Odessa - Part 2: Friday Night Lights

In 1988, a high school football team in Odessa, Texas, was so good that it became the inspiration for a book, movie and, eventually, the television series “Friday Night Lights.” And in the decades since, as West Texas has weathered the unsettling undulations of the oil industry, football has remained steady. 

So after the pandemic hit, the town did what it could to make sure the season wasn’t disrupted. And at Odessa High School, where the football team struggles to compete against local rivals, the members of their award winning marching band were relieved they could keep playing. 

In Part 2 of Odessa, we follow what happened when the season opened — and how the school weighed the decision to start against the possible risks to students’ physical and mental health.

the memory palace - Episode 177: A Brief Eulogy for Carla Wallenda


The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

A note on notes: We’d much rather you just went into each episode of The Memory Palace cold. And just let the story take you where it well. So, we don’t suggest looking into the show notes first.

Music

  • The Last Days of Summer by Maria Avnos.

  • Broad Channel (Solo Piano) by Bing & Ruth

  • Homesickness (v. 1) by the phenomenal Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou

Notes

  • Here she is with Steve Harvey.

Everything Everywhere Daily - Why Does San Marino Even Exist?

The country of San Marino is one of the smallest countries in the world. It is completely surrounded by Italy, is about 24 square miles in area, and has a population of about 33,000 people. The most interesting thing about San Marino is the fact that it exists. Why didn’t San Marino get sucked into Italy like every other city-state on the peninsula? Learn more about tiny San Marino and why it still exists in the 21st century on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - A History of Vaccines

Right now vaccinations are all over the news. There are many companies that have developed vaccines for COVID-19 and there is a good chance that most people in the world will wind up getting a vaccine in the next year or two. Many of you may never have given much thought to what is a vaccine? How do they work, and how were they developed? Well, there are answers to those questions. Learn more about the history of vaccines and how they work on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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60 Songs That Explain the '90s - Shania Twain—“Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”

Rob explores country icon Shania Twain’s crossover hit “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” by discussing her pioneering within and outside of Nashville as well as her professional and personal relationship with producer Mutt Lange.

This episode was originally produced as a Music and Talk show available exclusively on Spotify. Find the full song on Spotify or wherever you get your music.

Host: Rob Harvilla

Guest: Marissa R. Moss

Producers: Isaac Lee and Justin Sayles

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Life Raft - What If We Just…Made Our Houses Float?

With flood risk increasing and flood insurance rates likely following suit, it seems like there's got to be a better way to tackle the challenge.

For example: could we make our homes float when the water comes?

This week we talk to an architect who has devoted her professional life to that question, and we visit a Louisiana community where some people have decided that it makes more sense to temporarily float a house than to elevate it on stilts.

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Want to help shape the future of Life Raft? We’re looking for feedback on our first season. Filling out this (super short) survey will really help us understand how we can best serve you. If you include your contact info, you’ll be entered into a raffle to win a prize from WWNO or WRKF.

While we figure out what the future holds, we’d love to extend the biggest and warmest thank you to everyone who made this possible. Thanks, especially, to everyone for listening, and for submitting the questions that made this show possible.

In the meantime, follow us on social media. We’re on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

And if you like what you hear from Life Raft, consider making a donation to WRKF or WWNO to help keep the show going!

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Support for WWNO’s Coastal Desk comes from the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and listeners like you.

Everything Everywhere Daily - The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist

In the early hour of March 18, 1990, two police officers enter Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The problem was, they weren’t police officers. They were thieves. In a little over an hour, they stole 13 valuable works of art which had a combined value of over $500 million dollars. It was the largest robbery in American history. Learn more about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

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Land of the Giants - The Moonshot Factory

Since they were Stanford grad students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin have had big ideas for technologies that could change the world. Only now, they have Google's nearly limitless resources to turn those ideas into reality. Some of Google's projects seem like a vision from the future. Others have crashed and burned. This is the story of two moonshots, and the world we might live in someday.

  • Hosts: Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) and Alex Kantrowitz (@kantrowitz)
  • Enjoyed this episode? Rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
  • Want to get in touch? Tweet @recode.
  • Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear next week's episode by subscribing in your favorite podcast app.
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