What can be learned about ourselves and our country from examining the relatively recent past? We’ll ponder the changes, advancements and declines of the last 75 years this hour with University of Texas historian H.W. Brands. His new book is “American Dreams: The United States Since 1945” (The Penguin Press, 2010).
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Is the experience of war unique to each generation or do the risk, horror, fear, anticipation and even joy of fighting transcend time, geography and national origin? We’ll spend this hour with acclaimed journalist Sebastian Junger who spent fifteen months with a single platoon in a remote and very dangerous eastern Afghanistan valley. His book “War” (Twelve Books, 2010) is out now. The film “Restrepo” which Junger co-directed with Tim Hetherington opens in theaters this month.
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How has the job of reporting the news changed in the last three decades and what’s it like to have your voice on public radio listeners’ answering machines all over the country? We’ll find out this hour with Carl Kasell, official judge and scorekeeper for NPR’s weekly news quiz show, Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! He might even do a magic trick for us.
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In the age of information ubiquity and 24-hour everything, does small-town Texas even exist anymore? We’ll talk this hour with journalist Karen Valby who’s new book is “Welcome to Utopia: Notes from a Small Town” (Spiegel & Grau, 2010).
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What caused the 1890 massacre of nearly 300 unarmed Native Americans and did politics play a role? We’ll explore the story this hour with University of Massachusetts historian Heather Cox Richardson, author of “Wounded Knee: Party Politics and the Road to an American Massacre” (Basic Books, 2010).
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What defines the current global power structure and what will influence the future U.S. role on the world stage? We’ll talk this hour with David E. Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent for The New York Times and author of “The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power” (Three Rivers Press, paperback, 2010). He speaks to the World Affairs Council of Dallas Fort Worth this evening.
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Now that Police Chief David Brown holds the highest post in the department, what problems will he tackle first? We’ll discuss his outlook on city law enforcement and the challenges of the deep budget cuts currently facing the Dallas Police Department. With two world premiere operas, the opening of the Performing Arts Center, and two newsmaking orchestra conductors, North Texas has received national attention for its classical music and opera this year. Are the performances living up to expectations? And what’s ahead? We’ll talk with Scott Cantrell of The Dallas Morning News in the Art&Seek segment.
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How did the Neolithic transition from a hunter-gatherer to agrarian society lead to modern human cultural, health and social troubles? We’ll spend this hour with Spencer Wells, National Geographic Society Explorer-In-Residence and author of the new book “Pandora’s Seed: The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization” (Random House, 2010).
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What are the hardships currently challenging the people of Cuba? We’ll talk this hour with Pastors for Peace founder Rev. Lucius Walker, who travels each year to the island with much-needed medical and school supplies. He speaks to the Dallas Peace Center’s Summer Dinner Lecture Series this evening.
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What does the American west’s unquenchable thirst for water mean for the region’s mighty rivers? We’ll travel the length of one of those rivers this hour with Jonathan Waterman, author of the new book “Running Dry: A Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado River” (National Geographic, 2010).
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Are predatory lenders and mercenary entrepreneurs fueling a “poverty industry” that can’t be overcome by working-class Americans? We’ll talk this hour with journalist Gary Rivlin, whose new book is “Broke, USA: From Pawnshops to Poverty, Inc. How the Working Poor Became Big Business” (Harper Business, 2010).
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Will genuine reconciliation ever come to South Africa and how will the legacy of apartheid affect the World Cup? We’ll spend this hour with writer Alexandra Fuller whose article “Mandela’s Children” appears in the June issue of National Geographic Magazine.
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