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To The Best Of Our Knowledge

An Architect Under Siege in Syria

Not all architecture in the Arab world glitters like a golden dome. Some are being shelled to dust by war. Such is the horrifying story of Homs, Syria.  Once a cosmopolitan and tolerant city of more than one million, Homs has hosted clashes between rebel groups and President Bashar Assad’s forces since 2011. Those clashes have mortared and shelled the city into an oblivion. Thousands of residents have been killed. Most of the remaining have fled. But not all.

Marwa al-Sabouni and her family have stayed. Marwa al-Sabouni has her PhD. in Islamic architecture and wrote a compelling memoir about architecture and destruction in Homs called “The Battle for Home.”

Marwa al-Sabouni spoke with Anne Strainchamps via Skype from her apartment in Homs, Syria.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Anna Rabinowitz on "Darkling"

Poet Anna Rabinowitz found a shoe box full of old letters and photos of family and friends killed in the Holocaust.  She wrote the poem "Darkling" to feature their voices.   We also hear excerpts from the opera "Darkling."

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A Philosophy of Fashion

Philosopher Lars Svendsen talks about how fashion--the search for the new, for the sake of novelty--was born during the early renaissance, with the rise of Modern individuality. He says fashion shapes not just the clothes we wear, but almost every part of our lives.

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Alain de Botton on Art and Travel

Philosopher Alain de Bottontalks about celebrated artist-travelers, the sense of place and the heightened awareness that makes travel meaningful.

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Alva Noe on Embodied Consciousness

Philosopher Alva Noe says it's a mistake to regard consciousness as strictly a product of our brain.  He says consciousness is something we do.

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Andrew Solomon on Depression

Andrew Solomon talks with Steve Paulson about his own experience with depression, and why depressive illness is becoming more common.

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Abraham Verghese on"Cutting for Stone"

Abraham Verghese is a medical doctor and a gifted writer. He teaches at the Stanford Medical School and his latest book is "Cutting for Stone."

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Alex Ross on Listening to the Twentieth Century

Modern music has used other forms to develop including rock and film music.

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