In the age of Facebook, “friend” is now a verb. Dylan Wittkower (Old Dominion University) says the concept of friendship has changed with the advent of social media, but sites like Facebook can facilitate communication and expand the ties between people. Also featured: Radical apocalyptic thinking is often directly related to terrorism. Frances Flannery (James Madison University) says from Al Qaida to Timothy McVeigh, many terrorists are influenced by the radical apocalyptic idea of bringing on “the end of days.” She argues that we need to think about long-term solutions, which involves a kind of “cultural counter-terrorism.”

Later in the show: James Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses follows its main character, Leopold Bloom, around Dublin during the course of one day. Every June, fans around the world gather for “Bloomsday” to celebrate the works of Joyce. Jolanta Wawrzycka (Radford University) speaks about the life of Joyce, his writings, and her experiences attending “Bloomsday” celebrations. And: Irish scholar and critic Theo Dorgan discusses the joys and challenges of reading Ireland’s greatest literary son.