Stride & Saunter

Although the death of Freddie Gray happened over two months ago, on April 19th, 2015, the tragic event and the riots which followed are a result of deeper problems in human and United States history. We don't claim to have the answers to these substantial and systemic issues, but we ardently believe they are worthy of discussion, however uncomfortable or difficult that may be. This week, we welcome resident of Baltimore, Joe Walsh, to engage in this conversation in the pursuit of further understanding. As always, we hope ours are not the only voices in this discourse. Please feel free to share your thoughts with us.

A follow-up to last week's episode on life, we examine various approaches toe the terminus of death, what it represents and how it affects each of us differently. This certainly is not an easy or comfortable topic for most, so we understand reluctance and respect any decision to avoid this episode. That said, we do encourage listeners to consider the episode as a lens to consider death in different contexts. As was true of "What It Means to Be Alive," this episode would not have evolved into this final conversation without the honest, eloquent and substantial support of our contributors, whose work will be available to read below. We want offer our sincerest thanks to Rachel Cunningham, Ali Stamatoiu, Emma Munger, Brett Miller, Maureen Hoff, Sarah Miller, Qusay Alsattari, Atticus Koontz, Kay Kelley, Richard Pera and Tim Jurney for their assistance in this episode.

A different type of discussion which touches on the broad, inexplicable and wondrous nature of Life as a whole. We do not have any particular direction in this conversation, but instead ideas and musings on human life, the life around us, and how we appreciate (or fail to) the complexity and variability of the system which arranges, organizes and defines our existence. This is not a conclusive conversation but rather an inclusive one, which invites listeners to contemplate their own values and approaches to life. This episode is one of a pair, the next of which will discuss Death in a similar fashion. We also want to thank those who were kind and articulate enough to contribute to this episode: Emily Bulik-Sullivan, Hayden Fowler, Patrick Mershon, Will Quam, Sara Carminati and Naomi Ali. We appreciate the knowledge and insight you all shared and this episode is decidedly better for your participation. For those of our audience who would like to read what they wrote, their contributions are available on our website.

This week we wanted to consider something all of us do in this day and age: multitasking. Several studies and experts conclude that it has detrimental effects on both our mental processing abilities and our productive potential. Certainly it does not originate from one source in particular and we address several responses to the issue which permeates various aspects of our lives.

In this episode we welcome Maureen Hoff to discuss a recent sensation in the music industry: Meghan Trainor. We chose to examine some of the lyrics in two of her most popular songs, entitled "All About That Bass" and "Dear Future Husband". Both songs, satirical in their own way, deal with issues of ideas of femininity and masculinity, body image, beauty standards and marriage. We examine some of the issues with her approach and inadvertent issues with her delivery and lyrical choices.

Spurred by an article in the March 23rd edition of Advertising Age, we felt it would be pertinent to work through some of the issues facing the 'Race Together' campaign. While we applaud Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz for his attempt at being progressive, we highlight issues regarding the Catch 22 for workers, the intended speed of fast food and the complexity of commercial influence.

This week we welcome Sam Whipple, who joins us to offer some opinions and insight on Hillary Clinton's recent bid as a potential Democratic candidate in the 2016 Presidential Election. We discuss some of the criticisms and concerns facing her and how the political landscape might react to this decision in the long term.

A much more lighthearted episode than our typical fare, we wanted to find a text which was both informative while also being easy to consume. We give a reading from several chapters of Tom Davis' book Why Dogs Do That. The chapters explain and offer a variety of hypotheses for canine behavior including why dogs chase cars and why certain breeds point or fetch instinctively.

As video-blogging or "vlogging" becomes increasingly popular on sites like YouTube, we wanted to discuss the influence and potential of this new medium. It is simple to use and offers brief glimpses to the lives of others as reality shows have long claimed to do. Unlike reality TV, however, vlogging is edited by the individuals on-screen, who have a much more personal and constant relationship with their various audiences.

A very sentimental episode for a number of reasons. First, this episode will be released during graduation season. To the recent and upcoming graduates, congratulations! Secondly, this marks the first episode with the newest co-host, Caroline Borders. Finally, in addition to the massive attention this received, this was the speech given at Kip's high school graduation in 2012 and he holds this speech and its orator, Mr. David McCullough in very high esteem.

This episode marks Hector's last as a permanent co-host on the show. As such, he wanted his final topic to pertain to his love of film. The following discussion (with guest Iggee Hu) encompasses film as a passion, a medium and a form of expression and communication. Both film majors offer their opinions on how to engage with film, what they personally enjoy about it and call attention to several finer details within film. We also discuss the unique approaches of a few directors as well as the impact of film on the masses.

Often a source of criticism and concern, we wanted to discuss how violence in video games affects our opinions of their entertainment value. We also examine violence as it relates to American culture, what we are willing to tolerate or embrace and actions we do not tend to code as "violent" in nature.

Alex Urist joins us in this episode to discuss his thoughts on language and how it affects our opportunities in life. In particular, we focus on his experiences with China, dialects of the country and his memories of street cuisine and other related stories. We also speak about the best ways to engage with a language and why everyone should pursue skills in multiple languages.

In this episode, we offer an introduction of sorts to Microsoft's latest creation, the HoloLens. First announced on January 21, 2015, the HoloLens is described by Microsoft as a utility which brings "high-definition holograms to life in your world, where they integrate with your physical places, spaces and things". We discuss how the HoloLens integrates long-standing practices of socializing and recording information. We also consider policing and regulation of new virtual and augmented reality technologies. Finally, we examine future uses for the device, including educational possibilities, as well as the dangers of the technology and its effect on our perceptions of reality.

In this episode, Hector gives a reading from Strangely Like War: The Global Assault on Forests by Derrick Jensen and George Draffan. He reads from Chapter 1, "Deforestation" and Chapter 2, "Forest Dwellers". We discuss human impacts on global forests, our various relationships with nature and how different cultures respond to and appreciate our environment.