Harry McCracken has been reviewing technology products for 20 years and he’s seen it all—from products like the PalmPilot that blew him away, to ones that were downright hazardous, like a mouse that caught on fire. He says there's never been a time when so much of the new stuff he’s reviewing is so very […]
What do you get when you mix politics with sex? Lots of lurid headlines followed by… the inevitable dropping off of the radar. As part of our "The Update" series, AirTalk revisits some of the most salacious scandals of the year from Arnold Schwarzenegger's lovechild and divorce (he was seen celebrating his birthday with Maria […]
Rosie, the golden retriever therapy dog named after civil rights heroine Rosa Parks, has an uncanny ability to comfort children in distress. For this reason, she was chosen to accompany a 15-year-old girl who needed to testify in court that her father had raped and impregnated her. While the girl was in the witness box, […]
During turbulent political and economic times the key elements of leadership that heads of state must possess are realism, empathy, creativity and resilience. Should we seek leaders who are mentally unstable? So says Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, professor of psychiatry and director of the Mood Disorders program at Tufts University Medical Center. In his new book […]
From the author of the book behind the acclaimed film Syriana comes another thriller about what’s been called the CIA’s biggest disaster since 9/11. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Joby Warrick tells the “harrowing and heartbreaking, fascinating and frightening” story of the al-Qaeda mole who infiltrated the CIA a year and a half before Osama bin Laden […]
Jean-Luc Godard wrote: “The cinema is Nicholas Ray.” Revered by both the public and his peers, Nicholas Ray changed forever the landscape of American film making. Known for directing such classics movies as Lonely Place or Rebel Without a Cause, Ray was attracted to stories of misfits and social pariahs. In fact, Ray is one […]
Are some things really unexplainable? Over 70% of Americans believe in paranormal activity, but most have the sense not to admit their beliefs. Even fewer, save for certain groups on the internet, take the time to write about them. Enter Steve Volk, an investigative reporter and lifelong skeptic, who took it upon himself to enter […]
With today’s ever multiplying options for communication, it’s easy to forget about the spoken word. John McWhorter explores how the 6000 languages around the world grew, changed and progressed over the past 150,000 years. Incorporating a genuine curiosity and understanding of other cultures, What Language Is, examines how languages across the globe have intermingled and […]
In economics “diminished returns” is a phrase referring to a decrease in marginal output following an increase in production. This is a fine term to keep in mind when producing goods, but maybe also for (re)producing babies? In <i>The Case for the Only Child</i> – Susan P. Newman argues just that, taking a position that […]
Although he has had a nearly 4-decade career as a performer in his own right, Nashville-based singer and songwriter John Hiatt is perhaps best known for the impressive list of artists who have covered his songs. Household names such as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Emmylou Harris, Jewel […]
