold is the senior investigative reporter for Vice and the author of News Junkie."

An amazing life story with lots of twists and questionable choices. But with a constant lucky star guiding this person in the right path.

Listen to "Fix"

More information:

VICE News

Karl Rove

Episode of the day: "My Damn Mind"

"My Damn Mind"

Podcast: This American Life (Episode 579)

"The brain! It's powerful! We have the story of how one man's delusions lead him to a situation that's just as strange as the worst thoughts his mind is cooking up. Our second story is about a man using the power of his own mind to deal with a problem."

Mentally ill unarmed patient admitted to hospital -> shot in the chest by police officer while hospitalized -> charged with 2 counts of assault. Inadmissible sequence of events.

Denial or confrontation? Michael Kinsley mentions that denial of his condition was the cowardly choice. I abundantly disagree. There is a lot of bravery in denying and carrying on.

Listen to "My Damn Mind"

More information:

New York Times

Michael Kinsley

The New Yorker

Old Age: A Beginners Guide

Alan Pean, with scar from bullet wound.
(image: Chad Batka for the New York Times)

Episode of the day: "One Doctor's Mission: Safe Abortions in the South"

"One Doctor's Mission: Safe Abortions in the South"

Podcast: Only Human

Great listen for both pro-choice and pro-life supporters. A superior man that changed his opinion about a very sensitive topic. Ahhh, the controversial issues...

"Dr. Willie Parker, a devout Christian, refused to perform abortions early in his career. Now he travels across conservative states like Alabama and Mississippi, amid threats and criticism, providing safe abortions for women. Parker talks about the Martin Luther King Jr. speech that changed his mind and his work."

Listen to "One Doctor's Mission: Safe Abortions in the South"

More information:

The Last Clinic

The New York Times

Episode of the day: "Perfect Specimen"

"Perfect Specimen"

Podcast: Criminal (Episode 36)

Great story on the attempted murder of a tree! Sure I was skeptical before listening to it. But it was a fascinating episode and I truly enjoyed it. My advise: don't let the topic deter you!

"The 500-year-old Treaty Oak in Austin, Texas was once called “the most perfect specimen of a North American tree.” But in 1989, Austin’s city forester realized that the Treaty Oak didn’t look so good, and began to wonder whether someone had intentionally tried to kill it."

Listen to "Perfect Specimen"

More information:

Treaty Oak

Ross Perot

NYTimes

Episode of the day: "Terrorism"

"Terrorism"

Podcast: Hidden Brain (Episode 13)

The psychology of radicalization: how terrorist groups attract young followers. Certainly an episode that challenges my tolerance threshold. Listening to this was quite the experience. Scott Atran takes us to unimaginable places and makes us think. 

Listen to "Terrorism"

More information:

The Guardian

Episode of the day: "Hard Knock Life"

"Hard Knock Life"

Podcast: Radiolab

"This Valentine's Day, a mysterious tap tap tapping leads us into a world of sex, death, and head-banging. Biologist Dave Goulson introduces us to the lonely yearnings of an especially pathetic beetle and snatches a sound back from the hands of the devil himself."

A symbol that stands for ideas about human life and experiences! Happy Valentine's Day!

Listen to "Hard Knock Life"

More information:

Deathwatch Beetle

Dave Goulson

Episode of the day: "The Yin and Yang of Basketball"

"The Yin and Yang of Basketball"

Podcast: 99% Invisible (Episode 199)

This history of basketball. Interesting to sports enthusiasts and to the rest of us!

"In 1891, a physical education teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts invented the game we would come to know as basketball. In setting the height of the baskets, he inadvertently created a design problem that would not be resolved for decades to come."

Listen to "The Yin and Yang of Basketball"

More information:

James Naismith

George Mikan

Episode of the day: "The Paradox of Forgiveness"

"The Paradox of Forgiveness"

Podcast: Hidden Brain (Episode 18)

Forgive: stop feeling angry or resentful towards (someone) for an offence, flaw, or mistake.  But this is a story not only about forgiveness but about becoming a superior human being.

"After more than a decade of brutal civil war, perpetrators and victims attempted to find peace around bonfires across Sierra Leone. This week on Hidden Brain, a story about forgiving the unforgivable, and the cost of reconciliation."

Listen to "The Paradox of Forgiveness"

Fambul Tok

Catalyst for Peace

Episode of the day: "The Living Room"

"The Living Room"

Podcast: Love + Radio

"Diane’s new neighbors across the way never shut their curtains, and that was the beginning of an intimate, but very one-sided relationship."

This was an episode I had saved for later listening. A true story or not, it doesn't really matter. It turned out to be an outstanding story. I could have not anticipated the emotions this caused. I dig the earphones deep into my ears as I didn't want to miss a word!

Listen to "The Living Room"

More information:

Diane Weipert

Episode of the day: "DUSTWUN"

"DUSTWUN"

Podcast: Serial (S02 Episode 01)

Sometimes I need to go through 2, 3, 4 or more episodes daily until I find one worth sharing here. Today was one of those days! But totally worth it! I've been so loooking forward for Serial's season 2, and this first episode has exceeded my expectations! Not only the story is interesting and fascinating, but it is also a brilliant piece of reporting.

"In the middle of the night, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl grabs a notebook, snacks, water, some cash. Then he quietly slips off a remote U.S. Army outpost in eastern Afghanistan and into the dark, open desert. About 20 minutes later, it occurs to him: he’s in over his head."

Listen to "DUSTWUN"

More information:

Independent

CBSNews

Episode of the day: "The Cathedral"

"The Cathedral"

Podcast: Radiolab

Ryan and Amy Green were facing the unfaceable: their youngest son, Joel was diagnosed with terminal cancer after his first birthday. Ryan and Amy stumble onto an unlikely way of processing their experience fighting alongside Joel: they decide to turn it into a video game. In the end, they find themselves facing what might be, for a game designer or a parent, the hardest design problem ever.

This is an incredible emotional journey. It did bring tears to my eyes. Some listeners were critical because it turns the suffering of a child into a profitable outcome. But I disagree with that simplistic approach. People find different coping mechanisms to deal with extreme emotional circunstamces. This family bravely articulated emotion and science into art and technology.

Listen to "The Cathedral"

More information:

That Dragon, Cancer

Release trailer

NYTimes