The Meandering Pod

Cam, Dom, Bec and Lotta

We are four travelling beans from Perth who have taken on the challenge (and adventure) of journeying from our isolated home to Europe by trail, rail and sail. Join us as we meander across Asia, exploring different continents, cultures and conversations – no flights, no rush.

  1. JAPAN – The Fallout from Fukushima and the Future of Nuclear

    5日前

    JAPAN – The Fallout from Fukushima and the Future of Nuclear

    Welcome back for another episode of The Meandering Pod!!! This week, we’re hopping back for a final episode about Japan – specifically the worst disaster it ever faced. Although many people may would remember hearing about the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, it’s been 15 years now and not many would still be across the details.  Today, we’ll be doing a deep dive on the multifaceted fallout experienced after Fukushima – for Japanese society, it’s energy transition and the nuclear industry generally. We also are very grateful to have interviewed Dr Alexander Brown, about the post-Fukushima protest movement in Tokyo.  Enjoy the episode and share with a friend if you feel like it!  More on Dr Alexander Brown:  His PhDHis book – Anti-nuclear Protest in Post-Fukushima Tokyo: Power StrugglesAn article he wrote about an art installation, Japan and its link between nuclear weapons and power His Substack channel Contesting the Nuclear Age  The ‘protest song’ was a snippet from a freestyle performance of the artist Akuryō freestyling at an antinuclear protest in Japan on July 29, 2012 (the mp3 was downloaded from a YouTube account called protestreserach (video originally by ken23qu on youtube). The full clip is available (with subtitles) to watch here. Ethnomusicologist Noriko Manabe wrote this article about music in Japanese anti-nuclear demonstrations (as well as a book), from which the clip was discovered. Interesting content about Fukushima: Graphic novel – Guardian of Fukushima TV show – Fukushima 50Animated YouTube video – More songs – "humanERROR" by FRYING DUTCHMAN and 'It was always a lie' by Kazuyoshi Saito (a cover of his own song but with Fukushima plant protest lyrics) Key sources: BBC: Fukushima disaster: What happened at the nuclear plant?​Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Why Fukushima Was Preventable ScienceDirect journal article: The Fukushima nuclear accident and its effect on global energy securityIAEA: Nuclear Power 10 Years After Fukushima: The Long Road BackNamazu Myth Explained BBC: UK nuclear support 'rises after Fukushima'

    33分
  2. JAPAN - This Protist Is Smarter Than You

    5月6日

    JAPAN - This Protist Is Smarter Than You

    How much do you know about protists? How much do you know about their behaviour and intelligence? I’m gonna guess very little, as that’s where I was not that long ago. The world of these obscure creatures is incredibly complex and fascinating, as they interact with their environment and make decisions and weigh up risks.  In this episode, I interview researcher Alid Al-Asmar about slime moulds (the “blob”) ciliates (unicellular beings with eyelashes) and his personal favourite - nematodes (little round worms). Dom joins me for the end for a comparison of his intelligence to that of protists. Brutal, but demonstrates my point.  Below are the articles I cite in the show. Does being multi-headed make you better at solving problems? ScienceDirect.comhttps://www.sciencedirect.comDoes being multi-headed make you better at solving problems? A survey of ... A ciliate memorises the geometry of a swimming area royalsocietypublishing.orghttps://royalsocietypublishing.orgA ciliate memorizes the geometry of a swimming arena | The Royal Society C. Elegant transfers across a gap under an electric field as dispersal behaviour National Institutes of Health (.gov)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govCaenorhabditis elegans transfers across a gap under an electric field as ... Maze-solving by an amoeboid organism Naturehttps://www.nature.comMaze-solving by an amoeboid organism Rules for Biologically Inspired Adaptive Network Design Science | AAAShttps://www.science.orgRules for Biologically Inspired Adaptive Network Design Geometrical preference of anchoring sites in the unicellular organism Stentor coeruleus PNAShttps://www.pnas.orgGeometrical preference of anchoring sites in the unicellular organism ...

    50分
  3. MYANMAR - Why We Didn’t Go

    3月25日

    MYANMAR - Why We Didn’t Go

    How much do you know about Myanmar? Have you heard of the iconic Aung San Sui Kyi? Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, martyr of democracy who has spent 20 years of her life in house arrest, who fell from grace on an international stage and it is now unknown if the 80 year old mother of Myanmar is still alive? Lock in to this gripping episode to find out more. Lotta and Cam discuss Suu Kyi‘s life, the historical events that lead to the current civil war and sham elections, to Rohingya crisis, scam centres: in short, why we didn’t not go to Myanmar. A incredibly privileged position to take - as so many people from myanmar are trying to escape or rave their lives from the violence raging around them. If you want to donate to help some of the most vulnerable people in this theatre of terror, here are some suggestions: The Women‘s Peace Network of Myanmar supports the most vulnerable people on the path to a democratic and violence free Myanmar. Ere you can donate to help educate Rohingya girls in refugee camps. https://www.womenspeacenetwork.org You can donate to help victims of modern slavery and forced marriage in Myanmar here, including the scam centres on the Thai - Myanmar border we talk about in the episode. They also focus on the exploitation of women and girls who are incredibly vulnerable and are facing heightened risks of sex-trafficking, forced marriage and forced labour. https://www.freedomfund.org/hotspot/myanmar/ If you‘re interested to learn more, here are some resources: Clare Hammond‘s Book, ON THE SHADOW TRACKS: A Journey Through Occupied Myanmar The podcast What‘s Happening in Myanmar For a fortnightly update on the situation in Myanmar through experts and interviews Thanks for listening to this big one! Remember to share, subscribe and like!

    1時間14分

番組について

We are four travelling beans from Perth who have taken on the challenge (and adventure) of journeying from our isolated home to Europe by trail, rail and sail. Join us as we meander across Asia, exploring different continents, cultures and conversations – no flights, no rush.