The Shakeout - The US-Mexico Border Has Been Closed Since March. Businesses Are Feeling The Consequence.

Along the Mexico border, like everywhere, businesses have seen a drop in foot traffic during the pandemic. Unlike other parts of the country, the loss of customers is partly due to an action by the Federal Government: The closure of the border to nonessential travel. On this episode of The Shakeout, we weigh the economic effects this policy has had for cities on both sides of the border.

Back Bar - Legends

The story of the Sazerac, how it changed, adapted, evolved and kept pace with the rest of the cocktail world in the pilot episode of Back Bar. 

On the pilot episode of Back Bar host Greg Benson delves into the history of the Sazerac, a cocktail that’s changed over the years to become something uniquely American. Through historical luminaries like “Cocktail Bill” Boothby and “Professor” Jerry Thomas along with modern day giants like Dale DeGroff we see how the Sazerac and drinking as a whole evolved over the past 200 years. Along for the ride are Sother Teague, beverage director of Amor y Amargo, Tales of the Cocktail President Caroline Rosen and Cocktail Kingdom CEO Greg Boehm.

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Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us every two weeks as we talk about history's favorite drinks and how what we drink shapes history. To see what's coming next follow Greg on instagram @100ProofGreg. #drinkinghistory

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Life Raft - How Can I Reduce Flooding In My Neighborhood?

When it rains, it pours. And when it pours, it floods.

More and more, that appears to be the situation down South. In New Orleans, several big rain storms in recent years have turned streets into rivers and flooded homes and cars.

This week on Life Raft: flooding. What can we do about it?

We speak drop by a bar that regularly floods, get the latest science on climate-induced rainfall, and visit with a New Orleanian who decided to get her hands dirty and take some action.

Here are some great resources for how to help reduce flooding in your neighborhood:

  • This workbook from WaterWise Gulf South is a great how-to guide for getting started on your own green infrastructure.

  • The Urban Conservancy has a program that reimburses New Orleanians for ripping up concrete in their yards.

  • Healthy Community Services (run by Angela Chalk, who you heard in Episode 1) also does lots of work around green infrastructure in New Orleans.

Got a question you want us to explore? Send it to us! There’s a super simple form on our website.

For bonus pictures and extra fun vibes, follow us on social media. We’re on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

P.S. Here’s the legendary photo of “Darryl.”

P.P.S Climate change is scary, but Life Raft is not!

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

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

Byzantium And The Crusades - The Decline of the Crusaders Episode 11 “The Battle of Hattin”

In this episode, we hear about the continuing quarrels between the Crusaders, just as Saladin was gathering the greatest army Islam had put into the field since the Battle of Manzikert, a century before. The clock was now ticking down to one of the largest and most decisive battles of the Middle Ages: the Battle of Hattin.

Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

Byzantium And The Crusades - The Decline of the Crusaders Episode 10 “The Crusaders Divided”

In this episode, we hear how the Crusader states in the 1180s were unable to find unity or strong leadership to face the growing threat of Saladin. Instead, the death of the leper King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem resulted in a fractious and divided political environment. Matters were only made worse by the renegade behaviour of Reynald of Châtillon, whose outrageous attacks on Muslim convoys passing between Egypt and Syria provided the perfect excuse for Saladin to call for a decisive war against the Crusaders.

Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

City of the Future - Flexible Streets

The pandemic has forced us to reexamine and reimagine how we use one of our most precious public spaces: our streets. From outdoor dining to expanded bike lanes, cities have been re-designing streets so they can be better shared by all — drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians alike. But could we take this idea even further? What if we could use design and technology to make our streets more flexible? So they could change use according to the season, the week, or even the hour? In our season finale, we explore a future where city streets can do just that — and better respond to all of our needs. 

In this episode:

  • [0:01 - 6:44] We meet with transit guru Gridlock Sam to talk about the history of political battles over New York City streets and the recent changes in response to Covid
  • [6:54 - 11:18] Aspen Director of Parking & Downtown Services Mitch Osur and Coord Head of Policy & Partnerships Dawn Miller explain how data is allowing cities to solve problems like traffic and curb congestion
  • [11:43 - 14:40] We visit Sidewalk Labs Senior Creative Technologist Nick Jonas to test out Pebble, a new technology for vehicle occupancy detection 
  • [16:23 - 23:43] Associate Director of Planning & Delivery Siqi Zhu and Director of Mobility Willa Ng imagine how our streets can adapt to be shared more equitably

To see images and videos of topics discussed in this episode, read the link-rich transcript on our Sidewalk Talk Medium page.

City of the Future is hosted by Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk, and produced by Benjamen Walker and Andrew Callaway. Mix is by Zach Mcnees. Art is by Tim Kau. Our music is composed by Adaam James Levin-Areddy of Lost Amsterdam. Special thanks to Sam Schwartz, Mitch Osur, Dawn Miller, Nick Jonas, Siqi Zhu, and Willa Ng.

Life Raft - So You’ve Got Climate Anxiety. Here’s What You Can Do With It.

No matter where you fall on the eco-anxiety spectrum, on a scale from low-key stressed to lying up at night in a dread spiral, you could probably use some advice on doing something about it. Climate change can be scary, after all.

We talk with science writer Britt Wray, who has been researching the overlap of mental health and climate change. She defines some terms, offers some tips and tricks, and shares her personal experience with feelings of climate dread. Plus, she tells a fun story of that time she gave a presentation on climate denial and eco-stress to a bunch of energy executives.

Here are some great resources for digging deeper on climate change feelings:

Got a question you want us to explore? Send it to us! There’s a super simple form on our website.

For bonus pictures and extra fun vibes, follow us on social media. We’re on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Climate change is scary, but Life Raft is not!

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

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

Byzantium And The Crusades - The Decline of the Crusaders Episode 9 “The Growing Empire of Saladin”

In this episode, we hear how Saladin continued to build his empire by taking Aleppo in 1183, which he added to his control of Damascus, so that he ruled a state stretching from Egypt to the borders of modern Turkey, completely encircling the Crusaders. Meanwhile, the Byzantine Empire had faded after its defeat by the Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Myriokephalon in 1076, and the Crusaders themselves suffered from the lack of a capable leader, and were increasingly dominated by the irresponsible and self-seeking Reynald of Châtillon.

Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.