The Blender - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
By RFE/RL
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Podcast Description
Welcome to "The Blender," the weekly podcast from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. "The Blender" presents the best of RFE/RL -- features from our far-flung bureaus, interviews with newsmakers and correspondents, reports on language, music, and culture, even a little humor now and again.
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
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1 |
The Best of The Blender Anniversary Show (Episode 53) - January 12, 2012 | The first Blender podcast aired on January 14, 2011. To celebrate 52 uninterrupted episodes, our four hosts -- Grant Podelco, Daisy Sindelar, Bruce Jacobs, and Pavel Butorin -- look back at their favorite stories, interviews, and musical selections from the past year. | 12 1 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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2 |
Uzbekistan’s Wrongs On Rights & An Afghan Tale Of Torture (Episode 52) - January 05, 2012 | An up-close-and-personal look at the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, plus the tale of the torture inflicted on a 15-year-old newlywed Afghan girl. | 5 1 12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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3 |
The Blender News Quiz -- 12/30/11 (Episode 51) - December 29, 2011 | Test your knowledge with our 2011 current events contest featuring questions about news from the regions we cover. | 29 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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4 |
It's A Blender Year-Ender -- 12/23/11 (Episode 50) - December 23, 2011 | In this year-ender edition of The Blender, we look at three hot spots, Afghanistan, Belarus, and Azerbaijan and talk to our service directors about the major developments of 2011. | 23 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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5 |
The First Annual Blender Proverb Quiz! -- 12/16/11 (Episode 49) - December 15, 2011 | In Episode 49, we indulge our love for proverbs with a zesty inaugural round of The Blender Proverb Quiz and explore the popularity of the expression "Dogs bark, but the caravan rolls on." | 15 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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6 |
Eyewitnesses Recall U.S.S.R.'s Dying Days -- 12/9/11 (Episode 48) - December 08, 2011 | Eyewitness histories as we mark the 20th anniversary of the end of the Soviet Union. Plus, surf rock from St. Petersburg and "Sesame Street" makes its debut in Afghanistan. | 8 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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7 |
British-Iranian Blowup And The Hijras Of Pakistan - December 02, 2011 | In The Blender this week, a closer look at the storming of the British Embassy in Tehran and long-standing tensions behind the diplomatic blowup, a legal victory for long-oppressed transgender males in Pakistan, and a fascinating discussion of literature’s role in Russia’s relations with the Caucasus. | 2 12 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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8 |
Talking to Danchyk, An American (Folk) Idol -- In Belarus - November 24, 2011 | In Episode 46 of The Blender, we sit down with our own Bohdan Andrusyshyn, a.k.a. Danchyk, the American-born singer who won legions of fans in Belarus for choosing to sing in their vanishing native language. Danchyk takes us from his early days as a darling of New York's Ukrainian and Belarusian immigrant communities to his first performance in Minsk in 1989 -- and shares some great music, in Belarusian and English, along the way. | 24 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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9 |
U.S. Tries To Be More Civil, Plus Iran's Deep Voice Of Satire - November 17, 2011 | In Episode 45 of The Blender, we sit down with Dr. Tomicah Tillemann, a senior adviser to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to find out why Washington is trying to be more civil. We also introduce you to RFE/RL's Farshid Manafi, just voted AIB's International Radio Personality of the Year, and to Dan Telegin, Russia's post-punk, lo-fi genius. | 17 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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10 |
The Causes Of Militant Islam And The State Of Marriage In Russia (Episode 44) - November 10, 2011 | In Episode 44 of The Blender, a talk with "Wall Street Journal Asia" columnist Sadanand Dhume about the differences in violent, radical Islam from Pakistan to Indonesia; a report from Ingushetia on allegations of human rights violations by security services; and a closer look at accusations that Vladimir Putin had many affairs and beat his wife when working in East Germany in the 1980s. | 10 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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11 |
Clinton And Iran's Youth, Death And Despair In Daghestan, Kyrgyz Election Analysis - November 03, 2011 | In Episode 43 of The Blender, we look at how a growing culture of violence is destroying traditional ways of life in the North Caucasus republic of Daghestan. Plus, the challenges ahead for the new Kyrgyz president, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's plans for using the Internet to forge links with ordinary people in Iran. | 3 11 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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12 |
An American At The Bolshoi And Political Murder In Kyrgyzstan - October 27, 2011 | In Episode 42, we profile celebrated dancer David Hallberg, the first American to be welcomed into the Bolshoi Ballet. Plus, a look at Yury Luzhkov, the colorful former Moscow mayor who spoke frankly to RFE/RL and now finds himself immersed in legal woes, and a presidential vote in Kyrgyzstan stained by a grisly murder. | 27 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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13 |
What Lee Harvey Oswald Really Did In Minsk - October 21, 2011 | The Blender this week has an interview on a new book about Lee Harvey Oswald's time spent in Minsk, a discussion with the granddaughter of Josip Broz Tito about her grandfather's legacy and her efforts to heal ethnic divisions in the former Yugoslavia, and a feature on the first outdoor rock festival in Afghanistan in 35 years. | 21 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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14 |
Kosovo's President Stands Firm On Serbia (Episode 40) - October 13, 2011 | Kosovo's president stands firm on Serbia. Plus, when pronunciation goes bad, and an interview with "The Guardian" newspaper's former Moscow correspondent Luke Harding. | 13 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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15 |
Doing Time For Reporting The Truth, Plus Harvesting Marijuana By Horseback (Episode 39) - October 07, 2011 | In Episode 39, going to jail in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan simply for reporting the truth; harvesting marijuana by horseback in Central Asia; the 9/11 generation confronts the horror of war; plus Moldova's Ethno Jazz Festival. | 7 10 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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16 |
Russian High Jinks And Pakistan's Sassy Veena Malik (Episode 38) - September 30, 2011 | In Episode 38 of The Blender, a closer look at the televised blow-up between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his finance minister; a Pakistani TV star talks about women's rights and her on-air clash with a castigating cleric; and we examine a physics experiment that could undermine Einstein's famous theory. | 30 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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17 |
This One Goes Out To The Dictators (Episode 37) - September 23, 2011 | Episode 37 of The Blender is dedicated to dictators. We find out from Alastair Smith, one of the authors of "The Dictator's Handbook," why bad behavior is almost always good politics. | 23 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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18 |
9/11 Conspiracies, Plus Afghanistan's Rock Festival (Episode 36) - September 15, 2011 | In Episode 36, we speak with Brian Viglione of The Dresden Dolls about Afghanistan's first rock music festival since 1975. Plus, author Jonathan Kay takes a hard look at 9/11 conspiracy theories. | 15 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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19 |
Memory And Consequence (Episode 35) - September 09, 2011 | Episode 35 of The Blender explores memory and consequence, as it examines lives around the world affected by the events of September 11, 2001, and other tragedies like it. | 9 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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20 |
"5 Days Of War" Is Hell (Episode 34) -- RFE/RL's The Blender - September 02, 2011 | Director Renny Harlin's latest movie is about the Russo-Georgian war of 2008 and is called "5 Days of Hell," but as one reviewer noted, it feels like an eternity if you're in the audience. Plus, Jamie Kirchick in Libya, psychedelic rock from Iran, and the world's 6th billionth person, once celebrated, now lives in poverty. | 2 9 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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21 |
Libya: What Now? RFE/RL's "The Blender" (Episode 33) - August 26, 2011 | In Episode 33 of "The Blender," we look at the challenges Libya's rebel leaders face in getting the country back on its feet. The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan talks about the best ways to challenge extremism in the region. And we have a report on the terrible impact the Taliban have had on women's rights and the music culture of Pakistan's Swat Valley. | 25 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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22 |
The Soviet Empire Crumbles (Episode 32) - August 18, 2011 | Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov reminisces about the August 1991 events in Russia and reflects on what went wrong across post-Soviet states after the fall of the empire. RFE/RL's Armenian, Ukrainian, and Uzbek broadcasters visit with host Pavel Butorin to discuss their countries’ efforts -- or lack thereof -- to break away from the Soviet past. | 18 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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23 |
Surviving Ramadan -- 8/11/11 (Episode 31) - August 11, 2011 | In Episode 31 of The Blender, we celebrate the Islamic holiday of Ramadan with a very special Afghan dinner to break the daylong fast observed by Muslims throughout the holy month. Join us for a sumptuous meal of mung-bean soup, meat dumplings, and Afghan pilaf, as we discuss the significance of Ramadan and secrets to surviving -- and even enjoying -- daylight hours with no food or water. | 11 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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24 |
Amy Winehouse and The 27 Club, Plus Bosnian Soccer Phenom - August 04, 2011 | In Episode 30 of "The Blender," we talk with the authors of the critically acclaimed book "The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock and Roll," in the wake of the death of soul singer Amy Winehouse, who performed her last-ever concert in Belgrade on June 18. We also visit an 11-year-old Bosnian soccer phenom, shake our heads at a proposed new law in Belarus, and chill out to some Moldovan and Georgian jazz. | 4 8 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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25 |
Death In A Russian Prison -- 7/29/11 (Episode 29) - July 28, 2011 | Sergei Magnitsky was investigating a tax fraud case connected to Russian officials when he was arrested on allegedly trumped up charges. He later died in prison under harsh conditions. We speak to Bill Browder, an investor who has been campaigning to hold Russian officials accountable for Magnitsky's death. Plus: the finest gothic harp you'll ever hear. | 28 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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26 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 7/22/11 (Episode 28) - July 21, 2011 | We can has digi-activism this week. Hillary Clinton's senior adviser for innovation, Alec Ross, speaks about Internet freedom and reaching out through social media. Plus: the geeks trying to change the world at TechCamp and the Belarusian graffiti artists taking on the regime. | 21 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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27 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 7/15/11 (Episode 27) - July 14, 2011 | The death of Ahmad Wali Karzai, Karl Eikenberry's parting shots, and why an Uzbek comedian isn't laughing. | 14 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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28 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 7/08/11 (Episode 26) - July 07, 2011 | It's the Best of "The Blender" -- Christopher Hitchens, Jail Time In Egypt, Balalaikas, and Boney M! | 7 7 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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29 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 7/1/11 (Episode 25) - June 30, 2011 | Chelsea Handler insults Serbia -- plus crazy communist architecture, a Kyrgyz kindergarten teaches tolerance, and some nice noises from Georgia in our special "Ear to the Ground" music segment. | 30 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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30 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 6/24/11 (Episode-24) - June 24, 2011 | Is there another Yelena Bonner out there? Plus, voices from the Syrian crisis, U.S.-Pakistani snarls, and a crossword clue that's got Kazakhs hopping mad. | 24 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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31 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 6/17/11 (Episode 23) - June 16, 2011 | The escalating financial crisis in Belarus, plus an interview with Obama's top adviser on Russia, and Chicago's hilarious singing Uzbek taxi driver. | 16 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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32 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 6/10/11 (Episode 22) - June 09, 2011 | Correspondent Daisy Sindelar reports from Osh, in southern Kyrgyzstan, on the one-year anniversary of the brutal ethnic violence that rocked the region. Plus, heroin addicts in Kabul, and an interview with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. | 9 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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33 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 6/03/11 (Episode 21) - June 02, 2011 | Kids With Bombs; The Balalaika As A Threat To Church And State; Why No One Listens In The Balkans; 60 Years Of Radio Free Europe | 2 6 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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34 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 5/27/11 (Episode 20) - May 26, 2011 | The Capture Of Ratko Mladic: Who Wins, Who Loses; Bob Dylan Turns 70; State Censorship -- A Loving Remembrance | 26 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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35 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 5/20/11 (Episode 19) - May 20, 2011 | We journey to a remote Pakistan valley to find out more about the fraud charges being leveled against author Greg Mortenson. | 20 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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36 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 5/13/11 (Episode 18) - May 12, 2011 | Bosnia faces a major political crisis. Some are questioning whether the country could dissolve again into chaos and ethnic violence. | 12 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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37 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 5/6/11 (Episode 17) - May 05, 2011 | Osama bin Laden is dead, but his legacy lives on, as the U.S. reconsiders its relationship with Pakistan and mulls the value of torture. | 5 5 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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38 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 4/29/11 (Episode 16) - April 28, 2011 | Under the Taliban, morality police patrolled Afghan weddings. Now a draft law threatens to bring the morality patrols back. | 28 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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39 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 4/22/11 (Episode 15) - April 18, 2011 | To mark the 25th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, we listen as Natalia Churikova, a broadcaster with our Ukrainian Service, remembers what it was like as a schoolgirl in nearby Kyiv during those scary days in April 1986, when Ukraine -- and the world -- first learned of the explosion and fire at Reactor No. 4. | 18 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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40 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 4/15/11 (Episode 14) - April 14, 2011 | Russian mothers struggle to help their children cope with a disease most people have never heard of; a lively roundtable discussion on the merits of France's ban of the full-face Islamic veil. | 14 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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41 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 4/8/11 (Episode 13) - April 07, 2011 | A protester, a policeman, and a surgeon look back on Kyrgyzstan's bloody April 2010 protests; Peter Weir Discusses 'The Way Back'; 50 Years Later, Yury Gagarin Remembered -- In Words And In Music. | 7 4 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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42 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 4/1/11 (Episode 12) - March 31, 2011 | After 11-month ordeal, the crew of a Georgian ship recalls their harrowing Libyan escape; exiled Belarusian politician senses opposition's moment to unify. | 31 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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43 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 3/25/11 (Episode 11) - March 24, 2011 | Kremlin-watcher Brian Whitmore analyzes the Medvedev-Putin split over Libya; the ballet behind the Kyrgyz komuz; digital dissidents and digital rogues. | 24 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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44 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 3/18/11 (Episode 10) - March 17, 2011 | Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld talks about two wars, Central Asia, and his own mistakes; WikiLeaks says it's no different than a newspaper; Uzbekistan has no sympathy for devil music. | 17 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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45 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 3/11/11 (Episode 9) - March 10, 2011 | We commemorate the 100-year anniversary of International Women's Day by looking at the roles of women in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Chechnya. We also talk to RFE/RL correspondent Abubakar Siddique about why the Taliban remains a threat despite attempts to curb its influence. | 10 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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46 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 3/04/11 (Episode 8) - March 03, 2011 | Meet Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka's No. 1 sidekick -- his 6-year-old son, Kolya; blogs offer a window into Iran; Serbia exports the rule book for revolution. | 3 3 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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47 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 2/25/11 (Episode 7) - February 25, 2011 | Former Czech president and world renowned playwright Vaclav Havel talks to us about his directorial debut on a new movie based on his play called "Leaving." | 25 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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48 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 2/18/11 (Episode 6) - February 17, 2011 | Armenia rocked by sex scandal; an interview with author Barry Rubin on the Egyptian revolution; dutar virtuoso Murad Rakhimov of Turkmenistan; "Uncovered," original reporting on underreported stories. | 17 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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49 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 2/11/11 (Episode 5) - February 10, 2011 | 'An Orgy Of Violence,' A Harrowing Account Of Being Detained By The Egyptian Intelligence Services | 10 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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50 |
RFE/RL's The Blender -- 2/4/11 (Episode 4) - February 03, 2011 | Egypt And Its Repercussions In Central Asia And Azerbaijan; Boney M. Brings Disco To The Soviet Bloc | 3 2 11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 50 Episodes |
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