How to achieve mystical experiences without drugs?
Many recent conversations about the Wisconsin Idea have focused on the politics and controversies around it, but all the negative attention ignores the fact that at its core, it's an aspirational vision commited to truth and public education. Wisconsin poet laureate Kimberly Blaeser joined Anne Strainchamps to talk about the beauty behind the Wisconsin Idea, and how it reflects the natural world.
British novelist Tony Parsons tells Steve Paulson why “Man and Boy” has been such a huge hit and remembers how difficult it was for his own father to express emotion.
Young activist Roni Krouzman tells Anne Strainchamps what it was like to participate in the demonstrations in Seattle, and how today’s protests resemble street theater.
Physicist Alan Lightman likes living in a universe filled with mystery. He finds it in the unanswered questions about the cosmos and also in his personal life, including a remarkable interspecies encounter with two ospreys.
Film-maker Walter Williams created the “Mr. Bill” character for “Saturday Night Live.” He was born and raised in New Orleans and has thought a lot about the natural history of his hometown.
“Buzkashi Boys” was one of the film shorts nominated for an Oscar this year. This is a coming of age story set in Afghanistan’s national sport, Buzkashi. It's a game of horse polo played with a dead goat instead of a ball.
For others, football is sacred. In fact, William Dean says the game is part of "American spiritual culture." He talks with Jim Fleming about the way religious beliefs crop up in American popular culture.