Last Saturday’s Election reduced the number of Dallas Mayoral hopefuls to two who’ll compete in a run-off on June 16th. We’ll hear from candidates Tom Leppert and Ed Oakley this hour in an order determined by a coin toss.
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How Religion Poisons Everything
Is there something wrong with religion? Our guest this hour, famous contrarian and “devout atheist” Christopher Hitchens thinks so. The contributing editor to Vanity Fair, who has been called “one of the most brilliant journalists of our time” by the London Observer, has just published his latest book “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything” (Twelve Books, 2007).
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A Family's Journey of Love and Healing
Imagine… you’re riding in a tank covering Iraq as a journalist and suddenly, without any warning an IED explodes, causing a traumatic brain injury that nearly kills you. Now imagine getting the word back home that this has happened to your spouse. We’ll spend this hour with Lee and Bob Woodruff who experienced this tragedy first-hand when Bob was covering the war for ABC News. They’ve just published the book “In An Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing” (Random House, 2007) which tells the story of their experience.
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Elder Abuse
What conditions lead to elder abuse and how can they be mitigated? We’ll talk this hour with Attorney Rosemary Redmond and journalist Lee Hancock who has covered the topic for the Dallas Morning News. Redmond and Hancock will participate in the Dallas County Elder Abuse Coalition’s “Steps To Protect: Financial Exploitation and The Elderly” Conference next week.
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The Triumph of Money in America, 1865-1900
As Santayana said, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” So it often serves to take a look back now and then. Journalist Jack Beatty does just that with a new book on the Gilded Age called “Age of Betrayal: The Triumph of Money in America, 1865-1900” (Knopf, 2007). Jack Beatty will be our guest this hour.
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Policing Dallas
According to the Associated Press, the Dallas murder rate reached a 40-year low in 2006 and other crimes “dropped modestly.” We’ll discuss what’s working in Dallas law enforcement and what challenges remain with Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle this hour.
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Einstein: His Life and Universe
Albert Einstein was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th Century. But what was the man really like and where did his genius originate? We’ll spend this hour with Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute and author of the current New York Times #1 bestseller “Einstein: His Life and Universe” (Simon and Schuster, 2007).
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A Life in Film and A New Life in Novels
How does one transition from a life as a successful comedy actor who’s appeared in over 30 films to the solitary world of the novelist? Just ask Gene Wilder. We spent some time with Wilder a few weeks back when he was on tour promoting his first novel “My French Whore” (St. Martin’s Press, 2007).Andrea Karnes, curator of the “Pretty Baby” Exhibit now on display at the Modern Art Museum of Art in Fort Worth will joined us for the Scene segment of this program which originally aired on March 9th, 2007.
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Shipwrecks Throughout History: From Tut to the Atomic Age
How is archeology conducted under the sea? Despite the allure of sunken treasure, there is real historical perspective to be gained by studying shipwrecks in a scientific manner. We’ll discuss the field of Nautical Archeology with two experts this hour. Dr George Bass is the founder of the Institute of Nautical Archeology at Texas AandM and a pioneer of the field. Dr. James Delgado is Executive Director of the Institute and host of National Geographic’s television program “The Sea Hunters.” They’ll both participate in a free symposium, “Shipwrecks Throughout History: From Tut to the Atomic Age,” this Saturday at the Dallas Museum of Art.
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The Scramble for Africa's Oil
Will Africa become the next major producer of the world’s oil? What does a potential African oil rush mean for citizens of the continent? We’ll explore the topic of oil exploration and exploitation in Africa this hour with John Ghazvinian, author of the new book “Untapped: The Scramble for Africa’s Oil” (Harcourt, 2007).
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The Moral Dilemmas of Spying
Should countries spy on each other? Should our government spy on us? Do you spy on your neighbors? We’ll examine the spy game, its benefits and detriments this hour with James M. Olson. Olson teaches at Texas AandM University, but before that he served as the chief of CIA counterintelligence at CIA headquarters. He’s also served overseas in Moscow, Vienna, and Mexico City. Olson is in town to speak at the DFW World Affairs Council, but will join us this hour to discuss the state of espionage today and his book “Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying” (Potomac Books, 2006).
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A Year of Food Life
Is “local” the new “organic?” Barbara Kingsolver’s new book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” chronicles her family’s year-long effort to eat locally-produced food. In the process, she, her husband, and two daughters learned to raise many of their own plants and animals. We’ll spend this hour with Kingsolver and her husband Steven L. Hopp, who contributed to the book. They’ll both speak to the Dallas Museum of Art’s Arts and Letters Live tomorrow night at the Eisenmann Center in Richardson.
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