By Fanny Howe
Read Me a Poem - “When You Are Old” by W. B. Yeats
Amanda Holmes reads W. B. Yeats’s poem “When You Are Old.” Have a suggestion for a poem by a (dead) writer? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you’ll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman.
This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch.
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Bammers - Is it Even Football without Tailgating?
Due to the pandemic, the University of Alabama banned tailgating on campus for the 2020 season. No tents, no noise, no food -- nothing. A UA rep talks about what went into that decision, while fans discuss what an Alabama football season without tailgating looked like and why tailgating makes gameday so special in Tuscaloosa.
Guests:
Roger Myers, Alabama superfan and tailgating veteran
Nick Ferenz, University of Alabama Associate Director of Event Management
Ben Shewmake, Marine Corps veteran and president of the Campus Veterans Association.
Lacey Cencula, Die-hard fan and Bama Twitter personality from Birmingham
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Everything Everywhere Daily - How LIGO Works
To explore the universe humans have made any manner of telescopes. These telescopes can observe visible light, infrared light, radio waves, and even x-rays.
One of the most important forces in shaping the universe is gravity. How can astronomers observe gravity?
In 2002, the National Science Foundation, Caltech, and MIT managed to build a gravitational observatory.
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NPR's Book of the Day - How Colin Powell Wanted The World To Remember Him
When Colin Powell died on October 18 at the age of 84 from COVID-19 complications, he left behind a long, decorated career in Washington and the U.S. Army. He spent much of his life in the military, eventually rising to the rank of four-star general, and went on to become the first Black Secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs. But, as he discussed in a 2012 interview with NPR's Robert Siegel about his memoir It Worked For Me, Powell's reputation was tarnished when he used faulty evidence to push for the Iraq War: "I'll never leave it behind."
Audio Poem of the Day - North of Mist
by Wendy Videlock (read by Christina Kirk)
Everything Everywhere Daily - El Niño and La Niña
Weather systems on Earth aren’t stable. There are cycles that weather patterns go through which can have enormous effects around the globe.
There is probably no more important weather cycle than the one meteorologists called the Southern Oscillation. This cycle can have dramatic implications for temperatures and rainfall all over the world.
Learn more about El Nino and La Nina and the Southern Oscillation on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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39 Ways to Save the Planet - Better Batteries
Batteries are powering the electric car revolution, but can we make them longer lasting, faster charging and smaller and lighter? Beyond electric cars and other vehicles, the more applications means more renewable energy can be stored and used, driving us away from fossil fuels. Tom Heap visits UKBIC - the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre in Coventry - a vast facility to develop better batteries. He dons full protective gear to see some of the processes involved in making batteries and testing new chemistries and engineering. He speaks to Isobel Sheldon from British Volt about the goals and potential that could be realised by improving batteries and climate scientist Dr Tamsin Edwards assesses how much carbon dioxide this could potentially save.
Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock Researcher Sarah Goodman
Produced in association with the Royal Geographical Society. Special thanks for this episode to Dr Solomon Brown from the University of Sheffield and Dr Carlos Fernandez at Robert Gordon University.
39 Ways to Save the Planet - The Happiness Index
How well is your country doing? The GDP - gross domestic product - has long been a measure of growth and success but some argue judging purely on economics is too narrow-sighted. Tom Heap meets 'chopsy' Sophie Howe, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales who will challenge if a decision being made will be detrimental for children and those yet to be born. If the cost and inheritance to them is high it risks getting kicked out. She takes him to the wetlands she helped save from a planned M4 development. Katherine Trebeck explains alternatives measures of national success, the factors they take in and why many feel happier about using them. Dr Tamsin Edwards assesses what an alternative viewpoint could do for carbon cutting.
Producer Anne-Marie Bullock Researcher Sarah Goodman
Produced in association with the Royal Geographical Society. Special thanks for this episode to Dr Lukas Hardt from WEAll Scotland, to Dr Paul Brockway from the University of Leeds and to Dr Chris Hope from the University of Cambridge.
39 Ways to Save the Planet - Floating Solar Power
Generating renewable energy from solar power has been a great resource but land for this purpose can come into conflict with other uses or receive opposition from those who don't enjoy the view. But can floating solar panels on water - which accounts for most of the surface of the planet - provide an alternative?
Tom Heap meets Mark Bennett, a farmer from Berkshire, who created a reservoir for soft fruit production and was curious to see if it had more potential. After a quick internet search he went to visit Ciel et Terre, a French company who were developing floating solar panels. He installed them for power at the farm and to demonstrate to others. Meanwhile the company founder Bernard Prouvost talks to Tom about the countries around the world which are adopting this, where he feels floating panels are appropriate and if the potential to partner with hydrodams. Climate Scientist Dr Tamsin Edwards assesses their carbon cutting potential.
Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock Researcher: Sarah Goodman
Produced in association with the Royal Geographical Society. Special thanks for this episode to Dr Tasmiat Rahman from the University of Southampton and Grant Feasey from AES Solar.