Those Sales People Work Awfully Hard
by Trent Gilliss, senior editor
Hey, that’s John, one of our stations relations reps, making it happen. How fun! Thanks for the snapshot NPR Digital Services:
John Ryan of American Public Media and Virginia Prescott of New Hampshire Public Radio doing what the event’s name implies at last night’s Association of Independents in Radio Mingle at Tavolo Restaurant in Dorchester.
A Little Bit of Mindfulness Meditation Can Reduce a Lot of Pain
by Trent Gilliss, senior editor
MRI images of the brain of a novice meditator show signs of pain nearly disappear. (source: Robert Coghill/Wake Forest University School of Medicine)
“You might not need extensive training [in meditation] to realize pain-relief benefits. Most people don’t have time to spend months in a monastery.”
—Fadel Zeidan, neuroscientist
On the NPR Shots blog, Adam Cole highlights a study at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center showing that even novice meditators are able to curb their pain after a few training sessions. Cole writes:
In the study, a small group of healthy medical students attended four 20-minute training sessions on “mindfulness meditation” — a technique adapted from a Tibetan Buddhist form of meditation called samatha.It’s all about acknowledging and letting go of distraction. …
So how did the researchers gauge the effect? They administered a very distracting bit of pain: A small, thermal stimulator heated to 120 degrees was applied to the back of each volunteer’s right calf. The subjects reported both the intensity and unpleasantness of the pain. If pain were music, intensity would be volume. Unpleasantness would have more of an emotional component, kind of like how much you love or hate a song.
After meditation training, the subjects reported a 40 percent decrease in pain intensity and a 57 percent reduction in pain unpleasantness. And it wasn’t just their perception of pain that changed. Brain activity changed too.
Be sure to read Cole’s article for the details.
(h/t stotheb, via almaswithinalmas)
And while we’re on the subject of wise things, let’s not forget NPR’s other programming: the arts and entertainment coverage that plays its own distinctive role trying to keep our democracy spirited, diverse and imaginative. Think Garrison Keillor. Krista Tippett. Ira Glass. Think Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, Car Talk (yes, many of us are would-be grease monkeys). On the Media (the single best analysis and critique of media anywhere). And — well, consult your local listings.
—Bill Moyers and Michael Winship, from “NPR: The Saga Continues” in The Huffington Post
It’s quite an honor to be mentioned by such a fine journalist and one of public media’s great ambassadors, let alone for Krista to be listed in the company of such esteemed company in public radio.
by Trent Gilliss, senior editor
Sara Sarasohn, my editor, compared the chase to the Israelites rising up and following the cloud over the Tent of Meeting. In the Torah, when the Israelites are wandering in the desert, there was a cloud over the Tent of Meeting, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. When the cloud lifted and moved, the Israelites would see it and know that it was time for them to move as well in their journey through the desert. It was like the presence of Hill was this cloud that we could see in the distance, and we were trying to follow it, and finally, we got to the Tent of Meeting.
—NPR’s Zoe Chace, from her piece about pursuing and interviewing rapper and singer Lauryn Hill for NPR’s “50 Great Voices” series.
I’m not quite sure what to make of this analogy but have to appreciate the ability of Chace’s editor to bring biblical story into reflection on radio production. Take a listen to her report; I’d love to read your perspective. And, full disclosure here, I’m pretty jazzed about seeing Ms. Hill perform at First Avenue in Minneapolis this month.
by Trent Gilliss, senior editor
Public Radio Rap Video = Hilarious, Geeky Fun
by Trent Gilliss, senior editor
OK, if you dig our program, you like public radio. And so there’s really no reason you won’t hit the replay button on this ode to public radio. And, yes, I was looking for a mention… Doh! But The Splendid Table made the list. Yeah!
Ten years later, it’s still tough. You never get away from it. It’s like losing family, you know? You could try to fill the hole, but you’re always going to feel the loss.
— U.S. Navy Supply Officer Robert Overturf
I had an NPR driveway moment yesterday listening to producer Matthew Ozug’s non-narrated piece featuring the voices of USS Cole crew members whose ship was bombed by al-Qaida 10 years ago today. I particularly like the pacing, and the use of music and the closing lines featured in the quote above.
by Nancy Rosenbaum, producer
Esperanza Spalding Dazzles the Tiny Desk
by Trent Gilliss, senior editor
I’ve been holding on to this performance for a few days now, keeping it in reserve specifically for a Friday morning or afternoon. And what better way to kick off the back stretch to the weekend than with the delightful intensity of jazz musician Esperanza Spalding. In this video, she captivates the room at National Public Radio with her intimate Tiny Desk Concert.
I particularly enjoyed the way Patrick Jarenwattananon paints a lush scene of her commanding presence, including when she doffs her cap to reveal her magnificent shock of hair. But, I best like his rundown of her set list:
“…she mostly called original tunes from Chamber Music Society, her new album pairing a jazz rhythm section with a three-piece string trio. The two tunes bookending her set alternated the gossamer with the rich and darkly hued: the album opener “Little Fly,” her setting of a William Blake poem, and “Apple Blossom,” featuring her regular guitarist, Ricardo Vogt.”
Listening to this performance made it easy to buy her album. I’ve been listening to it non-stop. It’s perfect.
I think it is a struggle for the Dutch soul. You could broaden that to say a struggle for the European soul. The economy aside, I think that’s the big question for Europe. To what extent, of course, do you keep the doors open, and of course people need that because the economy needs that, but who are you then?
—Russell Shorto, director of the John Adams Institute in Amsterdam
NPR’s Rob Gifford previews the elections for the Dutch parliament happening today. Though economic concerns seem to be over- shadowing immigration, he highlights how the leading candidates reflect current public opinions about Muslim immigration.
Colleen Scheck, senior producer
"When The 'Trust Hormone' Is Out Of Balance"
Trent Gilliss, online editor
If you heard Alix Spiegel’s recent report on All Things Considered last week and listen to our podcast, you probably recognized the name of Paul Zak. We interviewed the neuroeconomist last summer for our show, “The Science of Trust: Economics and Virtue,” in which he spoke in greater detail about the the powerful influence of “the moral molecule” oxytocin and the biochemical aspects of decision-making.
If you’re trust in government or Wall Street is at an all-time low, check out both of these pieces and tell me if you buy into the research.
Tonight! SOF Live from Washington, D.C.
Trent Gilliss, online editor
Watch the live video stream in this post or chat with others while you watch on our SOF Live page.
Monday, April 5th, 2010 (7pm Eastern)
The Shakespeare Theatre Company
610 F Street Northwest
Washington, D.C.
Beginning at 6:30pm Eastern tonight, we’ll be opening up the live video stream of a sold-out public event with Krista and Michel Martin, host of NPR’s Tell Me More. These two journalists will be discussing the role of faith in their lives and the interplay between science and religions, using Einstein’s “cosmic religious sense” as a starting point.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about this conversation. Please add your comments here.
