We’re about to enter the season of New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you want to write a book, make a short film, or paint your masterpiece. We talk to two published authors about silencing your inner critic, breaking through any artistic funks, and finally putting pen to paper in 2019.
18-52 Segment 2: Celebrating New Year’s as a Night In
New Year’s Eve is a huge night for bars, but what if you’d rather not brave the elements and pay big cover charges? We discuss ways to ring in the new year on your couch with festive drinks, snacks, and maybe a movie.
Culture Crash 18-52: Anthony Bourdain
As the year draws to a close, it’s the time on the calendar when we take a look back at who we lost this year. One such cultural giant was Anthony Bourdain, the famed chef and author turned travel documentarian.
18-51 Segment 1: Letters to Max: Two friends confront their mortality through letters
Sarah Ruhl is a MacArthur Fellowship recipient and a famed playwright. As a professor, she met Max Ritvo, who went on to become a published poet. She recounts the story of their friendship and how they used letters to make a connection and comfort one another while Ritvo faced the end of his life.
18-51 Segment 2: The Pearl Harbor Christmas
Christmas 1941 came just weeks after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor dragged America into World War II. We talk to historian Stanley Weintraub about how America was getting ready for war while trying to celebrate the holiday season.
Culture Crash 18-51: Roma
You may have noticed a new movie on your Netflix homepage called Roma. It’s Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón’s most personal film yet and an absolute masterpiece.
18-50 Segment 1: The Many Planets Outside Our Galaxy and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
We know about the planets within the Milky Way Galaxy, but what about planets outside of our neighborhood? We talk to Dr. Donald Goldsmith about “exoplanets” and where science stands on the issue of life thriving somewhere else in the universe.
18-50 Segment 2: Tips and Tricks for Holiday Cooking Success
Cooking for holiday parties can be a major source of stress. We have big groups at our house for hours at a time, and you want to impress them with your culinary skills. But some of us don’t really have many culinary skills. We talk to Julia Turshen for some insight into how to impress with our holiday cooking this season.
Culture Crash 18-50: A look ahead at the movies set to dominate awards season
Awards season is officially upon us. The Golden Globes have already announced their nominees, which are as questionable as always. Year-end lists are being finalized, and Oscar buzz is reaching a roar for some contenders. But now is also the time when many of these movies are being released in the first place. So, here’s a guide of what to keep an eye out for to get ahead of the nominee pool.
18-49 Segment 1: The Need for Investigative Journalism
Investigative journalism is a necessity in a democracy. Independent journalists putting in long hours to serve as watch-dogs for our government can have long-lasting ramifications, just look at the impact Woodward and Bernstein made with their Watergate investigations. We talk to one expert about the current state of investigative journalism in America and what can be done to ensure the watchdogs stay in business.
18-49 Segment 2: Winter Reads for 2018
It’s getting cold outside, which means it’s time to cuddle up with some good books to pass the time. Or maybe you’re just on the prowl for some holiday gifts for the reader in your life. Either way, we have some options for what to read this winter.
Culture Crash 18-49: The disappointing Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Last month, JK Rowling’s Wizarding World saw its latest installment, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes on Grindelwald be met with a low score on Rotten Tomatoes and countless disappointed Harry Potter fans across the globe. Count me among them. Not since 2009’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film totally bungled its source material has a Wizarding World installment felt so misguided. Crimes of Grindelwald isn’t quite as bad as Half-Blood Prince, but it is poorly paced and difficult to follow, even for those who have spent their entire childhoods learning the universe forward and backward.
18-48 Segment 1: Learning Math Simpler
American students are way down the international list when it comes to math scores. Why is this? Is there something we could be doing to make learning math a simpler task? Our guests say yes, and have suggestions for kids- and adults- struggling to master mathematics.
18-48 Segment 2: Sleeping Soundly: How getting quality sleep can enhance our health
We all sleep, it’s human evolution. But the amount of sleep we get and the quality of that sleep can vary greatly. We talk to Matthew Walker, a professor at California-Berkeley, who says sleep in the single biggest thing we can do to help our physical and mental health both in the short-term and long-term.
Culture Crash 18-48: Watching Sports with a Second Screen
It used to be that when you were watching sports, you were only watching with the people in the same room as you. Maybe your family gathered around to watch Sunday Night Baseball, maybe you went to a friend’s Super Bowl party. Either way, you discussed the matchups amongst yourself, relying on the person next to you to pick up on any subtleties you missed. Now, sports have become the gold-standard for entertainment that demands a second-screen. Watching a game is aided immensely by having your phone or a tablet at your fingertips. You can look up in-game stats, you can track scores of other games, or you can look through your Twitter timeline to share in the agony or ecstasy of your team’s failures and successes with a host of other fans and analysts in real time.
