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Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle — Comedy
Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle

Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle is your new favorite coronavirus/COVID-19 distraction podcast. Join this duo as they embark on a quest to bring the world counter programming of all kinds. They’ll focus on countertops (namely, they’re doing a series on marble, granite, and quartz), time counters, calorie counters, counters of other kinds… Each episode will be a mix of comedy and fun facts that no one knew they ever needed. Shira and Arielle have been friends for 5 years. They met in Jackson, Mississippi during their first job post-college at the Institute of Southern Jewish Life (yes, there are Jews in Mississippi). They lived 4 doors from one another. Now that they’re on opposite sides of the country and experiencing intense anxiety due to the constant barrage of bad news surrounding coronavirus, they decided they needed a distraction. This distraction comes in the form of a podcast. Shira and Arielle are bringing you… Counter Programming. Tune in for stories, useless (read v. important) facts, and so much more. Episodes will be released weekly and will be available wherever you get your podcasts.Follow us on Instagram: @counterprogrammingpodFollow Shira on Twitter: @shishimoskFollow Arielle on Twitter: @ariellethisandthatYou can email us at counterprogrammingshiraarielle@gmail.com

Copyright: ℗ & © 2020 Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle

Latest Episodes:

I'll Have a (Count) Negroni! Jun 24, 2020

Show notes

Hey, Counties!

Each episode of Counter Programming will focus on a "counter" of some sort. Today, we learn about Count Negroni.
Thank you to Dawn for lending your voice for the intro section of the episode! You can do the same. Record a voice note saying, "Hi, i'm (your name), and you're listening to Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle." Then send it to us!

You can reach us by email: counterprogrammingshiraarielle@gmail.com.

You can also reach us on Instagram @counterprogrammingpod.
Negroni facts:

A Negroni is a cocktail made of equal parts vermouth, gin, and campari.
The Negroni was created at Cafe Casoni in 1919 in Florence, Italy
Count Camillo Negroni was friends with the bartender Forsco Scarselli and he asked him to make him his normal drink but a bit stiffer
His normal drink was an Americano (which has sweet vermouth, campari, and club soda with a lemon garnish)
So the bartender replaced the club soda in his Americano with Gin...and the Negroni was born
The drink became popular around Italy
And Count Negroni even started his own distillery that bottled Negronis (and is still open today)

Video inspiration for this episode

There is some controversy regarding which "Count" "Negroni" is the inventor of The Negroni. More information here. Some believe it was Camillo Negroni, some believe it was Pascal Olivier de Negroni. The debate continues!
NEXT EPISODE: we'll be covering COUNT OLAF!

Thanks for tuning in! Leave us a review on Apple or a comment on Castbox.

Tweet at us. Here’s Shira. Here’s Arielle.
Buzzsprout, y'all, the best podcast host in the game.

Thank you to Daniel Tureck, our engineer.

Thank you to Caio Slikta, our logo designer.

Our music is called Tennessee Hayride and it’s by Jason Shaw.

People Counters AKA The Census w/ Census Expert D'Vera Cohn Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

Hey, Counties!

We hope you’re healthy, safe, and engaged with our national conversation on police brutality and racism.

As always, each episode of Counter Programming will focus on a "counter" of some sort. Today, we learn about people counters, AKA the census!
In this episode, we discuss the important to filling out the 2020 census! You can do it right here. It only takes 10 minutes and it helps your community immensely.
We also interview census expert, D'Vera Cohn. D’Vera Cohn is a senior writer and editor at Pew Research Center. She studies and writes about demographics in the United States, especially the census. Cohn was a Washington Post reporter for 21 years, mainly writing about demographics, and was the newspaper’s lead reporter for the 2000 census. Before joining Pew Research Center, she served as a consultant and freelance writer for the Brookings Institution and Population Reference Bureau. Cohn is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and is a former Nieman Fellow. She is an author of studies on the marriage and birth rates in the United States, migration between the U.S. and Mexico, and U.S. population projections. Cohn manages Pew Research Center’s @allthingscensus Twitter account. She has spoken at national journalism conferences about how reporters can make use of demographic data in stories and often talks about the Center’s findings in print and broadcast media.
Here's the article we referenced in the interview: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/17/its-clear-where-college-students-are-counted-in-the-2020-census-but-not-others-who-moved-due-to-covid-19/
Here's the Sesame Street video we played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZmLI7eYjmw

Thank you to Zari for lending your voice for the intro section of the episode! You can do the same. Record a voice note saying, "Hi, i'm (your name), and you're listening to Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle." Then send it to us!

You can reach us by email: counterprogrammingshiraarielle@gmail.com.

You can also reach us on Instagram @counterprogrammingpod.
NEXT EPISODE: It's 5:00 somewhere and we're making a Negroni. Learn about how this cocktail relates to "counter" programming.

Thanks for tuning in! Leave us a review on Apple or a comment on Castbox.

Tweet at us. Here’s Shira. Here’s Arielle.
Today's ad comes from the Super Politics Podcast. Listen here.
Buzzsprout, y'all, the best podcast host in the game.

Thank you to Daniel Tureck, our engineer.

Thank you to Caio Slikta, our logo designer.

Our music is called Tennessee Hayride and it’s by Jason Shaw.

Counter Productivity Jun 10, 2020

Show notes

Hey, Counties!

We hope you’re healthy, safe, and engaged with our national conversation on police brutality and racism.

As always, each episode of Counter Programming will focus on a "counter" of some sort. Today, we learn about counterproductivity.
We start off this episode by sharing some resources for being an ally to the Black community at this time.

If you are a white person trying to learn more about Black Lives Matter, follow WP4BL on instagram. check out your local chapter of Black Lives Matter.
If you hear chants of “defund the police,” or “abolish the police” and want to understand more about what that would mean, two podcast recommendations for you:
- Today, Explained
- The Daily Zeitgeist
Follow Counter Propaganda on Instagram. Their mission is “reclaim the narrative.” They feature a person of color each day and tell their story. We’re partial to it because it has “counter” in the title.
If you’re looking for a little more context into how police forces came about, and spoiler alert, they've always been racist and were founded on principles of white supremacy, another podcast recommendation:
- Throughline

Thank you to Ari Moskowitz for lending your voice for the intro section of the episode! You can do the same. Record a voice note saying, "Hi, i'm (your name), and you're listening to Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle." Then send it to us!

You can reach us by email: counterprogrammingshiraarielle@gmail.com.

You can also reach us on Instagram @counterprogrammingpod.

How to beat counter productivity:

Start your day with structured “me time” to go through emails and social media from the night before
Reduce meeting times by 25%
Schedule breaks into your day
Turn off pop up notifications
Hop on the phone (or slack) instead of emailing
Chop up big problems into smaller tasks
Use checklists

Learn more about counter productivity in this episode!

Thanks for tuning in! Leave us a review on Apple or a comment on Castbox.

Tweet at us. Here’s Shira. Here’s Arielle.
At the top of the show, we told you about The Jordan Harbinger Show. Find it and listen here.
Buzzsprout, y'all, the best podcast host in the game.

Thank you to Daniel Tureck, our engineer.

Thank you to Caio Slikta, our logo designer.

Our music is called Tennessee Hayride and it’s by Jason Shaw.

#PodcastBlackOut Jun 03, 2020

Show notes

#PodcastBlackOut

Counter Programming

Transcript:
This is Counter Programming with Shira and Arielle.

We started this podcast in April as a way of bringing you an alternative entertainment source to all of the grim COVID-19 news -- we wanted to give you something else to focus on.

Today, we’re heading in the opposite direction. We wont be posting our regular episode as part of the #PodcastBlackOut.

Today, we do want to focus on what’s going on in the world. We acknowledge what a privilege it is to be distracted by the news and to choose not to pay attention to it. We don’t want to be distracted. This week, we want to focus on what’s going on in the streets as protests continue to take place in response to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota by policeman Derrick Chauvin.

As white women, we have the responsibility to be allies and to be actively anti-racist. And that means listening instead of talking.

Thank you to the Sunni and Brandi of the Book of Lies podcast. They’re two podcasting sisters that we met a while back at Outlier Podcat Festival. They posted about #PodcastBlackOut -- which is an initiative to read the names of people of color who’ve been killed by police brutality -- instead of posting our regularly scheduled episode.

This list of names is by no means exhaustive.

Thank you.

Trayvon Martin

Tamir Rice

Michael Brown

Ezell Ford (ee - zelle)

Michelle Cusseaux

Tanisha Anderson

Eric Garner

Sandra Bland

Freddie Gray

Alton Sterling

Bettie Jones

Walter Scott

Philando Castile

Botham Jean

Atatiana Jefferson

Ahmaud Arbery

Doug Lewis

Eric Reason

Dominique Clayton

Breonna Taylor

George Floyd

Rest in peace. #BlackLivesMatter.
__________
Resources

Reach us here:

counterprogrammingshiraarielle@gmail.com
@counterprogrammingpod

Countertenor w/ Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen May 27, 2020

Show notes

Hey, Counties!

How’s that isolation going? We hope you’re healthy and safe.

As always, each episode of Counter Programming will focus on a "counter" of some sort. Today, we learn about countertenors.
Thank you to Bethany Berger for lending your voice for the intro section of the episode! You can do the same. Record a voice note saying, "Hi, i'm (your name), and you're listening to Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle." Then send it to us!

You can reach us by email: counterprogrammingshiraarielle@gmail.com.

You can also reach us on Instagram @counterprogrammingpod.

Last week, Shira and Arielle covered counterfeit money. Check back in our feed to listen to our previous episodes.
Countertenor Info:

A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5. Countertenors often are baritones or tenors at core, but on rare occasions use this vocal range in performance (via Wikipedia).
As explained by Lestyn Davies, a Grammy award-winning countertenor, “It’s a voice produced by not using one’s ‘modal’ or normal speaking voice, but the higher range that occurs when the combination of larynx muscles and vocal cord position are changed in such a way that the air passing through the cords vibrates a much thinner outer layer."

Interview/Information about Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen:

We talk about the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Hannah Senesh Hebrew Day School, Elton John's 60th birthday party (at MSG), castration, the Church, Princeton theses, La Boheme, and so much more.
Here's Aryeh's website (gorgeous, right?!)
Here's the clip that we played of Aryeh singing. AMAZING!
Aryeh dispels some rumors about opera, so listen in to have your perspective shifted.
We talk about the practice of castration (long gone) and how it has affected the opera world to this day.

Thanks for tuning in! Leave us a review on Apple or a comment on Castbox.

Tweet at us. Here’s Shira. Here’s Arielle.
At the top of the show, we told you about The Jordan Harbinger Show. Find it and listen here.
Buzzsprout, y'all, the best podcast host in the game.

Thank you to Daniel Tureck, our engineer.

Thank you to Caio Slikta, our logo designer.

Our music is called Tennessee Hayride and it’s by Jason Shaw.

Counterfeit Money (w/ Special Guest Lisa Orkin) May 20, 2020

Show notes

Hey, Counties!

How’s that isolation going? We hope you’re healthy and safe.

As always, each episode of Counter Programming will focus on a "counter" of some sort. Today, we learn about counterfeit money.
Thank you to Ever Gonzalez for lending your voice for the intro section of the episode! You can do the same. Record a voice note saying, "Hi, i'm (your name), and you're listening to Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle." Then send it to us!

You can reach us by email to tell us how YOU feel about granite - counterprogrammingshiraarielle@gmail.com.

You can also reach us on Instagram @counterprogrammingpod.

Last week, Shira and Arielle covered step counters. Check back in our feed to listen to our previous episodes.
Counterfeit history:

Counterfeiting money is thought to be the world's second oldest profession.
It dates back to the ancient civilization of Lydia (modern day Turkey).
Counterfeiters would shave off the edges of coins and mix the precious metals with base metals.
In the 1690s in England, the punishment for "clipping silver" was hanging, burning at the stake, and drawing and quartering.

Interview with Lisa (a counterfeit coin)
Meet Lisa, a counterfeit coin who lives in a shallow dish on a dresser in Studio City. She believes she was created in the 1760s, but appraisers believe she was created in the 1930s and made to look older. She thinks a lot about what's "real" and what's "fake," beyond the scope of coins and currency. She's friendly with the bracelet she's situated next to and hopes to one day retire as a charm on that bracelet. Learn more in this interview!

Top scams:

The Money Painter - JS G Boggs (started drawing in the '80s)
- He was an artist and drew money. He never sold his counterfeit money but he would use it to pay for items and then would keep his receipts.
Albert Talton (2000s)
- He was able to produce and counterfeit more than $7M in faux currency which was used before he was caught in 2007.
Frank Bourassa (2010s)
- Was able to pass off more than $250M in fake money.
- Only made $20 bills.
- He still knows where the missing $50M is, and he is out and about since he only spent 1.5 months in jail in 2014.
Wayne Victor Denis - (the 90s)
- Produced $12M in fake money (only got 4 years in prison) and wrote a memoir from jail about the experience.
Viktor Baranov (1970s)
- Replicated the most complex Soviet coin, using a unique machine that he invented.
- He was one of the first people to be caught and people still use his techniques today.

Thanks for tuning in! Leave us a review on Apple or a comment on Castbox.

Tweet at us. Here’s Shira. Here’s Arielle.
Lisa, the counterfeit coin, was played by Lisa Orkin of Project Woo Woo.
At the top of the show, we told you about Super Politics Podcast. Listen here!
Buzzsprout, y'all, the best podcast host in the game.

Thank you to Daniel Tureck, our engineer.

Thank you to Caio Slikta, our logo designer.

Our music is called Tennessee Hayride and it’s by Jason Shaw.

Step Counters AKA Pedometers May 13, 2020

Show notes

Hey, Counties!

How’s that isolation going? We hope you’re healthy and safe. Reach out and tell us what's up!

As always, each episode of Counter Programming will focus on a "counter" of some sort. Today, we learn about step counters, also known as pedometers.
Thank you to Jerome Silberman (David) for lending your voice for the intro section of the episode! You can do the same. Record a voice note saying, "Hi, i'm (your name), and you're listening to Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle." Then send it to us!

You can reach us by email to tell us how YOU feel about granite - counterprogrammingshiraarielle@gmail.com.

You can also reach us on Instagram @counterprogrammingpod.

In this episode, we share what we're up to during isolation. Arielle started listening to the Harry Potter series via Audible and is confused by the line between the Muggle and the Wizarding world. Yes, she's 20 years late. Shira got an air fryer for her birthday and has been experimenting with frying all sorts of things, including bagels!

Last week, Shira and Arielle decided they'd compete: who could get more steps via their step counters in one week. The results: Shira - 56,626 steps and Arielle - 97,431. And we had a Countie submit her steps: Zari - 96,723. WOW. Close game!
There's some debate over who created the first pedometer:

First, Leonardo da Vinci, who envisioned a mechanical pedometer as a device with military applications.
Jean Fernel, a French craftsman, may have invented the first pedometer in 1525. His invention was in the shape of a watch and had 4 dials.
A mechanical pedometer obtained from France was introduced in the US by Thomas Jefferson.
Robert Hooke, an English scientist, is also given credit for inventing the pedometer in 1674. His was used by map makers.
In 1777 Abraham-Louis Perrelet of Switzerland created the first pedometer/wind-watch, measuring the steps and distance while walking; it was based on a 1770 mechanism of his to power a self-winding watch.
However, the first person to officially receive a patent was English watchman, John Harwood, in 1924 by the Swiss and he exhibited the world’s first self-winding watch at the 1926 Basle Trade Fair.

Our history with pedometers:
- Arielle got one at a bar mitzvah in 2002. Loved.
- Shira's summer camp (2013) gave out pedometers inspired by Michelle Obama.
- We became obsessed with Fitbits/Jawbones when we moved to Jackson because we felt lazy being stuck inside all day.

Come back next week as we explore another "counter"-related entity.

Thanks for tuning in! Leave us a review on Apple or a comment on Castbox.

Tweet at us. Here’s Shira. Here’s Arielle.
Buzzsprout, y'all, the best podcast host in the game.

Thank you to Daniel Tureck, our engineer.

Thank you to Caio Slikta, our logo designer.

Our music is called Tennessee Hayride and it’s by Jason Shaw.

Count Dracula Vs. Count Von Count May 06, 2020

Show notes

Hey, Counties!

How’s that isolation going? We hope you’re healthy and safe. Welcome to the first non countertop episode of Counter Programming with Shira and Arielle.

As always, each episode of Counter Programming will focus on a "counter" of some sort. In this episode, we make a hard pivot from home interior. Today, we learn about Count Dracula and Count Von Count.
Thank you to Rabbi Matt Dreffin for lending his voice in our intro! You can do the same. Record a voice note saying, "Hi, i'm (your name), and you're listening to Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle." Then send it to us!

You can reach us by email to tell us how YOU feel about granite - counterprogrammingshiraarielle@gmail.com.

You can also reach us on Instagram @counterprogrammingpod.

In this episode, we share what we're up to during isolation. Shira went on a 7 mile walk as the weather in NY is clearing up a little. Arielle walked a Pomsky (Pomeranian / Husky) and the police pulled her over to ask what kind of dog it was because it was so damn cute (!)

Tune in as Shira teaches Arielle about Count Dracula. Then, Arielle teaches Shira about Count Von Count. Who do you like better? Shira or Arielle? Just kidding -- Count vs. Count, of course!

Come back next week as we explore another "counter"-related entity.

Thanks for tuning in! Leave us a review on Apple or a comment on Castbox.

Tweet at us. Here’s Shira. Here’s Arielle.
Shoutout to Not Your Little Lady, one of our favorite podcasts about women.
Another shoutout goes to Eva, who left us an awesome review on Apple. Make sure to check out Eva's podcast, A Place Called Fairneck.

Thank you to Daniel Tureck, our engineer.

Thank you to Caio Slikta, our logo designer.

Our music is called Tennessee Hayride and it’s by Jason Shaw.

Bonus: Tale of a Wooden Countertop from Lindsay Graham (not that Lindsay Graham) May 04, 2020

Show notes

Hey, Counties!

How’s that isolation going? We hope you’re healthy and safe. We've got a bonus episode for you!

As always, each episode of Counter Programming will focus on a counter of some sort. Our first series was on countertops. We hit you with marble, steel, wood, and granite. In this episode, we hear from Lindsay Graham, the podcast creator behind hits such as 1865: An Audio Drama, American History Tellers, and American Scandal. He took the time to record a short personal, story for us about his father.
Lindsay tells us about his father's experience making tables and other kitchen goods for the uber wealthy. Listen in! It's a real treat because Lindsay has the most soothing voice in... the world.

You can reach us by email to tell us how YOU feel about granite - counterprogrammingshiraarielle@gmail.com.

You can also reach us on Instagram - @counterprogrammingpod.

SEND US PICTURES OF YOUR COUNTERTOPS! WE’LL SHARE THEM ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIAS!

We're back to our regularly scheduled programming on Wednesday. Subscribe so that you never miss an episode.

Thanks for tuning in! Leave us a review on Apple or a comment on Castbox.

Tweet at us. Here’s Shira. Here’s Arielle.
Thank you to our podcast hosting site, Buzzsprout, for continuing to crush it.

Thank you to Daniel Tureck, our engineer.

Thank you to Caio Slikta, our logo designer.

Our music is called Tennessee Hayride and it’s by Jason Shaw.

Countertops: Would You Dine on Wood? Apr 29, 2020

Show notes

Hey, Counties!

How’s that isolation going? We hope you’re healthy and safe. Welcome to episode 4 of Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle. Last week, we learned about GRANITE. Make sure to listen in so you can find out why we call granite "the countertop of the people."

As always, each episode of Counter Programming will focus on a counter of some sort. In this episode, we're continuing our series on counter*tops.* Today, we ask, "would you dine on wood?" This is the last episode in our countertop series.
Thank you to Miriam Tinberg for lending her voice in our intro! You can do the same. Record a voice note saying, "Hi, i'm (your name), and you're listening to Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle." Then send it to us!

You can reach us by email to tell us how YOU feel about granite - counterprogrammingshiraarielle@gmail.com.

You can also reach us on Instagram - @counterprogrammingpod.

SEND US PICTURES OF YOUR COUNTERTOPS! WE’LL SHARE THEM ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIAS!

In this episode, we share what we're up to during isolation. Arielle ate instant ramen and gnocchi during Passover and deals with that guilt. Shira questions, "what does Monday even mean?" She celebrated Easter with her roommate for the first time ever!

WOOD:
The hard fibrous material that forms the main substance of the trunk or branches of a tree or shrub, used for fuel or timber.
Wood can be shaped, sanded, and made into a flat shape for use in kitchens as tables, counters, or cabinets.
Wood countertops will be between $40-$60 per square foot.

Notable landmarks made of wood:

Noah's Ark (?)
The Superior Dome in Northern Michigan
Tamedia office building in Zurich, Switzerland (7 stories!)
Community Church in Knarvik, Norway

Benefits of a wooden countertop:

They are hygienic and naturally sanitary
Wood naturally kills bacteria
Easy to maintain
You can sand away damage marks

Disadvantages of a wooden countertop:

They are prone to water damage
Many disinfectants can damage wood

Our ultimate ranking of the countertops (worst to best):

Marble
Wood
Steel
Granite

Would Shira and Arielle get wood in their future kitchens? MAYBE.

Come back next week as we explore another "counter"-related entity.

Thanks for tuning in! Leave us a review on Apple or a comment on Castbox.

Tweet at us. Here’s Shira. Here’s Arielle.
Shoutout to Just Na Science, one of our favorite science/comedy podcasts!

Thank you to Daniel Tureck, our engineer.

Thank you to Caio Slikta, our logo designer.

Our music is called Tennessee Hayride and it’s by Jason Shaw.

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