Podcasts permit a shift of listening time from a set appointment to virtually any convenient occasion. I do it while taking my daily (more or less) 3 mile walk, while I’m “plodding along”.
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 — in roughly 90 minute bites -- helpful in enhancing your own enjoyment of radio, our favorite medium. __ __ “Do we need a final farewell?” THE MORAL MAZE - BBC Radio 4 The way we grieve is changing and that is seen most starkly by the rise of the direct cremation and the no fuss funeral. I in 5 people of people opted for a direct cremation last year, a startling figure that’s risen 3 fold in 5 years. At it’s most basic the direct cremation means the final journey is purely functional. Body taken unaccompanied to an unknown crematorium. You can even get the ashes posted back through the letterbox. It's cheaper and you can mark the last hurrah with a party or memorial service or perhaps even nothing at all. What does this changing trend say about our respect for human dignity as a society or is this just another step in the removal of religion from the lives of a significant part of the population. Only a quarter of people in the UK now want a religious funeral. The rise of direct cremation could also be a sign that mourners are throwing off the shackles of inherited tradition and religious belief to decide how they want to grieve. Direct cremations and DIY celebrations cut out the reality of death and if there’s no grieving at the graveside or standing in a crematorium what do we lose? There's another aspect to consider. The digital afterlife is one where someone never leaves. Grieftech can keep us in touch with AI loved ones . Instead of the finality of a funeral we could be conversing forever with the deceased. Do we need a final farewell? Presenter: William Crawley Panellists: Anne McElvoy, James Orr, Matthew Taylor, Ella Whelan (57”) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00208gr “Is the rise of the far right in Europe inevitable? It’s complicated.” THE MINEFIELD - ABC RN (Radio National) The results of the recent European Parliament elections have only fueled the growing concern across the member nations of the European Union that far-right, radical right, Eurosceptic and otherwise anti-immigrant parties are, once again, on the rise. The fear, in part, is that these latter groups — particularly when combined with independent MEPs drawn from the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) and Viktor Orbán’s hard right Fidesz party in Hungary, among others — will prove successful in realigning the European Parliament’s policies and priorities, not least regarding immigration and climate change. So, even if the parliamentary centre currently holds, the question is: For how long? (54”) https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/theminefield/the-european-parliament-elections-and-rise-of-far-right/103854126 — — A compendium of these suggestions, plus on occasion additional pertinent material, is published every other month in the CIDX Messenger, the monthly e-newsletter of the Canadian International DX Club (CIDX). For further information and membership information, go to www.cidxclub.ca John Figliozzi Editor, "The Worldwide Listening Guide” NEW!!!! 11th EDITION now available from universal-radio.com, amazon.com. amazon.co.uk, amazon.de, amazon.com.au _______________________________________________ Internetradio mailing list Internetradio@hard-core-dx.com http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/internetradio To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to internetradio-requ...@hard-core-dx.com?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL shown above.
