Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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About the Program
Talk of the Nation with host Neal Conan is known for intelligent and thought-provoking discussion. Guests, contributors, and listeners explore today's most compelling issues — from breaking news, science, and education to religion and the arts.
Starting June 30th, 2006, both hours of Science Friday, broadcast during Talk of the Nation, will be broadcast on MPR News stations.
Official program Web site
Starting June 30th, 2006, both hours of Science Friday, broadcast during Talk of the Nation, will be broadcast on MPR News stations.
Official program Web site
Latest Show
The Silver BluesTom Gilovich, a psychology professor at Cornell University, explains why winning a bronze medal may score higher on the happiness scale than winning silver for an Olympic athlete. (08/20/2008)
The Media And The EconomyMark Jurkowitz, associate director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, talks about media coverage of the economy and why the news hasn't always kept up with public interest and concern. (08/20/2008)
Political JunkieNPR's Ken Rudin talks about Rick Warren's interview with Barack Obama and John McCain at Warren's Saddleback Church, last week. Rudi also reviews new attack ads and that elusive veep spot. (08/20/2008)
American Discontent Or 'Why We Hate Us'In his new book <em>Why We Hate Us</em>, Dick Meyer argues that for the most part Americans are dissatisfied with their own society. But he offers a solution: "a return to some traditions that predate the '60s." (08/20/2008)
Psychologists and GuantanamoOver the weekend, the American Psychological Association debated a resolution that would restrict the role of psychologists in military interrogations at Guantanamo. Two psychologists weigh in. (08/19/2008)
The EcononautWhat does "producer price index" mean? Adam Davidson, NPR's economics reporter explains. (08/19/2008)
The Death Of WASP CultureJaime Johnson, one of the heirs of the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune and director of the 2003 HBO documentary <em>Born Rich</em> talks about the blessing and burden of white, Anglo-Saxon, protestant culture. (08/19/2008)
Who Is Barack Obama?We talk to people who knew him or have worked with the Illinois senator. They tell stories about Obama's personality and his character. (08/19/2008)
LettersListeners comment on off-shore drilling, the controversy surrounding the reporting of John Edwards' affair and their pick for favorite nuke flick. (08/19/2008)
Not Good Enough For A Pen-PalMasha Ma was reminded of her own rejection after she heard Yang Peiyi's story. Peiyi was the seven-year-old told she wasn't pretty enough to be shown singing at the Olympics. Ma was told she didn't have the right look to take part in a pen-pal program writing to students in Canada. (08/18/2008)
Opinion Page'My Cancer' blogger Leroy Sievers passed away this weekend. To Ted Koppel he was a journalistic partner and close friend. Koppel talks about Sievers' battle with cancer and the community he left behind. (08/18/2008)
Global Turmoil: Pakistan, Russia, Georgia, and IranHow can their interconnection affect the United States? Senior News Analyst Ted Koppel and Brookings Institution president Strobe Talbott explain. (08/18/2008)
'The Great Railway Bazaar' RevisitedAfter 30 years, thousands of miles, and dozens of books, Paul Theroux knows how to travel: By train. Decades after his classic, <em>The Great Railway Bazaar</em>, he takes that long, strange trip, again. (08/18/2008)
The Possibility Of An Invisibility CloakResearchers report they've created an artificial material that bends some wavelengths of light differently. If they're able to expand the work to a wider range of wavelengths, the material could provide an unprecedented level of control over the way light moves, perhaps even making a "cloak of invisibility" possible. (08/15/2008)
Are We Headed Toward Extinction?Scientists studying many different parts of the planet's ecosystems are warning that Earth may be on the verge of a sixth major mass extinction event. (08/15/2008)
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