Today in Podcast - 9 June 2011

In Our Time
Origins of Infectious Disease
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the origins of infectious disease. History is littered with deadly outbreaks of infection, some of which have come close to wiping out entire populations. Mass movement is a significant development in the spread of disease, as is modern agriculture and our proximity to animals. The last century has seen welcome breakthroughs in controlling and even eradicating some diseases – but could the end of infection be a realistic possibility? Melvyn is joined by Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London; Sir Roy Anderson, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College, London; and Mark Pallen, Professor of Microbial Genomics at the University of Birmingham.
(review, feed)

London School of Economics: Public lectures and events
Why Nations Fail
Countries grow economically if they can build inclusive economic institutions. They stagnate if they have exclusive institutions. It is political conflicts and how they are resolved which determines the path a society follows. James Robinson is David Florence Professor of Government at Harvard University.
(review, feed)

Today in Podcast - 8 June 2011

Forgotten Classics
Genesis, chapters 28-29
In which Jacob has an unexpected encounter and gets a taste of his own medicine.
(review, feed)

Today in Podcast - 7 June 2011

New Books In History
Elizabeth Abel, “Signs of the Times: The Visual Politics of Jim Crow”
I think this is really interesting. Among the thousands of iconic and easily recognizable photographs of segregated water fountains in the American South, you will almost never find one that features a black woman, a white woman or a white man drinking. They are nearly all of black men drinking.
(review, feed)

Mahabharata Podcast
The Gita, part 2: The Godhead
Episode 60 - This concludes Krishna's dialog with Arjun about Dharma, Bhakti, Yoga, and the Gunas. During the course of this, Arjun is granted divine sight, and is able to catch a glimpse of Krishna's true appearance; it nearly blows his mind.
(review, feed)

Het Marathoninterview
W. A. Wagenaar, getuige-deskundige
De man die als psycholoog zo goed kon uitleggen hoe het geheugen werkt, raakte, door een tumor, het afgelopen jaar zelf in de war. De druk in zijn hoofd was zo hoog, dat hij de weg kwijt raakte en in ekstergekras klassieke muziek hoorde. En net toen Demjanjuk dan toch veroordeeld werd, stierf hij eind april. Dankzij de catalogus der Marathoninterviews is hier nogmaals Willem Wagenaar over de (on)betrouwbaarheid van ons geheugen op 5 juli 2002.
(review, feed)

Today in Podcast - 6 June 2011

The State We're In
BE A MAN
Men grappling with what it means to be a man, including the story of the father of a murdered teenager who counselled his son's friends against seeking revenge. The son of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl talks about getting out from his father's shadow. And a man who found making the coffin for his distant father, an odd gesture of love.
(review, feed)

Today in Podcast - 5 June 2011

History According to Bob
French Indochina War 1952-1953
This show is about the next phase in the French Indochina War during 1952-1953.
(review, feed)

Veertien Achttien
Sir Herbert Plumer en de devotie van Zero Hour
Op 7 juni 1917, midden in de nacht, zijn negentien knallen tot in Parijs en Londen te horen. De Mijnenslag bij Mesen is losgebroken. Het wordt een triomf voor Sir Herbert Plumer, een kundig generaal.
(review, feed)

Today in Podcast - 4 June 2011

Philosophy Bites
John Mikhail on Universal Moral Grammar
Do we have an innate predisposition to form certain sorts of moral judgements? John Mikhail thinks we do. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast, in an interview with David Edmonds, he explains why.
(review, feed)

Office Hours
Annette Lareau on Unequal Childhoods
This week on Office Hours: Annette Lareau, who was at the University of Minnesota a few weeks back to give a talk at the Sociology Department’s annual Sociological Research Institute. While Lareau was in town, we had a chance to chat with her about her current research on how parents decide where to live and where to send their kids to school, and on the success of her bestselling book, Unequal Childhoods, as well as giving us a preview of the forthcoming second edition.
(review, feed)