[Swprograms] Podding Along - Issue 498

[John A. Figliozzi <jfiglio1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Podcasts permit a shift of listening time from a set appointment to virtually any convenient occasion.  While there are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of great podcasts from other sources, the ones sponsored via public radio have been vetted through the worthy objectives of the medium. 

Here’s what I’ve been listening to recently.  I hope you might find these suggestions helpful in enhancing your own enjoyment of radio, our favorite medium.
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“Should politics be guided by public opinion?”
MORAL MAZE - BBC Radio 4
Should politicians respect, despise, accommodate or ignore public opinion? Can a government get away with ignoring public opinion? Well, it can in constituencies it’s never going to win. Politics nowadays is not merely ‘guided’ by polls, surveys, databases and focus groups… it is controlled by them. But is that good for the country? Is the advice they generate either wise or moral? Are the public obsessed with issues that don’t matter, while they ignore the ones that do? There is a case to be made against taking any notice of what the public thinks about anything. We know that the public thinks short-term, and that its opinions on political issues are ill-informed. Public opinion is inconsistent, incoherent and volatile. And yet democracy is built on the principle that the majority must get its way. And it’s not just politicians who flatter the electorate with talk of their ‘wisdom’. Lots of people seem to think that majority opinion will usually be wise, kind and helpful. But then, many also believe the moon landing was staged.  (57”)
https://www.bbc.co <https://www.bbc.co/>.uk/programmes/m001ryp0

“Building Utopias”
THE FAILURE OF THE FUTURE - BBC Radio 4
For decades, artists, scientists and philosophers have dreamed up utopias that aim to transform the way we live. But why did they not become the future we are living in today? Is there something in those “what-might-have-beens” that’s worth returning to? Writer and artist Johny Pitts explores a series of failed visions of the future. But rather than discarding them with the sands of time, he asks what we can learn from those past projections. And might the rubble of these forgotten worlds contain gems that could propel us towards a brighter tomorrow? 
In Episode 1, recorded before the earthquake in Japan on 1st January 2024, Johny reviews the idealistic plans of Japanese urban planner Kenzo Tange and the architects he collaborated with who were known as The Metabolists. They set out to create a blueprint for global cities and their work rescued entire cities from total devastation. By reviewing their goal of creating a blueprint for all global cities, Johny asks whether aspects of their forward-thinking ideas are worth harvesting for our own future.  (29”)
https://www.bbc.co <https://www.bbc.co/>.uk/sounds/play/m001vcdr

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A compendium of these suggestions, plus on occasion additional pertinent material, is published in most editions of the CIDX Messenger, the monthly e-newsletter of the Canadian International DX Club (CIDX).  For further information and membership information, go to www.cidx.ca

John Figliozzi
Editor, "The Worldwide Listening Guide”
NEW!!!!  11th EDITION available in mid-January from universal-radio.com, amazon.com. amazon.co.uk and amazon.com.au, Ham Radio Outlet, W5YI.com. (The Amazon.com <http://amazon.com/> listing has not yet appeared, but universal-radio.com <http://universal-radio.com/> has copies available.)




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