This week, the Indian election is on our minds, so we turn to one of Indian's most celebrated writers, Arundhati Roy.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Journalist John Conroy tells three tales of torture in his book “Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People.” He describes them, and tells Steve Paulson that he believes that anyone is capable of inflicting torture, particularly when directed by a person in a position of authority.
Psychologist Justin Barett thinks most children have a natural aptitude for religious belief. He says it's not surprising that so many people believe in spirits or supernatural beings.
The science world is buzzing about the discovery confirming the Big Bang. Here's our extended interview with Lawrence Krauss about how something could come from nothing.
Rebecca A. Demarest brings us this story of flight in a remote island community.
European leaders are once again trying to hash out an agreement with Greece to resolve its debt crisis. If a deal isn’t reached, Greece could leave, or be removed from, the Eurozone. That could trigger an even bigger crisis—one that could easily spill over to the U.S. British historian Adam Tooze says this is about the future of Europe, the ongoing struggles of capitalist economies, and the fate of the American Empire.
“The Unraveling of Mercy Louis" tells the fascinating story of a community that’s nearly torn apart following the discovery of an abandoned baby in a dumpster. A witch hunt ensures and the girls at a local high school soon begin developing mysterious twitches and tics, which quickly intensify. Eventually, the girls in the town are acting as if they’re possessed, thrashing around on the floor or grunting like animals. As strange as it all sounds, Parssinen says the book was inspired by a real episode of mass hysteria in Le Roy, New York.
Paule Marshall tells Steve Paulson about the neighborhood both she and her cousin were born into, recalls Brooklyn's glorious past as a hotbed of jazz, and explains why so many African-American artists chose to live in France.
Pages
