Uncategorized | Think

Celebrating the End of Life

December 6, 2006 Uncategorized

You probably haven’t given it much thought, but it’s something we all have to do eventually. We all die and each of us must inhabit some sort of “final disposition.” Writer Michelle Cromer traveled across the country and talked to families and entrepreneurs to investigate the options – from being shot into space to being made into a one-carat diamond. She’ll join us this hour to discuss the creative ways Americans are celebrating the end of life and her new book “Exit Strategy: Thinking Outside the Box” (Tarcher Penguin, 2006).

From The Archives: Can This Guy Save The Defense Department?

December 5, 2006 Uncategorized

What can we expect from the newly nominated Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates? On November 15th, we talked with Texas Monthly Senior Executive Editor Paul Burka, who profiled Gates for the November issue of Texas Monthly.

Senate Armed Services Committee Hearings

December 5, 2006 Uncategorized

The second hour of Think will be pre-empted today to bring you NPR’s live coverage of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s hearings on the nomination of Robert Gates to be United States Secretary of Defense.

The Pakistan – U.S. Relationship

December 4, 2006 Uncategorized

How does Pakistan view the Pakistan – U.S. relationship? What can America do to help Pakistan control religious extremism, counter terrorism, and forge a lasting and constructive relationship with India? We’ll talk this hour with His Excellency Mahmud Ali Durrani, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States.

How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care

December 4, 2006 Uncategorized

Can the free-market economy improve America’s health care system? Dr. David Gratzer thinks so. We’ll spend the hour Gratzer, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, whose new book is “The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care” (Encounter Books, 2006).

Nature, Nurture, and Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong

November 30, 2006 Uncategorized

We all know the difference between right and wrong, but why do we know that one action is morally superior to another? Philosophers and scientists have long argued that our ability to reason, coupled with our education and socialization have developed the “moral compass” which guides each of us through life. Harvard biologist Marc D. Hauser argues that we are born with an innate “moral grammar” that drives our judgments of right and wrong in his new book “Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong” (Ecco, 2006). Marc Hauser will join us for the hour.

Alternatives to a Hectic and Expensive Holiday

November 30, 2006 Uncategorized

How will you celebrate the holidays this year? Will you max out your credit cards buying gifts for everyone you know? Will you celebrate an “Alt-Christmas” by baking cookies for everyone or making your gifts by hand? How do you plan to handle the stress of the holidays? We’ll spend this hour with Nicole Berckes of the Center for a New American Dream, and organization dedicated to helping Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance their quality of life, and promote social justice. The Center has just published its 2006 Holiday Survival Kit at newdream.org.

Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization

November 29, 2006 Uncategorized

It’s been said that every cloud has a silver lining, but what exactly is good about the breakdown of a society and what leads to that breakdown in the first place? Political scientist Thomas Homer-Dixon will join us this hour to discuss his new book “The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization” (Island Press, 2006).

Postcards from Mars

November 29, 2006 Uncategorized

We’re approaching the third anniversary of the Spirit and Opportunity Rover landings on Mars, and the rovers, which were expected to function for a few months at best, are still exploring the red planet and sending stunning photographs home. We’ll spend this hour with Jim Bell, the NASA scientist responsible for the rovers’ color imaging systems and author of the book “Postcards from Mars: The First Photographer on the Red Planet” (Dutton, 2006).

The Trouble with Diversity

November 28, 2006 Uncategorized

Is there a problem with the current idea of diversity? Has our cultural focus on identity allowed economic inequality to flourish? Walter Benn Michaels, professor of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago, argues (among other things) that affirmative action in schools has not made them more open, it’s just guaranteed that the rich kids come in the appropriate colors. Walter Benn Michaels, whose new book is “The Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality” (Metropolitan Books, 2006), will join us for the hour.

Farmers Branch Ordinances and llegal Immigration

November 28, 2006 Uncategorized

Earlier this month, the Farmers Branch City Council passed an ordinance designed to thwart illegal immigration by requiring apartment renters to provide proof of citizenship or residency. The council also agreed that Farmers Branch police officers should be allowed to check immigration status of detainees and begin deportation proceedings in certain cases. We’ll talk about the legality of these measures this hour with SMU Dedman School of Law Assistant Professor Rose Villazor. We’ll also talk with KERA reporter Bill Zeeble, who’s covering the Farmers Branch story for 90.1.

The Secret Life of Houdini

November 27, 2006 Uncategorized

Who was Harry Houdini? We know him as a magician and escape artist. But did you know he was an aviator, a movie mogul, and a spy? We’ll spend this hour with William Kalush and Larry Sloman, co-authors of “The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero” (Atria, 2006).