Any day now, the United States will welcome the three hundred millionth American. He or she may be a new born baby, or someone who comes across the border – legally or illegally. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, we’ll look at America’s changing demographics, and consider the price...Read more
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Episode Archives
The differences among the world’s various religions are getting a lot more ink these days than the similarities. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge stories of common ground. “The Life of Pi,” in which an Indian boy finds magic in three different faiths with the help of a Bengal Tiger...Read more
Jonathan Kaplan is a field doctor who travels to war zones around the world. He treats people who’ve been shot or maimed. Many of his patients die on the operating table. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge what war looks like from the inside. Also singer/songwriter Steve Earle...Read more
Sometimes it's better to forget than to remember. Maybe it's an embarrassing photo on Facebook. Or perhaps a collective memory that's been used by certain ethnic groups to stir up hatred of their enemies. We explore the science, history and philosophy of memory. Plus, filmmaker Whit Stillman on...Read more
Big box education is on the way out. Instead, imagine a future with schools of every variety available for mixing and matching, like sushi on a platter. Micro-schools, Waldorf Schools, part-time schools and more. That's the future as seen by Matt Hern, an advocate for what he calls de-...Read more
How do you soak in the essence of a city? In New York, writer Colson Whitehead goes walking ... through Times Square, along Broadway, down into the subway. In Memphis, critic Robert Gordon listens to its music - the blues, soul, rock-n-roll. Next time on To the Best of Our Knowledge, we’ll...Read more
The American middle class used to be living proof that the American dream was alive and well, providing homes and modest savings to anyone willing to work. It’s another story today. In this hour, the decline of the middle class. How rising levels of income inequality shattered...Read more
What do you think of when you hear the word "ventriloquism"? A showman with a wisecracking wooden boy on his lap? There's more to ventriloquism than verbal jousting between a man and his dummy. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, we'll explore the cultural history of ventriloquism...Read more
In February and March of 1974, the legendary science-fiction author, Philip K. Dick, had a series of religious and visionary experiences. He spent the remaining eight years of his life writing thousands of pages of notes to try to come to terms with the meaning of these strange events. In this...Read more
The legendary movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn once said, you should never predict anything, especially the future. But it’s human nature to go to extremes for a sneak peak of what lies around the corner. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, an astrophysicist sheds some light on...Read more
In America’s struggle with race, one man is trying to keep it real. His website dares to post the questions we’re afraid to ask out loud. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the quest for racial understanding from the founder of the Y-Forum. Also, the sweet and sorrowful history of...Read more
Lynne Truss created a sensation in Britain with a book whose title is a punch line: it’s a punctuation joke that says a panda is a black and white mammal and it “Eats, Shoots and Leaves.” Rules for punctuation and a good life, in this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge.Read more
Oliver Sacks has an unusual problem. He can't recognize other people's faces. In fact, he doesn't always recognize himself when he's looking in the mirror. Sacks is also a neurologist who's fascinated by brain disorders. We'll talk with Sacks and with the painter Chuck Close, who also...Read more
What's the best piece of reporting you read or saw or heard this year? Today, we share stories that made us see the world in a new way. National Book Award winner Katherine Boo reports from the slums of Mumbai. Photojournalist Brendan Bannon documents the tenacity and vitality of Africa. ...Read more
If you live in Wisconsin, chances are you've heard of the Wisconsin Idea. It's the century-old dream of sharing the best of higher education with the entire state -- bringing the values of the liberal arts, scientific knowledge and search for truth to everyone. It's a cherished tradition,...Read more
From Soup to Nuts
Part Five
Whether black from a bottomless cup or as a Frappuccino mocha skim latte, it's our culture's elixir: coffee. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, Java, Joe or a cup of mud . . . Most of us drink it...Read more
How does creative work get done? When the answer finally comes to a question that's dogged you for weeks or years, where is it coming from?
In this special hour, Nathan Englander - acclaimed novelist, short story writer, playwright - is our guest...Read more
Everywhere you turn at this time of year there are babies: Babies wrapped in swaddling cloths, babies lying in mangers, baby-faced cherubs, and baby angels. All to be expected of a holiday that celebrates the birth of a child. But then, birth is a pretty miraculous thing. In this hour of To the...Read more
You know who they are – the cool kids – those above-it-all taste-makers whose fashion and entertainment choices predict what everyone else will be wearing and doing next year. What’s their secret? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge exploring cool. A frustrated surfer remembers...Read more
The thrill of victory… the agony of defeat. And the human drama of athletic competition. We love sports. And every 4 years we get the pleasure to watch amateur athletes, at the top of their game, compete in the Olympics. And that got us thinking about competition. Because that’s what it’s...Read more
In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, Simon Winchester tells the remarkable story of Krakatoa. The volcanic eruption spewed chunks of land 25 miles into the air. The blast was heard three thousand miles away. And it kicked up monstrous tidal waves that killed nearly forty thousand...Read more
A car accident at twenty-one left John Callahan paralyzed. He’s become a very successful cartoonist -- poking fun at disabilities and the idiosyncrasies of life. His work has been described as “rude, shocking, tasteless, and depraved” – by his fans. Next time on To...Read more
A collection of all of Barbara Ehrenreich's interviews on "To The Best Of Our Knowledge" over the years. Read more
An early spring thaw is good news if you live in a snow belt state. But it's not just the snow mound at the bottom of the driveway that's melting right now – the polar ice caps are melting too. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, stories from the lands of snow and ice. What do we...Read more