Hour 2 In a world that celebrates the loudest, most outlandish, extroverted personalities, a new book makes the case for quieter types – those who shy away from the limelight and who like to spend time alone. Writer SUSAN CAIN says there are advantages to being an introvert, including being a reflective thinker and a [...]

Filed under: author, culture, psychology, science, social issues |

Hour 1 The Obama administration announced last month that it would require religious hospitals, colleges and other institutions, like those affiliated with the Catholic Church, to provide health care coverage for contraception.  The decision has ignited a passionate debate over religious freedom, the conscience exemption and the rights of women to control their own health [...]

Filed under: family issues, health, history, medicine, politics, religion, social issues |

Hour 2 How do you tell the story of the infamous trial of the Scottsboro Boys in fierce, minstrel form? The last collaboration of  John Kander and Fred Ebb, the legendary musical theater team behind Chicago and Cabaret, was the 2010 Broadway production of The Scottsboro Boys, which was nominated for 12 Tony Awards. The [...]

Filed under: arts, culture, entertainment, history, music, social issues |

Hour 2 Mayor Nutter recently turned a few heads after he used some choice words when responding to the senseless murder of three Philadelphia teenagers.  The award-winning ABC sitcom Modern Family also found itself in a little bit of hot water thanks to an F-bomb dropped by a toddler.  Meanwhile the Supreme Court has begun [...]

Filed under: author, business, culture, entertainment, family issues, history, media, parenting, politics, psychology, social issues |

Hour 2 Pennsylvania's Geisinger Health System recently announced that starting in February it would no longer hire smokers and will screen for nicotine use among new employees. Pennsylvania is one of 20 states that allow bans on hiring smokers. Around the country more and more organizations, particularly hospitals, are embracing non-nicotine hiring policies as a [...]

Filed under: health, medicine, military, politics, social issues, work |

Hour 2 A music education program has changed the life trajectory of hundreds of thousands of underprivileged children in Venezuela and has recently come to Philadelphia. Curtis graduate STANFORD THOMPSON, the Executive Director of Play On, Philly!, uses this after-school Venezuelan program, “El Sistema,” to teach classical music to students at West Philly’s St. Francis [...]

Filed under: Philadelphia, arts, author, music, school issues, social issues |

Hour 1 At a meeting of the U.S. Conference on Mayors on Friday, over 70 mayors from cities across the country announced their support for same sex marriage.  Proposed legislation and upcoming ballot initiatives in several states also signal interest nationwide for the rights of same sex couples to marry.  Last February, in a major [...]

Filed under: LGBTQ, family issues, history, politics, social issues |

Hour 1 Since its inception in 1980, the winner of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary has gone on to win the party's nomination and, as the first primary in the South, it is often seen as an indicator of how other southern states will vote in their primaries and caucuses.  South Carolina voters are [...]

Filed under: economy, politics, religion, social issues |

Hour 2 The Corbett administration plans to begin asset-testing for food stamp recipients in Pennsylvania this May. Individuals and families with more than $2000 in savings or assets and seniors with assets worth $3250 would no longer be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The number of Americans who receive food stamps [...]

Filed under: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, business, economy, family issues, politics, social issues, work |

Hour 1 Laptops, tablets, electronic white boards and PowerPoint are increasingly at home in K through 12 classrooms. Some education reformers see technology as the central to improving learning, personalizing education, and saving money for cash-strapped schools. But so far studies have shown that digital learning hasn’t made the grade. This hour, we’ll look at [...]

Filed under: parenting, school issues, social issues, technology |