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To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Susan Blackmore is a British psychologist who's written books on consciousness, memes and parapsychology. She's also fascinated by what Zen Buddhism can tell us about the mind. In this EXTENDED interview, she says her daily practice of meditation has revealed truths that have eluded the scientific study of consciousness.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

In her book, "Do Metaphors Dream of Literal Sleep?: A Science-Fictional Theory of Representation," Seo-Young Chu argues that science fiction is a kind of "high-intensity realism."  She spoke with Jim Fleming.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Sophy Burnham tells one of the stories from her "Book of Angels." This one's about two "businessmen" who appear just in time to stop a runaway wheelchair.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

One more story from Walter Moskowitz, the last of the Bowery Scab Merchants. Walter tattoos 80 men in a day.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Journalist Ted Conover tells Steve Paulson that wise guards accept that they rule with the consent of the prisoners, and recalls a few of his most dramatic encounters with inmates.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Youngstown, Ohio is the center of the Rust Belt.  During steel's heyday, Youngstown was a city of nearly 200,000. Now, it’s under 70,000. The steel mills closed in the 1980’s, people left, and no one replaced them. Steve Paulson sat down with urban planner Justin Hollander talk about what to do next - what Hollander calls "smart decline."

 

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Russell Simmons has been called the godfather of hip hop.  He tells Steve Paulson he got his start selling street drugs as a teenager.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

William Powers had returned home from abroad, in shock at the excess of American culture. Then he found a woman he calls Dr. Jackie Benton, living sustainabily in a 12 x 12 house in rural North Carolina.  He tells her story in the book "Twelve by Twelve."

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