In The Loop with Jeff Horwich - Minnesota Public Radio

Featuring an interview with a South Pole blogger, a chat with the famous "Marc in Paris," podcasting wisdom from Sanden, a final song from Jeff, plus lots of Loop-love and a listener-guided tour through the five crazy years of ITL.

A talk with the creator of ChurchRater.com, Father Maurice Alvarado on the Chilean national character, Faron Williams with details of the revenge-fantasy also called the "Securities Transaction Tax," Sanden stops by with odd things correlated with the recession, a song for Sen. Jim Bunning, and folksinger Heatherlyn rounds out our "Starving Artist" series. Also happens to be our, um, penultimate show.

You get a big ol' episode, featuring Olympic snowboard racer (and first Eskimo Olympian -- we think) Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, an attempt to interview people using ChatRoulette.com, Sanden's Week In Geek, Congressional power expert Scott Adler, and our latest "starving artist," poet and photographer Cole Sarar.

With Jeff out of town, Sanden and Anna take over the show to bring you stories of "living without ____." Listeners call in to talk about life without all sorts of things from gluten to indoor heating. An endangered species expert chimes in with a picture of what life would be without obscure little critters. The official town crier of Minneapolis talks about giving up luxuries to save up for a trip to the world town crier competition. Plus a commentary from Anna about her current living situation and a song from Sanden about doing the show without Jeff.

Forget Toyota -- How are our own Big 3 doing? Our space NewsNicher laments the (possible) end of the moon program, but Sanden explains how she might be able to go anyway. And the compulsive Obama letter writer meets...the intern on the other end. It's In The Loop for Feb. 5, 2010

Rob Crilly, on what we don't get about Darfur; Fausta on why to give a rip about Argentina's central bank; Superbowl ads go bye-bye?; iPad muziks; Comedian Mike Brody is our latest "Starving Artist."

The latest in our "Starving Artist" interviews, plus a physician's assistant in Haiti working without anesthetic, a woman who loves the "regal" Haitians, and what happens when 10 unintelligible music legends come together to support the victims. ITL for Jan. 22, 2010.

How to give for the Haiti quake, and how nerds around the world are mapping it; listener-written movie trailers for 2010; a slug/plant creature, in song; and so much more that listing it would just be silly. It's ITL for Jan. 15, 2010.

ITL for Jan. 8, 2010. Interviews with MacWorld's Jason Snell, job-guru Alexandra Levit, and crazy traveler Mia Venster. Plus a song for the world's tallest building, Sanden helps you use your vacation time, and listeners share their personal predictions for 2010.

Following a listener suggestion, we spend our last episode of the year with Dr. Steve Novella, host of Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, discussing the abundant psuedo-science of 2009. (29 min.)

Features interviews with the authors "Scroogenomics' and "The Psychology of Santa." Sanden talks global Santa alternatives, from the creepy to the offensive to the scatological. Plus, Jeff reworks The Night Before Christmas with health-care reform and Joe Lieberman in mind. And cartoonist David Gillette on what COP15 adds up to.

Also: Why "adaptation" should be on the COP15 agenda, and Sanden weighs in on the discovery (or not) of dark matter. It's In The Loop for Dec. 11, 2009

Plus an update on the fragile peace (and possibility of a military coup) in Sri Lanka, as well as perhaps the worst Ray Charles song ever recorded. It's ITL for Dec. 3, 2009

A format-breaker episode featuring nothing but stories from listeners about the highs and lows of dating Internet-style. In The Loop for November 27, 2009

ITL for Nov. 20, 2009. After telling his story in song last week, we get our interview with Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao (R-LA), the lone GOP Congressman to vote in favor of health reform in the House. Listeners and Facebook fans share their alternatives to turkey on the Thanksgiving table. A NewsNiche interview with Missouri farmer Richard Oswald. A dandy tune giving thanks for the most ridiculous stories of 2009. The year of IHS Global Insight.

It's In The Loop Nov. 13, 2009. Featuring an interview with Minnesota Viking Visanthe Shiancoe, The Hill's Molly Hooper, Sanden Totten, and a new NewsTune.

It's ITL for Nov. 6, 2009, featuring interviews with TaxGirl, the Christian Science Monitor's man in Afghanistan, and a Pulitzer Prize winner on the incipient federal Shield Law. Plus nifty H1N1 vaccine and Hamid Karzai-inspired music. Damn!

Plus news from Pakistan and a human-fat-powered boat. It's In The Loop for October 23, 2009

It's a NewsNiche Spectacular. Well, "spectacular" might a little strong...But it's a nifty little diversion from our normal weekly fare. Enjoy! It's ITL for Oct. 15, 2009

ITL for Oct. 9, 2009. Interviews on Iran, Afghanistan, and what it takes to map the U.S. for the Seven Deadly Sins. Plus a colorful Skribitcast, and Monty Python meets the Letterman scandal. Whew.

Plus listener poems on moon water, Max Baucus, and the (final) end of Saturn. It's In The Loop for October 2, 2010. (And yes, we know Chicago lost at the very instant this podcast dropped. Grrr.)

Plus: Is anyone Congress looking after our mouths? And a musical tribute to our 1,500 Facebook fans. It's ITL for Sept. 25, 2009

It's ITL for Sept. 17, 2009. A "pop culture"-focused episode, featuring a chat about Fair Use and the Ellen Show, an elegy for Patrick Swayze, the new "Mind Your Manners Song" and listener stories of rudeness.

...plus the MPRNewsQ song and a new commentary from Nancy Donoval about keeping her health insurance. It's ITL for Sept. 12, 2009.

We asked listeners to call in to our voicemail with short stories. And they did. Also includes a random earthquake.