World’s Largest Democratic Election is Underway – It Lasts Six Weeks

Guest: Charles Nuckolls, PhD, Professor of Anthropology and South Asian Studies, BYU

In India right now, a national election has already been underway for a week and it’ll last five more before votes will be tallied on May 23. Can you imagine election day lasting for six weeks? Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls it “a festival of democracy.” Let’s take a closer look at what’s at stake. Charles Nuckolls joins me in studio. He’s a professor of anthropology and South Asian Studies here at BYU. Welcome. 

 

Who Makes Movie Trailers?

Guest: Nick Temple, Founder and Creative Director, Wild Card

The latest movie trailer everyone’s talking about is Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker. Star Wars fans are on fire with speculation: Is Luke Skywalker coming back? And Emperor Palpatine? A good trailer teases, and that one’s done its job. Making these tantalizing bites of filmispure seduction.

 

The Scottish Fire Festival Beltane

Guest: Brad Macarthur, Member of the Beltane Fire Society Board of Trustees

Twice a year in Edinburgh, Scotland, hundreds of volunteers perform a pageant with drums and fire and body paint and elaborate costumes. The two “fire festivals”mark the turning of the seasons –one at the end of October and the other coming up at the end of April. They’re a major attraction and dateback to the Iron Age.Brad MacArthurison the board of the volunteer organization that puts on the Edinburgh festivals. It’s called the Beltane Fire Society and he’s with me now by phone.

 

Apple Seed

Guest: Sam Payne, Host, The Apple Seed, BYUradio

Sam brings a baseball classic to the microphone: "Casey At The Bat."

 

Keeping the Jazz Age Alive with Handmade Custom Instruments

Guest: Mike Corrigan, Owner, Best American Craftsman

Back in the 30s and 40s, it wasn’t just the performer or the music that was important, but also the craftsmanship of the instrument. A trumpet used to be as much a work of art as the jazz it played. Most horns were handmade by master craftsman before mass production came along. Yet there are still a few companies left that will build you a one-of-a-kind instrument. One of these is Best American Craftsman in Kansas City. 

 

How Coders Shape the World

Guest: Clive Thompson, Science and Technology Journalist, Author of "CODERS: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World"

If it’s really true that our world runs on software, then the people who build that software are enormously powerful. Who are they? What do they want? If they took us to their leader, would it be a guy in a dark room pounding energy drinks and wearing yesterday’s clotheslike we see on TV? It’s that’s who is running our world, that’s a bit terrifying.