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To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Plato argued that poets would be banished from the ideal republic. He said poets are only good for promoting petty emotions, such as anger and lust and love. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, poetry. We'll talk with four-time Slam Poet champion Patricia Smith about how powerful words...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Are you planning to see the world this summer? Or enjoy the frugal pleasure of a stay-cation? Remember, the best travel isn't about miles logged – it's about minds expanded. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, travel stories. Travel guru Rick Steves develops an unexpected passion for...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Electrons to Enlightenment

Part Three

 

One of the Dalai Lama's favorite places in America is a neuro-biology lab at the University of Wisconsin, looking for scientific proof that meditation works. In other labs across the country,...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

We’ve heard a lot about Islamic fundamentalists who hate the West. Some people can’t wait for the United States to invade Afghanistan.  But no one would be happier to see the back of Osama bin Laden than the Average Afghan.  In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the crucial...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Of all the days in the life of Nelson Mandela - the days in jail, awaiting sentence and his election in 94 - one day stood out as the most nerve-wracking. The day of the Rugby World Cup in 1995 - South Africa versus New Zealand. But it was much more than a sports match. It was the chance to...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

You know those end of the year lists?  Best books, movies, music and so on?  This hour, To the Best of Our Knowledge shares the best interviews from 2015.  Plus a booklist or two.Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Laura Blumenfeld’s father was a tourist in Jerusalem when he was shot in the head.  The shooter was a member of the PLO.  He had lousy aim – his victim lived.  But Blumenfeld never forgot that day.  In fact, she vowed to find the man responsible and take revenge.  She kept her word.  Her story...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Shortly after her mother died of ovarian cancer, Jessica Queller had herself tested for the dreaded BRCA gene mutation. She tested positive, which meant she had an 87 percent chance of developing breast cancer, and a nearly 50 percent chance of ovarian cancer. So Queller did the unthinkable: at...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Who would have guessed that number two on the Best Seller List this summer would be an intellectual thriller starring four brainy Princeton seniors and a 15th century manuscript written in code?  In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, meet the authors of “The Rule of Four.”  Lost and...Read more

a fence

In this age of globalization, why would anyone want borders, an army, currency?  Isn’t that kind of … old school?   Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

You might think that men’s anxiety over baldness is a relatively recent development in the history of civilization.  But it’s not.  The ancient Romans invented the comb-over and paint-on hair, which has since become spray-on hair.  In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we’...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

In the history of near-fame experiences, one story stands out.  Pete Best was the Beatles’ drummer just a few months before “Love Me Do” became a smash hit.  His replacement, Ringo Starr, became a huge star.  And Pete Best?  He worked for decades as a civil servant in Liverpool.  In this hour of...Read more

a brightly lit bible

Buried scrolls, clay tablets, priceless artifacts and expensive forgeries – this week, we bring you stories from the strange and amazing world of biblical archeology.Read more

Japanese street

American children grow up playing Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh.  As adults, they line up for the latest anime movies and hang out in karaoke bars.  In other words -- Japanese culture is serious business.  So serious that Japan's Prime Minister appointed a "Cool Japan" minister to oversee...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Do you believe in social progress and the power of networks to solve problems?  Steven Johnson does.  And he's coined a new term for himself and others like  him -- the peer progressive movement.   We'll learn all about it as we explore how digital networks are changing our lives.Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Do you ever have a right to kill?  What about Israeli agents who assassinate Hamas leaders?  Or suicide bombers who blow up their enemies?  Do the ends justify the means?  William Vollman has written a three-thousand page treatise on the morality of violence.  In this hour of To the Best of Our...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

It's the liberal's apocalypse. Consider empty big-box stories, deserted highways, worthless pieces of paper we used to call money. The economy collapses. There's widespread violence and social unrest. The only people with a fighting chance ride out the storm in life-boat communities with access...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Two people, a house, a pitchfork, and a barn. It's hard to find a better-known American painting than Grant Wood's masterpiece "American Gothic." But just who are those grim people, and why do they have such a hold on the American psyche? Here's the history of an American classic. Also, a...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

With the emergence of barefoot running, the sport suddenly is red hot again.  But barefoot or not, are human bodies really born to run?  We'll check in on the science or runner's high this hour, and try to unlock the secrets of the Kenyans - the fastest people on earth. Also, Olympic medalist...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Jacques Derrida and the philosophical movement known as deconstruction were once the rage on college campuses. Those days have passed, but deconstruction's influence is everywhere. We talk with Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, who first translated Derrida's landmark book "Of Grammatology" into...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

The pursuit of knowledge can make you do weird things.  Sir Isaac Newton explored his eye-socket with a wooden stick.  Swedish chemist Karl Scheele was undone by the toxic chemicals he insisted on tasting.  And a German scientist named Becher spent years trying to make gold from his own urine,...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

It’s been described as the Nobel Prize of motion pictures: the coveted Academy Award.  One billion people around the world watch the Oscars on TV every year.  In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the history and politics of the Academy Awards.  Is Oscar a white man’s award?  Also, Don...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Have you ever wished you cared less or been told to develop a thicker skin? For the polite and anxious among us, suddenly being immune to criticism and embarrassment might seem to be a superpower. In this hour, we’re exploring...Read more

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

In the mid-80's the metal band Winger topped the charts with hits like "Seventeen." Then Grunge came along and left bands like Winger in the dust.  Now, Kip Winger is back on top with a new CD that debuted at #1 on the music charts.  Only this time, he's rocking the classical charts....Read more

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