Celebrating Steampunk culture; then the Associated Press and the Department of Justice May 16
GUESTS: MANO DIVINA, GIL CNAAN and JANE KIRTLEY Strap on your brass goggles, tuck into a fantasy airship and enjoy the ride as we explore the Victorian futuristic fashion and literary universe known as “Steampunk” with Divine Hand [...]

The Brothers Emanuel May 10
Guest: EZEKIEL EMANUEL HR 1 [REBROADCAST]EZEKIEL EMANUEL is the eldest brother of the current Mayor of Chicago and former White House Chief of Staff, and a powerful Hollywood agent immortalized in the HBO series, “Entourage” – Rahm and [...]

The Great Gatsby May 9
Hour 2 Guests:  Suzanne Del Gizzo and Michael Tatner The newest film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925, jazz era novel The Great Gatsby opens in movie theaters this weekend. This time around, Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has [...]

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia with writer Mohsin Hamid April 26
GUEST: MOHSIN HAMID [REBROADCAST] Pakistan-based writer MOHSIN HAMID's latest book is “How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia." Written as a  self-help novel, with chapters like “Avoid Idealists” and “Befriend a Bureaucrat,” it  follows the life of [...]

Michael Pollan: Cooked April 26
Guests: Michael Pollan “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” That’s the famous advice of food writer MICHAEL POLLAN.  Pollan has written a number of bestselling books exploring the problems with America’s industrialized food system and the way [...]

Local, award-winning poets DAISY FRIED and LYNN LEVIN April 25
GUESTS: DAISY FRIED and LYNN LEVIN “Women’s poetry is like a car – it might have purple lights underneath, or outrageous hubcaps, or an enormous spoiler jutting off the back, but underneath it’s still a car.” You’ll hear [...]

Celebrating 100 years of Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring April 24
GUEST: DAVID LUDWIG This May marks the 100th anniversary of Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” performed by the Ballets Russes at the Theatre de Champs-Elysees in Paris. The score to a ballet borrowed from Russian [...]

Adam Rome and “The Genius of Earth Day” April 19
GUEST: ADAM ROME Over forty years ago this month, an important political event took place that caused reverberations throughout the country. The Genius of Earth Day is the story of the first Earth Day, its significance, and how [...]

Digital Etiquette April 18
Guest: Daniel Post Senning It’s probably happened to you – a friend answers a text at dinner or checks their email in the middle of a conversation.  Maybe you’re the guilty one.  Sometimes it seems like good manners [...]

Meet Poet Ernest Hilbert April 16
GUEST: ERNEST HILBERT Many years ago our guest ERNEST HILBERT washed dishes after college to make ends meet – he would tape a poem on the dishwasher and memorize it to inspire him, like many artists before him, [...]

Debating gun regulation April 11
GUESTS: JOHN GRAMLICH, BOB CAVNAR and GAREN J. WINTEMUT Firearm background checks may expand to include online purchases, guns bought at shows and through private sales. A bi-partisan bill was announced yesterday sponsored by Senators Joe Manchin III [...]

Give and Take: helpfulness as a key to success April 9
GUEST: ADAM GRANT Are you sick of being the patient doormat at work, passed by the fierce, ambitious type of co-worker who always seems to get ahead? Well, nice guys and gals may finish first, according to our [...]

200 Years of Latino History in Philadelphia April 4
Guests: Erika Almiron, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Victor Vazquez Hailing from several different regions and close to half a million strong, Latinos have played a central role in Philadelphia, from politics to civic life. From the time of the founding [...]

The Brothers Emanuel April 2
Guest: EZEKIEL EMANUEL EZEKIEL EMANUEL is the eldest brother of the current Mayor of Chicago and former White House Chief of Staff, and a powerful Hollywood agent immortalized in the HBO series, “Entourage” – Rahm and Ari Emanuel. [...]

Marlene Zuk on "Paleofantasy" April 1
Guest: Marlene Zuk Have you tried barefoot running, the Caveman Diet or attachment parenting?  Taking lessons from our ancient ancestors has become all the rage lately.  But evolutionary biologist MARLENE ZUK warns that our Paleolithic past was far [...]

The Supreme Court hearings on gay marriage March 29
Guests: Ed Whelan, Tobias Wolff This week the Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases related to same-sex marriage. On Tuesday the justices considered Hollingsworth v. Perry, debating the constitutionality of Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage. [...]

New Jersey's gay conversion therapy ban is up for debate March 27
Guests: BRIGID HARRISON, PETERSON TOSCANO and CLINTON ANDERSON Last week the New Jersey State Senate committee passed a bill that would outlaw licensed therapists practicing gay conversion therapy. Governor Chris Christie has not signed the bill, co-sponsored by [...]

Douglas Rushkoff's Present Shock March 27
Guest: DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF Do you often feel you aren’t on your game because you’re not hip to the new trend and are behind in your tweets? Our guest, author DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF, has been observing our culture’s need to [...]

The controversy surrounding "Being White in Philly" March 25
GUESTS: ROBERT HUBER and TOM MCGRATH Philadelphia Magazine’s March cover story, “Being White in Philly: Whites, Race, Class, and the Things that Never Get Said,” has created a local media phenomenon. The story, written by journalist ROBERT HUBER, [...]

Online Comments March 25
Guests: Dietram Scheufele, Meghan Daum, Bob Cohn Do you read the comments at the end of an article or blog?  Do you post responses yourself?  A recent study examined the effect of online comments on readers and found [...]

The Contradictions of Fair Hope March 12
GUESTS: S. EPATHA MERKERSON and ROCKELL METCALF The Fair Hope Benevolent Society in rural Alabama was an organization that originally helped former slaves bury their dead, and aid the sick of transitional families in the late 19th century. [...]

A Circus Life: the art and history of the big top March 8
Guest: Duncan Wall Have you ever dreamed of running off to join the circus?  That's exactly what DUNCAN WALL did.  After studying the circus in Paris he became so intrigued he decided to apply to the prestigious Ecole [...]

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia with writer Mohsin Hamid March 6
GUEST: MOHSIN HAMID Pakistan-based writer MOHSIN HAMID's latest book is “How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia." Written as a  self-help novel, with chapters like “Avoid Idealists” and “Befriend a Bureaucrat,” it  follows the life of a [...]

'A Place at the Table' for Witnesses to Hunger: A new documentary March 1
GUESTS: BARBIE IZQUIERDO, MARIANA CHILTON, LORI SILVERBUSH and KRISTI JACOBSON “A Place at the Table” is a new documentary about the crisis of hunger in America today that was an Official Selection of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. [...]

A healthy economy based on a happy country February 27
Guests: ANGUS DEATON and ARTHUR A. STONE How do we measure the health of the economy by how happy we are? Several national leaders and economists are increasingly looking at their countries’ collective happiness. The small Kingdom of [...]

The Past and Future of USPS February 26
Hour 2 GUESTS: RICHARD R. JOHN Will the mail continue to be important as Americans are more engaged in the digital age? The financially strapped United States Postal Service (USPS) will be ceasing their Saturday delivery service, with [...]

The Science of Winning and Losing February 21
GUESTS: PO BRONSON and ASHLEY MERRYMAN How can you make the best of your inner competitive spirit? According to our guests, competition must work if the participants know the rules of the game. Author PO BRONSON and journalist [...]

'A Place at the Table' for Witnesses to Hunger: A new documentary February 20
GUESTS: BARBIE IZQUIERDO, MARIANA CHILTON, LORI SILVERBUSH and KRISTI JACOBSON “A Place at the Table” is a new documentary about the crisis of hunger in America today that was an Official Selection of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. [...]

Addiction: tightening the gap between research and practice February 19
Are addiction treatment centers prepared to provide the care necessary for sustainable sobriety? And how can we successfully track those suffering from addiction after they have 'graduated' from intensive treatment? We’ll get an update on how the growing [...]

'Eslanda,' a new look at Paul Robeson's remarkable and underappreciated wife February 15
GUEST: BARBARA RANSBY Paul Robeson, one of the most interesting figures of the 20th Century, has been the subject of dozens of books. Not so his remarkable life partner, Eslanda "Essie" Cardozo Goode Robeson, an unsung heroine of [...]

'Soul Food Junkies': Filmmaker Byron Hurt examines African American foodways & health February 7
In the new PBS film “Soul Food Junkies,” Newark, NJ-based filmmaker BYRON HURT sets out on a historical and culinary journey to learn more about the soul food tradition and its relevance to black cultural identity. Hurt’s exploration [...]

Philly Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey; then Barbara Laker on 'Tainted Justice' 4 years later February 6
Philadelphia Police Commissioner CHARLES RAMSEY joins us to brief us on his contribution to the Gun Violence Panel convened by Vice President Joe Biden and appointed by President Obama. That panel’s work culminated in four ambitious legislative proposals [...]

Jacob Tomsky's reckless memoir of hotels, hustles, and so-called hospitality February 1
[REBROADCAST] Our guest, JACOB TOMSKY, who has worked in many capacities in hotels for over 10 years, lets us in on how to get the best out of a hotel stay. Do: check in with the proper kit: [...]

Temple University Symphony Orchestra's Grammy-nominated “Music of Ansel Adams: America" January 29
The late photographer, Ansel Adams, and late jazz composer and pianist, Dave Brubeck, were the first in their fields to bring their art to university campuses. Decades later the Temple University Symphony Orchestra is nominated for a Grammy [...]

Debating mental health legislation after Newtown massacre January 25
The massacre last month at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut galvanized the national conversation on gun control, but that wasn’t all. Family stories of shooter Adam Lanza’s mental health struggles – on the heels of mental [...]

Julie Otsuka-The Buddha in the Attic January 25
Novelist JULIE OTSUKA didn’t dream of being a writer. She pursued fine art at Yale and Columbia Universities, and it wasn’t until she was 30 that she put her paint brush down and concentrated on words as her [...]

The Mary Wilson, co-founder of the Supremes January 23
Last month marked the 50th anniversary of “Meet the Supremes,” the first album featuring the seminal female vocal group. From 1963-1969, the group scored 10 number one hits, including their first number one pop hit in 1964, “Where [...]

#innovateRT, pt. 4: Open Data Philly & bridging the digital divide January 17
In the fourth part of our #innovateRT series exploring PHILADELPHIA INNOVATORS, we investigate: What is Philadelphia doing to use the Web, apps and digital technology to change its relationship with its citizens? What could open data and the [...]

Guns & gun laws, after Newtown, CT: US, PA, Philly January 16
In advance of President Obama’s much anticipated news conference later this morning outlining his agenda regarding gun and safety regulations in the wake of the horrific massacre in Newtown, Connecticut last month, we check in with three people [...]

#innovateRT: The Arts Community January 16
“Kids are everything. Poetry is my passion, but PYPM is my purpose,” says our guest, poet PERRY “VISION” DIVIRGILIO, referring to his work with the Philly Youth Poetry Movement. The third part of our PHILADELPHIA INNOVATORS series drums, [...]

Marijuana politics in NJ, PA & the U.S. January 3
Last month, JAY LASSITER of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, purchased the Garden State’s first legal medical marijuana from Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair, New Jersey. Battling HIV for two decades, the advocacy consultant and former BlueJersey.com blogger campaigned [...]

A look at today's changing drug laws January 1
[REBROADCAST] Recently Colorado and Washington voters passed ballot initiatives in support of the use of legal recreational marijuana. This is in addition to 18 states, including Washington, D.C., that have legalized medical marijuana on their books. The United [...]

The tradition continues: Oxman, Thompson and Moss-Coane talking about movies December 31
After three years of declining audiences, Americans returned to the movies this year — ticket sales were up 5.6 percent.  It was a big year for big budget thrillers with "The Avengers," making $623 million in the U.S., [...]

Gun violence in cross-hairs, in Philly & U.S. December 27
As many families gathered over the holidays, the issue most hotly debated and discussed was guns and gun violence in the United States. With the Dec. 14 massacre of 20 first-graders and seven adults in Newtown, Connecticut, still [...]

Investment pioneer JOHN BOGLE on investment vs. speculation December 18
When our guest, JOHN BOGLE, founder of the mutual fund, Vanguard Group, first got into the financial business in 1951, the volume of the stock exchange averaged 1.8 million shares per day – he now sees shares traded [...]

Locally-born, Kabul-based Oscar nominated filmmaker Sam French December 18
Locally-born-and-raised filmmaker SAM FRENCH just arrived back in the States after taking three planes, which took 30 hours from Kabul, Afghanistan. He’s been making films there for four years, and the film he co-wrote and directed, Buzkashi Boys, [...]

How the Internet has changed the music industry December 14
In the old days when you loved a band you would head to your local record store and buy their album and the artists and record label would each get a cut of the profits.  But today more [...]

Nikki Johnson-Huston: from homeless to lawyer December 12
City of Philadelphia tax solicitor and 2012 USA Eisenhower Fellow, NIKKI JOHNSON-HUSTON, returned recently from a six-week trip to India and New Zealand, to study what social safety nets look like in two, very different countries. When she [...]

Jacob Tomsky's reckless memoir of hotels, hustles, and so-called hospitality December 4
Our guest, JACOB TOMSKY, who has worked in many capacities in hotels for over 10 years, lets us in on how to get the best out of a hotel stay. Do: check in with the proper kit: a [...]

National politics: Fiscal cliff & changing electorate November 30
In this week’s national political roundup, Marty talks about the fiscal cliff and the politics surrounding the negotiations, which has brought President Obama to a Montgomery County toymaker today, and the changing face of the American electorate. President [...]

Travel writer Andrew McCarthy's long way home November 30
ANDREW MCCARTHY is a world-class travel writer – he’s an editor-at-large for National Geographic Traveler, and has received numerous travel journalist awards including four 2011 North American Travel Journalist Awards. Andrew McCarthy is also an actor and can’t [...]

John Baer's years on the front lines of Pennsylvania politics November 28
Harrisburg native and Philadelphia Daily News veteran reporter and columnist JOHN BAER comes in to discuss his irreverent observations on Pennsylvania politics from Governor  Shapp to Governor Corbett. In between these administrations, we’ll hear about how close Baer [...]

Matthew Quick on Silver Linings Playbook November 22
[REBROADCAST] The dramatic comedy “Silver Linings Playbook," out in theaters now, is directed by David O. Russell (“The Fighter” and “Three Kings”) and stars Philadelphia native Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro.  The film has been [...]

Sam Sifton on How to Cook for Thanksgiving November 19
Our guest SAM SIFTON, The New York Times’ national editor and food columnist, may be one of the most qualified people in the United States to answer such burning questions as “To brine or not to brine?” or [...]

A look at today's changing drug laws November 16
Last week Colorado and Washington voters passed ballot initiatives in support of the use of legal recreational marijuana. This is in addition to 18 states, including Washington, D.C., that have legalized medical marijuana on their books. The United [...]

Same-sex marriage election victories and LGBT rights November 15
Hour 2 Same-sex marriage supporters have a lot to celebrate this election.  In Washington State, Maine and Maryland voters chose to legalize gay marriage through ballot referendums.  In Minnesota, voters rejected a proposed State Constitutional ban on same-sex [...]

Looking back at 50 years of James Bond music November 6
Hour Two Our guest, JON BURLINGAME, ponders whether James Bond’s father, Ian Fleming, would have imagined the billion-dollar industry he created when he first sat down in 1952 to write “Casino Royale.” Part of the Bond legacy, in [...]

The Cuban Missile Crisis 50 Years Later October 22
Hour 1 Fifty years tonight, in a nationally televised speech, President John Kennedy informed the American public that the world was on the brink of a nuclear war.  A week before, the President was briefed by the State [...]

NPR's Eric Nuzum gives up the ghost October 19
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] NPR’s Vice President for Programming, ERIC NUZUM, in addition to developing and acquiring new programs for public radio, reflects on his haunted high school days in the 1980s. We’ll talk to him about being a [...]

Matthew Quick on Silver Linings Playbook October 18
The dramatic comedy “Silver Linings Playbook” opens the Philadelphia Film Festival tonight. It’s directed by David O. Russell (“The Fighter” and “Three Kings”) and stars Philadelphia native Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro.  The film has [...]

Hair and who we are October 8
Hour 2 Our hair says a lot about who we are.  That’s why losing it can be so traumatic. But for balding men, a new study may offer some hope. It turns out that a completely shorn head [...]

Head over heels for shoes: Our love affair with footwear October 5
[REBROADCAST] Shoes, from sensible to stiletto, can garner many different reactions. Some people just want something comfortable to walk in but others get positively giddy just staring at the latest pump, peek-toe, wedge, Mary Jane or strappy sandal. [...]

What would you save if your house was burning? October 4
Hour 2 If your house was on fire, what would you grab as you ran out the door?  That’s the question that photographer FOSTER HUNTINGTON posed on a blog he called The Burning House and he got thousands [...]

Travel writer Andrew McCarthy's long way home October 3
Hour Two ANDREW MCCARTHY is a world-class travel writer – he’s an editor-at-large for National Geographic Traveler, and has received numerous travel journalist awards including four 2011 North American Travel Journalist Awards. Andrew McCarthy is also an actor [...]

Joan Walsh asks "What's the Matter with White People?" September 27
Hour Two Salon columnist JOAN WALSH has written a book looking at the parallel narratives of how the standard of living has changed drastically since the 1970s. She sees two arguments of the bankruptcy of America: one side [...]

Wearable computers September 26
Hour 2 Smart phones may be migrating from our hands to our heads. Google has a product coming out next year that puts all the capabilities of a smartphone into a pair of high-tech, wraparound glasses.  Project Glass [...]

Arts and Culture in Philadelphia: Their contributions and their challenges September 25
Hour 2 A new study released yesterday by The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance reports that arts and cultural organizations in the region generate nearly $170 million in state and local taxes each year and provide roughly 44,000 jobs [...]

Political comedy & satire in campaign season September 19
Hour 2 Thick in the thrall of election ads and political coverage, we ask: What’s so funny? We’re in a golden age of political satire, with millions of viewers tuning in to Jon Stewart on The Daily Show [...]

Paul Tough on 'How Children Succeed' September 7
Hour 2 In his new book, “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character,” New York Times Magazine writer PAUL TOUGH challenges our traditional view of why and how children thrive. Instead of tested intelligence, [...]

The U.S. Constitution, as 'improved' by writer Kevin Bleyer September 3
Hour 1 [REBROADCAST] The United States Constitution promised a More Perfect Union, but will we ever get a more perfect Constitution? The Daily Show writer KEVIN BLEYER has heeded that call with his new book, "Me the People: [...]

Host of Studio 360's Kurt Andersen on 60s culture September 3
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] A prominent law professor in her 60s looks back on her youth as she’s writing a tell-all memoir about her romping, spy novel-obsessed 1960s youth and left-wing college activism. As she’s about to reveal the [...]

Daniel Smith's memoir of anxiety, 'Monkey Mind' August 28
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] Can anxiety be controlled, and perhaps cured? Journalist DANIEL SMITH is sweating this concept out. The writer was set up for anxiety – he suffered an early childhood near-drowning, had a traumatic, aggressive introduction to [...]

Quiet: The Power of Introverts August 27
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] In a world that celebrates the loudest, most outlandish, extroverted personalities, a recent book makes the case for quieter types – those who shy away from the limelight and who like to spend time alone. [...]

Philly gun violence, Pt. 4: Moving toward solutions August 24
Hour 1 To close out Radio Times’ series on gun violence in Philadelphia this summer (links to Part 1: Responding to Gun Violence in Philadelphia & Wilmington; Part 2: Victims & City's Perspective; and Part 3: Youth Perspectives), [...]

Philly gun violence, Pt. 3: Youth perspectives August 22
Hour 1 In the third part of our summerlong series (links to Part 1 and Part 2) on the intersection of guns and violence in Philadelphia, we hear from some young Philadelphians whose lives have been touched by [...]

NPR's Eric Nuzum gives up the ghost August 15
NPR’s Vice President for Programming, ERIC NUZUM, in addition to developing and acquiring new programs for public radio, reflects on his haunted high school days in the 1980s. We’ll talk to him about being a part of a [...]

Olympics 2012: A look back at London & NBC August 13
Hour 2 The 2012 Olympics are over, and in this hour of Radio Times, we look back on the remarkable athleticism, struggles and successes, defeats and drama, hype and history of the London Games. From Michael Phelps dripping [...]

Hate groups in the U.S., including the Sikh temple shooter August 9
Hour 2 Wade Michael Page, the man police say shot up a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, on Sunday and killed six worshipers there, was a well-documented participant in the underground white racist extremist fringe of this [...]

Two Vietnam War Marines' journey of friendship August 6
Hour 2 Two young Marines with very different backgrounds – one a rural Pennsylvanian, and the other from a small Japanese city – are wounded while fighting in Vietnam in 1968 and reunite decades later. Our guests — [...]

How the recession is affecting children's health August 3
Hour 1 Often lost in the staggering and numbing statistics about U.S. households suffering these hard times is specifically how children in those households are affected by threats like unemployment, hunger, foreclosure and poverty. On today’s Radio Times, [...]

Live music rocks: A behind the scenes look at the concert industry August 3
Hour 2 Do you have a favorite concert — a live performance from a band that just blew you away and that you’ll never forget?  Summer is a great time to hear your favorite band – there are [...]

Gun violence Philly: Victims & City's perspective August 2
Hour 1 The grim tally of homicide victims in Philadelphia continues to grow, with 208 lives lost in 2012 thus far, and the vast majority slain by gun. That’s 16 murder victims since our last show on this [...]

Head over heels for shoes: Our love affair with footwear August 2
Hour 2 Shoes, from sensible to stiletto, can garner many different reactions. Some people just want something comfortable to walk in but others get positively giddy just staring at the latest pump, peek-toe, wedge, Mary Jane or strappy [...]

A Dip into the joys of swimming with Lynn Sherr August 1
Hour 2 Yesterday, sixteen year-old Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen won her second gold, this time in the 200 meter individual medley.  On Saturday, she swam a world record breaking 4:28:43 in the  400IM, blowing away the competition and [...]

Pennsylvania's complicated voting system July 31
Hour 1 How much control do Pennsylvania voters have over their state's election process? Registration deadlines are restrictive compared to other states; early and mail-in voting guidelines are incompatible with on-site voting; and those living in the Keystone [...]

Americans with Disabilities: The Act's anniversary & today's challenges July 26
Hour 1 Twenty-two years ago today, the first President Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, which recognized and protected the civil rights of people with disabilities ranging from physical conditions affecting mobility, stamina, sight, hearing, [...]

Making sense of shootings: Aurora, CO & Utoya, Norway July 23
Hour 1 Yet another mass murder by gun has claimed too many lives in the United States and inflamed the nation's bitter debate about gun safety and legislation. Friday morning's slaughter in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater premiering [...]

America’s Greatest Naval Architect and His Quest to Build the S.S. United States July 23
Hour 2 “Getting there is half the fun,” is rarely a desire of the modern traveler, but back when the S.S. United States made its maiden voyage, this passenger luxury liner was built for speed and comfort. It [...]

The Great Divergence July 16
Hour 1 Is the United States a country run by the rich, for the rich? If so, will there be an adjustment of extreme inequality in our lifetime?  TIMOTHY NOAH, senior editor at The New Republic, looks at [...]

The life of a New Yorker receptionist/Scranton's financial trouble July 16
Hour 2 JANET GROTH had big dreams when she moved to New York in 1957.  Fresh from the Midwest, she landed a big interview at The New Yorker and was eager to begin a career as a writer.  [...]

E.O. Wilson's provocative evolution theory, 'The Social Conquest of Earth' July 13
Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] In his controversial recent book, “The Social Conquest of Earth,” which the acclaimed biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author presents as the capstone to his legendary career, EDWARD O. WILSON firmly and fundamentally breaks with a [...]

The future of Philadelphia's oil refinery workers July 12
Hour 1 The future of United Steelworkers’ (USW) jobs at local oil refineries futures looked bleak last September when Sunoco announced plans to sell or close their South Philadelphia and Marcus Hook facilities. Later that month ConocoPhillips announced [...]

Daniel Smith's memoir of anxiety July 11
Can anxiety be controlled, and perhaps cured? Journalist DANIEL SMITH is sweating this concept out. The writer was set up for anxiety – he suffered an early childhood near-drowning, had a traumatic, aggressive introduction to sex, and went [...]

Remembering Woody Guthrie on his 100th birthday July 9
Hour 2 The songs of Woody Guthrie are an essential part of the American songbook, and chronicle his times and their roiling politics, natural disasters and sweeping changes. From his early Dust Bowl ballads to his union songs [...]

Preserving our backyard bounty in jars & cans July 6
Hour 2 Our backyard gardens are beginning to burst with homegrown vegetables, and many of us will share our bounty with friends, family and even some lucky co-workers. But we can also preserve our harvest for future months [...]

The U.S. Constitution, as 'improved' by writer Kevin Bleyer July 5
Hour 2 The United States Constitution promised a More Perfect Union, but will we ever get a more perfect Constitution? The Daily Show writer KEVIN BLEYER has heeded that call with his new book, "Me the People: One [...]

American philosophy 101 with Carlin Romano July 3
Hour 2 According to the 19th century French intellectual Alexis de Toqueville, "in no other country in the civilized world is less attention paid to philosophy than in the United States." That's not true today, says our guest [...]

Ed Rendell sees 'A Nation of Wusses' June 26
Hour 2 Former two-term Pennsylvania Governor and Philadelphia Mayor ED RENDELL comes in to discuss his new book, “A Nation of Wusses: How America’s Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great.” He looks back on his years [...]

Investigative journalism: Watergate's legacy & beyond June 20
Hour 1 Forty years after the Watergate break-in that eventually brought down a presidency, we isolate and assess one key aspect of the scandal: investigative journalism. The Washington Post’s reporting team of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein and [...]

The high cost of cheap fashion June 20
Hour 2 Are you a clothes horse? Are your closets and drawers spilling over with shirts, pants, skirts, and shoes? It turns out Americans buy a lot of clothes — around 64 pieces a year — and that's [...]