Present Parallels

Emma Gerber

In this time of extreme uncertainty, looking at the news can often feel like opening Pandora's box. What should we do about the crazy events happening all around us? In an attempt to answer that question, in steps Present Parallels: a podcast examining the lessons that can be learned from history to help us to deal with current events.

Episodes

  1. 08/22/2020

    The United States Postal Office - Problems of the Past and the Present

    Curious about what's going on with the USPS? Wondering about the Post Office's history? Listen to this episode of Present Parallels, where we analyze the problems of the USPS through a historical lens.  Sources  Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Rural Free Delivery.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., March 6, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rural-Free-Delivery. Kelly B. Olds, 1995. "The Challenge to the U.S. Postal Monopoly, 1839-1851," Cato Journal, Cato Journal, Cato Institute, vol. 15(1), pages 1-24, Spring/Su. Kosar, Kevin R. “Opinion: The Postal Service Is in Deep Trouble. Here's One Way to Get It Out.” POLITICO. POLITICO, April 20, 2020. https://www.politico.com/news/agenda/2020/04/16/the-right-way-to-bail-out-the-post-office-190271. Naylor, Brian. “Pending Postal Service Changes Could Delay Mail And Deliveries, Advocates Warn.” NPR. NPR, July 29, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2020/07/29/894799516/pending-postal-service-changes-could-delay-mail-and-deliveries-advocates-warn. Obringer, Lee Ann. “How the U.S. Postal Service Works.” HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks, October 26, 2007. https://people.howstuffworks.com/usps7.htm. Office of Inspector General, and Fredy Diaz, https://www.uspsoig.gov (2019). https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-library-files/2019/RISC-WP-19-007.pdf. Pflum, Mary. “Concerned Postal Workers Lay Blame for Delays Squarely on Recent Overhauls.” NBCNews.com. NBCUniversal News Group, August 18, 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/concerned-postal-workers-lay-blame-delays-squarely-recent-overhauls-n1237011. Rayome, Alison DeNisco. “New US Postal Service Rescue Bill Coming This Week? What It Is and Why It May Happen.” CNET. CNET, August 18, 2020. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/new-us-postal-service-rescue-bill-coming-this-week-what-it-is-and-why-it-may-happen/. The Office of the Historian, Government Relations and Public Policy, and Megan J. Brennan , USPS (2020). https://about.usps.com/publications/pub100.pdf. Trump Attacks Vote-by-Mail and the U.S. Postal Service | The Daily Social Distancing Show. The Daily Social Distancing Show. Youtube, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndHQzMYNA40. Upholt, Boyce. “The Tumultuous History of the U.S. Postal Service-and Its Constant Fight for Survival.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society|Copyright © 2015-2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC., May 27, 2020. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/05/tumultuous-history-united-states-postal-service-constant-fight-survival/.

  2. 07/21/2020

    Fake News and Pandemics: Past and Present

    This is the very first episode of Present Parallels, a podcast that examines current events through the lens of history. This week: Fake News and Pandemics. Fake news has been present throughout history, and it has had a huge effect on the fate of the world, especially in vulnerable times like during a pandemic. So in the time of the COVID-19 epidemic, what can we learn from the past? Sources  Adeline, Stephanie, Connie Hanzhang Jin, Alyson Hurt, Thomas Wilburn, Daniel Wood, and Ruth Talbot. “Tracking The Pandemic: Are Coronavirus Cases Rising Or Falling In Your State?” NPR. NPR, June 27, 2020. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/16/816707182/map-tracking-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus-in-the-u-s. Boghardt, Thomas. “Soviet Bloc Intelligence and Its AIDS Disinformation Campaign.” Studdies in Intelligence , 4, 53 (2009). Cartwright, Mark. “Byzantine Empire.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, June 24, 2020. https://www.ancient.eu/Byzantine_Empire/. “FAKE NEWS: Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” FAKE NEWS | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Accessed June 27, 2020. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/fake-news. Korte, Nadine Elizabeth. “Procopius' Portrayal Of Theodora in the Secret History: ‘Her Charity Was Universal.’” The McGill Journal of Classical Studies III (2005): 109–30. https://mcgill.ca/classics/files/classics/2004-09.pdf. Kramer, Mark. “Lessons From Operation ‘Denver," the KGB's Massive AIDS Disinformation Campaign.” The MIT Press Reader. MIT , May 29, 2020. https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/operation-denver-kgb-aids-disinformation-campaign/. LePan, Nicholas. “Visualizing the History of Pandemics.” Visual Capitalist, June 22, 2020. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/history-of-pandemics-deadliest/. Mark, Joshua J. “Procopius on the Plague of Justinian: Text & Commentary.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, June 26, 2020. https://www.ancient.eu/article/1536/procopius-on-the-plague-of-justinian-text--comment/. Schneier, Bruce. “We Must Prepare for the Next Pandemic.” The New York Times. The New York Times, June 17, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/17/opinion/pandemic-fake-news.html. “A Timeline of HIV and AIDS.” HIV.gov. Minority HIV/AIDS Fund, June 29, 2020. https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/history/hiv-and-aids-timeline. Walker, Jay. “Civil Society's Role in a Public Health Crisis.” Issues in Science and Technology. Issues in Science and Technology, June 20, 2019. https://issues.org/civil-societys-role-in-a-public-health-crisis/. “Where Did HIV Come from?” Where did HIV come from? | The AIDS Institute, 2011. https://www.theaidsinstitute.org/education/aids-101/where-did-hiv-come-0. “WHO Timeline - COVID-19.” World Health Organization. World Health Organization, 2020. https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19.

    Fake News and Pandemics: Past and Present
  • 2 Episodes

About

In this time of extreme uncertainty, looking at the news can often feel like opening Pandora's box. What should we do about the crazy events happening all around us? In an attempt to answer that question, in steps Present Parallels: a podcast examining the lessons that can be learned from history to help us to deal with current events.

Information

  • Creator
    Emma Gerber
  • Years Active
    2020
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Emma Gerber
  • Show Website
    Present Parallels