What is the Middle East like behind the politics? Who are the people that live there? We’ll talk this hour with veteran journalist Neil MacFarquhar, who tells many of their stories in his new book “The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East” (Public Affairs, 2009).
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What can diet, exercise and a positive attitude do for your brain? Well find out this hour with Dr. Richard Restak, clinical professor of neurology at George Washington University’s Medical Center and author of the new book “Think Smart: A Neuroscientist’s Prescription for Improving Your Brain’s Performance” (Riverhead, 2009).
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What does the future hold for the Nasher Sculpture Center? We talked in March with the new Director Jeremy Strick about his plans for the Center and his vision for the Dallas Arts District. Dallas-based British Artist Richard Patterson joined us during the Scene segment to discuss his current solo show which runs at the Goss-Michael Foundation until May 31st.
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What does biology reveal about the changing world and changing climate? We’ll spend this hour with Harvard’s Pellegrino University Research Professor in Entomology for the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, professor E. O. Wilson. Wilson will receive the 2009 International Award of Excellence in Conservation from the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) this evening.
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How do we learn the difference between right and wrong and what’s the best way to teach these concepts to our children? We’ll talk this hour with bestselling author John Bradshaw whose new book is “Reclaiming Virtue: How We Can Develop the Moral Intelligence to Do the Right Thing at the Right Time for the Right Reason” (Bantam, 2009).
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What do we get from shows that poke fun at our serious selves like “The Daily Show” and “South Park” and what makes these shows so popular? We’ll talk this hour with Jeffrey P. Jones, Associate Professor of Communication and Theatre Arts at Old Dominion University and co-editor of the new collection “Satire 3: Politics and Comedy in the Post-Network Era” (NYU, 2009).
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What can archaeology tell us about who we are today and what does it take to succeed as an archaeologist? We’ll spend this hour with an expert in American and North African archaeology, Fred Wendorf – Henderson-Morrison Professor of Prehistory Emeritus at SMU. Wendorf’s new memoir is “Desert Days: My Life as a Field Archaeologist” (SMU Press, 2008).
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Much is made of a president’s first hundred days in office. How does President Obama’s first hundred days compare to presidents of previous generations? We’ll spend this hour with H.W. Brands, the Dickson, Allen, Anderson Centennial Professor of History at the University of Texas in Austin.
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How does an actor move from film to television to the stage and back again? With scores of credits on the big screen and almost as many on television, Stacy Keach has done it all. He’s in town to appear as President Richard Nixon in the Dallas Summer Musicals presentation of “Frost Nixon” which runs April 29th through May 3rd at the Majestic Theatre. We’ll talk with him this hour.
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Where does marriage stand in American culture today? We’ll explore the subject this hour with Johns Hopkins University Sociologist Andrew J. Cherlin, author of “The Marriage-Go-Round: The State of Marriage and the Family in America Today” (Knopf, 2009).
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What is a cosmic war and can such a war be won? We’ll talk this hour with Professor Reza Aslan, whose new book is “How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror ” (Random House, 2009). Aslan speaks to the World Affairs Council of Dallas Fort Worth next week.
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Can the Arts influence social change? We’ll talk this hour with Sister Helen Prejean, author of “Dead Man Walking” and composer Jake Heggie whose opera of the same name opens at the Fort Worth Opera next month. They’ll both participate in a panel discussion on “Arts, Social Change, and Human Rights” at SMU this evening.
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