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Despite the country’s dangerous reputation, the tourist business is booming in Colombia. The capital Bogotá and port city of Cartagena have both noted upticks in tourism. But some of the country’s most spectacular sights, like the Caño Cristales River (pictured), are located in former war zones and are still struggling to attract visitors. Later today, John Otis reports on efforts to improve the region’s image. Download MP3 (Photo: John Otis)Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
On this week’s American Influence podcast, J Street has its coming out party in Washington. The new pro-Israel, pro-peace lobby group creates a stir. And US-funded Palestinian security forces in the West Bank. Join The World’s Matthew Bell for his weekly in-depth look at US foreign policy and its effects across the globe. Download MP3
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We hear music from Canadian-based trio, Orchid Ensemble. Its latest CD is inspired in part by the Uyghur music of northwestern China. The title of “Road to Kashgar.” And the Uyghur city of Kashgar is the answer to our Geo Quiz today.
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This week, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the birth of the Internet. We hear from UCLA’s Leonard Kleinrock (pictured), and others who worked to send that first message between two computers, hundreds of miles apart. We get the international perspective from Chinese blogger and activist Isaac Mao. And we also hear about the ‘Net’s next step, Internationalized Domain Names.
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In Spain, the economic crisis is hitting small towns particularly hard. Many villages got rich during the country’s housing boom. And they assumed they’d keep getting richer. So they borrowed lots of money. But then real estate went bust and their collateral, undeveloped public land, lost its value. Now, basic public services such as trash pick-up are going neglected in places such as the tiny mountain village of Collbato, in northeast Spain. The World’s Gerry Hadden just returned from Collbato, and has the story. Download MP3 (Photo: Gerry Hadden)Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Policymakers are working towards their self-imposed deadline to come up with a successor climate treaty to the Kyoto Protocol. Their mission is to set target reductions for atmospheric carbon levels by the conclusion of United Nations’ sponsored climate talks this December in Copenhagen. A deal is looking unlikely for December. But assuming a climate deal does eventually get done, this will no doubt be a boon for the renewable energy industry. That could mean big business for solar panels, wind turbines, biofuels, and nuclear energy.
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On their new CD, French band Nouvelle Vague cover the Sex Pistols, The Police and other bands from the 1970s and 80s. With the help of young female singers who often don’t know the originals, Nouvelle Vague offer bossa nova, reggae and folk reinterpretations of punk and new wave standards. On today’s show, The World’s Patrick Cox checks out the group’s new album, 3. Download MP3Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Twenty years ago, the wall that divided East and West Berlin for decades came down in dramatic fashion. Since that time, the Berlin Wall has been broken up and distributed around the world, including downtown Manhattan. Former Berlin resident Juliane Camfield (pictured) tells The World’s Alex Gallafent about how she could never own a piece of the wall. Download MP3Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Lieutenant Corporal Ryan Idzi, Sergeant Major Gary Chilton, and Sergeant Richie Maddocks are all currently serving in the British Army. They’ve never fought together on the battlefields of Iraq or Afghanistan, but they have made an album together. They call themselves, unsurprisingly, The Soldiers, and they’ve just released their first album, Coming Home. The World’s Laura Lynch has today’s Global Hit. Download MP3 
Some of Istanbul’s old neighborhoods are struggling to modernize. The Turkish government is razing buildings to make way for new homes. But in the process, some argue, the original character of the neighborhoods is being destroyed, along with the fabric of the communities that live there. Aaron Schachter reports from Istanbul. (Audio available after 5PM Eastern)
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Recently, some 40 international harpists and groups of harpists gathered in Oakland, California. The idea behind this Festival of Harps was to move harp music beyond its traditional conventions. That wasn’t hard to do, given that the harps included everything from the African kora, to the Celtic harp, to the Paraguayan harp. Lonny Shavelson will have our story later today. Also, be sure to click below for Lonny’s video of a rehearsal session. Download MP3 Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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In this week’s technology podcast, you can hear how some scientists in Britain are working to develop an open source application for smartphones that will allow field researchers to do some pretty sophisticated data collection and mapping. It’s all in an effort to fight the spread of infectious diseases across the globe. Also, we have a story on the future of electric vehicles, and a US researcher takes a look at how politicians Tweet in the US and UK.
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The highlight of our technology podcast this week is an interview with author Viktor Mayer-Schönberger about his new book, called Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in The Digital Age. It’s a fascinating look at how digital technologies, and especially the growing capacity for storage, has made us forget how to forget. Listen in, and then weigh in with your comments. Download MP3
