Friends I Count On Every Week.

I still have a fair amount of things to do this evening so I will keep it short. I just want to list the voices from across the pond I have come to count on each week for comfort, news and information while wandering about Bonn. These sources are there for me each week on my iPod and give me something to look forward to for my long walks especially. Perhaps some of you out there will enjoy them as well.

Filmspotting Podcast - Two geeky dudes who live in Chicago and have in depth conversations about film every week with insight, analysis, playfulness and appreciation. Check them out at www.filmspotting.net.

This American Life - An NPR program (and podcast) that each week picks a theme and brings heartfelt, interesting reports on that theme through various sources. Part journalism, part spoken word histories, part readings of literature, this show really connects me to different parts of my country and humanity in general.

Planet Money Podcast - Another NPR podcast whose whole purpose is to inform people about the suddenly rather apt topics of finance and economics. They break down the economic crisis so non-experts can get a handle on some of the relevant topics such as monetary policy, bailouts, unemployment, deflation, recessions, etc.

RadioLab - Take This American Life and apply it to a scientific theme each week with more interesting production value. The two hosts take you on a journey through a topic that is not always totally in depth but never ceases to be thought provoking.

The Moth Podcast - A free broadcast each week of some stranger who stepped up on a stage in New York or Los Angeles and told a story from their life. Sometimes funny, sometimes distressing, sometimes life-affirming, sometimes surreal, each of these people share a piece of themselves with you.

The Nature Podcast - A weekly review of the biggest stories in science. They cover articles from physics, astronomy, neuroscience, microbiology, anthropology, archaeology, etc. Anything that could be published in Nature can be discussed on this show which includes interviews with the scientists themselves and breakdowns for non-experts. This is really for people who know more about science though and not for the faint of heart.