Word of Mouth

Cathy Grier: Troubador, "Subway Girl"

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:29:45 +0000

While everyone else is going somewhere, musician Cathy Grier is staying still. She's the New York City Subway Girl.

Clamoring For Tolstoy...In Juvie?

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:22:45 +0000

“Books Behind Bars” is program which pairs undergraduates from the University of Virginia with inmates at the Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center to read classic Russian literature.

Birdwatching In New Hampshrie

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:02 +0000

Eric Masterson is a blogger and the author of Birdwatching in New Hampshire, and joins us for a hyper-local guide to spotting species around the state.

The #OKC Tornado On Twitter

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:57:07 +0000

Brady Carlson joins us to talk about social media's reaction to the devastating tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma.

The Philadelphia Chromosome: A Mutant Gene And The Quest To Cure Cancer

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:49:26 +0000

In 1959 scientists caught their first glimpse of a genetic mutation, ‘the Philadelphia chromosome’ and began unraveling the mysterious role it plays in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and led to the development of Gleevec, a groundbreaking drug that made this once-fatal cancer treatable with a single daily pill. Jessica Wapner is a freelance science writer, and her new book chronicling the back story behind the breakthrough, “The Philadelphia Chromosome: A Mutant Gene and the Quest to Cure Cancer at the Genetic Level” was released this month.

Has Terrorism Research Become Stagnant?

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:17:08 +0000

“Why did they do it?” That’s one of the first questions on the lips of every reporter and pundit after a tragedy like the Boston Marathon bombing, and often there is no satisfying answer. In cases of domestic terrorism, the motives of the perpetrator leave us with other, equally difficult questions: what separates angry young men, most of whom will never commit acts of mass violence, from those who do?

Why No "National Tragedy" Label For The New Orleans Shootings?

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:03:55 +0000

From the Newtown shootings to the Boston marathon bombings, the last year has seen no shortage of tragic acts of violence that have dominated news coverage. But one story appeared as no more than a blip on the national news radar: that of a neighborhood mother’s day parade in New Orleans, where shots were fired and 19 people were wounded. Two suspects were arrested late last week, but for days, the incident stood as the largest mass shooting in the United States with perpetrators still at large – so why weren’t we bombarded with media coverage? Our guest is David Dennis Jr., a journalist and New Orleans native who wrote about the issue for the UK Guardian.

The Healing Power Of A Horse

Sean Hurley — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:49:20 +0000

Animals have long played a part in human therapy and healing; from dogs trained to assist the disabled, to all manner of animals making visits to hospitals and nursing homes. For one Vermont woman, it’s a horse that’s helped her heal; not from physical ailments, but from the emotional and spiritual scars of abuse. Sean Hurley brings us her story.

Word of Mouth 05.18.2013

Rebecca Lavoie — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Our freshest and tastiest content, wrapped up in one zesty hour of radio. This week, "A New View."

A political scientist believes that Jane Austen may have been a master of Game Theory. And the surprising, twisted artistry and uses of Victorian-era walking canes.

and...

The Sketch Book Project

Virginia Prescott — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:16:27 +0000

Artists from one hundred and thirty-five countries have submitted sketches, doodles and ambitious notebook illustrations to The Sketchbook Project, a crowd-sourced art project that’s been exhibiting collective creativity from contributors worldwide since 2006. With more than twenty-seven thousand sketchbooks housed in its Brooklyn Art Library and a trusty mobile library hitting the road for a nation-wide summer tour, Sketchbook’s ever-growing collection of art shows no signs of slowing down; Steven Peterman, founder and director of operations for “The Sketchbook Project”, joins the program to tell us more.

The Routines Of Creative Geniuses

Virginia Prescott — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:12:14 +0000

Hemingway, Darwin, Joyce, Tesla and Picasso were all remarkably different in their temperament and creative output, but they had one thing in common: a successful routine. From Franklin’s solitary nude reading hour to Picasso’s silent lunch gatherings, the outstanding rituals and habits that created genius are as fascinating as they are unexpected. Combing through over 160 accounts of creative minds, Mason Currey’s new book “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work” uncovers the daily almanac of history’s most eccentric, troubled and genius figures. Mason’s writing has appeared in Slate, Print, and Metropolis, where he was an editor for six years.

High-Rise Fires A Growing Risk In Arab Gulf States

Virginia Prescott — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:03:25 +0000

A raging fire gutted the Al Hafeet tower late last month, a 20-floor residential building in the United Arab Emirate city of Sarjah. The incident drew uncomfortable comparisons to other recent blazes in a region known for spectacular high-rise sky-scrapers. One expert in the United Arab Emirates has estimated that 70% of high-rise buildings in the gulf are at a high risk of catching fire. Here to discuss this growing safety concern is Bill Law, gulf analyst for the BBC News.

The Documentary That Helped Convict Rios Montt

Virginia Prescott — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:48:05 +0000

Last year we interviewed Pamela Yates about her documentary Granito: How to Nail A Dictator which details the indictment of General Efrain Rios Montt, believed to be responsible for the murder of 200,000 mostly indigenous Mayan Ixil people during the Guatemalan genocide.

Summer Arts Roundup

Virginia Prescott — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:31:48 +0000

The works of two important Chinese artists, the return of a festival of experimental sound, and a retrospective by a legend of pop art are all on the summer events radar of Michelle Aldredge. She’s a writer and photographer and the creator of the Gwarlingo website and podcast. It’s an online resource for conversations about creativity and finds in the world of contemporary art.

CrowdMed: Diagnosing Unsolved Sicknesses With Crowdsourcing

Virginia Prescott — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:55:31 +0000

After using email and using a search engine, looking for health information is the third most popular web activity for internet users. That’s according to a 2011 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. A new website combines that quest with the popularity of online crowd-sourcing...or putting communal wisdom to work on perplexing problems. CrowdMed is a site for crowd-sourcing medical diagnoses. It uses the collective wisdom of some actual – and mostly armchair -medical professionals to solve tough medical cases and diagnose rare diseases that left traditional healthcare professionals stumped.

Jared Heyman is founder of the online market research firm Infosurv, his new venture is CrowdMed. welcome to word of mouth.

Clare Martorana worked previously as a general manager and editor-at-large of Web-MD, and now serves as an advisor for CrowdMed.