March 29 - April 2 Programs

Thursday, Mar. 25, 2010

Jean’s Pick of the Week: The best thing about hosting Here on Earth is the way it opens my mind and challenges my most carefully guarded stereotypes. Last Friday’s food show with Colman Andrew’s did that for me on the subject of Irish Country Cooking (even though they don’t know how to cook brussel sprouts!), and yesterday’s show on Nordic Noir with the completely delightful Nete Schmidt shattered some of my most deeply held beliefs about the morbidly morose Swedes who turn out to be a rather happy bunch after all! But the golden ring this week goes to sound artist Matthew Burtner whose wildly eclectic ecoacoustical music reminded me of just how astonishing it is to be here on earth!



Monday: The Ethical Traveler: On a par with oil, tourism has become one of the world’s biggest industries. But let’s face it, most of us would rather think of ourselves as “travelers” than “tourists.” Jeff Greenwald, founder of The Ethical Traveler, talks about the power of travel, his top destinations for 2010, and what it takes to travel with a conscience.

Tuesday: Jamming with Whales: Remember David Rothenberg, the musician/philosopher who traveled all over the world studying the song patterns of birds to make his music? Well, he’s at it again, this time with whales. His new book and album document his jam sessions with humpback whales around the world.

Wednesday: Leadership Lessons From Nelson Mandela: This is the book we’ve been waiting for: Mandela’s Way, by Richard Stengel, Nelson Mandela’s biographer and long time friend.

Thursday: Jesus the Man: The story of Jesus will be retold many times this week, but not the way filmmaker Paul Verhoeven (Robo Cop, Showgirls) tells it. The only non-theologian member of the Jesus Seminars, Paul Verhoeven, talks about his lifelong pursuit of the historical Jesus of Nazareth and how it has formed and reformed his faith.

Friday: Memories of a Croatian Easter: Stephanie Vuljanic-Lemke left her native Croatia while still a teenager in the aftermath of World War II when Easter meant big bonfires, nettle soup, and piscanica, the traditional Croatian art of embroidered Easter eggs.

I’ll be spending a few days in Montreal this weekend. Thanks to Veronica Rueckert and Lori Skelton for sitting in for me.

Jean