Nature Rears Her Head

Helen Fisher, PhD

Biological anthropologist, Helen Fisher, appearing on Krista Tippett's On Being show —available as a podcast, but broadcast this morning over Vermont Public Radio — certainly felt like a setup for the standard "man-bad/woman-good" narrative of most every program put out over NPR airwaves.

But biology was given us by Nature, and anthropologists are trained to study human behavior as it is — not as women might have it be. So even a female guest being prompted by a female host to agree that all the problems of modern mating fall to the failings of the men, Nature comes to the rescue.

Fisher's professional bent in life . .

1. starting as a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History, and
2. now a Senior Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute, and
3. a Member of the Center for Human Evolutionary Studies in the Department of Anthropology at Rutgers University

. . and all of her other observations of Life along the way just would not let her veer too far from the realities of Nature.

Tippett, whose show promises "a new discovery about the immensity of our lives" each week, reveals that as a woman in her 50s, surrounded by so many wonderful single women, she just can't find men who match up. 

Proclaiming herself to be a big supporter of men, Fisher retorts that when she hears young, professional women say essentially the same thing as Tippett, she tells them that they're picky. She assures the show host, and the female audience, that there are as many amazing men out there as women.

We don't understand men, Fisher says. While we've spent decades trying to understand women, we've spent almost no time at all trying to understand men. Men are just as romantic, she says, exhorting women everywhere that "we have to get over this idea that men are fools."

Fisher meets young men in NYC all the time who think and feel — and who want to be loved. To emphasize her point, she rounds out by paraphrasing a poem by Ted Hughes: "men and women are like two feet; we need each other to get ahead."

Even in the heart of feminized NPR, broadcast on a Sunday morning to the People's Republic of Vermont, Nature rears Her head.

SEE: "This Is Your Brain on Sex" with Helen Fisher; interview On Being With Krista Tippett; April 5, 2018.

RECORDING: 2017 PoemCity - Montpelier, Vermont - April 14, 2017

Experimental Structure at Goddard College

The author recorded his sonnet "Why Should He Live Off the Fat of the Land?", poem "Hold the World Together", and narrative poem "An End to War" as part of the Adventures in Poetry with Rick Agran from WGDR April 14, 2017 — during 2017 PoemCity in Montpelier, Vermont.

Recordings of the latter two poems were heard during Mr. Agran's radio show "Bon Mot" broadcast Sunday, April 23, 2017 from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont on 91.1 FM (91.7 FM in Hardwick).

All recordings can be heard here:

• "An End to War"
• "Hold the World Together"
• "Why Should He Live Off the Fat of the Land?"

Always Remember Your Glasses

Shilling for #SleazyDonald?

To the great dismay of those of us who listen to radio talk show hosts for better understanding and perspective on politics—most particularly this race for president—several of these airwave pundits have seemingly been shilling for Donald Trump.

Michael Savage was quiveringly in the New Yorker's thrall early, then Howie Carr followed. Even Sean Hannity joined in promoting the rich man—speaking of his electoral inevitability, building up his business accomplishments, covering for his obvious faults.

What's Going On Here?

Is this simply cultural affinity (these are all northeasterners; two from New York). Does it arise from long-term friendship. Or could there be more going on here? Money? Power? Fear?* Does this man have some sort of hypnotic power over people?

It takes no small amount of moral development and familiarity with history not to be swayed by success, wealth, looks, and (perhaps most importantly) celebrity—and instead see through the evil behind.

Two prominent talk show hosts—Glenn Beck and Mark Levin—have prominently gone the other way, openly and fervently endorsing major rival, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. At the risk of losing audience, they have taken this bold move to help save the republic.

National Enquirer Smear

Enter the National Enquirer smear of Cruz as an adulterer. Michael Savage has called for Trump to disavow the story or he will withdraw his endorsement and support. And some curious things seem to be happening in the Hannity and Carr camps.

Perhaps it's just the hope in me—for the goodness of our country to rise up against the bad—but . .

1. Sean Hannity corrects himself on claiming a Cruz connection to the anti-Melania Trump ad (run by a PAC)—in a Wednesday, March 23 evening tweet;
2. Mark Simone hosted his show the next day, sweetly endorsing Trump at every possible point, calling Melania's naked fling on a bear rug as simply part of being a model;
3. Friday the show was a re-run from the day Ben Carson withdrew from the race (which he did March 4).

Switching over to Howie Carr in my addictive state, I discovered that his show was: a) running a poll of listeners regarding the truth of the Enquirer hit piece; and, b) just about the delve into the story more. But every time I'd hit the play button it would pause after re-looping this one bit.** 

Cooler Heads Prevail?

I hope somebody has come to his senses. Maybe the station director or owner. Maybe the show sponsors. Maybe even the hosts themselves. Has legal action been threatened?

We should know more soon.

---

*We've all seen what happens to those who attack Mr. Trump; actions described in this article perhaps making a good example.
**I was listening on iHeart Radio (which might explain everything).

"No One Else to Blame"

“There will be no one else to blame. You can’t blame the progressives. You can’t blame the left. You can’t blame Hillary Clinton. You can’t blame anyone else but the Christians who are not living and voting their principles.”

Glenn Beck

Play Fewer Songs by Female Artists

Keith Hill, “the world’s leading authority on music scheduling”, advises radio stations to play fewer songs by female artists, noting:

1. “They’re just not the lettuce in our salad. The lettuce is Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that. The tomatoes of our salad are the females.”
2. “In a deep irony, it’s the demand of female listeners who aren’t thinking about it. They’re just responding to that flow of song after song, and if that mix has more females in it, they turn off quicker.”
3. “My stations win by taking females out. Sometimes that’s enough to go from the number three station to the number one station in a market.”

“We’re trying to get the biggest possible audience. We’re not thinking about gender fairness, we’re just trying to make money,” he says.

SEE: Country Music Consultant Advises Stations To Play Fewer Songs By Female Artists

Willie Watson on Mountain Stage

October 02, 2014--Willie Watson appears on Mountain Stage, recorded live in Princeton, W.Va. Watson left his hometown of Watkins Glen, N.Y., playing old-time music along the way, before co-founding Old Crow Medicine Show in Boone, N.C., in 2000. Watson left the band in 2011, but he continues to champion traditional string-band and folk music.

Lately, Watson has been gravitating toward the quieter, darker, more contemplative side of the American folk songbook. The results are chronicled on his first solo album, the David Rawlings-produced Folk Singer Vol. 1, which purposefully recalls the 1952 Anthology Of American Folk Music that helped inspire the soundtrack for the Coen Brothers' film Inside Llewyn Davis. Watson performs here solo, with a set list drawn entirely from the album.

SET LIST:

1. "Mexican Cowboy"
2. "James Alley Blues"
3. "Keep It Clean"
4. "Long John Dean"
5. "Midnight Special"

(Listen here.)

No Mention of Benghazi

Of the many, varied topics mentioned on The Michael Medved radio talk show recently, you won't find a single mention of the Benghazi incident or its aftermath.

You will find mention of such things as . .

• "Smart Money Smart Kids: Raising the Next Generation to Win with Money"
• "Swearing off bad language: Russia bans cussing in films, books, music"
• "US Inequality Is Not At All Like You Think It Is"
• "Yes, Brendan Eich Is Like Donald Sterling (He’s Even Scarier)"

. . but nothing on Benghazi.

You won't find anything on Benghazi in his list of columns posted at his related website, either.

I've asked him why, both at his site and via Twitter, without response.

Without addressing this issue, or offering sufficient reason for why he has failed to do so, he functions effectively in the same manner as the mainstream media who are doing their best to ignore it.

Glorious Set

Just heard a glorious set of country music on the way in:

1. "Does Forth Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" (Sanger D. and Darlene Shafer) sung by George Strait in 1984.
2. "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such As I" (Bill Trader) sung (I guess) by Jo Stafford in 1953.
3. "Break It to Me Gently" (music Joe Seneca/words Diane Lampert) sung by Juice Newton in 1982.

Had been singing the last one to myself just this morning.

Jo Stafford belts one out