Tech Podcast: Internet Addiction and Depression

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We’ve got a great mix of stories on this week’s podcast. We take you inside a Crisis Camp for Haiti meeting in Montreal, to hear how concerned people thousands of miles away are helping the relief effort. Also, two great stories about design and technology: one concerns an ancient footbridge across the Nile, and the other the humble, but dangerous, British pint glass. And we end with some research into potential links between Internet addiction and depression.

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Music Heard On Air for February 5, 2010

Tunes Spun On The World Between Our Reports For February 5, 2010. Artists featured are Moriba Koita, Jonthan Richman and The Modern Lovers, Shooglenifty, Kila.

Obama’s new words, Avatar in the Amazon and a Chinese satire

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As Obama enters the second year of his presidency, he’s dropped some expressions — “war on terror”, “Af-Pak”, even “Middle East”. His administration has invented a few too: “remotedly piloted aircraft” (drones) and “overseas contingency operations” (wars). Also, a special screening of Avatar in Ecuador for indigenous groups. What did these Shuar and Achuar speakers think of Avatar’s invented language, Na’vi? Finally, a new online satirical movie is all the rage in China. It features a Chinese double-entendre phrase aimed at avoiding government censorship. The movie also includes a fantastic “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” rant.
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Haiti Part 2

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We continue our exploration of Haiti’s history into the 19th and 20th centuries. Kate Ramsey of the University of Miami tells us about the diplomatic isolation Haiti faced after independence. She also describes the U.S. occupation of Haiti between 1915 and 1934. Chantalle Verna of Florida International University tells us about the period after the U.S. occupation, sometimes called “Haiti’s Second Independence.” And finally, sociologist Alex Dupuy of Wesleyan University tells us about Haiti under the Duvaliers.Download MP3

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Global Political Cartoons: Jan 30-Feb 5, 2010

The World’s Carol Hills reviews the week’s news through political cartoons. This week: Toyota’s faulty gas pedals, Haiti’s vulnerable children, Jacob Zuma’s 20 children, and the groundhog sees the long shadow… of a deficit.

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Entire program – February 4, 2010

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Today on The World: Why US-China relations are rocky right now and could get rockier still; Also, the BBC helps a teenage quake survivor in Haiti get in touch with his mother in the US; Plus, new technology helps consumers find out the environmental cost of the products they buy.

Growing US-China rift over trade and arms

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China has hit back at the US a day after President Barack Obama promised to take a tougher line with Beijing over currency and trade. Ties between the US and China have been strained over an arms deal with Taiwan. Tensions have also risen over a planned visit to the US by the Dalai Lama. The World’s Matthew Bell takes at look at how strained US-China relations really are. Download MP3

• Matthew Bell’s blog “US-China cage match?”
• BBC coverage
• China criticizes US over Internet freedom
• President Obama to meet with Dalai Lama

North Korea’s failing currency

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The North Korean government recently knocked two zeros off its currency, the won. And it ordered citizens to turn in their old cash savings. The move caused panic and riots, now the North Korean government has apparently fired the official who led the currency revaluation program. Katy Clark talks with Marcus Noland who is an expert on North Korea’s economy at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• Peterson Institute for International Economics

Haitian mother reunited with her son

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A Boston Haitian mother was reunited with her son yesterday. The BBC’s Creole-language radio program helped reunite Penaisse Macary with his mother, Simone Macary (pictured). Penaisse had been studying in Haiti when the earthquake hit. Simone Macary had not heard from her son since the earthquake. Her son reached out to her through the BBC’s Creole language service. Anchor Katy Clark speaks with Simone Macary on today’s program. Download MP3(Photo: Catherine Murphy)

• BBC Caribbean
• BBC coverage
• Haiti earthquake coverage

The Garifuna: African influence in Central America

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The story behind today’s Global Hit starts on the Caribbean Island of St. Vincent. In 1635, two slave ships wrecked there, and the African slaves escaped to freedom. They mixed in with the native Caribs, giving birth to a new Afro-Caribbean culture – the Garifuna (Gareefoonah). In the centuries since, the Garifuna migrated and founded villages along the Caribbean coast of Central America. Later today, Lonny Shavelson will have a report from Guatemala. (Photo: Lonny Shavelson)

• Video: The Garifuna of Guatemala
• Marco Werman: The Garifuna Women’s Project (2008)

Safer beer glasses for Britain

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The British government wants pubs to try out shatter proof pint glasses as a way to cut back on beer-related violence. The problem is the high number of binge drinkers who break pint glasses and use the jagged remains as weapons. Two prototypes designed not to break up into dangerous shards were introduced in London today. Laura Lynch had a look at the new glasses. Download MP3

• BBC video showing the new glasses

Brain activity detected in patients in vegetative states

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The World’s Rhitu Chatterjee reports on a new study by British and Belgian scientists that suggests that some patients in a “vegetative state” retain some level of consciousness.

Out on patrol with Aceh’s Sharia police

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In Indonesia, the conservative province of Aceh recently passed a law that imposes death by stoning on Muslim adulterers. In some places, women are banned from wearing tight pants. The BBC’s Karishma Vaswani recently spent some time with the Sharia police who enforce the laws.

Geo Quiz

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Where will our Geo Quiz take us today?

Tracking environmental footprints

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Correspondent Murray Carpenter reports on some of the new technologies that help consumers trace the global journey of their purchases and calculate their environmental cost.

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/footprint/
http://www.sourcemap.org/
http://www.ceres.org/
http://www.loveearthinfo.com/
http://www.doleorganic.com/
http://www.timberland.com/corp/index.jsp?page=csr_strategy
https://www.cdproject.net/