Could our human desire to fit in and identify with others lead to positive social changes around the world? According to our guest this hour, journalist, MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize winner Tina Rosenberg, it’s already happening. Her new book is “Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World” (W. W. Norton & Company, 2011).
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Who was Julia Child before she became America’s most famous and beloved television chef? We’ll revisit the intrigue of World War II espionage and more this hour with journalist Jennet Conant, whose new book is “A Covert Affair: Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS” (Simon & Schuster, 2011).
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How will the fields of medicine, computers, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, energy production and astronautics change our lives in the not-too-distant future? We’ll find out this hour with Michio Kaku, professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York and author of the new book “Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100” (Doubleday, 2011).
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His influence on the written and spoken word is without question, but should Noah Webster get more credit for launching our uniquely American culture? We’ll talk this hour with Joshua Kendall, author of “The Forgotten Founding Father: Noah Webster’s Obsession and the Creation of an American Culture” (Putnam, 2011).
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What are the key issues in the competitive Dallas mayoral race? We’ll discuss city elections with Sam Merten at the Dallas Observer and Shawn P. Williams of the Dallas South News. And in the Art&Seek segment, we’ll talk to Fort Worth Symphony percussionist David Cossin about his unique presentation of Tan Dun’s “Water Concerto.”
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What is the status of the civil war in the Congo? Raging since 1996 with at least 20 rebel groups, 9 government armies and millions of dead, the killing has been described as unstaunchable. We’ll get an inside look and preview upcoming Congolese elections this hour with journalist, humanitarian and U.N. investigator Jason K. Stearns, author of “Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa” (Public Affairs, 2011).
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What makes Texas History so fascinating? We’ll spend this hour with Light Townsend Cummins, Ph.D., the Bryan Chair of American History at Austin College and official State Historian of Texas.
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Can ecology, biology, mathematics and physics help us avoid (or at least predict) forthcoming troubles of the worst kind? We’ll talk this hour with scientist Len Fisher, Ph.D., author of the new book “Crashes, Crises, and Calamities: How We Can Use Science to Read the Early-Warning Signs” (Basic Books, 2011).
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What role do emotions play at work? Our guest this hour, journalist and former executive vice president and worldwide creative director for Nickelodeon, Anne Kreamer tackles the issue in her new book “It’s Always Personal: Emotion in the New Workplace” (Random House, 2011).
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Who was the man that influenced Western philosophy more than any other and what was the nature of his time and place? Historian Bettany Hughes explores the mystery of Socrates in her new book “The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life” (Knopf, 2011). She’ll join us for the hour.
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Why do politicians, movie stars and even ordinary folks like us do stupid things and how can we avoid such self-destructive mistakes? We’ll talk this hour with City University of New York Sociologist William Helmreich, Ph.D. His new book is “What Was I Thinking?: The Dumb Things We Do and How to Avoid Them” (Taylor Trade, 2011).
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Just how big is philanthropy’s global impact and what factors should donors consider before making those financial gifts? We’ll spend this hour with Thomas J. Tierney, cofounder and chairman of The Bridgespan Group and co-author of the new book “Give Smart: Philanthropy that Gets Results” (Public Affairs, 2011).
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