Evening Edition

Everyone wants the spread of HIV to end. Heavy-handed policies and a zero-tolerance approach have been found to be ineffective. Despite new research findings of better approaches that could effectively curb the disease, many governments are still reluctant to adopt new policies, not least due to cultural factors. Ezra Zaid speaks with Dr. Chris Beyrer, Professor of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bl...

Happily Ever After? -- the show where we revisit the fairy tales we fell in love with once upon a time. One of the greatest things to come out of Disney's massive cannon of fairy tale adaptions is its stunningly composed music. From Little Mermaid to Moana, we take an unabashed journey through the most epic and memorable Disney melodies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In recent years, one of the main focuses of the Ministry of Education has been introducing technology in schools. But past moves or suggestions have not necessarily been successful or met with welcome. Most recently, the ministry has said that it's mulling over whether or not to allow the use of electronic gadgets in classrooms. Unsurprisingly, this has prompted both support and objection for vari...

In recent decades, the private military industry has grown rapidly. Private military companies provide armed combat and security services. Governments, corporations, prominent individuals and even humanitarian organisations have turned to these companies to hire private military contractors, also known as PMCs. Ezra Zaid speaks with Dr. Sean McFate, professor of strategy at the National Defence Un...

Yesterday, we highlighted a story about how the former MaGIC CEO, Cheryl Yeoh, was sexually assaulted by a prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist and CEO of 500 Startups, Dave McClure, 3 years ago. Sexual harassment at the workplace is a continuing problem. And depending on the circumstances, consent, for some people, can be confusing. So today on Talkback, we’d like to you to share you...

Alongside artists such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel quickly became one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s. In their final studio album, ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’, the folk-rock duo took on a more creative approach, combining rock, gospel, and other genres. This week on Untitled, Uma and Ezra rediscover the major hit album which feat...

Peter Slezak is Jewish. He also happens to be a campaigner of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Because of his work, he's been called anti-Semitic and a self-hating Jew. He joins the show to tell us about his work, his life, and the Jewish community's role in the Palestine-Israel conflict. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's curious that the fairy tales we know today, are evolutions of folk tales that sound less like bedtime stories and more like dark fantasies of sex and violence. So this week, we head back to the 19th century, when fairy tales were at their most macabre, to look at these original versions and the men who collected them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many charities work like this: they get donations in cash and then they use that money to buy goods like food and clothes to be given away to those in need. But what if the money was just given to those people instead? What happens then? That's the work that NGO GiveDirectly does. We speak to Piali, GiveDirectly's Chief Operating Officer on how their work has changed lives so far. See omnystudio.c...

The episode where Uma - and special guests Iain McNally and Bahir Yeusuff - are excited to experience - once again and without reservation - a genuinely great Spider-Man movie. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are many problems that still plague higher education, from its cost, whether it’s worth it, to the problem of it not preparing graduates enough for the workforce. So how do we solve them? Umapagan Ampikaipakan presents these problems to two folks from Minerva in an attempt generate solutions. He speaks to Ben Nelson, founder of the Minerva Schools, and Kenn Ross, its Asia Managing Dire...

The episode where Uma - and special guests Iain McNally and Bahir Yeusuff - witness Miyazaki come to life in Bong Joon-ho's latest effort about a girl and her pet "superpig". See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The episode where Uma - and special guests Iain McNally and Bahir Yeusuff - pass judgement on the first trailer for the 2017 reboot of Jumanji. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The episode where Uma - and special guests Iain McNally and Bahir Yeusuff - get down and dirty with the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The episode where Uma - and special guests Iain McNally and Bahir Yeusuff - gush over the "TeKillYah" trailer for Edgar Wright's Baby Driver. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is a known fact that when a couple plans for marriage, a creature creeps out in the open to take over these proceedings. It can be described as an irrational female who has lost all common sense while chasing the elusive 'perfect' wedding she's been planning since she was 4. But bridezillas, it seems, are now joined by their counterparts - groomzillas and momzillas. As if weddings couldn't get...

Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and The Arcs fame, released his second solo album entitled "Waiting on a Song". The album quickly gained positive reviews from critics, noting its bright sounding old-school rock and roll melodies paired with his distinctive fingerstyle guitar playing. This week on Untitled, Uma and Ezra drops the needle on Auerbach's lauded "Waiting on a Song". See omnystudio.com/li...

The premise of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) is simple, if not slightly improbable: each person is given a fixed monthly payment, regardless of wealth, gender, political affiliations or employment status, by the governing administration. The objective? To solve economic problems of the 21st century and to put an end to poverty. Previously dismissed as mere fantasy, the theory is now being put int...

The episode where Uma - and special guests Iain McNally and Bahir Yeusuff - experience catalepsy while watching Michael Bay's ego... trip. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The episode where Uma - and special guests Iain McNally and Bahir Yeusuff - take a look back at The Wolf of Wall Street, Dumb and Dumber To, and Daddy's Home - three movies that have absolutely nothing to do with each other... for absolutely no particular reason whatsoever. Really. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The episode where Uma speaks to Malaysian-born Diana Chan about her experiences on the latest season of MasterChef Australia.       *You can catch MasterChef Australia on Lifetime Asia (Astro Ch 709), Mondays t0 Fridays at 8pm and again at 11pm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bullying has unfortunately been a long standing issue in our country, but it took the tragic deaths of T. Nhaveen and Zulfarhan Osman for the Malaysian public to stop and examine the causes behind the deeply-rooted culture of bullying in schools. What compels an individual or group to commit such brutalities against a fellow human being? How did the glorification of violence become accepted among...

In his new self titled-album, former member of One Direction, Harry Styles, takes a more serious rock-based approach with critics comparing the sounds of the album to artists like Bowie, Elton John, and The Beatles. This week on (Untitled), Uma and Ezra explore this promising debut of Styles which include tracks like the lead single "Sign of the Times", and “Meet Me in the Hallway”. Se...

Fidget spinners- the latest gadget to get all the kids (and some of the adults) in a tizzy. A sociologist who studies fads and a clinical psychologist who advocates fidgeting tell us what they think. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happily Ever After? -- the show where we revisit the fairy tales we fell in love with once upon a time. A recent advertising kerfuffle has revived or reintroduced Malaysians to Dayang Senandung, an old Malay folklore that tells the tale of a cursed princess with a melodious voice. Is it a moral tale about society's obsession with outer beauty, or a blatant account of racism and prejudice against s...