Looking back at 2023? Not for us! We prefer to look WAY back -- to the TV themes we heard while we were growing up, and to the radio programs America heard while it grew up.
Ozempic is a drug intended to help diabetics. Is it okay to prescribe it for weight loss? Who's better equipped to handle abortions, doctors or legislators? Bioethicist Art Caplan looks at these and other medical issues
Most shrink from Shakespeare. His language is archaic and hard to understand. Behold! Carmen Khan is here to help you understand what the Bard is saying - and, more importantly, why he's saying it.
Journalist, author and filmmaker Jennifer Lin takes us on a deep dive into history with her film Beethoven in Beijing - as well as a deep dive into her family history with her book Shanghai Faithful.
Singer/songwriter Olivia Farabaugh talks in depth about how CIRS has affected her life. Elizabeth Cripe tells how mold sickened her family. Together they've organized a festival to raise funds for CIRS sufferers.
There are a lot of laughs in this podcast, because Gina Barreca knows humor. But there is a lot of truth as well, because Gina's edited a book of essays about how women fall, real and imagined.
Tons of "space junk" is floating around the earth, posing a danger to present and future space missions. Astronomer Chris Impey talks about the difficult task of removing that junk, and other cosmic challenges.
Magicians often band together for fun (and profit). Here are two members of the Artificial Wizards group, Kyle Purnell and Vince the Vaudevillian, talking about the shows and secrets they share. Magic in the making!
Here's more with Justin Timpane, who talks about making music at home, and why the Star Trek/Star Wars universes are running out of steam. Hear some of his music!
He's the man behind the "Ninjas Vs." trilogy of B-movies, as well as films like "The Christmas Cancellation" and "The Distanced." Justin Timpane shares what happens in the world of indie filmmaking.
Tornadoes leave death and destuction in their path. So do serial killers. Writer and forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland talks about how her new novel explores those similarities.
Climate change is causing permafrost to melt, unearthing things that have been frozen for hundreds of thousands of years. Bio-ethicist Art Caplan says some of those things are viruses that we might have no way of combatting.
Director and editor Sam Pollard talks about The League, his film about the owners, players and patrons of Negro League baseball from the turn of the century until its success proved its undoing in the 1960s.
Nurses are the backbone of medical care in the U.S. They're also overworked and underpaid. Sarah Di Gregorio's book Taking Care tells the history of nursing and details all they do for patients.
The 2023 Comic-Con International in San Diego won't have a big movie or TV presence this year because of the writers' & actors' strikes. But Tad Stones, who's been to a few cons, says it'll be fun anyway!
You've heard it a million times: playing violent video games makes kids violent. Dr. Rachel Kowert is a psychologist who's done the research, and she'll tell you that gaming is actually GOOD for kids.
The Surgeon General has called loneliness a health risk that leads to illness and premature death. Psychologist Dr. Shira Gabriel agrees - listen as she recommends ways to make your life a little more social.
We've been talking to Julie for a couple of years now about her efforts to climb the seven tallest summits in the world. Last month she did the ultimate climb and stood atop Mt. Everest, the world's tallest peak.
The weather keeps getting wilder, with another heat-inducing El Nino on the way. What can we do to prepare for more drought, wildfires, and floods? What about hurricanes? Meteorologist Carl Parker provides some answers.
The U.S. Government and the World Health Organization have officially declared an end to the COVID emergency. Bioethicist Art Caplan says we didn't seem to learn coping skills during the pandemic.
On many political issues, the polls say one thing, state legislatures do the opposite. Political columnist Dick Polman says that's the result of years of behind-the-scenes work by political operatives on the local level.
Guest Host Mat Kaplan takes us through the maze that is the minds of John Timpane and Don Rooney, to find out what has made the podcast tick all these years. (Be sure to check for ticks when it's done!)
Did you know that standing by a pond and listening to the frogs can help save wetlands? Carrie Bassett tells us why that's true and how you can become a citizen scientist as part of FrogWatch USA.
Lynn Levin: poet, teacher, translator, critic. Is there anything in literature she can't do? Apparently not! Now you can add "short story writer" to that list! House Parties is full of characters, twists and a bit of fun!