This week we kick off our 2008 summer minicasts, offered only online, with two downloads. It’s what we’re calling an estival festival.

We hear a lot about political candidates these days. But did you ever stop to think about where the word candidate comes from? Martha says it goes back to an ancient Roman fashion statement. She also explains the etymology of the term for what drives so many candidates: ambition.

Listen to the minicast announcement:

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Download the MP3 here (1.7MB).

Listen to Martha’s shiny, bright explanation of candidate:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the MP3 here (1.7MB).

You can listen to this week’s over-the-air episode, too.