#TryPod Day 9: Decode DC

All this month, I’ve heard about the campaign to spread the news of podcasts called TryPod.  As I am a voracious listener of podcasts (you can see the complete list of my current subscriptions and other recommendations on my podcast page), I figured I ought to participate while I can.  So I will post about one of my favorite podcasts every day for the last 9 days of March.

Decode DC is a different breed of political podcast, less focused on horse races and hot takes on breaking news, and more interested in delving into political culture, in depth behind the scenes stories, and the history that informs today’s politics.

#TryPod Day 8: Have You Heard?

All this month, I’ve heard about the campaign to spread the news of podcasts called TryPod.  As I am a voracious listener of podcasts (you can see the complete list of my current subscriptions and other recommendations on my podcast page), I figured I ought to participate while I can.  So I will post about one of my favorite podcasts every day for the last 9 days of March.

Education and the politics of public education are big issues for me so it won’t surprise you that I’m recommending the podcast Have You Heard?  Journalist Jennifer Berkshire (formerly EduShyster) and education historian Jack Schneider discuss the hot button topics of market based education solutions and the real world effects they have on students and communities.  Episodes are short and released infrequently but pack a powerful punch.  While waiting for the next episode, make sure to read Berkshire’s blog, also called Have You Heard?

 

#TryPod Day 7: Best of the Left

All this month, I’ve heard about the campaign to spread the news of podcasts called TryPod.  As I am a voracious listener of podcasts (you can see the complete list of my current subscriptions and other recommendations on my podcast page), I figured I ought to participate while I can.  So I will post about one of my favorite podcasts every day for the last 9 days of March.

Best of the Left is one of the more recent additions to my podcast subscriptions.  I think of this as kind of an audio Reader’s Digest collecting progressive political commentary from radio and tv programs and from other podcasts.  This is a podcast that requires a time commitment as episodes are usually around 90 minutes long and they’re released 3 times a week.  On the other hand, if you’re trying to keep up on political events and seeking a variety of opinions on the issues, this podcast can save you some time.  What I like about Best of the Left is that each episode is arranged around a theme – usually a current event – but in some cases a broader idea is explored such as in a recent on propaganda called Living in an Empire of Lies.

Upcoming Protests and Rallies in Boston Area

Spring is here and with it comes lots of opportunities to make your voice heard.

March 30th – Blessed are the Peacemakers: Faithful People Gather to Speak out for Peace – 7-8:30pm at St. Bartholomew’s Church, Cambridge

Join Massachusetts Peace Action’s Faith Community Network on March 30 to connect with other people of faith who are coming together to work toward a more peaceful world through reducing the threat of nuclear weapons and our warfare economy.  We will be joined by a number of honored speakers, including: Mayor Denise Simmons, Rev. Paul Ford, Senior Pastor, Union Baptist Church, and Jim Stewart, Director of First Church UCC shelter

March 31st – Our Revolution Boston Rally – 7-9pm at Orpheum Theater

Partnering with “Raise Up Massachusetts”, Our Revolution is taking the next step to organize an unprecedented grassroots effort in Massachusetts around issues such as $15 minimum wage, paid family medical leave, criminal justice reform, immigrants rights and wage inequality.  These issues and others will be highlighted at a the rally by local activists who will be joined by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

April 6 – DROP the MIC! Confronting Militarism In Our Communities – 7-9pm at First Baptist Church of Jamaica Plain

Speakers: Maggie Martin and Matt Howard, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Karlene Griffiths Sekou, Black Lives Matter Boston,  and Mike Prokosch, Dorchester People for Peace

April 15 – Tax Day Protest  – 1-4pm at Cambridge Common Park

April 22 – March for Science – Boston – 1-4pm at Boston Common

This Rally for Science celebrates the discovery, understanding, and sharing of scientific knowledge as crucial to the success, health, and safety of the human race. We join together to champion not only science itself, but also publicly funded and publicly communicated scientific knowledge as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. We unite as a diverse and nonpartisan group to celebrate Boston as a space for scientists and scientific research and to support of five main goals: Communication, Funding, Policy, Literacy, and Improvement.

April 22 – Kids’ March for Science – 1-4pm at Boston Common

The Kid’s March for Science (Boston) celebrates the youngest members of our scientific community. We join together in support of dynamic and inclusive science education for all future scientists and supporters of science. We believe kids should have a voice in the decisions that shape the world they will inherit. Kids are scientists at heart, always observing and asking questions — science is fun and family friendly!

April 29 – March for Climate – 9am-4pm at Boston Common

A sister march to the People’s Climate Mobilization in Washington, DC.  With the 100 days of action and April march, this coalition will leverage their power once again, to resist the Trump administration and corporate leaders’ efforts to thwart or reverse progress towards a more just America.

 

I hope to participate in as many of these as possible.  If there are other events coming up not listed, please let me know in the comments and I will update.

Book Review: Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell

Author: Sarah Vowell
Title: Unfamiliar Fishes
Narrator: Sarah Vowell, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, John Hodgman, Catherine Keener, Edward Norton, Keanu Reeves, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph, and John Slattery
Publication Info: New York : Simon & Schuster Audio, p2011.
Previously Read by the Same Author: The Partly Cloudy Patriot, The Wordy Shipmates, and Lafayette in the Somewhat United States
Summary/Review:

As an East Coaster, my knowledge of Hawaiian history is close to nothing.  And yet it was New Englander’s like myself who initiated the process that transformed Hawaii into a United States territory.  Well, maybe not entirely like myself as they were missionaries who insisted that the indigenous Hawaiians should become industrious Protestants.  Arriving in the 1820s, the New England missionaries would be followed by the industrialist who sought to raise sugar and the imperialists who sought naval bases.  If you know anything about how things works with Americans and native populations, the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani in 1893 by a group of American business leaders seems inevitable.  Vowell does an excellent job of piecing together the clashes of culture and swiftly changing alliances that occurred in this century of turbulent change that still leaves its mark on modern Hawaii.  Like other Sarah Vowell audiobooks, the voices of historic figures are read by an all-star cast.

Recommended books: Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before by Tony Horwitz
Rating: ***1/2

#TryPod Day 6: The Irish and Celtic Music Podcast

All this month, I’ve heard about the campaign to spread the news of podcasts called TryPod.  As I am a voracious listener of podcasts (you can see the complete list of my current subscriptions and other recommendations on my podcast page), I figured I ought to participate while I can.  So I will post about one of my favorite podcasts every day for the last 9 days of March.

Today’s podcast is a music podcast.  I’ve always been a fan of Irish music of all types dating back to my childhood when I went with my parents to pubs from County Kerry and County Galway to County Kings and County Bronx.  The Irish and Celtic Music Podcast presented by musician Mark Gunn allows me a weekly wallow in jigs & reels and the occasional rock & roll rave-up for an hour or so.

 

One great song I discovered through the podcast is “Tired By Kids” by the band Poitín, who are from the Czech Republic!

 

Book Review: The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

Author:Bill Bryson
Title: The Road to Little Dribbling
Narrator: Nathan Osgood
Publication Info: New York : Random House Audio, 2016.
Previously Read by the Same Author: A Short History of Nearly Everything, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, Notes from a Small Island, In a Sunburned Country, I’m a Stranger Here Myself, The Mother Tongue, The Lost Continent, Neither Here nor There, At Home: A Short History of Private Life,
Made in America, and One Summer: America, 1927
Summary/Review:

This is a follow-up to Bryson’s Notes From a Small Island with Bryson officially becoming a citizen of the UK to once again travel from end to end of the island nation.  This time he follows “The Bryson Line,” the longest distance between any two points on the British mainland without crossing open water. The book is full of Bryson’s awe of the natural beauty and cultural history of Britain, mixed with a sad nostalgia for what made Britain great when he first arrived decades go in the era before austerity.  Bryson fills his travel narrative with arcane, yet fascinating, facts about the places he visits as well as his crankier moments when he encounters poor service or obnoxious people.   Bryson fans will enjoy another humorous and erudite addition to his oeuvre, although new readers should probably seek out an earlier book as an entryway.
Rating: ***1/2

#TryPod Day 5: BackStory

All this month, I’ve heard about the campaign to spread the news of podcasts called TryPod.  As I am a voracious listener of podcasts (you can see the complete list of my current subscriptions and other recommendations on my podcast page), I figured I ought to participate while I can.  So I will post about one of my favorite podcasts every day for the last 9 days of March.

BackStory is an American History podcast where a topic (usually “torn from the headlines”) is discussed from the historical perspective with experts in 18th, 19th, and 20th century history sharing how that issue was addressed in their time period.  It’s a good way to be reassured that some intractable problems in our history have been resolved while at the same time realizing the deep roots of the contentious issues of today.
Favorite episodes include:

• “Pass/Fail: An American History of Testing”

• “All Hopped Up”

• “The Pursuit: A History of Happiness”

• “Another Man’s Treasure”

• “American Horror Story”

• “World Apart”

 

 

 

#TryPod Day 4: The Story Collider

All this month, I’ve heard about the campaign to spread the news of podcasts called TryPod.  As I am a voracious listener of podcasts (you can see the complete list of my current subscriptions and other recommendations on my podcast page), I figured I ought to participate while I can.  So I will post about one of my favorite podcasts every day for the last 9 days of March.

The Story Collider allows scientists to tell the personal stories of their research, discoveries, and personal journeys in a way that allows them to share scientific knowledge with a novice audience as well as give a human face to scientific researchers.  It’s a great project to bridge scientists with the general public, and there are some spectacular stories.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Rochelle Williams: “Potential”

• Daniel Engber: “Distracting Mark Cuban”

• Meghan Groome: “Being Brave About Sex-Ed”

• Layne Jackson Hubbard: “Still Myself”

#TryPod Day 3: Maeve in America

All this month, I’ve heard about the campaign to spread the news of podcasts called TryPod.  As I am a voracious listener of podcasts (you can see the complete list of my current subscriptions and other recommendations on my podcast page), I figured I ought to participate while I can.  So I will post about one of my favorite podcasts every day for the last 9 days of March.

Maeve in America stars Irish-born comedian Maeve Higgins who interviews a different immigrant to the United States learning their stories and struggles in the anti-immigrant mood of present-day America.

Some favorite episodes:

• The Annie Episode: Annie Moore Room? – The tale of the young Irish woman who was the first person to be processed through Ellis Island.
• Thanksgiving Special: What even IS this holiday?