Audio

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

While some people hate spending time alone, for others it's a desired state of being. Writer Anneli Rufus considers herself among these happy loners.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

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

Former Vice President Al Gore helped bring global warming into public consciousness. Despite the dire projections of rising temperatures, he says he's still an optimist.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

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."

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

"Night in Blue" a poem by Iraq war veteran Brian Turner. He served as an infantry team leader with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Unit in Iraq.  His book of poetry about the war is called, “Here, Bullet.”

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

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.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

What kind of religion would ask a father to kill his son to prove his devotion to God? Religious scholar Bruce Chilton unpacks the Biblical story of Abraham and Isaac.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

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

Pages

Subscribe to Audio