Connections Podcast

It might seem hard to believe, but a community of people in a remote jungle were closed off to the rest of the world until as late as 1970. They call themselves the Korowai, and they have built a remarkable existence in Indonesia, including homes high in the trees above the rain forest. For several decades, tourists have been allowed to interact with the Korowai, and that interaction has led to some misunderstandings on both sides. Rupert Stasch from the University of Cambridge has spent a great

Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. That has set off a debate about whether music lyrics can be literature. Our guests tangle over the Dylan selection; we also evaluate his work for the best examples of music as literature. And if Dylan can win, who else from his industry? Joni Mitchell? Justin Timberlake? Okay, maybe not Joni Mitchell. Our guests: John Covach, director of the Institute for Popular Music at the University of RochesterJames McCorkle, assistant professor of

Donald Trump is continuing to claim that the election will be rigged if he loses, and that voters can't trust the process. There is, of course, no evidence to back him up. But millions of voters are listening. We talk about why Trump's ominous remarks are a threat to democratic stability. And we discuss why we can, in fact, trust the process, and the remarkable people who help protect our elections. Our guests: Ryan Godfrey, elections inspectorTom Ferrarese and David Van Varick, Monroe County

Should New York State lawmakers be granted a pay raise? The question is not as simple as it may seem. State lawmakers have not received a salary increase since 1999, and now an Albany commission is considering a proposal to raise their pay by up to 47%. If the salary increase were approved, the base pay of $79,500 a year for legislators would increase to about $113,000 a year, if the rising consumer price index over the past 17 years is factored in. The idea for the increase has been met with

Chamique Holdsclaw is a six-time WNBA All-Star and an Olympic gold medalist, but her life now is dedicated to her achievements off the court. Holdsclaw struggled with depression as a child, in part, she says, due to her difficult home life. Her mother was an alcoholic, so she and her younger brother were raised by her grandmother in a housing project in Queens. Holdsclaw took her anger and frustration to the basketball court, where she realized she had a gift. She won three NCAA championships

Weekend Connections is a collection of some of the most noteworthy moments from the week on Connections with Evan Dawson. This episode includes conversations about: A new play that explores what might happen if a conservative Republican leader changed his mind about God and guns;Rape culture and the impact of Donald Trump's comments about women;Hillary Clinton's views on Sanders supporters;Jon Stewart's proposed "draft," which would make military or community service mandatory for all young

A new play looks at what might happen if a conservative Republican leader changed his mind about God and guns. "Church and State" imagines a Newtown-like mass shooting, in which a Senator's children survived. His views on God, and on gun rights, immediately shift. This comes as a problem for his wife, a devoutly religious woman who favors no restrictions on guns, despite the massacre at her children's school. And what would voters say? Our guests: Jason Odell Williams, playwright, Church and

Don't feed the trolls? Social media can be ugly. This year, actor Leslie Jones quit Twitter until it went after her tormentors. There have been calls for more stringent policing. And The Atlantic Monthly's new cover story is about what happens when the trolls are ISIS, which uses social media to spread its terrible ideology. Our guests come from the upcoming Upstate Social Sessions in Rochester, where handling trolls is just one of many discussions on the agenda. We talk trolls, and preview

Call it Jon Stewart's Draft. The former Daily Show host has said that the United States should bring back the draft. Here's the caveat: it's not necessarily a military draft. Stewart thinks every 18 year old should have to sign up for service of some kind, for one year. Volunteering and serving local communities is high on the list. In that spirit, our panel addresses how service could, in fact, change lives for young adults who haven't gotten too far outside their own bubble. Our guests: Keith

Twenty-eight years ago, we witnessed what is often described as the worst campaign photo op in history: democrat Michael Dukakis posed in a helmet, riding an M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. It was supposed to inspire voters to imagine Dukakis as commander in chief. Instead, it led to ridicule, a disastrous backfire. And it was staged! Our discussion focuses on campaign and political photography. How do photographers capture authenticity in a political realm so filled with stagecraft? What are the