Podcasts about harvard's center

In March Professor Marc Lipsitch — Director of Harvard's Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics — abruptly found himself a global celebrity, his social media following growing 40-fold and journalists knocking down his door, as everyone turned to him for information they could trust. Here he lays out where the fight against COVID-19 stands today, why he's open to deliberately giving people COVID-19 to speed up vaccine development, and how we could do better next time. As Marc tells us, island nations like Taiwan and New Zealand are successfully suppressing SARS-COV-2. But everyone else is struggling. Links to learn more, summary and full transcript. Even Singapore, with plenty of warning and one of the best test and trace systems in the world, lost control of the virus in mid-April after successfully holding back the tide for 2 months. This doesn't bode well for how the US or Europe will cope as they ease their lockdowns. It also suggests it would have been exceedingly hard for China to stop the virus before it spread overseas. But sadly, there's no easy way out. The original estimates of COVID-19's infection fatality rate, of 0.5-1%, have turned out to be basically right. And the latest serology surveys indicate only 5-10% of people in countries like the US, UK and Spain have been infected so far, leaving us far short of herd immunity. To get there, even these worst affected countries would need to endure something like ten times the number of deaths they have so far. Marc has one good piece of news: research suggests that most of those who get infected do indeed develop immunity, for a while at least. To escape the COVID-19 trap sooner rather than later, Marc recommends we go hard on all the familiar options — vaccines, antivirals, and mass testing — but also open our minds to creative options we've so far left on the shelf. Despite the importance of his work, even now the training and grant programs that produced the community of experts Marc is a part of, are shrinking. We look at a new article he's written about how to instead build and improve the field of epidemiology, so humanity can respond faster and smarter next time we face a disease that could kill millions and cost tens of trillions of dollars. We also cover: • How listeners might contribute as future contagious disease experts, or donors to current projects • How we can learn from cross-country comparisons • Modelling that has gone wrong in an instructive way • What governments should stop doing • How people can figure out who to trust, and who has been most on the mark this time • Why Marc supports infecting people with COVID-19 to speed up the development of a vaccines • How we can ensure there's population-level surveillance early during the next pandemic • Whether people from other fields trying to help with COVID-19 has done more good than harm • Whether it's experts in diseases, or experts in forecasting, who produce better disease forecasts Get this episode by subscribing to our podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type 80,000 Hours into your podcasting app. Or read the linked transcript. Producer: Keiran Harris. Audio mastering: Ben Cordell. Transcriptions: Zakee Ulhaq.

A discussion with the Director of Harvard's Center for International Development and Professor of the Practice of Economic Development at the Kennedy School of Government We spoke about his research and his insights on development policies, looking at binding constraints, political ecology, and creation of the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index. Interviewers: Nathan Adams - Project Officer, Green Spaces, United Nations Association in Canada Ian Chow - Project Officer, Green Corps, United Nations Association in Canada

Interview recorded on Sept. 5th, 2019About Ricardo Hausmann: Ricardo Hausmann is Director of the Growth Lab at Harvard's Center for International Development and the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School.Previously, he served as the Director of the Center for International Development (2005-2019). He served as the first Chief Economist of the Inter-American Development Bank (1994-2000), where he created the Research Department. He has served as Minister of Planning of Venezuela (1992-1993) and as a member of the Board of the Central Bank of Venezuela. He also served as Chair of the IMF-World Bank Development Committee.Hausmann was Professor of Economics at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion (IESA) (1985-1991) in Caracas, where he founded the Center for Public Policy. His research interests include issues of growth, macroeconomic stability, international finance, and the social dimensions of development. He holds a PhD in economics from Cornell University.

Journey of the Universe: A Story for Our Times with Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grimm "The Journey of the Universe" film and book , written by Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker, invite us to reflect on our role and responsibility to the flourishing of communities within evolutionary cosmology. How can the life of ecosystems and species be enhanced by humans, not irrevocably damaged? The Journey Conversations explore in what ways humans can contribute to the “great work” of building sustainable cities, resilient food systems, ecological economies, and alternative energies. As planetary citizens we are asking: How can our creativity be aligned with Earth’s creativity? Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim teach at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Yale Divinity School. They direct the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, which arose from 10 conferences they organized at Harvard's Center for the Study of World Religions. Grim and Tucker have written a number of books including Ecology and Religion (Island Press, 2014) and edited the Routledge Handbook of Religion and Ecology (2017). They are editors for the series on Ecology and Justice from Orbis Books. They were students of Thomas Berry and collaborated over several decades to edit his books. They also wrote Thomas Berry: A Biography (Columbia, 2019). With Brian Thomas Swimme, Tucker and Grim created Journey of the Universe, a multi-media project that includes a book (Yale, 2011), an Emmy award-winning film, a DVD series of Conversations, and online courses from Yale/Coursera. For the last 30 years, Grim has served as president of the American Teilhard Association and Tucker as Vice President.

In this second part of his conversation with Professor Gregory Nagy, Director of Harvard's Center for Hellenic Studies, Andrew Zwerneman discusses Homer’s great epic, the Iliad.

This episode features Professor Gregory Nagy, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Comparative Literature at Harvard University and Director of Harvard's Center for Hellenic Studies. In this first of two parts, Cana Academy's Andrew Zwerneman talks with Prof. Nagy about how he fell in love with language and found his way into the world of Classics.

Well hello once again, once again those Nerds have given us another episode full of fun and laughter, so strap in and hang on tight as we enjoy the rid. Please remember to keep arms inside the ride at all times to avoid injury. To start this mad cap episode we have the cast list of the new Dr. Dolittle with Robert Downey Jr. This cast has almost as many stars as the US flag. Will this be just another remake of a great movie, or will it be great? Who knows, at present all we know for sure is the cast is pretty impressive. Next up we take a moment to discuss the presence of water on the moon. That’s right water on the moon, is it H2O or OH, is there enough for a pool to soak away the long dreary hours after working all day as a janitor. Oops, that was the story for Space Quest, sorry. But the presence of water is important to plans to build a moon base for further space exploration. Last topic is about Crazy Taxi and not horrifying us with gruesome violence like the horror movie right there on our TV, called the 6 o’clock news. Sorry, distracted again, but hey, it is an amazing line up to entertain you and is followed by the usual shout outs, remembrances, birthdays and events of interest. As always we would love to hear from you, and please remember to take care of each other and stay hydrated.EPISODE NOTES:Dr Dolittle Movie starring Robert Downey Jr - http://collider.com/robert-downey-jr-doctor-dolittle-movie-reshoots/Moon Water - https://phys.org/news/2019-04-meteoroid-eject-precious-moon.html- https://www.newscientist.com/article/2199618-there-is-water-just-under-the-surface-of-the-moon-that-we-could-use/Crazy Taxi patent expiration - https://patents.google.com/patent/US6200138B1/enGames currently playingProfessor– Age of Empire 2 HD - https://store.steampowered.com/app/221380/Age_of_Empires_II_HD/Buck– Car Simulator 2016 - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/car-mechanic-simulator-2016/9nblggh4t4c4DJ– Apex Legends - https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legendsOther topics discussedThe Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (2020 movie)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_Doctor_DolittleKnut the Polar Bear- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knut_(polar_bear)Inuka the Polar Bear- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InukaSelena Gomez bio- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selena_GomezThe Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922 novel)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyages_of_Doctor_DolittleThe Futurist (Robert Downey Jr. album)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Futurist_(Robert_Downey_Jr._album)Craig Robinson (actor)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Robinson_(actor)Pineapple Express (2008 movie)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple_Express_(film)Puss in Boots- https://shrek.fandom.com/wiki/Puss_in_BootsTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014 film)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_(2014_film)LADEE - Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LADEELCROSS - Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LCROSSNASA's strike on moon worked- http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/10/09/probe.moon.crash/index.htmlWater on Titan?- https://www.astrobio.net/news-exclusive/a-water-ocean-on-titan/Moon (2009 film)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_(film)Aniara (1956 poem)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AniaraSpace: 1999 (1975 TV Series)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space:_1999Bottle Waters of the World- http://www.finewaters.com/bottled-waters-of-the-world/japanDriver : San Franciso- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver:_San_FranciscoKylie Minogue Darling Perfume- https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Kylie-Minogue/Darling-842.htmlLoading screen mini games- https://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/11/the-patent-on-loading-screen-mini-games-is-about-to-expire/Patent - https://patents.google.com/patent/US5718632Midtown Madness (1999 game)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midtown_MadnessMidnight Club (racing series)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_ClubMidnight Club 3: Dub Edition- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Club_3:_Dub_EditionAssassin’s Creed Unity free giveaway- https://www.gamesradar.com/au/ubisoft-is-giving-away-assassins-creed-unity-for-free-as-a-nod-to-the-notre-dame-cathedral/My Summer Car (game)- https://store.steampowered.com/app/516750/My_Summer_Car/Days Gone motorcycle upgrade- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP5OjNq_CfsEVA-8 Auto (Apex Legends Gun)- https://apexlegends.gamepedia.com/EVA-8_AutoAl-Aqsa Mosque on fire same time as Notre Dame- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/small-fire-broke-out-jerusalems-al-aqsa-mosque-flames-ravaged-notre-dame-180971983/Monty Python's Life of Brian- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python%27s_Life_of_Brian3D Printed heart using patient cells- https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/04/15/USAT/903d849a-04cb-4171-b786-4cd7e60fcf8a-AFP_AFP_1FN7BD.JPG?crop=5471,3077,x0,y566&width=3200&height=1680&fit=boundsLive Animal in keychains- http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/14/china.animal.keyring/index.htmlMel Blanc (voice actor)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_BlancPeppermint (2018 movie)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppermint_(2018_film)Ronin (1998 film)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronin_(film)Operation Desert Shield also known as The Gulf War- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_WarElvis Lives! (That’s Not Canon Podcast)- https://thatsnotcanon.com/elvislivesShoutouts15 Apr 2019 - Notre-Dame de Paris fire - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/notre-dame-fire-what-was-damaged-n99537116 Apr 1850 - Marie Tussaud, French artist known for her wax sculptures and Madame Tussauds, the wax museum she founded in London. She died of pneumonia at 88 in London, England - https://www.onthisday.com/articles/madame-tussauds-bloody-background16 Apr 1977 - David Soul, of Starsky & Hutch, has the #1 song on the U.S. pop charts - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/david-soul-of-starsky-hutch-has-the-1-song-on-the-u-s-pop-charts16 Apr 2019 – Monty Python’s Life of Brian turns 40 - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-16/life-of-brian-by-monty-python-is-40/1100439416 Apr 2019 – First 3D printed heart from human patient cells - https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/15/health/3d-printed-heart-study/index.htmlRemembrances14 Apr 2019 – Gene Wolfe, American science fiction and fantasy writer. He was noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith. He was a prolific short-story writer and novelist and won many science fiction and fantasy literary awards. Wolfe is best known for his Book of the New Sun series (four volumes, 1980–83), the first part of his "Solar Cycle". He died of cardiovascular disease at 87 in Peoria, Illinois - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Wolfe15 Apr 2019 - Winston L. Shelton, American inventor, electrical engineer and entrepreneur who was awarded 76 US patents as an individual or as part of a team, as well as many corresponding patents. Shelton's patents have had an impact relating to home washing machines and the preparation of food in both the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry and fine dining. Technologies Shelton developed while an engineer at General Electric are still in use after more than fifty years. His patent for the modern "Washing Machine" (US 3257830 A), licensed in 1965 to General Electric has been referenced in over 40 subsequent patents. Shelton also invented new ways to cook and hold food, including the Collectramatic, the first pressurized fryer that did not require interrupting production to frequently filter shortening while cooking. Shelton also invented Controlled Vapor Technology, a patented cooking method that uses water vapor to prepare and safely hold food. He died at 96- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_L._SheltonPatents - https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=3257830&idkey=NONE&homeurl=http%3A%252F%252Fpatft.uspto.gov%252Fnetahtml%252FPTO%252Fpatimg.htm16 Apr 1958 - Rosalind Elsie Franklin, English chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal, and graphite. Franklin is best known for her work on the X-ray diffraction images of DNA, particularly Photo 51, while at King's College London, which led to the discovery of the DNA double helix for which James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. Watson suggested that Franklin would have ideally been awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Wilkins, but, although there was not yet a rule against posthumous awards, the Nobel Committee generally does not make posthumous nominations. She died of bronchopneumonia, secondary carcinomatosis, and ovarian cancer at 37 in Chelsea, London - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin17 Apr 1790 – Benjamin Franklin, American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humourist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod,bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department and the University of Pennsylvania. His colourful life and legacy of scientific and political achievement, and his status as one of America's most influential Founding Fathers, have seen Franklin honoured more than two centuries after his death on coinage and the $100 bill, warships, and the names of many towns, counties, educational institutions, and corporations, as well as countless cultural references. He died of pleurisy at 84 in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin17 Apr 2016 – Doris Roberts, American actress, author, and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which began in 1951. She had several prominent roles in movies, including playing opposite Shirley Stoler in The Honeymoon Killers (1970), Elliott Gould in Little Murders (1971), Steven Keats in Hester Street (1975), Billy Crystal in Rabbit Test (1978), Robert Carradine in Number One with a Bullet (1987), and Cady McClain in Simple Justice (1989), among many others. She achieved continuing success in television, becoming known for her role as Mildred Krebs in Remington Steele from 1983 to 1987 and her co-starring role as Raymond Barone's mother, Marie Barone, on the long-running CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005). Towards the end of her acting career, she also had a prominent role opposite Tyler Perry in Madea's Witness Protection (2012). She died of a stroke at 90 in Los Angeles, California - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Roberts17 Apr 2019 - Kazuhiko Katō known by the pen name Monkey Punch, Japanese manga artist, best known for his series Lupin III. In April 2005 he became the professor of Manga Animation at Otemae University, in their Faculty of Media and Arts, and was a visiting professor at Tokyo University of Technology in May 2010. He died of pneumonia at 81 in Sakura, Chiba on April 11, 2019. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_PunchFamous Birthdays16 Apr 1952 – Billy West, American voice actor, singer, musician, songwriter and former radio personality. He is known for his voice-over work in a number of television series, films, video games, and commercials. He has done hundreds of voice-overs in his career such as Ren (season 3 to season 5) and Stimpy on The Ren & Stimpy Show; Doug Funnie and Roger Klotz on Doug; and Philip J. Fry,Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg,Zapp Brannigan and a number of others on Futurama. He does voices for commercials and is the current voice of the red M&M and was also the voice of Buzz, the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee until 2004. Born in Detroit, Michigan - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_West17 Apr 1972 - Jennifer Garner, American actress. Following a supporting role in Pearl Harbor (2001), Garner gained recognition for her performance as CIA officer Sydney Bristow in the ABC spy-action thriller Alias, which aired from 2001 to 2006. For her work on the series, she won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award and received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. While working on Alias, Garner made a cameo appearance in Catch Me If You Can (2002), followed by giving a praised leading performance in the romantic comedy film 13 Going on 30 (2004). Garner has appeared in supporting as well as lead film roles, including the superhero films Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005), the comedy-drama Juno (2007), and the fantasy-comedy The Invention of Lying (2009). In the 2010s, she appeared in the romantic-comedy Valentine's Day (2010), the fantasy comedy-drama The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012), the biographic drama Dallas Buyers Club (2013), the comedy film Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014), the drama film Miracles from Heaven (2016), and the romantic comedy-drama film Love, Simon (2018). Born in Houston, Texas - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Garner17 Apr 1959 – Sean Bean, English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire accent, he first found mainstream success for his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe. Bean subsequently gained further recognition for his performance as Ned Stark in the HBO epic fantasy series Game of Thrones, and won both a BAFTA and an International Emmy, both for Best Actor. He has also been nominated for a Saturn Award. One of his most prominent film roles was Boromir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003). Other roles include Alec Trevelyan in the James Bond film GoldenEye (1995) and Odysseus in Troy (2004), as well as roles in Patriot Games (1992), Ronin (1998), Equilibrium (2002), National Treasure (2004), North Country (2005), The Island (2005), Silent Hill (2006), Black Death (2010), Jupiter Ascending (2015) and The Martian (2015). Other TV roles include the BBC anthology series Accused and the ITV historical drama series Henry VIII. As a voice actor, Bean has been featured in the video games The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Sid Meier's Civilization VI, and the drama The Canterbury Tales, among several others. Born in Handsworth, Sheffield - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Bean18 Apr 1927 – Samuel P Huntington, American political scientist, adviser and academic. He spent more than half a century at Harvard University, where he was director of Harvard's Center for International Affairs and the Albert J. Weatherhead III University Professor. During the presidency of Jimmy Carter, Huntington was the White House Coordinator of Security Planning for the National Security Council. He is best known for his 1993 theory, the "Clash of Civilizations", of a post–Cold War new world order. He argued that future wars would be fought not between countries, but between cultures, and that Islamic extremism would become the biggest threat to world peace. Huntington is credited with helping to shape U.S. views on civilian–military relations, political development, and comparative government. Born in New York City, New York - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_P._HuntingtonEvents of Interest16 Apr 1705 - Anne of England knights Isaac Newton at Trinity College, Cambridge - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton16 Apr 1943 – Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later April 19. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann18 Apr 1909 – Joan of Arc is beatified in Rome. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canonization_of_Joan_of_Arc18 Apr 1983 - Alice Walker becomes the first woman of colour to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her book “The Colour Purple” - http://www.famousdaily.com/history/pulitzer-prize-the-color-purple.htmlA Special Shoutout goes to My Favourite Murder Podcast- Bio - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Favorite_Murder- Official website(s) - https://www.myfavoritemurder.com/- https://www.exactlyrightmedia.com/myfavoritemurder- Where you can find themItunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-favorite-murder-karen-kilgariff-georgia-hardstark/id1074507850PlayerFM - https://player.fm/series/my-favorite-murder-with-karen-kilgariff-and-georgia-hardstark-2084036Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/exactly-right/my-favorite-murderSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0U9S5J2ltMaKdxIfLuEjzEIntroArtist – Goblins from MarsSong Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)Song Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJFollow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/Email - Nerds.Amalgamated@gmail.comTwitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094RSS - http://www.thatsnotcanonproductions.com/topshelfnerdspodcast?format=rss

His Excellency Juan Manuel Santos, former President of Colombia, Nobel laureate, and Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, discusses key global issues and reflects on his distinguished career with Professor Ricardo Hausmann, director of Harvard's Center for International Development and former Chief Economist of the Inter-American Development Bank. 

, Ed.D. is the first executive director of Harvard's Center for Artistry and Scholarship, which fosters and mobilizes creative, arts-immersed schools. Dr Nathan, speaking here for @KGNU with Claudia Cragg (@KGNUClaudia) tackles on #ItsTheEconomy what she believes are the five myths that we tell many of our students in K-12 schools. The book’s title refers to one of these myths, that if you, the students, can just apply more grit, you will succeed in high school and go to college. Of course the trouble with this is that many of our students find themselves at-risk for succeeding no matter how much grit they apply to the situation. No one is underestimating the power of grit, but the structural blockade that many students face, such as the very way that standardized testing does not make sense to them, the grinding poverty of urban environments, the nuance of languages they are not brought up with, the lack of support for academic achievement and the lack of safety in their schools and neighborhoods, stand as unyielding roadblocks to their success.  She is the founding headmaster of the Boston Arts Academy, Boston’s first public high school for the visual and performing arts, and the co-director of Fenway High School, one of the first pilot schools in the Boston Public Schools. She began her teaching career in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then came to Boston to work as a bilingual middle school teacher.

US President Donald Trump is bringing back sanctions on Iran and is threatening to extend the sanctions to European companies that do business there. The Iran announcement came in the same week that the USA announced more sanctions on Venezuela, ahead of controversial elections later this month. Since coming into power, President Trump has used economic sanctions as a weapon of choice. But do sanctions actually work? And how do they affect businesses trading with the countries concerned? Ed Butler is joined by a panel of experts to discuss what to expect as the US grip tightens over the economies of countries it is in conflict with. (Picture: An Iranian woman walks past a mural on the wall of the former US embassy in Tehran on May 8, 2018. Photo credit:ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images) Contributors: Elizabeth Rosenberg from the Center for a New American Security. Former Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of the Treasury where she helped to develop and implement financial and energy sanctions. Nigel Kushner, specialist sanctions lawyer, CEO of W Legal. Professor Ricardo Hausmann, Director of Harvard's Center for International Development. Former Minister of Planning of Venezuela. Producer: Audrey Tinline

Andrew Waugh is a founder of Waugh Thistleton Architects and a pioneer of design in the field of timber buildings, using cross-laminated timber (CLT). Waugh Thistleton are committed to the use of timber construction which has earned them an international reputation in environmentally sustainable architecture and design. The practice has designed the world’s largest CLT building at Dalston Works – a 10 storey, 121 unit residential building, made entirely from CLT. WT are also currently working on 5 (out of the 10) major office CLT buildings under construction in London. Andrew has been quoted as saying that he believes that "timber will replace all other materials for construction" and we discuss the benefits of building with CLT. These include: - speed of delivery - ability to integrate with hi-tech, off-site construction methods - Sustainable resource - Lower carbon emissions in build process - CLT as store of carbon - Bio-morphic effect for residents - Aesthetic Picking up on a comment from Nick Fulford in Episode 3, we discuss the bio-morphic effect and i reference the work undertaken by Wood for Good. Harvard's Center for Health and the Global Environment found that that our cognitive abilities can increase by over 100% by working in offices with wooden interiors (when additional ventilation is added). A fact that, if verifiable, must be one of the more under-utilised in the industry. Andrew has strong views on the current trend of what he sees as egotistical architecture, with the focus on individual building, rather than its place within the its environment and surroundings. We discuss Lloyd Alter's concept of the Goldilocks Density and where CLT, in terms of design and structural requirements can help deliver integrated buildings that fulfil the density requirement our cities need.

Dr. Robert Stickgold is the head of Harvard's Center for Sleep and Cognition. In this episode, he tells comedians Myq Kaplan, Robert Woo, and Ken Reid about his groundbreaking work on how dreams can affect learning and memory. He also tells us about what happens when people with amnesia play Tetris. Hosted by Chris Duffy. Technical direction by Kevin Brunswick.