Month: August 2017

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CrowdScience - Can Animals Commit Murder?

** Contains some upsetting scenes **

As a species, we humans can be uniquely horrible to our own kind. But are we the only animal to commit murder? Listener Michelle’s question sends CrowdScience trekking – and getting lost - in the Budongo rainforest in Uganda in search of one of Man’s closest relatives, the chimpanzee.

We hear from the scientists, who only days before the team’s arrival at the camp, witnessed a gang of chimps brutally killing another adult. But does chimpanzee lethal aggression pass muster as murder? We head to the capital Kampala for some legal advice and take a look at the grim history of putting animals on trial.

Do you have a question we can turn into a programme? Email us at crowdscience@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Geoff Marsh Producer: Louisa Field

(Image: Closeup of angry chimpanzee Credit: Getty Images)

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Motley Fool Money - Self-Driving Surprises

Apple shines. Take Two Interactive scores. Teva Pharmaceutical gets crushed. And Yelp surprises Wall Street while Under Armour stumbles. Plus, veteran auto industry journalist Paul Lienert talks about the mood in Detroit and shares a surprising prediction about self-driving cars. Thanks to Bombfell for supporting The Motley Fool. Get $25 off you first purchase at http://bombfell.com/fool . 

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Opening Arguments - OA92: The Unfortunate Application of Statutes of Limitation and Davino Watson

In today's episode, Andrew reluctantly -- but definitively -- opines that the Second Circuit got the law right in dismissing out the claims of Davino Watson, who argued that he was falsely imprisoned by the U.S. government for 3 1/2 years. In the pre-show segment, Andrew briefly introduces new FBI Director Christopher Wray as a good nominee by Donald Trump. After that, the guys tackle a follow-up question to Episode #91; namely, isn't "sexual orientation" already a protected class?  Doesn't the law just prohibit discrimination in general?  (No.) In our main segment, Andrew explains why statutes of limitation are necessary and why the Second Circuit got it right in dismissing out Watson's false imprisonment claim even though the circumstances are awful. Next, the guys break down Rod Wheeler's defamation lawsuit against Fox News.  Why is this part of Yodel Mountain?  Listen and find out! Finally, we end with an all-new (and fiendishly hard!) Thomas Takes the Bar Exam Question #35 about a hospital's duty to third parties when releasing a patient with homicidal ideation.  Remember that you can play along with #TTTBE by retweeting our episode Tweet along with your guess.  We'll release the answer on next Tuesday's episode along with our favorite entry! Recent Appearances Andrew had a busy week!  He was on the follow shows: Show Notes & Links
  1. You can listen to the original discussion of anti-discrimination in employment in Episode #91, as well as read the text of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq.
  2. This is the trial court's decision in Watson v. U.S. (EDNY 2016), as well as the Second Circuit's decision from Sept. 1, 2017.
  3. Here is the Complaint filed by Rod Wheeler against Fox News.
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The Gist - The Scaramucci Tapes

It’s a special combo Gist, with an interview and Spiel rolled into one segment: Zoe Chace, producer for This American Life, digs up some old audio from one of her conversations with Anthony Scaramucci. The tape is from 2016, when the Mooch was pondering whether to support Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. What Scaramucci said back then may indicate what he’ll do next. 

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Bay Curious - Mountain Lions: Real Threat to Bay Area Hikers?

A Bay Curious listener who hikes a lot wonders: Should he be scared of mountain lions? We find out for him.


Reported by Vinnee Tong. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Penny Nelson, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.


Ask us a question at BayCurious.org.


Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

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The Gist - A Video Game Thoreau Might Play

What would you expect from a video game inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s sojourn in the woods? In Walden, a game, players can contemplate the forest, go boating with Ralph Waldo Emerson, and practice civil disobedience. The game was developed by the Game Innovation Lab at the University of Southern California. Lab Director Tracy Fullerton explains why she thinks Thoreau might have liked the game. 

In the Spiel, our faith in the military might not be blind, but it is blinkered. 

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