People wait to catch goods thrown from a supermarket window during sporadic looting in Concepcion, Chile following Saturday's earthquake (AP)
When Will The Next Big One Occur?
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Scientists say it’s only a matter of when, not if, the next big earthquake occurs, and it could happen in the United States. One earthquake is felt approximately every 30 seconds around the world. But scientists say earthquakes can’t be predicted, and it’s not possible to say one earthquake always triggers another. We speak with Dr. John Ebel, director of the Weston Observatory at Boston College.
The Partisan Divide
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We speak with historian Julian Zelizer who documents the bitter partisanship that has shaped U.S. foreign policy since WWII. Partisan pressures changed the way we fought in Korea, were behind JFK’s stand-off over Cuba, and forced LBJ’s hand in Vietnam. Julian Zelizer is professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and author of the book “Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security — from World War II to the War on Terrorism.”
California Teenager Inspires “Cuss Free Week”
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California lawmakers are expected to approve a resolution today, which would make this week a time to clean up your language; no swearing throughout the state. We talk with the 16-year-old from South Pasadena, McKay Hatch, whose “No Cussing Club” inspired this resolution.
Afghanistan Corruption
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How much of the $38 billion in American development money to Afghanistan has ended up in the hands of Taliban insurgents? While it’s hard to track the trail of development dollars, the US has launched several investigations to try and prevent more money from ending up in the hands of its enemies. Independent journalist Doug Wissing traveled to the Taliban stronghold of Khost Province in southeastern Afghanistan to investigate.
The Wizards At WETA
An image from Avatar (WETA)
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James Cameron’s Sci-Fi fantasy “Avatar” is up for a “Best Picture” Oscar this Sunday. To bring his groundbreaking film vision to the screen, director James Cameron called on the tech wizards at WETA, the digital lab that’s been breaking new ground in film special effects. Glenn Zorpette, of IEEE Spectrum magazine, traveled to New Zealand to meet WETA’s software engineers and sent us a report.
Music From The Show
- Kar Kar Madison, “Boubacar Traore”
- Christian McBride, “Brother Mister”
- Tito Puente, “Royal T”
- Ahmad Jamal, “Patterns”
- Radiohead, “There There”
- Charles Mingus, “Boogie Stop Shuffle”
When Will The Next Big One Occur?
As I was listening to this segment I was also looking at seismic data for the South America region, particularly near central Chile.
What struck me – and I don’t claim that it’s significant – was that after weeks of fairly frequent 4’s and 5’s there were several days of nothing > 3.9, then on the 26th major seismic activity started again, with the 8.8 (8.3?) on the 27th.
Posted by Richard Cole, on March 1st, 2010 at 2:22 pmThe Wizards At WETA
The problem with “special effects” is that rather than augmenting the story they frequently overshadow the story. I haven’t yet seen “Avatar”, and since there is no book to compare the movie with in its case it might be hard to tell. However, the ascendance of the Special Effects department scrambled “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” to the extent that I had to go back and re-read the book to resynchronize.
Posted by Richard Cole, on March 1st, 2010 at 2:43 pmI listened to no-cuss, and appreciate the kid’s civic involvement. But his parents do not serve him well by not teaching him that trying to control other people’s language is a tool of oppression. His “discomfort” with cussing should shape his personal use of language, and he needs to learn how his projection on to others’ language is a form of oppression. Indeed, as he matures into adulthood and understands the world beyond his adolescent solipsism (I have a teenager too), he will probably resent other people trying to control and censure his language.
Posted by Frank, on March 1st, 2010 at 2:49 pmBravo for the no-cuss kid! “Oppression”? It’s called encouraging common courtesy. Our society could use a little more of that.
Posted by Ambrose, on March 1st, 2010 at 3:39 pmThe Host should have mentioned that Ike wanted Sputnik to go up because then his secret U2 flights would be “legal” under precedent of International Law and that the “Missile gap” did not exist until AFTER Ike left office but again he could not say so publicly because it would give away strategic advantage.
Posted by Roger, on March 1st, 2010 at 6:23 pmI watched the video of the kid singing about no cuss. I think theres nothing wrong with what he did. He just want to express his feeling through singing.sometimes, we forget our young ones that they have also feelings and have a freewill.Thanks to this article
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Posted by Business Law, on March 2nd, 2010 at 2:47 am