A dog and flies on The Missing Link

The fourth episode of The Missing Link podcast, delivers two essays as usual. One is about an explorer in Africa, writing praise to his faithful dog, quaintly called wantrouw - distrust in Afrikaans. The other essay is about flies and how gradually science discovered flies were carriers of diseases.

The love expressed for the dog is unraveled by show host Elizabeth Green Musselman to the loneliness of the explorer. In addition, this expression has some ardent colonialist if racist elements. This is also part of the history of science: the arrogance of superiority the West has displayed towards other peoples.

How many other peoples, especially those considered primitive and according to Darwinist Ethonology were deemed near atavistic. Nearer to beast than men, but nevertheless would have known way in advance of western observers that flies carry diseases? Many I think

Friendship in Shrinkrapradio

There is a distinct quality to podcasts that allows you to listen in on the natural conversation of people who genuinely connect. It is one of the wisdoms podcasters have discovered that it is best to have a buddy on your podcast, make various voices appear together on the show, but the banter between panelists and co-hosts and interviewers is not always smooth, or sometimes too smooth in directed or scripted way. It proves, apparently, to be no trivial task to have real natural conversation to listen in on.

Here we see the quality of The Word Nerds, but even more so of Dr. David van Nuys (Shrinkrapradio, Wise Counsel). These podcasts offer conversation that invariably is pleasant to listen to and as such contribute greatly to what is already an interesting topic. Dr. Dave stands out, as he manages to arrive at this intimacy in most of his interviews. He does not have the advantage the Word Nerds have to speak with their long time friends and relatives, yet with professionals in the field of psychology and still he succeeds.

On the occasion Dr. Dave speaks with a friend like with Jerry Trumbule on show #100 or with Charles Merril on the latest show (#117) listening is a real treat. A treat in subject (in this case about Self Disclosure, Friendship. Touching on Carl Rogers and Martin Buber, in the process) and a treat in experience.