If an alien sentient being descended to earth and “monitored our news broadcasts” before being taken to our leaders, what would they make of us?  Does the News truly represent the essence and aspirations of humanity?  How can we reconcile them with the principles of “if it bleeds, it leads” – with the fact that headlines are typically made of violence, power and greed?

Twenty-two years ago, I created the Pulse of the Planet radio series to buck this trend, if only in a small way.  The idea was create a daily alternative to the news, which increasingly has become the arrhythmic tachycardia of the planet.  Presenting material that is timely and relevant, often following the rhythms of nature, culture and science, could we reach beneath the surface of the waves of disaster and doom and search for a deeper tempo – a real pulse of the planet?

For example,in August and September we offer a number of programs on katydids.  Now there’s a seasonal vibration for you.  Did you know that you can determine the temperature by counting the number of Katydid chirps in a minute?  Check out our September 2nd program for more information on this.  Basically, the hotter it gets, the faster they chirp.

Now here’s an overlap, where a “pulse” story has the possibility of morphing into “news”:   Do you think that we could compare the repetition rate of archival katydid calls with current calls, to see if it provides evidence of global warming?  Grad students, take note and please post your results here.

The katydid programs are typical of the kinds of stories we regularly feature, reminders that there is indeed a rhythm of life, that there is, as Lord Byron said, “music in all things – if we but knew how to listen to it.”

Jim Metzne