We’ve all seen extensive coverage of the Beijing Olympics this month. But what is the takeaway for China and its government? We’ll spend this hour with Ross Terrill, fellow at the Fairbanks Center for East Asian Research at Harvard University. He’ll speak to the World Affairs Council of Dallas Fort Worth this evening.
Read moreVerbal Blunders and What they Mean
Uh … this hour … we’ll … ahh … explore why it’s often so tough to get that … uh … sentence out and what that difficulty says about the speaker with Michael Erard. His book, “Um …: Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean” (Anchor, 2008), is now out in … uh … paperback.
Read moreWords and Politics
What are the candidates saying and does the language they select influence what you hear? We’ll talk this hour with political consultant and pollster Frank Luntz, Ph.D., whose 2007 book “Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear” (Hyperion, 2007) has been updated for the recent paperback edition.
Read moreComposing for the Culture
What is the role of music in everyday life, in films, and culture? In April, we were joined by someone who knows. Golden Globe winner Philip Glass is one of the most highly acclaimed musical artists of the twentieth century. Glass was in town for a Nasher Salon Series event.
Read moreRobert F. Kennedy and 82 Days that Inspired America
Can a politician really bring people together? Many believe Robert F. Kennedy was a politician who did. We’ll look back this hour with Thurston Clarke, author of the new book “The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days that Inspired America” (Henry Holt, 2008).
Read moreThe New Psychology of Time
What is your personal relationship with time? We’ll explore the psychological importance of time this hour with Stanford Professor Emeritus Philip Zimbardo. He’s the co-author of “The Time Paradox: The New Psychology of Time That Will Change Your Life” (Free Press, 2008).
Read moreEnergy Policy and Politics
How are the McCain and Obama campaigns addressing energy policy? What does it mean for Texas? We’ll talk this evening with W. Bruce Bullock, Director of SMU’s Maguire Energy Institute and Elizabeth Souder, energy reporter for The Dallas Morning News.
Read moreThe Dallas Myth
What defines a city like Dallas? Scholar Harvey Graff scrutinizes the town known throughout the world for its big business, big thinking, and even bigger self image in his new book “The Dallas Myth: The Making and Unmaking of an American City” (Minnesota, 2008).
Read moreWar, Politics, Tribalism, and the End Game in Iraq
What’s next for the war fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan? We’ll spend this hour with war correspondent and former Assistant Secretary of Defense Bing West. His new book is “The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics and the End Game in Iraq” (Random House, 2008).
Read moreMan On Wire
Why would someone string a high-wire between the World Trade Center Towers, risking arrest and certain death to walk between them over 1,300 feet in the air? We’ll talk with director James Marsh, whose film “Man On Wire” profiles the man who actually did it in 1974.
Read moreA 5-Foot-8, 170-Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL
If you had the chance, would you play in the NFL? Sportswriter and NPR contributor Stefan Fatsis got his shot with the Denver Broncos. We’ll talk with him about “A Few Seconds of Panic: A 5-Foot-8, 170-Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL” (The Penguin Press, 2008).
Read moreHow Pakistan's deterioration harms Afghanistan
How does Pakistan’s instability affect its neighbor Afghanistan? We’ll examine the situation this hour with Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. His Daily Standard piece, “A Dangerous Neighbor: How Pakistan’s deterioration harms Afghanistan,” is available on-line.
Read more