Un-Uninformed

Evolution & Christianity: Can they Coexist? -with Dr. Steve Peck

Un-Uninformed

Evolution & Christianity: Can they Coexist? -with Dr. Steve Peck

00:00 / 32:10

Christians sometimes have a difficult time with evolution. And evolutionists are often Atheists. We hear from Dr. Steven Peck, who teaches evolution classes at BYU, which is a church-owned university. Steve talks about how he holds evolution–as well as religion–close to his heart. Can a strong belief in evolution and a complete dedication to Christianity coexists? For Steve, the answer is yes. Listen to this week’s podcast episode to hear how he pulls this off.

Dr. Steven Peck was the guest speaker at a monthly event called Faith Again. To learn more, visit FaithAgain.org

We’re new to Twitter and we just hit 100 followers! To join the conversation and ask us questions, follow us: twitter.com/Un_Uninformed

This Device Will Save Thousands of Babies’ Lives

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This Device Will Save Thousands of Babies' Lives

00:00 / 12:56

Each year, over 3 million babies in developing countries die within their first month of life. Many of these deaths would be preventable if these countries had adequate health care. A social venture called Neonatal Rescue was aware of these unfortunate statistics, and they’re poised to save thousands of lives with their new medical device. They’ve invented a neonatal respirator that does a lot of the same stuff you’d expect from a respirator in a US hospital. The biggest difference: it costs hundreds–not thousands–to produce.

In this episode, we interview Margaret Melville, the COO of Neonatal Rescue. We talk about how Neonatal Rescue plans on saving thousands of lives with this new device. And we answer a few questions like: What makes something sustainable in a developing country? OR: Why should we approach poverty issues with the intent to make a profit?

If you’d like to be in the loop on how Neonatal Rescue is saving babies, visit their website: NeonatalRescue.org or follow them on Facebook or Instagram.

Do you want to be informed on other world issues? Subscribe to the Un-Uninformed podcast channel. Do you want your questions to be on future shows? Then follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Un_Uninformed

Sneak Peek: Soilets, Crickets, and Artificial Intelligence

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Sneak Peek: Soilets, Crickets, and Artificial Intelligence

00:00 / 11:17

This summer, Un-Uninformed has some interesting episodes coming up, but we need YOU to submit questions about these topics! To be part of the conversation, follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Un_Uninformed

On this short un-episode, we’re giving a sneak peek into 3 episodes that will come out this summer. Here they are:

Soilets are toilets that break down waste using earthworms. This is an example of how Engineering can be incorporated into International Development. Sean Sevy was behind the Soilet project in India and he might be talking about it on the stage for the Salt Lake TEDx event. Here’s his submission video: https://youtu.be/HPziz3y0Dpg
Crickets have the potential to being the ultimate sustainable food source of the future. Pat Crowley will be talking about his startup which has put cricket flour into energy bars. Here’s when he spoke at a TEDx event in the Netherlands: https://youtu.be/gvX7kVUhrkw
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to shape our future. It’s gonna be big, and the AI invention that will change the world hasn’t been invented yet. We’ll be interviewing Kevin Kelly, a columnist for WIRED who is well-known for his TED talk and newly-published book on AI. His TED talk is here.

Democrat & Republican Face-off: Immigration

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Democrat & Republican Face-off: Immigration

00:00 / 24:08

Sean the Democrat and Sean the Republican face-off in a lively debate about immigration. Things get a little messy as they dive into these controversial issues. And there’s an extra quirkiness added as the moderator, the Democrat, and the Republican are all the voice of Sean Sevy. You can see how one mind can actually lean both left and right.

How did we (Sean Sevy) do? Let us know and give us ideas for future debate topics by following us on Twitter: twitter.com/Un_Uninformed

If Someone Tells You: “You’re Biased,” They’re Right

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If Someone Tells You: "You're Biased," They're Right

00:00 / 32:10

Stereotype, prejudice, and implicit bias are things we all deal with. The question isn’t whether we possess these, but rather, what do we do about it. To help us gain understanding on this, Sean Sevy grabs insight from a diverse crew: a director at a conservative think tank, a President of the NAACP, a director for refugee resettlement, a BYU professor, a clown in a Gay Pride Parade, a Utah Jazz fan, and Pocahontas.

The US-China Relationship Explained- with rapper Big Daddy Dough

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The US-China Relationship Explained- with rapper Big Daddy Dough

00:00 / 40:44

What does China think about Trump? What does China hope to gain in making deals with the US? Why is the US-China relationship important? All of these questions are answered as Sean Sevy interviews Big Daddy Dough, who is an economist in Beijing by day and a rapper by night. Big Daddy Dough recently released his new album: “The Redprint: Rhyme and Reason in the Riddle Kingdom,” which consisted entirely of rap/hip-hop/funk parodies about Chinese culture and politics.

So why does Big Daddy Dough dedicate an entire album to Chinese issues? For money? No. In fact, the album is free of charge if you go to theredprintalbum.com. Here’s what he wants from his listeners: first, to gain a greater appreciation for the importance of the US-China relationship and second, he urges listeners to donate money they might have spent on the album to the charities on his website.

If you like learning about the world in interesting ways like rap, political poetry, Trump impersonations, etc., then subscribe to Un-Uninformed on iTunes.

March for Science: What was that all about?

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March for Science: What was that all about?

00:00 / 21:27

The March for Science last Saturday was only a reaction to anti-Science political rhetoric. In this episode we set the stage by digging into the Republican Platform on the Environment and Energy, which has plenty of claims which can make scientists cringe. And of course, we couldn’t tell this story without reading some Trump tweets on climate change being a hoax.

In chasing down some of the scientists in a march in Salt Lake City we learn what the resistance has to say about the current political rhetoric. But we also learn some new things: (1) What walruses taste like, (2) Don’t eat ducks from the Great Salt Lake, and (3) Trump doesn’t believe in climate change (just kidding, that’s old news).

Toys that Turn Kids into Hackers (it’s a good thing)

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Toys that Turn Kids into Hackers (it's a good thing)

00:00 / 28:43

Kristy Sevy founded FuzePlay, which makes hackable toys which teach kids coding and how stuff works. Instead of kids becoming glued to mind-numbing devices, FuzePlay prepares kids for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The company’s current trending product is the Zubi Flyer, which is a Frisbee with on-board programmable electronics. So kids build it, program it, and then go use it outside.

On this week’s show, Kristy Sevy tells us how she went from stay-at-home mom to a founder of a successful innovative startup. For more info on FuzePlay or if you’d like your own Zubi Flyer, visit: http://www.fuzeplay.io/

Also on this week’s podcast: We’re joining a campaign to help Archer Waggstaff, a 4-year-old battling cancer for the second time. If you buy a T-shirt, the proceeds help his family pay for the expensive cancer treatments. If you’d like to participate, here’s the link: https://uvu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dirihzTokJGGN8x If you want a little more background on Archer’s story, we talk about him in our post-Christmas Giving podcast: http://un-uninformed.com/podcast/post-christmas-giving/

The Unsexy Truths About Sex Ed

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The Unsexy Truths About Sex Ed

00:00 / 19:42

Sex education in our schools is a controversial issue. There are the two extremes: the abstinence-only approach and the comprehensive approach to sex ed. And these are big issues for a reason: parents are passionately protesting having their kids see a condom demonstration as part of education curriculum, among other things. It can get awkward. But for Sean Sevy, nothing could be worse than his experience of sex ed at scout camp: where his leader decided to breed his horses right in front of the troop. Yes, this can be an unsexy subject around the dinner table, but in this podcast we attempt to find solutions. Sean attends an event called “Bird & Bees,” where a panel with differing views on this topic have a civil conversation on what needs to happen to make sex ed have the effect it’s supposed to have.

Join us as we see the conception of new ideas on sex ed.

An Interview with Dead C.S. Lewis

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An Interview with Dead C.S. Lewis

00:00 / 16:20

Only one recording remains of C.S. Lewis’ radio show which aired during WWII. This was a tough time for people living in England. Not only did the families of soldiers deal with death on a regular basis, but families throughout the country lived in constant fear of German planes dropping bombs. In light of these bleak circumstances, the BBC’s director of religious programming asked C.S. Lewis to prepare broadcast talks on faith over the radio in an effort to bring a means of hope in a very hopeless era. It started as an experiment that ended up being a huge hit on the BBC.

Join us as Sean Sevy interviews the late C.S. Lewis, who joins us from a BBC studio in 1944. Lewis talks about what it means to be a true Christian. He explains how being a Christian requires taking on the personality of deity, and how this doesn’t require one to forfeit their own personality.

Anyone who has read C.S. Lewis’ books knows that his works would be just as relevant if they were written yesterday. Likewise, the words of this interview have no trouble jumping in time from 1944 to 2017.

Cheryl Neufville: an American & a Second-Generation Immigrant (same thing)

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Cheryl Neufville: an American & a Second-Generation Immigrant (same thing)

00:00 / 29:00

Cheryl Neufville is as American as they come. But she doesn’t hide the fact that being a second-generation immigrant comes with some issues. There are the small struggles of balancing American culture with the mother culture, and for Cheryl, often these can be endearing. But then there’s the reality of racism. And there’s the pain of there being less expected of her because she’s a daughter of an immigrant. But Cheryl’s best coping mechanism is this: outperforming everyone’s expectations. She’s the first in her family to go to college and she’s currently pursuing dancing and nursing. But she’s taking things up a notch this summer: she’s taking her dancing and nursing skills to Africa where she’ll be conducting health clinics and teaching dance. For her, she’s always coped with her difficult circumstances through dance. And now she’s passing it onto others who have their own life struggles.

Hear the rest of her story in this week’s podcast episode.

Make Me Feel Your Love: How to Show Us That You Like the Show

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Make Me Feel Your Love: How to Show Us That You Like the Show

00:00 / 17:11

If you like Un-Uninformed, we need your help in making this podcast grow. In this episode, we simply give the lowdown on some ways you can make us feel your love:

If haven’t already, subscribe.
Leave a Review/Rating on your podcast app
Share our posts on Facebook. In return: you get a shout out on the show.
Tell a friend.

Also in this episode: Sean sings a song he wrote for all the listeners.

If you want to talk to us, here’s our new email address: ununinformed@gmail.com

How to Make it Big on Shark Tank: From a Co-Founder of IllumiBowl

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How to Make it Big on Shark Tank: From a Co-Founder of IllumiBowl

00:00 / 18:59

How do you go from a great idea to a great business? And what does it take to make it on Shark Tank? Joining us this week is Mike Kannely, who is a co-founder of IllumiBowl, a Utah-based startup which invented a night light that goes right into the toilet bowl. Mike and his brother-in-law Matt Alexander came up with this idea when they realized that getting up in the middle of the night with blinding bathroom lights is something that ought to change. After a $100,000 Kick Starter campaign they got some nationwide recognition that landed them with the opportunity to pitch their business on Shark Tank. And they even got Kevin O’leary to partner with them.

In this week’s episode Mike Kannely gives us some insight on how having a successful startup is not like winning the lottery, but rather there’s plenty of resources out there for entrepreneurs all over to be successful.

Is Our (Political) Climate Changing?

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Is Our (Political) Climate Changing?

00:00 / 30:01

Is the climate changing? Well, here’s the bigger question: Is our political climate changing? It is. And it’s changing for the worse. In other words, the dialogue over political matters is so polarized and toxic that it’s starting to get hard to breathe. And it’s getting hard to hear anything that’s being said by people on the other side of the aisle.

Join us as we have a conversation with experts with differing opinions on climate change. And they’ve all agreed to have peaceful conversation that’s aimed toward productive dialogue. It’s a model that we all can implement as we try to have conversations about tough topics like climate change.

The conclusion: It’s undeniable. The political environment is warming. It’s not at a natural rate. And it is, in fact, a result of our own neglect.

Listen to this week’s podcast to learn a little bit about climate change and how to actually reverse the effects of political climate change.

Lobbying for Cancer Awareness

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Lobbying for Cancer Awareness

00:00 / 20:32

Ways to make your voice heard: trolling Facebook, complaining about politics to coworkers or…Lobbying to Your Local Legislators.

Have you ever lobbied before? You should. Because if Sean Sevy can do it, anyone can do it. Join him as he walks through the entire process of actually meeting face to face with his local Senator and Representative. He’s with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) where they lobby for issues friendly to those effected by cancer. Do the legislators buy it? No, not on every issue. But that’s what a representative democracy is all about, right?

If you like this podcast, rate us on iTunes.

Impersonating Trump: If That’s Even Possible

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Impersonating Trump: If That's Even Possible

00:00 / 17:59

We’re reading Donald Trump’s Tweets, and we’ve got the President on the show to read them. Well, at least we have his voice here. Sean Sevy interviews President Trump (Sean Sevy) on the issues making Trump’s Twitter account–and America–an interesting place be right now.

If you like this show, or Sean’s Trump impersonation, give us a rating in iTunes.

An Interview with a Refugee

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An Interview with a Refugee

00:00 / 22:11

Isaac Hamid is from Sudan, which is one of the 7 countries barred from the US as part of the recent immigration ban. Just days before the ban, he became a US citizen. So he’s good to go, right? Nope. Because many of his siblings are still in refugee camps in Africa. And his plans for helping them come over to the US have come to an abrupt halt.

This week we join Isaac and five of his fellow Sudanese immigrants as we try to see life through the eyes of a refugee. A lot of people are eager to help the refugee population in the US. One of these is Jackie Skinner, who gives us some practical advice on how to get involved. Yes, we can write our local senator or take part in a protest, but she’s taken a different approach. Jackie coaches a soccer team which is entirely composed of refugees.

So if you like sports (and you’re not so much into politics) and you want to become involved, you’re in business.

Travel Hacking: How to Fly to New Zealand for 200 bucks

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Travel Hacking: How to Fly to New Zealand for 200 bucks

00:00 / 23:26

Tippe Morlan traveled to 22 countries and 17 states in 2015, all for the same price as a weekend road trip. Among her most recent travel hacking successes are round trip flights to: U.S. Virgin Islands for $149, Abu Dhabi for $177, and New Zealand for $221. Actually, the New Zealand trip ended up being free. Her plane had some maintenance issues which resulted in the airline paying $300 to each passenger. OK, most travelers can’t expect to get a free trip to New Zealand, but anyone can get super cheap flights. And Tippe knows all the secrets.

In this episode, Tippe Morlan gives Sean Sevy a walk-through of all her travel hacking silver bullets. While Sean was really proud that he went to India last summer for only $1200, Tippe one-upped him with her identical flight that same summer for a meager $289. During the interview they put Tippe’s secrets to work as they go online and find round trip tickets to Peru for $449 and Sweden for $453.

To stay in the loop on Tippe’s ridiculously cheap way to travel and to see what flights are cheap right now, follow her Facebook page called Just One More Trip.

Donald Trump: the name of a new species of moth…and the new Pres.

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Donald Trump: the name of a new species of moth...and the new Pres.

00:00 / 48:27

Neopalpi donaldtrumpi is the actual name of a new species of moth. This is for the history books. Oh yeah, and so is the inauguration of Donald Trump. And the Women’s March on Washington.

We talk to Susi Lafaele who, although she isn’t a die-hard Trump supporter, was fascinated to be part of this historic event. She also gives us a perspective of what it was like to actually be in the crowd at the inauguration. Mixed into the typical applause were shouts of protest, boos, and even a few Amens.

Then we get an inside look into some participants in the Women’s March on Washington. Meredith Duncan and Sarah Muffly were marching to let their voices be heard as a result of feeling their voices were diminished from a Trump presidency. The march was a success. The big take away: Women get things done.

Another big moment happens in this episode: Sean admits that he may have gotten a little teary-eyed during the inauguration ceremony. Just a little.

Barack Obama’s (Political) Funeral

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Barack Obama's (Political) Funeral

00:00 / 30:19

We’re hosting Obama’s political funeral and the pallbearers consists of poets from a poetry society called C3PO. The transition from Obama to Trump evokes emotions of happiness, sadness, and especially anger. So it only makes sense that we use poetry to convey this transition.
Here’s an excerpt from Hannah Watts’ poem reflecting on being a Coloradan who was too young to vote for Obama, but still wanting to make her voice heard:

I knocked doors for this President.
This out of nowhere Chicago resident.
Tall, dark, and handsome peddling Change.
I knocked doors for a President.
I argued with complacent independent misfits
Over their fraying doormats with doobies in hand.
I sojourned and coaxed
Mother, Father
Father, Woman, Man.
Hope. Vote. Change.
Change because there had been so many white guys
Dropping Bombs without thinking.
Not over injustice, but petroleum
Over machines drinking oil from the Earth
And offshore inking.
And when he moved into the White House, I loved his garden and his wife.
And I’ll tell you up front the improvements to my life
I have healthcare—nothing’s perfect—we’re still fighting
But the fight has changed.
Okay thank you, President
From this Colorado resident.