Planet Mundus

In this episode, we explore the future of history. In our first segment, we will talk about memory culture and whether a computer game about the Holocaust will hit the markets soon. Then, we will hear about the Creating Future Memory Project that helps raising awareness about data collection. Finally, we will take a listen about how the Occupation Museum is getting ready for the future.

Lisa Urlbauer www.planetmundus.com

Selena Quintanilla: a musician from a special genre of music called Tejano music. She was born and brought up in Texas but had her roots firmly in Mexico. And she wasn’t just a musician. She was also an actress, a spokesperson, a model, an icon. She was also called the Tejano Madonna. (Shubham Kaushik, www.planetmundus.com)

Peru is going through a political turmoil after Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned to the Presidency. He was accused of involvement in a corruption scheme and stepped down a day before the Senate voted his impeachment. The details of this shake up and what may come next in this South American country is the focus of this week’s Slow News. (Mário Braga and Jacinta Molina, www.planetmundus.com)

The Danish society is pretty liberal when it comes to body culture. If you have ever taken a shower in a public swimming pool, you might have observed something different: People in Denmark don’t seem to have a problem with nudity. Why? (Anne-Kirstine Berger, www.planetmundus.com)

Derek Gripper, a South African guitarist, made the impossible possible: He transcribed and translated West African Kora tunes from Mali. The Kora has originally 21 strings whereas a classical Western guitar only has 6! It sounds like at least two guitars are playing at the same time, but it’s only one man and his magical hands! Tune in to find out how Derek Gripper’s interpretation of African music and also Western classical composer Bach sound like on a “normal” guitar! Author: Miriam Karout, www.planetmundus.com

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic, most of them invisible for the human eye. Scientists from Germany examined 25 rivers and found microplastics in every single one of them. The study is the first profound data set on microplastics in rivers worldwide. How do the tiny plastic particles affect our health and what can we do to reduce the pollution? Author: Pia Behme, www.planetmundus.com

The European Union is about to close its largest trade deal in history. The partner is Mercosur, South America’s biggest economic bloc. The negotiations have been going on for almost 20 years now. One key factor to understand the impasses and delays in the negotiations is to analyse Mercosur’s incapacity to overcome its huge differences. Formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, the customs union turns 27 years old next Monday. But why hasn’t it taken off yet? Authors: Ceci Arregui, Mario Braga, www.planetmundus.com

Because there have been negotiations between authorities and trade unions and they could not agree so far, on April 10th, it might be the first time that a huge strike, or ‘lockout’, will happen in Denmark. This includes everything from transportation like busses and the tram to the whole education system – schools, kindergartens – any public offices in the city will also be shut. The lockout means temporary denial of employment by the public sector. Author: Miriam Karout, www.planetmundus.com

In today’s good news, we will talk about how Google maps introduces accessible transit routes to his app. Now users can find ways which are accessible for wheelchairs or strollers in London, New York, Boston, Mexico City, Sydney and Tokyo. Furthermore, researchers have found a calculation model to predict when bacteria becomes resistant again certain antibiotics. Last, we will tell you how and why the cancer mortality in the EU has decreased within the last years. Author: Lisa Urlbauer, www.planetmundus.com

In this segment, we learn about Kaospilot, a hybrid business and design school for change makers, leaders and social entrepreneurs.

Our reporter, Xiyu Chen, tries to understand the criticism that has fallen on online study platforms initiated by tech startups.

Our reporter, Lucia Camblor, visits the Royal Danish Library in Aarhus and explore this conventional library’s future ambitions.

In this episode, we explore the topic of education. First, we will have a walk through the Danish Royal Library in Aarhus. Then, we will discuss the Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCS) and how new technology is reshaping the picture of the education. Lastly, we take a look at Kaospilot, a school founded in Aarhus that aims to give students an alternative means of education.

Laura talks to assistant professor, Misa Hejná, from the department of English at Aarhus University, about phonetics and the Sounds of Language and Speech research group, informally known as “Phon-Phon for Phun. The research group presents a forum that brings together students and faculty members who share interests in the sounds of language(s) and speech.

Rocío talked to Zoran Lekovic, founder of the group Learning Danish with Danish rap music. On this interview, he explains how he came up with the idea to use rap music in order to help students to improve their pronunciation and expand their danish vocabulary. The project is runned in collaboration with Laerdansk Aarhus and last year it was awarded with the European Language Label given by the European Comission. Music credit: “The Raps Well (dustmotes Instrumental)” by Cheese N Pot C (Free Music Archive)

Karis checks in with Swap Language, an Aarhus-based tech platform that connects people for in-person language exchanges. The goal is to help travelers, students, and language-enthusiasts share cultures and learn from native speakers. They’ve grown to have over 4,400 users in more than 100 countries over the last two years, and a new law in Denmark may make the need for their startup even more pressing for foreigners in the country. Music credit: “Forward” by Northbound (Free Music Archive)

In today’s episode, we explore alternatives that have been developed by entrepreneurs living in Aarhus, who want to help people learn a foreign language. First, we will hear about a startup that connects people for in-person language exchanges and then, we will talk about an award-winning language learning methodology that uses hip hop to teach danish. Finally, we talk about the weird and wonderful world of phonetics with a language researcher.

According to a Gallup poll 3 out of 4 Finns are willing to fight for their country - the highest number in Europe. But what is it the Finns are ready to fight for? Who are they afraid of? And what makes a nation patriotic? We will try to outline that and more in today’s episode of The Old Continent, Finland: Unknown Soldiers and Well Known Patriots

Zoran Lekovic is quite possibly the most unusual Danish language teacher in Aarhus. He came to Denmark almost three decades ago as a refugee from Bosnia, and has made this country his home ever since. Exploring Zoran's idea of a home in relation to his history and early years in Denmark opens up the discussion to interesting concepts: Does home even need to be a physical place? How important are languages to really feel at home?, Authors: Shubham Kaushik and Pia Behme, www.planetmundus.com