Norm Diamond hosts this episode of the Old Mole, which includes the following segments:
Introducing Myself: In honor of International Women’s History Month, Norm Diamond presents a performance piece by Ursula K. Le Guin on the non-recognition of women in history. Ursula insists, therefore, that she must be a man, although not a very good one. As well as gender, the piece addresses issues of aging. Le Guin originally wrote “Introducing Myself” as a performance piece in the 1980s, later revising it for inclusion in her essay collection, The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader and the Imagination. For our listenership in 2021, Norm slightly revises the published piece.
Wolfwalkers: Joe Clement and guest Mara Zusman review the 2020 animated fantasy adventure film, Wolfwalkers. Set in Kilkenny 1650 during Oliver Cromwell’s conquest of Ireland, the film follows two young girls on both sides of the colonial divide and the deep connection to the land that it severs.
The New Nukes: Bill Resnick interviews M. V. Ramana, a leading nuclear expert, who has written and testified widely on both nuclear power and nuclear weapons. They discuss how nuclear power is rising from the dead to replace fossil fuels in the effort to contain climate change and avoid planetary catastrophe. In lobbying for federal monies for development of nuclear power, advocates claim the new generation plants are safe and cheap. As Ramana points out, however, renewables are more reliable, quicker and cheaper to build out, and cheaper to maintain. Still, nuclear plants have gained many rich and influential supporters, including corporate elites like Bill Gates, who advocate for public financial support for technological innovation as the way to deal with climate change while maintaining the capitalist system of exponential growth. Ramana is Professor and Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at University of British Columbia.
- KBOO