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MAGIC
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Program 09-12-20-A |
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A Florida housewife named Katie has an unusual affliction. Occasionally, for no rhyme or reason, thin pieces of gold colored foil appear spontaneously on her skin. Paranormal researchers are stumped. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, exploring magic. From tales of the paranormal to the mathematics behind magic ricks. A stage magician-turned-mathematician explores the mysteries of probability. And, a Harry Potter story for grown-ups – Lev Grossman reads from his new novel The Magicians.
SEGMENT 1:
Lev Grossman talks about his novel, "The Magicians," with Anne Strainchamps. It's the story of a young man who discovers magic is real, not that it makes his life any less complicated. Also, Stephen Braude chairs the Philosophy Department at the University of Maryland, but he's long been interested in parapsychology, especially psycho-kinesis. His new book is "The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations." He tells Steve Paulson about the remarkable Florida housewife he's researched and a few frauds he's uncovered.
SEGMENT 2:
Persi Diaconis is a former stage magician who uses card shuffling and coin tossing to illustrate complex mathematical formulae. He tells Jim Fleming about the math behind common magic tricks. Diaconis holds a chair in statistics and mathematics at Stanford and is a two-time winner of a MacArthur Fellowship. You can listen to the entire uncut interview HERE. Also, Wiccan and neo-pagan communities combine acceptance of science and belief in magic. Anne Strainchamps and Caryl Owen visit the Circle Sanctuary in Barneveld, Wisconsin, while Margot Adler reports from Scotland.
SEGMENT 3:
Mitch Horowitz is editor in chief of Tarcher/Perguin Books and the author of "Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation." He tells Anne Strainchamps that belief in the occult is as old as the colonies and that spiritualism was America's first great religious export. He says our society continues to prove that religious tolerance works.
CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 09-12-20-A.
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| Stephen E. Braude, The Gold Leaf Lady: and other parapsychological investigations (Chicago) | |
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Mitch Horowitz, Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation (Bantam) |
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| Lev Grossman, The Magicians (Viking) | |
- Jim Fleming's
interview with Persi Diaconis Complete and Uncut
(right-click and choose "Save As" to download, left-click to listen)
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-“Father Christmas,” /Harry Gregson Williams, from the
soundtrack for “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe” (Walt Disney Records).
- -“72 Degrees and Sunny,” /Thomas Newman,
from the soundtrack for “Wall-E” (Walt Disney Records/Pixar)
Music heard after Lev Grossman:
- -“A Narnia Lullaby,”/Harry Gregson Williams,
from the soundtrack for “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe.” (Walt Disney Records)
Music heard after Stephen Braude:
- -“Foreign Contaminant,” /Thomas Newman,
from the soundtrack for “Wall-E” (Walt Disney Records/Pixar)
Music heard after Persi Diaconis:
- -“Rise Up (Run Out)” /Rhythm, Rhyme, Results,
from the CD “Math”. (Rhythm, Rhyme, Results LLC)
Music heard after piece on Wicca:
- -“Septimus,”/Ilan Eshkeri, from the soundtrack
for “Stardust,” (Decca)
Closing music:
- -“Driving to the Loch,” /James Newton Howard, from the soundtrack for “The Waterhorse:Legend of the Deep” (Sony/BMG)
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