Lebanon’s Crises: Economic Collapse, COVID-19, Beirut Blast (0:31)

Guest: Randa Slim, Senior Fellow and Director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program, Middle East Institute, Non-Resident Fellow, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced and International Studies (SAIS) Foreign Policy Institute

Lebanon is in political and economic crisis–and not just because of the massive explosion that ripped through Beirut a week ago, killing more than 170 people, wounding thousands and destroying nearly half the city. Since the blast, angry protesters have clashed with police outside government buildings in Beirut. The Prime Minister of Lebanon and his government stepped down on Monday.

 

A Pirate Radio Station Run by Retirees (18:56)

Guest: Mitch Bennet, Chief Creative Officerfor LUCKIE and Radio Recliner; Mary Fiser, also known as DJ Miz Sassy Grits

To counter the isolation of the pandemic for seniors in assisted living centers, a marketing agency came up with a way to connect residents through music. Radio Recliner is streaming radio station where seniors call in from around the world to make music requests. Some of the big requesters actually become DJs, curating their own episodes for the station complete with narration and nostalgia.

 

The Serious Scientific Search for UFOs (35:40) 

Guest: Steve McDaniel, Founder, SkyHub.org

The US Department of Defense earlier this year confirmed the legitimacy of several videos circulating online that show unidentified aerial phenomena. Notice I did not say UFO. The Defense Department doesn’t use that term. They’ve simply said the strangely-moving blobs of light captured on camera by Navy pilots are unidentified–could be some crazy drone a hobbyist built or a stealth spy plane from a foreign country. It could also be aliens, I suppose. An open source project called SkyHub is working to get more clarity on these unidentified aerial phenomena, scientifically.

 

Adopt-A-Research-Rat at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay (52:53)

Guest: Richard Hein, Professor of Biology, University of Wisconsin Green Bay

Rats are an essential component of scientific research understanding diseases and discovering new treatments. After the study is complete, unfortunately, most rats are euthanized. But there’s a movement to see those rats – and other laboratory animals – adopted as pets instead. The FDA last year announced it’s now allowing lab animals involved in its research to be adopted. 

 

A Look at the Americans with Disability Act 30 Years After Its Passage (1:07:53)

Guest: Stephanie Woodward, Lawyer, Organizer, Disability Details, National ADAPT

The Americans with Disabilities Act is 30 years old this summer. It’s shaped nearly all of Stephanie Woodward’s life. She’s a disability rights lawyer and organizer for the national grassroots disability rights group ADAPT. Woodward was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. What has the ADA meant for people with disabilities – and what more it could do?

 

How to Adapt a Children’s Classic for the Screen (1:22:05)

Guest: Kirsten Hawkes, ParentPreviews.com

A new film adaptation of The Secret Garden was supposed to be released over Easter – it’s got British period-drama superstars Colin Firth and Julie Walters. But the pandemic forced the release to be delayed, so now it’s streaming.