2011 at the Movies December 30
Hour 1 When we went to the movies this year we saw 3D animation, an assortment of child actors, some very good documentaries and lots of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbinder. It’s become a [...]

Russell Banks' Lost Memory of Skin December 30
Hour Two [REBROADCAST] Where do convicted sex offenders live after they’re paroled? Laws vary within the United States and the states themselves, and Miami-Dade County made news the last several years as its ordinance banned registered sex offenders [...]

2011's final news roundup: DE, PA & NJ December 29
Hour 1 2011 was a momentous news year around the world, and around the Delaware Valley. On today’s final news roundup of 2011, we’ll survey the year’s big stories in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey with three men [...]

A conversation with Israeli writer Amos Oz December 29
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] AMOS OZ is one of Israel's most acclaimed authors.  He is the author of thirteen novels and collections of short fiction and numerous works of non-fiction that have been published in book form and in [...]

The Future of Retirement December 28
Hour 1 A new poll published in the National Journal found that Americans over 50, when compared to today's retirees, are more stressed about their current financial circumstances and expect that they will have to work five years [...]

2011 National Book Award winner Stephen Greenblatt on The Swerve: How the World Became Modern December 28
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] 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. [...]

Congress, the President, the 2012 Election & the Rest of the World December 27
Hour 1 In Washington, lawmakers spent weeks battling over the extension of the payroll tax cut.  Democrats didn't budge and, under pressure, Republicans conceded.  Meanwhile, the President came up the winner in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, [...]

Gangster movies with George Anastasia & Glen Macnow December 27
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] Why are we so fascinated with the bad guys and why do they make such compelling characters on the big screen?  In their new book, The Ultimate Guide to Gangster Movies, Philadelphia Inquirer crime reporter [...]

Are Machines Taking Over…the Workplace? December 26
Hour 1 [REBROADCAST] Work is hard to find in the United States right now. The unemployment rate is at 9% and we’ve lost some 8.5 million jobs since economic downturn began. Will these jobs ever come back? Technological [...]

A Conversation with Dolphin Researcher Diana Reiss December 26
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] The ability to recognize oneself in the mirror is considered a sign of high intelligence and is relatively rare in the animal world.  Humans can do it and so can great apes.  But DR. DIANA [...]

Debating your kids' music playlist: children's music or adult music? December 23
Hour 1 What kind of music should parents be playing for their kids? Should parents dive into the growing world of music aimed at children, or should they just play their favorite “adult” music and hope the kids [...]

Poet Philip Schultz: My Dyslexia December 23
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] 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.  [...]

North Korea after the 'Dear Leader' & effect on Asian diplomacy December 22
Hour 1 The Asian political map rippled this week in the wake of the death of Kim Jong-Il, the “Dear Leader” who guided the hermetic Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – North Korea – since 1994 into and [...]

The Adventures of Tintin December 22
Hour 2 The Adventures of Tintin, Steven Spielberg’s new motion-capture animated film about the boy reporter/detective, opens this week. The film is adapted from the popular comic books of Tintin and his dog, Snowy, who pursue criminals and [...]

The Psychology of Poverty December 21
Hour 1 Nearly one in two Americans is poor or low-income, a record number according to the latest census numbers. With unemployment high and social services eroding with budgetary constraints, how can people living in poverty be helped? [...]

The changing multicultural traditions of the season December 21
Hour 2 Many families are gathering for the holidays this year, but if it’s Christmas being celebrated, is the feast day December 25th or January 6th – or January 19th, when Ethiopians celebrate the Epiphany? Elsewhere a table [...]

Voter ID, voter fraud and legislation sweeping the nation December 20
Hour 1 Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled General Assembly is on the verge of passing a controversial bill requiring voters show a government-issued photo identification before they can cast their ballots. The House passed the Voter ID bill in June, and [...]

The Psychology of Gift-Giving December 20
Hour 2 Better be careful what you wish for and what you give this holiday season. It turns out gifts reveal a lot about both the giver and the receiver. So as you comb the store shelves for [...]

Pennsylvania's New Abortion Clinic Bill December 19
Hour 1 Pennsylvania's state Senate passed legislation last week that places new restrictions on abortion clinics. The bill is largely in reaction to the horrific case of Kermit Gosnell, who ran an abortion clinic in West Philadelphia and [...]

New Dinosaur Discoveries December 19
Hour 2 It’s not only kids who are captivated by dinosaurs – the idea that gigantic reptiles walked the Earth over 65 million years ago is pretty awe inspiring. Of course, they weren’t all giants – some were [...]

Distracted Driving December 16
Hour 1 This week the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that states ban talking and texting behind the wheel, including hands-free devices. Studies have shown that distracted driving plays a role in 8,000 crashes daily in the United [...]

A Cultural History of Shoplifting December 16
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] It’s called the “five finger discount” and it’s been around for centuries – Plato, Zeno and St. Augustine all had thoughts on shoplifting.  In her fascinating book, The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting, writer [...]

Susan Morse's "The Habit" December 16
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] Philadelphia writer SUSAN MORSE has been taking care of her mother, on many levels, since she was a child. This role has changed over the years as “Ma,” a former portrait artist who has just [...]

Polling the early primary states: Iowa, New Hampshire & South Carolina December 15
Hour 1 In this week’s political roundup, we check in with political scientists and pollsters in the first three states where the much-debated Republican field of presidential candidates is put to a vote. Joining us from Iowa, which [...]

DIY invention, 'maker' culture & building a toaster from scratch December 15
Hour 2 THOMAS THWAITES was a graduate art student in London when he hatched upon a slightly crazy idea: He decided he wanted to see if it was possible to build, from scratch, an everyday household object. He [...]

Jon Corzine and MF Global — what went wrong and were laws broken? December 14
Hour 1 Former New Jersey governor Jon Corzine testified yesterday before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee to explain the whereabouts of over $1.2 billion in client money missing from the accounts of the firm he headed, [...]

The controversial decision on Plan B December 13
Hour 1 Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled a recommendation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that would have allowed the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step to be sold over-the-counter, including to girls [...]

Long-term unemployment & its repercussions December 13
Hour 2 The most recent unemployment numbers announced December 2nd brought some good news, with the unemployment rate dropping from 9 percent in October to 8.6 percent in November. But few were celebrating, as that statistic benefits from [...]

The battle over extending our payroll-tax cuts December 12
Hour 1 If Congress doesn't come to some sort of agreement, the FICA payroll-tax cut for American workers enacted in December 2010 will expire in just a few weeks.  The payroll-tax holiday provided a one year reduction in [...]

Modern Childhood and the Brain December 12
Hour 2 In the effort to give kids a leg up in life, parents bombard them with educational toys, rush them to chess, fencing, and piano lessons, and place them in preschool programs that stress academics in the [...]

The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America December 9
Hour 1 [REBROADCAST] “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’ [...]

Broadway, television and film actress Tovah Feldshuh December 9
Hour 2 Star of Broadway, television and film, actress TOVAH FELDSHUH says she doesn’t want to impress audiences but move them. The role she’s currently playing is historically emotional, and this is Feldshuh’s first time embodying the character [...]

The Republican candidates, Donald Trump and the President December 8
Hour 1 Newt Gingrich's surge in the polls has both parties worried.  Democrats are concerned that despite his baggage, Gingrich is more capable of tapping into the anger of Republican voters than any other Republican candidates. At the [...]

Gossip December 8
Hour 2 Through the years philosophers and writers have all weighed in on the subject of gossip. Playwright Oscar Wilde famously said: “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not [...]

Returning troops and the military/civilian divide December 7
Hour 1 When roughly 45,000 American troops serving in Iraq return home later this month, they will be greeted by flag-waving and ceremony in appreciation of their service to our country.  What also awaits them is a public [...]

The discovery of Kepler-22b, a planet ideal for supporting life December 7
Hour 2 On Tuesday, NASA scientists announced the discovery of a new planet outside our solar system –Kepler-22b.  What is important about this find is how similar the planet is to Earth — not too hot and not [...]

Having faith in corporate social responsibility December 6
Hour 1 If you are a shareholder in a corporation, can you affect its policies of social responsibility? Our guest, SISTER NORA NASH, thinks so. As the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for the Sisters of St. Francis [...]

Iran and Its Fraying Ties with the West December 6
Hour 2 The British Embassy in Iran was stormed last week by angry hordes of what were alternately described as “students” and “basiji,” or thugs on the payroll of the Iranian regime. That prompted England to pull its [...]

Anita Hill reimagines equality; then, why male politicians think they can get away with it. December 5
Hour 1 It has been twenty years since ANITA HILL turned the nation's attention toward sexual harassment as a witness at the Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearings.  Her testimony sparked difficult conversations about the treatment of women in the [...]

Susan Orlean on Dog Superstar, Rin Tin Tin December 5
Hour 2 Writer SUSAN ORLEAN'S new book, Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend, tells the fascinating story of the famous German Shepard and his enduring popularity. Rin Tin Tin was discovered as a puppy on a [...]

Talking about TV morning news December 2
Hour 1 A few weeks ago CBS announced they were reformatting their morning news show and had hired Charlie Rose and Gayle King to co-anchor. The redesigned Early Show will focus more on serious news than its network [...]

Birds and especially their amazing feathers December 2
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] Feathers don’t just move birds through the air, though they do that exceedingly well. They also move markets, as the trade in feathers has had major impacts on history and bird populations. They also stir [...]

National News Roundup December 1
Hour 1 Herman Cain, once a frontrunner in the Republican presidential primary, said this week that he is "reassessing" his presidential campaign after facing accusations that he had a 13-year long extramarital affair. Meanwhile Gingrich, who was at [...]

Race, politics and the President with Harvard Professor Randall Kennedy December 1
Hour 2 According to Harvard Law Professor RANDALL KENNEDY, when it comes to race, Barack Obama is in a predicament.  "He is a politician seeking to lead and govern a massive, complex, dysfunctional democracy that has long suppressed [...]