TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE
from Wisconsin Public Radio
July 7, 1996 Programs
Click here to return to the Main Menu
1100 - 1159 Hour #1 Founding Fathers
1200 - 1259 Hour #2 Science Thrills
1300 - 1359 Hour #3 Blues Revival
PROGRAM RUNDOWN Hour 1:Founding Fathers
SEGMENT 1:
Daniel Lazare, author of "The Frozen Republic: How the
Constitution is Paralyzing Democracy," tells Judith Strasser
that government needs to be fluid to be effective in the modern
world and that the Constitution ought to be re-written. Also,
Richard Brookheiser, author of a new biography of George
Washington, tells Jim Fleming that the father of his country
deserves his venerable reputation. Brookheiser is a senior
editor at the National Review and a columnist for the New York
Observer. His book is "Founding Father: Rediscovering George
Washington."
SEGMENT 2:
According to historian Harvey Kaye, Tom Paine was the key
figure of the American Revolution. Kaye tells Steve Paulson
about Paine's extraordinary career. Kaye directs the Center
for History and Social Change at the University of Wisconsin,
Green Bay and is the author of "Why Do Ruling Classes Fear
History? and Other Questions."
SEGMENT 3:
Harvard historian of science Bernard Cohen tells Jim Fleming
that the founding fathers were men of the enlightenment with
good scientific educations and tremendous faith in using
scientific models for modeling human affairs. Cohen is the
author of "Science and the Founding Fathers."
For cassette copies of this hour, call 1-800-747-7444, and ask for program number
07-07-A.
PROGRAM RUNDOWN Hour 2:Science Thrills
SEGMENT 1:
Steve Paulson talks by cellular telephone with tornado chaser
Joshua Werman as he hunts for funnel clouds in Oklahoma. Werman
is a meterologist who teaches at the University of Oklahoma.
He explains why people chase storms and what they hope to
learn.
SEGMENT 2:
Geologist Stanley Williams unintentionally experienced a
volcanic eruption from inside the crater. He was the research
team's only survivor. Remarkably, he recovered and continues
to go into craters. He tells Jim Fleming about his accident
and what he's learning from his on-going work on volcanoes.
SEGMENT 3:
Eleanor Helin directs Nasa's Near Earth Asteroid Tracking
Project. She tells Judith Strasser how and why her team scans
the sky looking for killer asteroids, and what might happen if
they find one. Also, science fiction writer Norman Spinrad
tells Judith Strasser about his book "Journals of the Plague
Years," set after a generation of AIDS. He says what's really
scary is the way people use science and technology.
For cassette copies of this hour, call 1-800-747-7444, and ask for program number
07-07-B.
PROGRAM RUNDOWN: HOUR 3: Blues Revival
SEGMENT 1
William Ferris who directs the Center for the Study of Southern
Culture and sits on the Board of the International House of
Blues Foundation tells Jim Fleming about the current blues
revival and the importance of places like House of Blues to
popularizing and preserving this music. But, blues scholar and
enthusiast Peter Aschoff tells Judith Strasser, when blues
music is divorced from its cultural context, something
important is lost. Aschoff writes for Living Blues Magazine
and teaches Anthropology and African-American Studies at the
University of Mississippi at Oxford.
SEGMENT 2:
Corey Harris is a young Blues performer who has dug into the
blues' roots to find his own voice. A former French teacher,
street musician and Appalachian Trail Guide, Harris has just
released his first CD - "Between Midnight and Day." Harris
tells Steve Paulson why he's drawn to the sound of classic
blues and how he updates it and makes it his own.
SEGMENT 3:
Albert Murray is part of the Black intellectual community that
included Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin. The preeminent
scholar of the blues, Murray is the author of many books
including "Stomping Away the Blues," "The Hero and the Blues,"
and "The Blue Devils of Nada: A Contemporary American Approach
to Aesthetic Statement." Murray talks with Steve Paulson about
his belief that the blues is the quintessential reflection of
American life.
For cassette copies of this hour, call 1-800-747-7444, and ask for program number
07-07-C.
Click here to return to the Main Menu
Last modified: Friday July 5, 1996