Sunday, September 27, 2009

Natural Resource Management - LSE podcast

At the LSE podcast there was a lecture as part of a conference at the newly established International Growth Center. This is an institute within the London School of Economics that concerns itself with the practical study of how underdeveloped countries can come to proper development. Especially important in that respect is Natural Resource Management

Professor Paul Collier speaks of natural resource management and eloquently builds the argument how this should go about. Many of the natural resources in underdeveloped countries are still not discovered. It is reasonable to assume they are there and in that rspect they form an excellent ticket out of poverty. But in order to prevent that other should profit and not the country and its population, these resources need to be carefully searched for, sold, exploited, taxed and the money properly invested.

Be aware that the first 16 minutes of the podcast are spent on welcoming and other ceremonial talk that pertain the conference rather than the specific talk. My advice is to skip them.

More LSE Events:
The Iran power struggle,
Justice,
In Search of Islam’s Civilization,
Religion and the Market - John Gray on LSE,
John Gray's cultural pessimism.

Omega Tau - bilingual science podcast

Here is a new and very interesting find in the realm of science podcasts: Omega Tau Podcast. There have been eighteen episodes to date and it looks very promising. On subjects of science and technology the podcast presents interviews with specialists in the chosen fields.

I very much enjoyed the last two episode. One about robotics and the last about Astrobiology. It is always good to hear the specialists talk, but let them be guided in an interview to make connection with the wider public and the listening easier. In addition, what is special about this podcast is that it is bilingual. Half of the episodes are in English, the other half in German. The production is in German hands, but depending upon the guest - apparently - the interview is conducted in English.

It is possible to subscribe to the entire podcast: Omega Tau podcast feed, but also to connect to feeds in either of the languages: Omega Tau in English and Omega Tau in German. Needless to say, when you subscribe to either of these, you get the episodes in that language only and the numbering will not be continuous.

Environmental history: an applied science - EEH

The Exploring Environmental History Podcast has delivered the fourth issue in the series of defining the field of environmental history. This time Jan Oosthoek did not interview a fellow historian, but rather read an essay on the subject. An interesting conclusion to the series, but be aware that listening to an essay is more demanding than listening to an interview.

More Exploring Environmental History:
Defining Environmental History with Marc Hall,
Defining Environmental History - Paul Warde,
Defining Environmental History - Donald Worster,
Natural Disasters,
Canada and New Zealand.