iTunes University

One of the things I like to do before leaving on another trip is to load up my iPod with a variety of entertaining and informative podcasts. If you use iTunes, and have not yet discovered this, give iTunes U a look. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of fascinating lectures and podcasts for some really great campuses, professors, and schools.

In fact, there are more than 30,000 audo and video files to keep your attention, whatever field of academic interest you feel like pursuing. Keeps the old grey cells working!

Get sensible news about Zimbabwe

I was just listening to Robb Ellis' Zimbabwe News Update, better known as the ZNU podcast, and his round-up of Zimbabwean news during 2007. If you are interested in getting a different take on things than you will get from mainstream news journalism, give ZNU a listen. Robb is not a media professional or a journalist, but his passion for digging into the truth behind current news items is deep, and his podcast is a good source for people wanting or needing to get background information about Zimbabwe. I am hoping to get Robb on the line for a chat to include in my own Paradise Lost podcast, which has taken a bit of a back seat in 2007 because of work pressures, new country, etc.

The 2007 update show is here: http://odeo.com/show/17569493/view

The web pages are here: http://odeo.com/channel/257663/view
Subscribe in iTunes here: itpc://odeo.com/channel/257663/rss.xml
RSS feed is here: http://odeo.com/channel/257663/rss.xml

New Casting Hope podcast out this week

Norman Brierley and Mark Taylor recently spent two weeks in several locations in Southern Sudan. They went looking to strengthen mission friendships, attend the Cush Consultation, and look for new possibilities for meaningful ministry in Africa's largest country.

What is in this show?

Mark talks with John Kwech, a leader in the Sudan Community Church - Dr Rob Conda's presentation about the state of health services in Sudan he gave at the Cush Consultation in Yei, September 2007 - Norman Brierley, Area Development Director for North and East Africa talks about Feba's possible partnerships with ACROSS and CUSH FOR CHRIST.

The church singing at close of the Podcast was recorded at the Sudan Pentecostal Church in Aweil, in Northern Bahr Al Gazhr State. The cows walking by during interviews were real! Norman survived his being whacked by a football during recording.

• Podcast show notes: http://feba.libsyn.com

• Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itpc://feba.libsyn.com/rss

A new Casting Hope is out

Show number 6 - Direct download: Casting_Hope_podcast_6.mp3

Jeremy Rolph, a student at St. Andrew's High School in Worthing was in the building this week as part of a work experience adventure with Feba - so of course we had to show him how to make a podcast, and get him to do the voice-over bits for us. Well done, Jeremy!

What is in this show?

Chris Binstead talks about his role as Feba's ambassador in the UK. he also tells us about the Partners for Hope and the Feba Supporters Trip to India in early 2008. You can contact Chris by email at cbinstead@feba.org.uk or by his work phone number +44 (01903) 237281.

The podsafe music in today's show came from http://www.magnatune.com - they are great!

The band is a group that has been together since the 1970s, and they call themselves Thursday Group. The track is called Turtle Spin, from the CD called Uncle Mean. Quite jazzy, with some funk, swing, and blues stirred in there.

This track is actually used by quite a well known podcast as its signature tune - so the prize of public fame by mention in a future show is up for the first person to email and let me know which podcast uses Turtle Spin as its signature music.

Drive the show with your comments and feedback! Please send your comments and soundbites under 5mb to mailto:mtaylor@feba.org.uk

Direct download: Casting_Hope_podcast_6.mp3

New Casting Hope podcast

Aubie Banda works with Radio Chiunjota as part of his mission work in Chiconono. Originally from Malawi, Aubie's life changed dramatically when as a young Muslim labourer he heard Christian songs being sung in a language he could understand. His story is worth listening to. Custodio Tivane is the recently appointed Director of Feba Radio Mozambique. He has expansive vision for using radio to reach parts of that enormous country with the hope and love of Jesus Christ. Custodio shares a little about his life, and you can just hear his passion as he talks about Feba's partnership with Radio Chiunjota.

Direct download: Casting_Hope_podcast_4.mp3

Website: http://www.castinghope.blogspot.com/

Photo: Bob Bartz climbing the mast at Radio Chiunjota

Getting Olonga with Henry

For Show 16 of my Paradise Lost podcast, I was very happy and privileged to get time to interview Henry Olonga, currently in southern England on a speaking tour. He talks about his cricket, his singing, and how he feels today about the 'black armband incident' during the 2003 World Cup Cricket, which forced him into an exile from Zimbabwe. This man is a role model par excellence, and now that I know he can be lured back by the smell of a fine oxtail stew, I hope it will not be the last time Paradise Lost listeners get to hear from him. On the show, and with Henry's permission, I feature one of the songs off his new CD, Rise Again, which is a haunting lyric about what could be for Zimbabwe ...

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New Paradise Lost show ... finally!

Show #15 Who Remembers Harold Wilson?
This photo taken aboard HMS Fearless

Happy New Year to Paradise Lost listeners. This show features two short interviews: Rita Gibb, who has been living in the UK for nearly two years, and my brother Rogan, who only left Zimbabwe a month ago.

Also included is a clip from the BBCs Radio 4 programme, ‘UK Confidential’ which was dealing with hitherto secret papers from 1976. Something about the way the Labour government dealt with ‘the Rhodesia problem’, I found interesting.

You also get a little bit of nostalgia with music some may remember from the RBC days of Radio Jacaranda.

You may listen to the show online using the player below, or go to the podcast's Odeo page, or look up PARADISE LOST in iTunes and subscribe from there.

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Paradise Lost show #14 now out

Phew, moving is pretty hard work! But from my empty house in Worthing, comes an interview recorded a couple of months ago with ‘Temba Ngazimbe’ who served 30 years with the National Railways of Zimbabwe. This Matabele gentleman has some different, perhaps interesting views.

Podcast just shy of 2800 downloads

I have to feel happy to observe that my latest Paradise Lost podcast has been downloaded almost 2,800 times in less than three weeks. That is way higher than the previous best of 604 listens of a whole show. Use the player below to check it out.


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Paradise Lost show #11

I had the good fortune to interview Harvey Thomas CBE. Harvey is an International Public Relations and Presentation Consultant, specialising in Corporate and Personal Communication, Customer Relations and Event Management. He consulted for Margaret Thatcher’s government for a number of years, and masterminded the PR campaign for FW De Klerk in South Africa’s first democratic election.

The discussion includes personal anecdotes of contact with Robert Mugabe, views on how long Mugabe and ZanuPF may hold onto power, and why Zimbabwe is of little interest to the first world super powers.

Click on the ODEO icon above to reach my show's list of currrent episodes, and choose #11. You can also subscribe to get future shows, from Odeo, or use the RSS feed there to grab it with your own podcatcher. Paradise Lost is now listed in iTunes - visit the podcast directory and search for it by name, and you will be able to subscribe directly. Or you can click here to go there directly.

Paradise Lost #10

Click on the Odeo icon above to visit the show and listen or download online. If you want the RSS feed: http://www.odeo.com/channel/33622/rss

Mark & Rose recorded this show's conversation with Dave and Tess, who have lived in Johannesburg for almost two years. In after-dinner conversation, they talk about adjusting, how to leave a country well, and yellow chickens. Dave misses Charon's CASINO chocolates, can you believe, and Tess still thinks that Zimbo All Bran Flakes beat the Kellogs stuff any day.

In show #10 ...Some email comments back from a few fellas ... thanks! Our first ever audio comment from David Clapper in The Netherlands. No news update this show from Mandebvhu, but you can hear his new show Zimbabwe News Update, on PCN - the Podcast News Network.
The show intro mentions I would play some podsafe music, but as the show ran a little longer than normal, I dropped that idea. Next time!

WAXMAIL - go to www.waxmail.biz and you too could send me a voice comment. If you are looking for a really useful Skype recorder that plugs in to Outlook, try SKYLOOK. If you use the coupon code FROMMARK when you order, you will get a 20% discount for the next week or so. It is a limited time offer, compliments of Paradise Lost.

Podcast Alley to vote for the show. Your vote helps!

Paradise Lost podcast #9

Released tonight: Paradise Lost show #9

Click here to send an email to the show

Podsafe music - Visit the site

Mark chats to Maria (not her real name) a native of Mexico, but working for an NGO in Harare for the past 14 years. She talks candidly about what she has seen in her years of work in the country, what she loves about the land, and the problems that beset the economy and political landscape. It’s an interesting point of view. Mandebvhu brings an update of news. Some podsafe music.

Podcast Alley to vote for the show. Your vote helps!

Paradise Lost show #7 now available

Mark interviews Maria who talks about the stress because every day she has ‘to make a plan’. She talks about never wanting to leave Zimbabwe, but thinking she might. Mandebvhu updates us on recent Zimbabwe news. Some podsafe music. 13.76 mb.

Listen - Download - Subscribe via Odeo

Paradise Lost #005

Another voice from home (Clive) talks about why he stays in Zimbabwe. The Bearded Man blog’s Mandebvhu presents the first Zimbabwe News Update, to become a regular feature in the podcast.

Are journalists ‘weapons of mass destruction’ as a Zim cabinet minister incredulously said last week?

Tichaona Jakonya – his first name means “we will see” ... in case you don’t get the pun! All the links to stories are in the shownotes: www.paradiselostpodcast.blogspot.com

One click subscribe to my Paradise Lost channel:

PODCAST is word of the year

The New Oxford American Dictionary have named podcast as their word of the year, beating other words like bird flu, persistant vegetative state and squick in the process.

Erin McKean, editor in chief of the New Oxford American Dictionary, said: "Podcast was considered for inclusion last year, but we found that not enough people were using it, or were even familiar with the concept. This year it's a completely different story. The word has finally caught up with the rest of the iPod phenomenon."

"Choosing the word of the year is incredibly difficult," said McKean. "Not just because of the enormous amount of data we look at-everything from blogs to technical journals to suggestions sent to dictionaries@oup.com-but because everyone has such strong opinions about what makes a word Word of the Year material. You'd be amazed at how hard our editors campaign for their favorites. I'm surprised nobody tried to bribe me -- except that the only thing I really want is more cool new words!"

You can see my recently updated (big time revision) of my website PodcastSA or you could listen to my own podcasts: Reflections and Paradise Lost.

Paradise Lost podcast show #003 now available

Sizwe, 20 year old living in Johannesburg for three years, talks about why he left Bulawayo, and risks being caught and mistreated as another Zimbabwe ‘illegal’ in South Africa. Maybe someone, somewhere will help Sizwe with his desire to become a journalist – he’s a great youngster who could offer a better Zimbabwe a brighter future.

Gary Cross, pastor of Northside Community Church in Harare discusses the plight of pensioners reliant on fixed incomes in these mega-inflationary times … and what his church (and others) are doing to ease the stress and genuine needs that exist.

In our next show … Mark interviews a funeral home entreprenuer with a passion for life! His approach to dealing with the huge death rate from HV related illnesses is like a breath of fresh air. And more …

Go to the show - subscribe here via Odeo - it's free!
Shownotes blog
Podcast Alley to vote for the show
Podcast Pickle to post your review

Paradise Lost podcast finally gets going

My new podcast called PARADISE LOST is about people of the Zimbabwe diaspora, and it finally uploaded to Odeo today! A short demo (Show #000) and a first show #001 are now available. Click on the Odeo link above.

Here is the RSS feed if you want to paste it into your 'podcatcher' or podcast compatible feedreader: http://odeo.com/channel/33622/rss

If you like it, please help me get the word out. Thanks!

For Immediate Release

I know I had a vested interest in checking the latest from podcasters Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz, but it is great discussion ... with just one small gripe ... no link to me in their show notes! For communicators and podcasters this is a great show to get all the time.

What is a Podcast?

That's a question a bunch of people are asking, and here's a very clear description of what podcasting is from Jon Wright, from his own web pages.