New Year, New Recommendations! 🌞
The Great Vaccinator, Armenian Culture, and Salad with a Side of Fries? yummm.
Happy New Year! I sincerely hope you are having a fresh and positive start to 2021 wherever you are.
A look back: I started the newsletter in September with two subscribers, Seb and myself, and now we have reached 79 subscribers! I can’t thank friends, family, and the regular folks out there enough. Here are two favorite moments since launching:
Launching the website with Seb. As basic as it was, it was a very “Oh it’s happening!” type of moment. Thanks for the support since Day 1, Seb. More web updates below.
@GreatPods Twitter Social: There have been moments where I have posted a critic review and tagged the critic. They would sometimes like it or even retweet it. That stuff is amazing to see in general, but one, in particular, stood out. A blogger, Scott D. Parker, wrote a review of The Ralph Report Podcast. I’ve known about Ralph Garmin for decades from LA radio’s KROQ on Kevin N Bean’s morning show. After he left (er, they unceremoniously cut him), he started a Patreon podcast. I decided to promote that nice review while tagging Scott and Ralph. Well, Ralph read, liked, and retweeted it. But that wasn’t what made this moment. Scott being a huge fan tweeted his reaction below. That is what made this moment worth it for me:
Thank YOU for the extraordinarily kind words about #TheRalphReport, Scott.Ain’t gonna lie: when your favorite podcaster reads your review of his show and he follows you, that’s a great day. Immediately shared the news with the family, a huge grin on my face. Thanks @GreatPods for the shoutout. Thanks @RalphGarman for the follow. LMB! https://t.co/YavRQXrEO2
Scott D. Parker @sdparker7
Not gonna lie, I’m excited that Ralph follows Great Pods. Maybe you should, too? @GreatPods
Website update: We are making progress on the Great Pods website. Thank you to those that have given feedback. Keep doing it! We’ve added more than 150 Critic Reviews. The website is now mobile responsive. Nice work, Chris!
Before:
After:
Feedback always welcome at Hello@greatpods.co!
On to my picks this week…
Podcast: RadioLab
Episode: The Great Vaccinator
About: The show is known for its deep-dive journalism and innovative sound design.
Just like long-running and respected show, This American Life, the radio show/podcast RadioLab shares storytelling deep-dives in its own way. This episode recommendation is about who, what, when, and where vaccines came from.
Kate B. wrote, “A timely listen amidst the rollout of the COVID vaccine, and a thoughtful glimpse into the prolific career of Maurice Hilleman.”
From RadioLab, “Hilleman cranked out more than 40 other vaccines over the course of his career, including 8 of the 14 routinely given to children. He arguably saved more lives than any other single person. And through his work, Hilleman embodied the instincts, drive, and guts it takes to marshal the human body’s defenses against a disease.”
Podcast: Kerning Cultures
Episode: Zabelle
Cory Z. sent an audio snippet of this podcast episode to me to test something he was working on. It was a conversation about an old record from the early 1900s from an Armenian-American Opera singer. I was so intrigued by the snippet that I decided to listen to the entire episode. I was treated to an educational experience of Armenian-Americans in the U.S. post-genocide. The singer and the music were all part of the journey in this expertly crafted episode.
Podcastreview.com’s Elliot Morris wrote of Kerning Cultures, “In this time of divisive news and lurid headlines, Kerning Cultures provides a valuable look into one of the most misunderstood parts of the world.
Independent Spotlight
Podcast: Salad With A Side Of Fries
A few newsletters ago I mentioned I went to the Podcast Movement Xmas virtual networking event. I met several folks and one of them was Jennifer Trepeck, Health and Wellness Coach, and host of the podcast Salad with a Side of Fries. The podcast is not one of those extreme diet podcasts but rather clears up fads, myths, and marketing ploys we all fall prey to, and in turn, teaches us to make better decisions. I particularly enjoy the “nugget” episodes as they are short and digestible (pun intended). What did I learn? To pay attention to pesticide residue on fruits & veggies that aren’t organic if I am going to eat the skin (Cucumber nugget).
I asked Jenn what would be some good starter episodes. So here ya go!
How The Hell Did We Get Here?-Spotify
A Calorie Is Not A Calorie Series-Spotify
Honorable Mention
Podcast: Battleground: Ballot Box from Georgia Public Broadcasting
I recommended this podcast during Georgia’s November election. But since their season is not over, it’s updated with coverage including the infamous Trump tapes to Secretary of State to “find some votes.” Stephen Fowler does a pretty good job giving the listener all the information. I feel like sometimes you can hear him roll his eyes whenever Trump says anything. Nevertheless, he still keeps it objective and doing good work over there.
Stay safe and wear a mask! No really. STAY SAFE.
XOXO
Captain Ron
Copy-editing: Brewster