For many, recycling feels like a tangible way to personally combat climate change and to positively affect the environment. But after a years long investigation, NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan finds that reality is generally the opposite: Only a small fraction of plastic is ultimately recycled. Moreover, plastic production is on the rise.
Journalist Dawn Turner grew up in Chicago's historic Bronzeville neighborhood in the '70s. Her memoir chronicles the dreams shared between her younger sister, her best friend and herself – and the disparities that Black girls experience in the quest for their own American Dream. In today's episode, Turner opens up to Here & Now's Celeste Headlee about where her path diverged from those of her friend and sister, and how transcendence looks different for everyone.
Molly Conger joins Robert, Garrison, and James to discus the recent attacks on power substations and how they relate to growing awareness of accelerationist plots against critical infrastructure.
Great design can reward a company’s shareholders, but “good enough” doesn’t do much. Mauro Porcini is the Chief Design Officer of PepsiCo and the author of “The Human Side of Innovation: The Power of People in Love with People.” Ricky Mulvey caught up with Porcini to discuss:
- Why investors should watch companies with great design thinkers
- The strategy behind limited-edition releases
- How wearables could change what we eat and drink
Two-million-year-old molecular fossils reveal flourishing woodlands and widespread animals in Greenland's pre-Ice-Age past, and give hints to the Arctic’s future under global warming. We hear from a molecular palaeontologist and a climate modeller.
DNA also reveals the enduring genetic influence of our extinct Denisovan cousins on disease immunity in modern Island Southeast Asians.
And the art and science of 3D-printing violins
If your home is drafty, filling in holes and cracks can help tackle rising energy bills, and lower your carbon footprint. But is there a limit to how airtight we should make our homes? That’s what CrowdScience listeners Jeff and Angie wondered when weatherproofing their doors and sealing up cracks for the winter. Once every last gap is blocked, will enough air get in for them to breathe properly? How would they know if they’ve gone too far?
With Covid-19 making us more aware than ever of the importance of good ventilation, CrowdScience investigates how to make your home cosy and energy-efficient without sacrificing fresh air in the process. And we find out how, in hotter climates, you can carefully tap into your drafts, to reduce energy-intensive air conditioning.
With contributions from Kimble Smith, Professor Nicola Carslaw, Dr Iain Walker, Marion Baeli and Dr Yashkumar Shukla.
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“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and research by Scott Hill. Jared Schwartz is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. Music behind our sponsors today is "Back To The End" by Strength To Last. Image credit: Ja_inter/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.
There are a host of different musical instruments. There are woodwinds, strings, brass, and percussion instruments. These are the instruments that make up the backbone of orchestras and bands.
However, there is one instrument that is unlike any other.
Almost no one who plays the instrument actually owns one, and if you want to play it, you probably have to schedule a time to play when no one is around.
Learn more about the pipe organ, the world’s largest instrument, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
The Lost History of Cosmopolitanism: The Early Modern Origins of the Intellectual Ideal (Bloomsbury, 2020) challenges our most basic assumptions about the history of an ideal at the heart of modernity. Beginning in antiquity and continuing through to today, Leigh T.I. Penman examines how European thinkers have understood words like 'kosmopolites', 'cosmopolite', 'cosmopolitan' and its cognates. The debates over their meanings show that there has never been a single, stable cosmopolitan concept, but rather a range of concepts-sacred and secular, inclusive and exclusive-all described with the cosmopolitan vocabulary.
While most scholarly attention in the history of cosmopolitanism has focussed on Greek and Roman antiquity or the Enlightenments of the 18th century, this book shows that the crucial period in the evolution of modern cosmopolitanism was early modernity. Between 1500 and 1800 philosophers, theologians, cartographers, jurists, politicians, alchemists and heretics all used this vocabulary, shedding ancient associations, and adding new ones at will. The chaos of discourses prompted thinkers to reflect on the nature of the cosmopolitan ideal, and to conceive of an abstract 'cosmopolitanism' for the first time.
This meticulously researched book provides the first intellectual history of an overlooked period in the evolution of a core ideal. As such, The Lost History of Cosmopolitanism is an essential work for anyone seeking a contextualised understanding of cosmopolitanism today.
Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel. Twitter.
This week, Isaac talks to journalist Steven Thrasher, author of The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide. In the interview, Steven discusses the origins of the book, his decision to include himself in the narrative, and his distaste for the idea of journalistic objectivity. He also shares some tips about outlining and interviewing.
After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas talk about how to cite sources without disrupting the flow of nonfiction writing. Then June and Working co-host Karen Han discuss the creative challenge of gift-giving.
In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Steven discusses his career journey.
Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.
Podcast production by Cameron Drews.
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