Diversity and Society

Is there a problem with the current idea of diversity? Walter Benn Michaels, professor of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago, argues that our cultural focus on identity might allow economic inequalities to flourish. His book on the subject is “The Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality” (Metropolitan Books, 2006). Michaels is in town to speak at SMU and will be our guest this evening.Timothy Potts, Ph.D., immediate past director of Fort Worth’s Kimbell Art Museum and organizer of the upcoming exhibit, “Picturing the Bible: The Earliest Christian Art” will join us for the Scene segment of the show.

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Future Parks in Dallas

Can Dallas become a beautiful city? There are several projects in the works that aim to make the city just that – beautiful. We’ll talk this hour with Jody Grant, Chairman of the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, which is planning a park over the freeway between the Arts District and Uptown. We’ll also be joined by Willis Winters, Assistant Director for Park Planning, Design, and Construction at the City of Dallas and Gail Thomas, Ph.D., President and CEO of The Trinity Trust.

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CRAZY and Mental Health in America

Is the criminal justice system being used to warehouse the mentally ill? Pete Earley wrote about his son’s incarceration for crimes he might never have committed if doctors hadn’t initially refused to treat him in the 2006 book “CRAZY: A Father’s Search through America’s Mental Health Madness” (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2006). Earley’s in town to speak at the Mental Health America of Greater Dallas Prism Awards. He’ll be out guest for the hour.

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William and Rosalie: A Holocaust Testimony

From the archives – Millions of European Jews did not survive the Holocaust, but some did. In September we talked with two of those survivors, William and Rosalie Schiff. We were also joined by Craig Hanley, the journalist who has helped bring their story to the fore. Their manuscript won last year’s UNT Mayborn Literary Competition and has been recently published as “William and Rosalie: A Holocaust Testimony” (UNT Press, 2007).

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Young Stalin

Who was Joseph Stalin and how did he begin his climb to the top of the Soviet Empire? We’ll spend this hour with Stalin biographer Simon Sebag Montefiore, whose latest book “Young Stalin” (Knopf, 2007) examines the formative days of the future Communist leader.

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Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet

What can people learn about you on the internet? Does the rise of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook threaten your privacy and your future reputation? We’ll talk this hour with Daniel J. Solove, associate professor at George Washington University Law School and author of “The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet” (Yale University Press, 2007).

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Eureka: A Novel

Everyone knows Jim Lehrer as an acclaimed journalist and host of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Lehrer is also a very successful novelist. He’s in town to promote his latest book “Eureka: A Novel” (Random House, 2007) and will join us for the hour.

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The Leaders We Need: And What Makes Us Follow

What exemplifies good leadership and what motivates some to lead and others to follow? We’ll spend this hour with a leader in the field of leadership. Michael Maccoby is a psychoanalyst, anthropologist, consultant, and the author of the forthcoming book “The Leaders We Need: And What Makes Us Follow” (Harvard Business School Press, 2007). He’s in town to speak at Austin College in Sherman.

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