Hour 2 Just over a hundred years ago, Roald Amundsen and four companions were the first human beings to stand at the South Pole. Using skis and dog sleds they beat Robert Falcon Scott’s British expedition by just a few weeks. Scott and his men reached the South Pole only to find Amundsen’s Norwegian flag [...]

Filed under: animals, author, environment, history, science, world |

Hour 1 The Obama administration recently rejected the hotly contested proposal to build a 1,700-mile pipeline from Western Canada to Texas. The Keystone XL pipeline would carry 800,000 barrels of oil from the tar sands in Alberta across to refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. President Obama said that his administration denied the permit because [...]

Filed under: business, economy, environment, politics, technology, transportation, world |

Hour 2 Last year’s Japanese tsunami provoked fears of widespread radiation leaks and set off a nuclear crisis as clean up crews furiously raced to contain the damage at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Meanwhile another environmental concern resulting from the devastation has emerged. Several recent reports indicate that over 15 million tons of wreckage [...]

Filed under: author, environment, world |

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 REISS has shown that dolphins can do it too.  Reiss, a professor of psychology at Hunter College [...]

Filed under: animals, author, environment, science |

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 too cold — making it ideal for supporting life.  Kepler-22b lives in what scientists have defined as [...]

Filed under: author, environment, science, world |

Hour 2 On “Cyber Monday” after the frenzy of “Black Friday,” and as holiday shopping season kicks in, we examine the efforts by some consumers to have their shopping dollars reflect their values. Some opt to buy “fair trade,” others “cruelty-free.” Some go for “local,” others “organic.” On today’s Radio Times, does this "ethical consumerism" [...]

Filed under: author, culture, economy, environment, politics, social issues |

Hour 2 [REBROADCAST] 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 peasants. Levy served two years of service in the Peace Corps in China and saw a [...]

Filed under: author, culture, economy, environment, health, history, politics, religion, school issues, social issues, world |

Hour 2 Eating with the environment in mind has fueled foodie trends like eating organically, eating locally and sustainable diet trends of all kinds. On today’s Radio Times, we explore the growing fad for eating invasive species, those weeds and unwanted animals that are outcompeting native species. The nonprofit Food and Water Watch has led [...]

Filed under: Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, animals, cooking, environment, science |

Hour 1 The Reading Viaduct soars over the neighborhood just north of Philadelphia’s Center City – some call the area “Callowhill,” others “Chinatown North,” and still others favor the “Eraserhood.” Elevated railroad tracks long abandoned and overgrown with vegetation, the Viaduct has many dreaming of a park along the lines of the High Line in [...]

Filed under: Philadelphia, author, economy, environment, politics, social issues |

Hour 1 In 1900 there were just 1.6 billion people living on Earth but by the end of this month, our numbers will reach seven billion.  And by 2100, the U.N. projects that the world’s population will reach 10.1 billion.  Can the planet handle all of these people?  Is there enough food, water, living space?  [...]

Filed under: environment, health, politics, social issues, world |