Monday, September 28, 2009
Eva Bjorling is the Trade Minister for Sweden, and since Sweden currently holds the presidency of the European Union, Bjorling is shaping discussion of trade policy for all of Europe. She and Bob discuss global warming, protectionism, swine flu and the effects of the U.S. economic meltdown on the world economy. Then, Juan Gabriel Vasquez was educated in Colombia, his home country, and in Paris at the Sorbonne. The 36-year old writer has been translated in nine languages and now for the first time published in the United States. The Informers is a novel set in Vasquez’s native country and tells the story of a man who publicly betrays his son and how the family secrets, long buried in the blacklists of World War II, come to light.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Mike Fay is an explorer and conservationist who specializes in long journeys. In 1999, he hiked 2,000 miles across the Congo River Basin to take an ecological census of the area. His latest journey was through the magnificent Redwood forests of the Pacific coast. Along the trek, Fay met loggers, environmentalists and ecologists who are developing “enlightened forestry.” Photographer Michael Nichols accompanied Fay on the journey and their work is being showcased in October’s edition of National Geographic Magazine. The journey is also being featured on the National Geographic TV channel’s “Explorer” program. “Climbing Redwood Giants” has its debut today at 10 PM eastern. Then, trying to describe Isabella Rossellini’s newest project, Green Porno, can get awkward. It’s a series of very odd, short films about the sex lives of animals. Rossellini, dressed in elaborate animal costumes, describes and acts out the “love making” process of each animal. The shorts became an internet phenomenon, receiving over 1.3 million views. Now there’s a companion book.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Journalist Allison Hoover-Bartlett became friends with both a rare book dealer and the thief who stole from him as she investigated the eccentric book thief, John Charles Gilkey. Her book The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession ties all of their stories together, and offers a glimpse into the exclusive world of book collectors. Then, a look at the world of film with our resident entertainment critic David Kipen.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
With Libya’s presence on it, the US wrapping up its presidency of it, and Iran increasingly coming under its scrutiny, the United Nations Security Council is once again at the center of things. Bob talks about the Council with American University professor David Bosco, author of the new book Five to Rule Them All: the UN Security Council and the Making of the Modern World. Then, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Bob talks with Oz historian John Fricke about the cast and history of this American classic.
Friday, October 2, 2009
David Broder of The Washington Post joins Bob to talk politics. Next, many moons ago, Tom Goldstein was NPR Supreme Court correspondent Nina Totenberg’s intern. Now he has his own, well-respected Supreme Court practice. He is the mastermind behind scotusblog, the go-to resource for any and all court-watchers. Goldstein will tell us about the cases the High Court will hear when their session resumes October 5th. Then, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, Bob talks with executive director Dan Gediman about the essay from William O. Douglas. He was an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1939 to 1975. As a boy, he hiked the Cascade Mountains near his home in Washington to strengthen legs weakened by polio. His prolific career on the bench was marked by controversy and two attempts to impeach him.