"Don Morrison's 3 Minutes of Madness" artwork

"Don Morrison's 3 Minutes of Madness"

252 episodes - English - Latest episode: 19 days ago - ★★★★ - 3 ratings

Funny, often uplifting and mercifully short. Don Morrison is an author ("The Death of French Culture," "How Obama Lost America,") professor (Tsinghua University in Beijing, Sciences Po in Paris), and former editor at Time Magazine. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Financial Times, Smithsonian, Le Monde, Le Point, Liberation, Caixin and other leading publications. He is a commentator for NPR's Robin Hood Radio and a columnist for the Berkshire Eagle.

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Episodes

The Trouble with Boys

February 28, 2023 15:41 - 2 minutes - 4.05 MB

Young men in America are having a hard time. Here are some things that might help them. 

Just Give 'Em the Money

February 16, 2023 19:36 - 2 minutes - 4.21 MB

Is now the time for a guaranteed basic income? 

An Ode to Potholes

February 09, 2023 03:00 - 2 minutes - 4.11 MB

Ah, winter! When our roads give birth to car-eating craters

Edith Wharton is Hot

February 02, 2023 04:03 - 2 minutes - 4.11 MB

After decades of neglect, a woman of substance is a celebrity again. 

The $1 Trillion Coin

January 27, 2023 16:07 - 2 minutes - 3.88 MB

The U.S. government has hit its "debt limit." Is global economic disaster inevitable?

Crazy for Art

January 20, 2023 15:24 - 2 minutes - 3.75 MB

Why art theft has become one of the world's biggest crime cagtegories. 

America's Stuff Problem

January 05, 2023 18:51 - 2 minutes - 3.87 MB

Running out of room for all those consumer goods? You're not alone. 

It Was a Very Good Year

December 30, 2022 14:08 - 2 minutes - 3.98 MB

2022 was the year from hell, but only if you missed the good news. 

Christmas in Hiroshima

December 22, 2022 02:05 - 2.6 MB

To find the holiday's true meaning, come to Ground Zero.

Who's Afraid of AI?

December 16, 2022 13:06 - 2 minutes - 3.84 MB

Artificial intelligence is a boon to productivity and a threat to humanity.

Terminating the Constitution

December 08, 2022 21:41 - 2 minutes - 4.02 MB

The former president's plan isn't serious, but his party has another one up its sleeve.

Trouble is Coming

December 01, 2022 19:46 - 2 minutes - 3.89 MB

Just in time for Hanukkah, an old scourge returns. 

America's Man Problem

November 24, 2022 15:39 - 2 minutes - 3.94 MB

It's not just the mass shootings, or even the guns. It's also the guys.

Social Media Blues

November 17, 2022 19:19 - 2 minutes - 3.97 MB

Twitter, Facebook and the like are ruining our lives. Time to go?

Long-Range Fighters

November 11, 2022 07:19 - 2 minutes - 7.01 MB

For democracy, here's a metaphor with wings.

The New Waste Land

November 03, 2022 22:47 - 2 minutes - 6.91 MB

Exactly 100 years ago, there appeared a poem that addresses our current anxiety. 

It's Raining Billionaires

October 26, 2022 16:43 - 3 minutes - 4.09 MB

The super-rich are proliferating fast, along with inequality. 

The Medicine Man Who Saved America

October 20, 2022 19:16 - 1.25 MB

Remember Hadacol? How about Social Security? He gave us both.

Crime at the Polls

October 14, 2022 21:39 - 2 minutes - 6.76 MB

You Are Where You Eat

October 07, 2022 03:11 - 2 minutes - 3.88 MB

A new study finds a link between dining and voting behavior. 

Declassify This!

September 30, 2022 03:51 - 2 minutes - 3.94 MB

Trump's document claims have a basis in theoretical physics, sort of. 

The Perfect Gift

September 22, 2022 19:33 - 2 minutes - 3.92 MB

How should Massachusetts thank Florida for those Venezuelan migrants?

Kafka's America

September 15, 2022 20:10 - 2 minutes - 3.82 MB

Welcome to the land of the free but not entirely equal. 

Using the F-Word

September 09, 2022 14:24 - 2 minutes - 4.04 MB

Is the MAGA crowd really "semi-fascist"? You may be surprised.

The New Age of Crazy

September 05, 2022 15:18 - 3 minutes - 4.12 MB

Political violence is on the rise. In America. 

The Lost Art of Conversation

September 01, 2022 03:06 - 2 minutes - 3.84 MB

Why don' we talk to strangers anymore? We'd be happier if we did. 

A Visit from the FBI

August 18, 2022 03:12 - 2 minutes - 3.77 MB

If they can do this to a former president, they can do it to me. 

Is Biden Too Old?

August 11, 2022 19:32 - 2 minutes - 3.09 MB

For a guy pushing 80, our president is unexpectedly burning up the track. 

Rewriting the Constitution

August 04, 2022 18:09 - 2 minutes - 3.75 MB

You may not have noticed it, but there's a serious battle underway over who gets to write America's future.

Supply Chain Blues

July 29, 2022 13:22 - 2 minutes - 3.96 MB

Finally, an all-purpose excuse for our many failings. 

Fugitive Women

July 21, 2022 01:50 - 2 minutes - 3.9 MB

Get set for the new fugitive slave laws, only this time directed at women.

Ah, Wilderness!

July 13, 2022 22:31 - 2 minutes - 3.41 MB

Does summer camp build character? 

Chimney of Conflict

July 07, 2022 16:17 - 2 minutes - 3.57 MB

Lessons from Herman Melville on our current national divide. 

Back Off, Christian Soldiers

June 30, 2022 18:53 - 2 minutes - 3.74 MB

Whatever happened to the separation of church and state? 

Language and Greatness

June 24, 2022 02:02 - 3 minutes - 3.94 MB

America has much to learn from France's cultural greatness, and vice versa. 

Treason Season

June 17, 2022 13:49

Few Americans have ever been convicted of the crime. Is that about to change? 

Jackdaw Democracy

June 02, 2022 22:27 - 2 minutes - 3.81 MB

A small crow has much to teach us about consensus and disinformation. 

Massacre Fatigue

May 27, 2022 03:26 - 2 minutes - 3.72 MB

Tired of shootings? Here"s what we can do to stop them. 

The New Gilded Age

May 19, 2022 13:47 - 2 minutes - 3.78 MB

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. And it's back. 

Twilight of the Dinosaurs

May 12, 2022 19:14 - 3 minutes - 3.95 MB

What nature does to small-brained creatures unable, or unwilling, to adapt.

God's Architect

May 05, 2022 14:02 - 2 minutes - 3.63 MB

Journalist, conservationist and untrained designer, he changed the face of America. 

Joe Hill at Starbucks

April 27, 2022 17:09 - 2 minutes - 3.46 MB

Suddenly, Americans are getting organized. 

Is Earth's Day Over?

April 20, 2022 16:26 - 2 minutes - 3.64 MB

This Earth Day, the stakes are higher than ever.

Spring Awakening

April 13, 2022 13:39 - 2 minutes - 3.52 MB

Spring is spring, the grass is long. Anyone know where hope has gone? 

Counting Noses

April 05, 2022 13:23 - 2 minutes - 3.62 MB

The 1950 census, now available online, is a compelling look at America's recent past -- and maybe its future. 

It's Alive!

March 21, 2022 21:36 - 2 minutes - 3.62 MB

A new Covid variant is on the loose. Be very afraid. 

Putin's America

March 16, 2022 17:21 - 2 minutes - 3.51 MB

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has much in common with America's "culture wars.".

Two Cheers for Democracy

March 08, 2022 20:30 - 2 minutes - 3.67 MB

Despotism on the march, but democracy still has a good story to tell. 

September 1, 1939

March 02, 2022 14:21 - 2 minutes - 3.7 MB

In poetry and politics, some eerie portents for the start of a larger conflict. 

The Great Gate of Kiev

February 22, 2022 16:47 - 2 minutes - 3.37 MB

A brief lesson in history, democracy and the power of music.

Books

Lady of the Lake
1 Episode