My Favourite Podcasts - Crime et al

I first started listening to podcasts, mostly French language and then Spanish, a year or two ago, but then my daughter got me hooked on one called Serial, which was all about a case that was tried in the late nineties, in Maryland in the US, involving Adnan Syed, a Muslim teenager who was tried and convicted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee.  He is currently still in jail but his trial seems to have been clearly flawed.  Lawyer Rabia Chaudry contacted journalist Sarah Koenig, who began to put the facts out there in cyberspace through her podcast Serial. It became huge, with hundreds of thousands of listeners.   The result is several other podcasts on the same case like Undisclosed and Truth and Justice.

Then I became fascinated by the plight of Steven Avery, whose case was featured in the documentary Making a Murderer – riveting stuff - the story of a man who was wrongfully convicted and exonerated on DNA evidence after he had served nearly twenty years in jail. When he tried to sue the State, a woman was found murdered and he was immediately arrested, tried and convicted a second time.  Serial and other podcasts like Undisclosed talk about the details of the case and the many flaws in the criminal justice system.  You have experts – lawyers, prosecutors, expert witnesses, and profilers weighing in on the relative merits of the case, and his guilt or innocence.  Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey are currently serving time and I just heard the other day that Brendan is being released in 90 days (apparently the State can still appeal though).

Truth and Justice, is run by Bob Ruff, an ex fire chief, who is quite a character and gets all fired up about the corruption in various counties in the US, where people have been wrongly convicted.  Definitely worth a listen, and he discusses a number of cases, giving his own theories and inviting listeners to weigh in.

There are others like Real Crime Profile where profilers discuss their take on famous cases.

I don’t want anybody to think I’m obsessed by crime – I actually rarely read crime novels, but there is something very seductive about hearing these cases and the various theories the experts have come up with - finding out what happened and speculating about someone’s guilt or innocence.

A podcast which is aimed primarily at small business owners and entrepreneurs that I find really interesting and sometimes inspiring is Creative Warriors - it features entrepreneurs and well-known motivational speakers – people who have made their mark in whatever field and who are teaching others how to do the same - they’re interviewed and asked how they got their big break and what advice they would give to people starting out.

There is even a podcast for whatever mood you’re in. This one is called Podcast Playlist (brings you the best podcasts from around the world.

I also listen to Chel Hamilton, who does free mini meditation podcasts – on various themes to do with relaxation. She has a lovely voice and is easy to listen to.

One of my favourites though is This American Life, by Ira Glass, by a public broadcasting station in Chicago – there are fascinating stories about ordinary people on a range of topics – how we feel about death and dying was a recent one.  There was a really interesting take on this in a Chinese-American family and their reaction to their grandmother’s cancer diagnosis and how to deal with it, completely different to how we do it in the West.  They’re usually really interesting thought-provoking topics and they make me think – and relieve the boredom of my daily walk – so I’m learning something and exercising at the same time, which has got to be a plus, don’t you think? So if you have an iPod you can download all these for free on iTunes!

Cafe Soleil - Episode 6

The next morning, as he pulled on his trackies for an early morning walk, Darryl felt brighter somehow. And when Susannah came in with Max, he had the water bowl handy and whispered to Rosie – “Latte, extra strong.”

“How are you?”
She motioned to the empty chair beside her and began.

“What’s happening today?”

“Same old, same old.”

“I could help, Darryl. I did some waitressing, way back, when I was in uni, but really, I can’t stay on my feet for long. What I thought was, I could give you a hand in running the café behind the scenes. Doing the ordering, organising, that sort of thing.”

“That sounds wonderful. I couldn’t afford much though.”

“Shall we give it a try, then? I’m not doing much else.”

                                                                          ***

They were getting into quite a rhythm, the two of them. When the café closed, they would walk on the beach in the dusk, silently and companionably, as the screaming lorikeets in the Norfolk pines made taking impossible. Then have G and Ts on his deck. If sometimes she had three or four, Darryl put it down to numbing the pain she told him she still felt in her back and legs. She was a lot of fun to be around and he found himself caring about what he wore. He was actually ironing his shirts these days.

On the nights when he visited his son, Susannah went home, but there came a time when she asked whether she could accompany him to the hospital. He wasn’t quite sure how to respond, so he reluctantly agreed.

After the gleaming automatic doors closed behind them, the long walk down the corridor made Susannah flinch.

“Are you alright?”

“Just brings back memories, that’s all. I never wanted to see this place again.”

“You didn’t have to come.”

“But I wanted to. It’s fine.”

The bewildering array of buttons and the respirator kept labouring as usual, in, out, in, out, saw a cloud come over Darryl’s face as he took Mark’s pale hand and squeezed it, just like he always did. Susannah stood, unsure, near the wall.

“Take a seat.” He pulled across one of the chairs. They sat there for some minutes listening to the soft whirr of the machines.

“I usually sing.”

“Go on, Darryl.”

He started a Bon Jovi song, but couldn’t quite remember all the words.

“We’ve got to hold on…” Susannah filled in…”to what we’ve got…we’ve got each other and that’s a lot” …Whoah Oh…Livin on a Prayer”

“Darryl, I think we’ve missed our calling. We should have been in a band.”

They started laughing and then abruptly stopped, as though they were in church. The figure in the bed remained silent and motionless.

Theresa, the night nurse, popped her head around the door, smiling as always.

“Everything OK?”

Darryl nodded. She came in and checked his chart, looked briefly at Susannah, and left.

They sat there, watching over Mark, for what seemed to her a long time. Susannah cleared her throat.

“How long has he been here, I mean, like this?”

“Huh? Sorry, what did you say?”

“I said, how long…”

“Oh, sorry. Six months.”

She shivered.

“I must have been here at the same time, then.”

“And you were a bit luckier”.

He wasn’t sure what came over her face then – it almost looked like guilt. Or was it something else? Something he didn’t know about. Perhaps it would be too much of a coincidence they might have been victims of the same drunk driver. The last six gruelling months were still a blur still for Darryl. He had spent that time in a fog of incomprehension – one day just melted into another – anger, pain and a frenzy of hope that Mark would survive. He was surviving, but barely. And was it even survival?

Easiest Ever Poached Pear - 2 Ingredients

This is probably one of the easiest desserts you'll ever make! And only two ingredients!

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 Beurre Bosc Pear
1 Cup Marsala (more or less - depending on the size of the fruit)


(Note: Beurre Bosc Pears are the best for this, as they hold their shape when poached - Marsala is an Italian sweet wine readily available and inexpensive - you can also cut down on the wine and add a little water if you like.

Peel the pear, leaving the stalk intact and trim the bottom so it sits flat, place into a saucepan and pour over the Marsala. Cook on low heat, turning the pear at intervals, so the wine coats the pear and cooks evenly. You have to keep an eye on it and just keep basting, until the pear is soft.  Test with a fine skewer. The wine will eventually turn into a lovely thick sauce that can be poured over to serve. As it's quite sweet, I serve it with a little Greek yoghurt, Yum!