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IN THE BEGINNING

Program 05-11-20-A

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Where do we come from? It's a fair question. Physicist Michio Kaku says we're the reverb of a Big Bang from another universe. No, says poet Stephen Mitchell – the answer's in our creation stories. But midwife Ina May Gaskin knows where we really come from - mom. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we'll talk about Beginnings.

SEGMENT 1:

We hear a montage of creation myths, then poet Stephen Mitchell talks with Jim Fleming about classic creation stories from several major religious traditions. Mitchell has translated all of them. And we hear the creation story of the Huron people of the St. Lawrence Valley, and a Celtic myth.

SEGMENT 2:

Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku teaches at the City University of New York and is the author of several books including "Parallel Worlds: A Journey through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos." He tells Steve Paulson about the theory that our universe is the echo from the Big Bang of some other universe. And we sample some more creation myths from other cultures. Also, Jim Tucker is a child psychiatrist and director of the University of Virginia's project on children's memories of previous lives. He tells Anne Strainchamps some amazing stories about kids who remember things they couldn't possibly know. His most recent book is "Life before Life."

SEGMENT 3:

We hear the leftover hiss of the Big Bang. Honest! Also, Anne Strainchamps talks with the woman who created the modern mid-wifery movement, Ina May Gaskin. Gaskin's books are "Spiritual Midwifery" and "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth."

CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 05-11-20-A.

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Books:

• Virginia Hamilton, In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich)
• Stephen Mitchell, Genesis: A New Translation of the Classic Biblical Stories (Harper Collins)
• Jim B. Tucker, Life Before Life: A Scientific Investigation of Children's Memories of Previous Lives (St. Martin's Press)

Links:

• Primordial Sounds: Big Bang Acoustics
  http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~dmw8f
• University of Virginia's project on children's memories of previous lives
  www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/DOPS

Music:

• 1. "Lament for Eoin Rua," Noirin Ni Riain -- on the CD "Stor Amhran"
  (Sounds True Audio)
• 2. "First Flight," Hawk Henries -- on the CD "Tribal Winds" (Earthbeat 1995)
• 3. "Serenity," Delerium -- on the CD "Chillout/05" (Nettwerk)
• 4. "Latin-esque," Esquivel -- on the CD "Esquivel! Space Age
  Bachelor Pad Music" (Bar/None Records)
• 5. "Moonlight Over the Spring River" on the CD "Chinese Classical
  Masterpieces for the Pipa and Chin" (Lyrichord LLST 7182)
• 6. "Storpolska," Nyckelharpa Orchestra on the CD "Nyckelharpa
  Orchestra Bysse Calle" (Northside NSD6051)
• 7. "World on Fire," Sarah McLachlan - on the CD "Chillout/05" (Nettwerk)
• 8. "Hut Song," Water Drum -- on the CD "Cameroon Unesco Collection"
  (Auvidis - Unesco 1977/1990)
• 9. "Kiowa Hymn", Cornel Pewewardy -- on the CD "Between Father Sky and Mother Earth" (Narada Media ND 63915)
• 10. "Just Be," Tiesto Feat, Kirsty Hawkshaw -- on the CD "Chillout/05"
• 11. "Precious Child," Craig Bickhardt -- on the CD "Precious Child --the
  Story of Christmas" (Warner Bros. Records 1992)

Audio Download:

• Beginning Myths: Montage
• Beginning Myths: Huron
• Beginning Myths: Blackfoot
• Beginning Myths: Benin
• Beginning Myths: Norse
• Beginning Myths: China
• Beginning Myths: Celtic
  These are mp2 files. To listen, left click on the link and it will play through your MP3 player after it downloads into the player -- because it's not being "streamed".
  To download it to your PC, right-click on it, then select Save
  Target As (or Save Link As, or Download Link as, depending on your operating system), then select the destination folder and click Save.

Distribution dates:

week of 6/18/2006 - hour 2 week of 11/2/2005 - hour 1	Listen!

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Questions and comments can be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org

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