Recently, the Planet Money podcast devoted an episode to the signature.
Here is a description of the podcast from NPR websites:
Some people write a squiggle. Others just write an initial. One person draws a dude surfing.
Today on the show: the signature. It’s supposed to say, “This is me.” But where did the idea come from? And why are we still using it? We consult a rabbi, a lawyer and a credit card executive.
Several months ago, the BBC’s Moral Maze programme revisited the topic of “assisted dying.” The topic arose amid the House of Lord’s consideration of legislation that would legalise assisted suicide.
Here is a desciption of the podcast from the BBC website.
The issue of assisted dying is the moral discussion of our age and the latest effort to get it legalised comes before the House of Lords this week. The debate has been given new energy by the intervention of two former Anglican archbishops, Desmond Tutu and George Carey, who’ve now come out in support of the right of terminally ill people to end their lives – flying the face of the teaching of their church. There are a plethora of moral principles at stake and at the heart of them, which all sides acknowledge, the terrible suffering that some people go through at the end of their lives. What are the moral, ethical, philosophical and religious principles at stake in this debate? What happens when two moral principles collide and both sides could be right? What moral calculus can you apply to decide how to choose between right and wrong? Moral Maze – Presented by Michael Buerk
Witnesses are Dr. Iain Brassington, Dr. Kevin Yuill, Professor Raymond Tallis and Professor Margaret Somerville.
Here is a link to a past SLACE post on a past Moral Debate about assisted suicide.
The most recent episode of This American Life devoted an entire hour to the tell the fascinating and unfortunate story of the East Ramapo school district. The story involves the all too common reality of a school board making draconian budgetary cuts. What makes East Ramapo unique and the cuts more contentious is the fact that the board is dominated by Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox Jews who send their children to private religious schools, or yeshivas.
Here is a description of the story from the TAL website:
We take it for granted that the majority calls the shots. But in one NY school district, that idea — majority rules — has led to an all-out war. School board disputes are pretty common, but not like this one. This involves multimillion-dollar land deals, lawyers threatening to beat up parents, felony criminal charges, and the highest levels of state government. Meanwhile, the students are caught in the middle.
Before the war in the East Ramapo, New York school district, there was a truce. Local school officials made a deal with their Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighbors: we’ll leave you alone to teach your children in private yeshivas as you see fit as long as you allow our public school budget to pass. But the budget is funded by local property taxes, which everyone, including the local Hasidim, have to pay — even though their kids don’t attend the schools that they’re money is paying for. What followed was one of the most volatile local political battles we’ve ever encountered
In a recent episode of the popular Stuff You Should Know podcast, hosts Josh and Chuck discuss “How Stem Cells Work“–explaining the science and politics of stem cells.
Here is a description of the show from the SYSK website:
Since scientists realized there is a type of cell that can grow into any other type, they have worked to use them to heal human conditions like Parkinson’s and immune disorders. But because stem cells often come from embryos they remain controversial.
The most recent episode of the Freakonomics podcast was titled, “How to Save $1 Billion Without Even Trying.” It discusses how consumers can save by purchasing generic, as opposed to name brand, products. The podcast discusses generic medications in particular and is, therefore, relevant to debates about healthcare.
Here is a description of the podcast from the Freakonomics website:
When a pharmacist gets a headache, what do you think she’ll buy: Bayer aspirin or the much cheaper store brand? You’ll find out on this week’s episode. Hint: the episode is called “How to Save $1 Billion Without Even Trying.” (You can subscribe to the podcast at iTunes, get the RSS feed, or listen via the media player above. You can also read the transcript; it includes credits for the music you’ll hear in the episode.)
It features Stephen Dubner interviewingMatthew Gentzkow and Jesse Shapiro, a pair of economics professors at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and co-authors (along with Bart J. Bronnenberg and Jean-Pierre Dubé) of a working paper called “Do Pharmacists Buy Bayer? Sophisticated Shoppers and the Brand Premium.” Along the way, we find out if conducting this kind of research leads a researcher to buy more store-brand items himself:
SHAPIRO: I think I probably buy a little more [store brand stuff] now than before we wrote the study. Not so much because of anything I learned from the study, but more because I think I would just feel hypocritical buying the branded good after writing this paper.
You’ll also hear from Steve Levitt about his shopping habits. He says there is one particular item that he’s always willing to splurge on. Can you guess what that is?