Most radio listening takes place in the car or while doing other things that allow freedom for the ear, but not the eyes and hands. Podcasts permit a shift of listening time from a set appointment to virtually any convenient occasion. I do it while “power walking” (most) every other day (when it’s not cold and wet or I haven’t succumbed to laziness). The “art” of putting one foot in front of the other can be pretty monotonous and by “podding along” while plodding along the mind also gets something useful to do.
Some of the best radio comes from the public networks of the UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and the U.S. Apart from the originating program’s web site, most programs are made available through any number of other amalgamation sources such as iTunes and TuneIn. Admittedly, these are thoroughly subjective recommendations, but my interests and tolerance for incompatible views are pretty wide-ranging. Here’s another in a continuing series of small samplings: ----- “It’s a Dog’s Life” THE DOCUMENTARY - BBC World Service There is unique and ancient bond between humans and dogs, from its early beginnings to the modern day. In Costa Rica’s extraordinary ‘Territorio de Zaguates’, translated as the ‘Land of the Mutts’, Ayo Akinwolere witnesses the day to day running of a refuge where dogs outnumber people by at least 100 to one. The slowly changing attitude to dogs in Costa Rica reflects the breadth of the canine-human relationship worldwide: from Ayo’s own pragmatic attitude as a child in Nigeria, the cruelty experienced by strays and pet dogs globally, to the extreme dedication needed to take in over 600 strays and keep them alive. Dog expert and behaviour guru John Bradshaw explains how the pooch and people relationship works and evolves. Recent Japanese research into the love chemical oxytocin (vital for bonding between mothers and babies after birth) is now recognised as an integral part of how we bond with our dogs. This bond is revealed in the inimitable stories of individual canine-human relationships. Ex-Marine Jeff de Young shares his story of serving as a dog handler in Afghanistan with his faithful black Labrador Cena. When Jeff lost seven friends in just three weeks, it was Cena who helped him through. Separated after the war, find out how Jeff and his faithful companion were re-united, and how humans and dogs can share an unbreakable bond. (50”) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04wkrxm “Living Water” THE DOCUMENTARY - BBC World Service Watched by crocodiles on the bank of a tropical Northern Territory stream; sitting in a peaceful desert water dreaming place; interpreting a significant rock art site; dancing and singing the country back to life - Aboriginal people from language groups across Australia share their words, wisdom and concern for the future of that crucial resource, water. It’s embedded in identity, culture, spirituality and survival. Brad Moggridge, a Murri from the Kamilaroi Nation, is a hydrogeologist who’s passionate about promoting Aboriginal ecological knowledge and he links the traditional with a contemporary scientific take on water management. In this, the driest inhabited continent on earth, understanding water has been essential for tens of thousands of years. Today, as Brad says, "Mobs all over the country still talk about water places, dream about water places, have law about water places and teach the next generation about water places. Water is a key part of who we are". (27”) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04s45wq ***** CAPSULE REVIEW - THE DOCUMENTARY - BBC WORLD SERVICE Not too long ago, arguably the premier radio documentary producer on the planet was RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE in Hilversum. That production factory had a stellar team of journalists and broadcasters who took great pride in shining a spotlight at length on important topics that somehow seemed to escape the attention of other stations. The closure of Holland’s international broadcaster meant the loss of many fine programs, but the loss of their documentaries might have been the biggest. It’s taken a few years, but the BBC WORLD SERVICE — which appears to be experiencing something of a renaissance recently — has stepped into this breach and is producing a wealth of documentary material worthy of merit and recognition. Apart from being broadcast regularly across the many World Service radio and online streams, all are available through BBC Listen Again and by podcast. The series website is at <http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00fvhsf>. ***** __ __ A monthly compendium of these newsletters, plus on occasion additional pertinent material, is now published in The CIDX Messenger, the monthly e-newsletter of the Canadian International DX Club (CIDX). For further information, go to www.cidx.ca Good listening! John Figliozzi Editor, "The Worldwide Listening Guide" 7th edition available from Universal Radio, Amazon, W5YI.com and Ham Radio Outlet _______________________________________________ Swprograms mailing list Swprograms@hard-core-dx.com http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swprograms To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to swprograms-requ...@hard-core-dx.com?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL shown above.
