Viewpoints Radio
Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.
Every spring, millions of gardeners head outside to spruce up their flower beds, trees, shrubs and vegetable patches, without thinking much about the history – and sometimes toxicity – of some of their plantings. We talk to a man who has researched the unusual side of gardening and find out about some very interesting plants, and how they were cultivated and used in the past as hallucinogens, …
When we learn about the Bill of Rights in school, we often look at it as ten separate amendments to our Constitution instead of as a single, well-structured work, like a poem or symphony. Our guest didn’t see this either, until he needed a document to type while practicing his word processing program. We’ll hear about his realization that the Bill of Rights is, indeed, a cohesive and carefully …
We hear a lot about creativity these days, but can you be creative and artistic if you work in any kind of occupation? We talk to two creative people – one an artist and the other a business consultant – about the essence of creativity, how they foster creativity in their work and how anyone can be creative – even under very constrained conditions -- if they just take the time to look at their …
We’re always hearing about how everyone is stressed these days, that we have too much to do and too many people asking for a moment – or more! – of our time. What can we do to keep our bosses happy, our clients needs fulfilled and ourselves from pulling out our hair? We talk to two men who have found that meditating can help workers become more productive, less stressed and happier overall.
Millions of Americans are addicted to alcohol and drugs, and many of them end up unemployed, broken away from their families and homeless. We talk to a psychologist about the causes of addiction, and why some people are more likely to fall to it than others, and find out how an author who is battling alcohol and drug addiction made his journey to sobriety, and the lessons he learned on the way.
We all drew pictures as children, but as we grew older, we saw that we either did or did not have real talent. Those of us who were not skilled gave it up and went on to do other things. Our guest says that we shouldn’t have dropped the pencil or paintbrush, and he’ll tell us how we can all benefit from drawing on a daily basis – both in developing skill in art, and creativity and confidence in …
Our guest, an award-winning author, says it’s time to hear from different voices in literature – beginning when children just start to open books. We’ll hear how she became a writer, and get a peek inside her memoir of growing up in two worlds – written entirely in verse.
It’s amazing that in the 21st century, science knows so much about all of the organs of the body save one: the brain. We talk to a scientist and author about the unbelievable abilities of the brain, how memories help us predict the future, where dreams are located, how brain injury can sometimes make someone a genius, and how research into brain function is opening up new areas of understanding …
Kids are always on their phones, tablets or computers – even when they’re sitting across from one another at the lunch table! Does communicating via screens hurt kids? We talk to two researchers who found that too much screen time at the cost of face-to-face communication could decrease our ability to recognize emotions, and possibly even shorten our lives.
Late night television has changed dramatically during the past year with younger hosts such as Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and James Corden taking over the helms of popular shows. Are these new hosts going to change late night in a substantial way? And if so, will they be changes for the better? We talk with a media professor and a former late night talk show star and author about …
We all want answers to the complicated questions in life, but sometimes just asking the questions are enough to make us think deeply about our lives and our world. We talk to a man who has made a living asking questions that sometimes have no hard and fast answers, or where the resolution changes depending upon our age or circumstances. He tells us how the process of coming to an answer is often …
Why are people so afraid to give speeches in public? It’s the cause of sweaty palms, headaches, nausea and weak knees, to mention only a few of the problems speakers experience. We talk to a psychologist and a speech educator about why anxiety builds when we have to give a public address, and how we can use this stress to our benefit.
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