Georeactor Blog

I haven't done a podcasts post since September.

Admittedly a few of these are from the same podcast network. I fall for a well-pitched podcast. Sorry.

13 Hours: Inside the Nova Scotia Massacre

https://globalnews.ca/tag/13-hours-podcast/

Global News in Canada covers a mass shooting in Nova Scotia by a man disguised as a police officer. The attack had just happened in April 2020, while the world's attention was on Covid-19. The podcast interviews victims' families, explains how details of the crime and police response are still confused, and the psychology of someone collecting so many accurate police uniforms and cars. Any town would be unprepared for such a crime, but the podcast seems to represent locals' anger about how red flags were ignored, police failed to use alert systems, and the investigation drags on behind the scenes.

Episodes were released starting in late 2020, with a final update in July 2021.

‎A Tradition of Violence

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-tradition-of-violence/id1649355317

2022-present: A podcast-ification of journalism from 2021 about the LA County Sheriff's Department politics and gangs. Those reports have been widely acclaimed, even as the then-sheriff described it as defamation and refused to answer questions from the author's home newspaper on other cases.

The political situation in Los Angeles later became complicated, as the sheriff searched the home of a County Supervisor in a corruption investigation, and City Council members were recorded making racist remarks. In November, a new candidate from Long Beach was elected sheriff.

When counterculture Reddit was anti-cop instead of anti-vax / super-conservative, the term 'police gangs' was thrown around, but in LA they are well-defined by names, a mascot, tattoo, common hangouts, gaming the overtime system, etc. Wild.

Asian Review of Books

https://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/category/podcast/

Their Twitter and this podcast has inspired me to buy or wishlist several books. Weekly posts going back to late 2020.

City of the Rails

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/867-city-of-the-rails-107110388/

After her daughter goes train-hopping, a journalist begins to learn more about this hidden world. Weekly episodes just began in 2023. It reminded me of some articles which I'd read about hobo life and gatherings, except here it came from a personal connection.

Getting Back Into Place

https://backintoplace.buzzsprout.com/

Placemaking episodes which started in November 2022, with a host in architectural journalism. I wonder if it might continue or just be a few interesting interviews on its own. The episode on architecture school was interesting to me as someone who was interested in that career path back during high school days.

‎If Books Could Kill

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-books-could-kill/id1651876897

Started in late 2022. One host each from the 5–4 and Maintenance Phase podcasts join forces to criticize Freakonomics and other 'airport book' approaches to mainstream nonfiction. Many of these are really valuable because they explain things which entered pop culture and psychology, while others (like The Secret) are kind of a pile-on.

Stuff The British Stole

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/stuff-the-british-stole

Podcast from the Australian public broadcaster. Delves into history of individual museum objects, including the Benin Bronzes. Ran a few episodes at the end of 2020 and end of 2021, with a recent promise for new episodes.

Svetlana! Svetlana!

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-svetlana-svetlana-107693440/

A new podcast about how Stalin's daughter traveled from the USSR to a Frank Lloyd Wright cult in Arizona. Just started so there are only a few episodes, but the host really sells it with some humor to match wacky history.

The Private Project

https://www.theprivateproject.com/

Monthly episodes starting in August 2022. Interviews on art conservation, specifically with experts in private practice (i.e. not for a museum or other institution). So there are some tips on the market, education, professional networking, etc. and less about how museums keep pieces in storage and on display (my previous experience with art conservators).

It's a bit difficult to subscribe to this outside of Spotify, and I realized that I am way behind.

The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sound-mystery-of-havana-syndrome/id1662594800

Coverage by Project Brazen, who previously covered Malaysian corruption and 'Fat Leonard'. This just started this year, but looks like they have a good reach in interviews and the different factions' beliefs on what Havana Syndrome might be.

There's also a VICE podcast on Havana Syndrome: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/havana-syndrome

Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-unreformed-the-story-of-t-107005437/

Started in 2023, covers how administrators created a hellish work camp for Black boys and girls. The show has interviews with people who've made a lot of themselves after their time there, but also still suffer from PTSD.