Has President Obama Been Good for African-Americans? September 30
Hour 1 Last weekend, President Obama addressed the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) amidst increasing criticism from its members that he has not addressed the needs of the African American community, particularly a 16.7% unemployment rate among blacks,  and [...]

Kosher Chinese: Living, Teaching, and Eating with China’s Other Billion September 30
Hour 2 Writer and teacher MICHAEL LEVY describes China to his students as a country exactly like the United States in size, in cities, in the same number of rich and poor people – but add one billion [...]

Inside an Amazon.com warehouse in the Lehigh Valley September 29
Hour 1 When you order something from an online retailer like Amazon.com, it’s easy to forget the work that happens between your keyboard and the package arriving at your door. But an investigation by SPENCER SOPER, reporter for [...]

Green Burial September 29
Hour 2 The idea of a traditional burial in this country is changing.  It used to involve embalming the body and setting it in a metal or concrete casket six feet deep in the ground.  But today, people [...]

A conversation with 2011 MacArthur Fellow Jacob Soll September 28
Hour 1 Last week Rutgers history professor JACOB SOLL received word that he had been selected as a 2011 MacArthur Fellow.  The honor, which recognizes creative accomplishments in varied fields, is known as the "genius grant" and comes [...]

THE 99: Naif Al-Mutawa's comic book heroes for the Muslim world September 28
Hour 2 “THE 99” are a new breed of super heroes dreamed up by Kuwaiti-born psychologist Dr. NAIF AL-MUTAWA. Based on the 99 universal human values exemplified by Allah and rooted in Islamic history and culture, “THE 99” [...]

Your Medical Mind September 27
Hour One Do you know when you’re making a medical choice? And is it the right choice? JEROME GROOPMAN, MD and PAMELA HARTZBAND, MD come in to discuss how the sick make their way though the confusing path [...]

The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America September 27
Hour Two “Just as the twentieth century was the age of physics, the twenty-first is the age of biology,” says our guest, visiting University of Pennsylvania bioethics professor, JONATHAN MORENO. The editor of Center for American Progress’ online [...]

Foreign policy debate, with Anne-Marie Slaughter & Daniel Drezner September 26
Hour 1 ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER and DANIEL DREZNER have engaged in a digital debate in the last two months in their respective online columns and Twitter. At its root is a dispute about whether, and how, digital and networked [...]

Pulchrinomics – the economics of beauty with Daniel S. Hamermesh September 26
Hour Two It does matter how good looking you are if you want to get ahead in this world, according to University of Texas at Austin economics professor DANIEL S. HAMERMESH. His research reveals attractive workers make an [...]

Food deserts & the struggle for healthy-food access September 23
Hour 1 Half of all households with children in Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District can't always afford to buy enough food, at least nutritious food. A recent national study found this district, which includes Kensington, parts of North and [...]

Philly sports: High expectations & anxiety for Phillies, Eagles fans September 23
Hour 2 In this hour of Radio Times, we’ll talk sports, specifically the Phillies and the Eagles, with a pair of Philadelphia sportswriters. The Eagles season, following a preseason full of “Dream Team” hype, took a worrying turn [...]

The Liquor Control Board, the Iranian hikers and the Federal Reserve September 22
Hour 1 Today on Radio Times, we'll catch up on three stories in the news we've been following.  We'll start off talking to Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter BRAD BUMSTEAD about the push to privatize Pennsylvania's liquor stores. Then, we [...]

Stephen Greenblatt: The Swerve: How the World Became Modern September 22
Hour 2 A 15th Century ‘book hunter’ ordered an ancient, forgotten poem lost in a monastery, to be copied. This work was considered dangerous at the time, as it questioned the role of religion in society. Our guest, [...]

Syria: Rebellion, torture and the Assad regime September 21
Hour 1 The Arab Spring revolutions that toppled the regimes controlling Tunisia, Egypt and Libya has also rocked Syria. The rule of Bashar al-Assad has been challenged in the streets like never before, and the regime has cracked [...]

Poet Philip Schultz: My Dyslexia September 21
Hour 2 PHILIP SCHULTZ is a famous poet and writer.  This poetry collection Failure won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize.  He founded and directs The Writers Studio in New York and has been teaching creative writing for years.  And [...]

Should millionaires pay more taxes? September 20
Hour 1 Billionaire Warren Buffett created quite a stir a few months ago when he argued that it is unfair that he pays taxes at a lower rate than does his secretary.  Yesterday, as part of his plan [...]

Alexandra Fuller's 'Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness' September 20
Hour 2 ALEXANDRA FULLER continues her series of memoirs growing up a colonial in Africa. In 2001’s “Don’t Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight” and “Scribbling the Cat” in 2004 Fuller has revisited her childhood in Rhodesia, now [...]

The Palestinians, Israel & the United Nations September 19
Hour 1 All indications are that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will go to the U.N. later this week to make a bid for statehood status. The Palestinians have several alternatives: to do nothing, to ask the Security Council [...]

Angel Harris on roots of the black-white achievement gap September 19
Hour 2 ANGEL HARRIS challenges recent explanations for low academic performance of African American high school students in his new book, Kids Don’t Want to Fail: Oppositional Culture and the Black-White Achievement Gap. His research finds black kids [...]

National Politics Round-up September 16
Hour 1 This week, President Obama has been on the road drumming up support for this $447 billion jobs bill but Thursday, House speaker John Boehner outlined the Republican plan to aid the ailing economy at the Economic [...]

Radio Times On-Stage with Songwriter and Producer Andrew Lipke September 16
Hour 2 Philadelphia songwriter, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist ANDREW LIPKE comes in to the Dorrance H. Hamilton Media Commons with the Azrael Quartet to play selections from his new CD, “The Plague.” In this ‘Radio Times On-Stage' live [...]

How to Help the Housing Market September 15
Hour 1 President Obama is touring the country pushing his new jobs plan.  But many people are wondering why he isn’t giving equal attention to the ailing housing market which is crucial to mending the economy.  In his [...]

Leymah Gbowee, Liberian peace hero September 15
Hour 2 If you know anything about recent developments in the African nation of Liberia, you might be familiar with Charles Taylor, the brutal dictator whose war crimes in Liberia and Sierra Leone during his 1997-2003 reign now [...]

New Jersey's Anti-bullying Law September 14
Hour 1 New Jersey has passed what’s been described as the toughest anti-bullying law in the country.  It requires schools to appoint anti-bullying coordinators, there’s an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip line that students can call, and schools are [...]

Joe Henry, musician and producer September 14
Hour 2 Grammy-winning producer and singer-songwriter JOE HENRY joins Marty in the studio to discuss his life and careers. His new album, “Reverie,” to be released by Anti- Records on October 11th, is a more stripped-down, acoustic affair [...]

Unraveling the Tax Code September 13
Hour 1 As the debt "super committee" begins the work of finding $1.2 trillion to cut from the deficit in the next 10 years, many are hoping tax reform will be on the table.  Closing loopholes and ending [...]

Jennifer Weiner on her new novel & her new TV show September 13
Hour 2 Novelist and Philadelphian JENNIFER WEINER’s ninth book is out.  Then Came You is the story of four women brought together over issues of egg donorship, surrogacy, motherhood and class.  But besides writing bestselling books about real [...]

Dana Priest on 'Top Secret America: The Rise of the New American Security State' September 12
Hour 1 In the 10 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks commemorated yesterday, the world has been utterly transformed. But so much of what has changed has been done in secret, classified and covered up by officials in [...]

The '9-11 Generation,' & Rutgers' 9/11 student journalism project September 12
Hour 2 As our last look at how the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, changed our world, we look at their impact on those who were kids then, what some demographers have called “the 9/11 Generation.” This [...]

The President's speech, Republican plans and the politics of jobs and the economy September 9
Hour 1 In a much anticipated speech last night, the president outlined his proposals for getting Americans back to work and jumpstarting a stagnant economy.  His roughly $447 billion plan included the extension of existing tax breaks for [...]

9/11 in movies and in music September 9
Hour 2 While the first “Missing” posters were still going up around Lower Manhattan, the idea that “9/11 changed everything” became accepted wisdom. On today’s Radio Times, we look at how the terrorist attacks of 10 years ago [...]

Eli Pariser confirms our online confirmation bias September 8
Hour 1 [REBROADCAST] New ideas are great, right? But what if you don’t know they’re out there? Time spent online can limit one’s exposure to new ideas narrowing our pre-existing confirmation bias, says ELI PARISER. A-founder of moveon.org [...]

Parenting Teens September 8
Hour 2 The teenage years aren’t easy for anyone – not for kids or parents.  Teens face dating, driving, social networks, school and peer pressure, and they increasingly long for independence.  Many parents though are conflicted out their [...]

"Out of the Shadows" — a radio documentary about Post-Traumatic Stress September 7
Hour 1 In our continuing coverage of the 10th anniversary of the events surrounding 9/11, we break from our usual format to air  “Out of the Shadows,” a WHYY special produced by Maiken Scott. Post-Traumatic Stress has become [...]

The psychological and emotional impact of 9/11 September 7
Hour 2 Following our special presentation of "Out of the Shadows, we take an hour to reflect, react and explore further the issues and ideas contained in Maiken Scott's radio documentary about post-traumatic stress. We'll talk about the [...]

Three local perspectives on the anniversary of 9/11 September 6
Hour 1 To kick off a week of first hours dedicated to exploring the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, we take a look at three ways in which 9/11 reverberated in the Delaware Valley. We’ll [...]

Planting and Protecting Trees September 6
Hour 2 Trees around the country are under assault from pests and disease.  There’s the Asian Longhorn beetle that’s destroying maples, Thousand-cankers fungus that attacks Black Walnuts, and the Emerald Ash Borer that’s wiping out ash trees.  And [...]

OLIVER SACKS and The Mind's Eye September 5
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] Neurologist OLIVER SACKS returns to Radio Times explaining the complexity of the brain through new stories of his patients’ creative adaptations to losing fundamental life skills as they are still communicating with others. Sacks’ new [...]

'Thoughts without Cigarettes' with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Oscar Hijuelos September 5
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] How does a writer become a voice for his culture but still needs to reconcile his heritage twenty years later? Pulitzer-prize winning writer OSCAR HIJUELOS returns to Radio Times to discuss his recent memoir. He [...]

Getting America back to work: How to create new jobs September 2
Hour 1 Next Thursday President Obama is expected to lay out his proposals for the creation of new jobs  he hopes will be met with bi-partisan support.  The issue of unemployment and job creation is highly politicized with [...]

100 Names for Love September 2
Hour 2 Poet, essayist, and naturalist DIANE ACKERMAN’s husband, author Paul West, suffered a terrible stroke rendering him with a near-loss of language. The word-consumed couple was faced with developing their own language to pull meaning from the aphasic sounds [...]

More: The Vanishing of Scale in an Over-the-Top Nation September 1
Hour 2 The media is obsessed with triviality on a big scale, according to our guest, Drexel University Communication Professor, DR. RONALD BISHOP. There are many reality TV baby shows featuring teenage moms, multiple birth moms and addicted [...]

Esmeralda Santiago on Conquistadora September 1
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] In 19th century Spain, Ana Cubillas dreams of following in her ancestors’ footsteps and traveling to the new world as a Spanish conquistador.  Bestselling writer ESMERALDA SANTIAGO makes her heroine’s dreams come true in her [...]