The Allusionist - 219. Making Trouble

A change of scene for one episode: recently the brilliant poet and performer Molly Naylor interviewed me for her podcast Making Trouble, about creativity, and she kindly let me run a version of that episode here for you. We're talking about ideas, but also long-term creative careers, mortality, podcasting, external validation, and Molly offers some great prompts for either sparking ideas or making a dinner conversation a bit more lively. Find her work at mollynaylor.com, and listen to Making Trouble in the very place you listen to podcasts.

Content note: this episode contains category A and B swears.

Visit theallusionist.org/trouble for more information plus a transcript of the episode. And hit the Contact tab to send me a request for an etymological explanation, or a word problem you're having, or observations sparked by previous Allusionists.

Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes info about every episode; livestreams with me, Martin and my ever-growing collection of dictionaries, and the charming and nurturing Allusioverse Discord community, where we chat about language and not-language, and there are some plans for a Zoom Halloween get-together. Together we're also watching the current seasons of Great British Bake Off - donors also get a weekly work of flanfic about the show - and the Canadian version thereof; from 2 November we'll get into the knitting show Game of Wool; and on 8 November we'll be watching the gorgeous Mira Nair film Monsoon Wedding.

Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social… If I’m there, I’m there as @allusionistshow. 

Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

•  The Language Lover’s Lexipedia, An A-Z of Linguistic Curiosities: the new book by alumsionist Joshua Blackburn, who makes the game League of the Lexicon. Both game and book are packed full of language facts and fascinating tidbits. Get them where you buy books and games, and check out leagueofthelexicon.co.uk

• Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online forever home. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist.

• Home Chef, meal kits that fit your needs. For a limited time, Home Chef is offering Allusionist listeners fifty per cent off and free shipping on your first box, plus free dessert for life, at HomeChef.com/allusionist.

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Up First from NPR - Kiwi vs. Predator

In New Zealand, a nationwide extermination campaign is underway. It's one of the most ambitious in the world. The country is home to more than four thousand native species that are threatened or at risk of extinction. To protect its biodiversity, New Zealand has embarked on an experiment that aims to eradicate all invasive species by the year 2050. Can the country pull it off? And how far should humans go to reverse the damage we’ve caused?

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - TBD | Did The Trump Administration Censor Speech?

For years, conservatives claimed that the Biden administration was pressuring tech companies to censor conservative speech with no solid evidence. 


In Trump 2.0, the administration is explicitly bragging about doing the very same thing they accused democrats of. What gives? 


Guest: Renée DiResta, Associate Research Professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown and author of “Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality”


Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Global News Podcast - President Trump oversees agreement between Thailand and Cambodia

President Trump attends ASEAN summit in Malaysia, and oversees an agreement between Thailand and Cambodia to normalise relations after their short border conflict earlier this year. Also: Hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic; the anniversary of floods that killed more than 200 people in Valencia; groups of indigenous peoples may be wiped out in the next ten years; voting for the next mayor of New York; a former world chess champion denies bullying; the release date of a Japanese film about a bear attacking humans is delayed - because of real bear attacks; and the row over a new Chinese embassy in London.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

It Could Happen Here - CZM Book Club: F*ck This Sh*t Manor, by Laurel Hightower

Margaret reads you a haunted house story about real estate desirability.

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PBS News Hour - World - News Wrap: Rapidly intensifying Melissa becomes a hurricane in the Caribbean

In our news wrap Saturday, meteorologists predict catastrophic flooding in Jamaica and Haiti as Hurricane Melissa gains strength, new details emerged about the private donor who volunteered to pay U.S. troops as the government shutdown stretches on, early voting began in New York and New Jersey, and Trump denied reports that he plans to name the new White House ballroom after himself. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

PBS News Hour - World - China’s Xi launches largest crackdown on country’s Christians in years

Ahead of Trump’s visit next week, China’s President Xi has launched a major crackdown on the country’s Christians, which number in the tens of millions. Earlier this month, Beijing arrested a prominent underground church pastor and more than 20 other clergy and parishioners. Nick Schifrin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

PBS News Hour - Health - Experimental treatment offers hope to people struggling with chronic pain

More than 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, according to the CDC. Persistent pain that lasts beyond a typical recovery period can be debilitating and finding the right treatment is a challenge, but a recent study could provide a glimmer of hope. Ali Rogin speaks with New York Times health and science reporter Pam Belluck to learn more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy