Radio Times

Host Mary Cummings-Jordan talks with writer ELIZABETH KOLBERT, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, about her writing, the reality of climate change and fears of another mass extinction. Last night, Kolbert received the Richard Hopper Day Memorial Medal at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Tonight, in a free lecture that’s open to the public, KOLBERT speaks at Villanova University as part of their One Book Villanova program.

Guests: Cary Fowler, Daniel Craig

On the frozen Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, near the North Pole, sits the Global Seed Vault – a storehouse for the world’s crop seeds.  Inside the vault, over 800,000 varieties of seeds are frozen in storage.  Radio Times producer Debbie Bilder talks with CARY FOWLER, often called the “father” of the Global Seed Vault, about the vault and the need for crop diversity.  He has a new book out, Seeds on Ice: Svalbard and the Global Seed Vault.   Then, we’ll hear about a ballot question regarding the retirement age for Pennsylvania judges, and the politics of how the question should be worded. PhillyVoice’s DANIEL CRAIG will join us to explain.

Guests: Chris Palmer, Ames Grawert, John Roman

Violent crime numbers are up in Philadelphia and nationally.  While the amount of homicides and assaults still lurks around historic lows, there has been a spike in 2015 and, according to a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice, in 2016 as well.  Today on Radio Times, we’ll discuss the statistics, what they indicate, and what has changed in the past two years that might explain the bump in violence.  First, we’ll talk about Philadelphia’s homicide rate with Philadelphia Inquirer crime reporter CHRIS PALMER.  We’ll then be joined by the lead author of the Brennan study, AMES GRAWERT, and by researcher JOHN ROMAN to talk about the rates of violence in cities across America and how Philadelphia compares.

Guests: Juliet Williams, Yaba Blay, Ellensue Gross

The #NoMakeup Movement is building up steam. Singer Alicia Keys penned a critique for an online magazine explaining her negative feelings about makeup, and has since lead the cause. She’s appeared without makeup at major events including the Democratic National Convention and the MTV Video Music Awards. The pressure the Grammy Award-winning singer has long felt to apply mascara and foundation before leaving the house is shared by many women in, and out, of the public spotlight. In this hour, host Mary Cummings-Jordan talks about the anxiety women and girls feel about their appearance and how social media has intensified that pressure. We’ll be joined by JULIET WILLIAMS, a professor in the UCLA Department of Gender Studies and YABA BLAY, a professor, researcher and ethnographer who studies global Black identities and the politics of embodiment, with particular attention given to hair and skin color politics. Also joining us is ELLENSUE GROSS, a Philadelphia artist who painted portraits of 11 older women without makeup, including some who were not pleased with their appearance.

Guests: Jason Laughlin, Constantine Samaras, Hope Reese

The future is now: the ride sharing company Uber is launching self-driving cars in Pittsburgh. In this hour, host Mary Cummings-Jordan will explore the latest technology in autonomous driving and whether drivers should be excited or frightened by the new vehicle technology that’s hitting the roads, with Philadelphia Inquirer transportation reporter JASON LAUGHLIN, and CONSTANTINE SAMARAS, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and one of the authors of a 2014 RAND corporation report called “Autonomous Vehicle Technology: A Guide for Policymakers.” We’ll also get perspective on the autonomous driving landscape from HOPE REESE, a Staff Writer for the online publication TechRepublic.

Guest: Carl Hiaasen

Host Mary Cummings-Jordan talks with author CARL HIAASEN about his ‘raucous’ new novel Razor Girl, his fifteenth book of adult fiction. Hiaasen has also written two nonfiction books and several popular novels for young readers, including Hoot, which won a Newbery Honor.

Guests: David Pierce, Julie Guinn

Are we saying goodbye to the headphone jack?  Apple thinks so. The newly released iPhone 7 has eliminated the long-ubiquitous technology in an effort to increase battery life and push users into the wireless age. While some are bemoan the loss of this familiar technology, others see it as an inevitable move to eliminate a feature that is destined for obsolescence.  After all, we’ve all moved on from floppy disks and VCRs!  But should consumers or big tech decide when it’s time for a change?  Does Facebook or iTunes change its layout and functionality based on what we want, or what they think we want?  We tackle all of this with DAVID PIERCE, reporter for WIRED and with JULIE GUINN, a seasoned user experience researcher who has worked with several computer companies including Microsoft and Intel.

Guests: Linda Houser, Corey Shdaimah

As any working parent knows, child care costs a lot and finding good quality care can be a challenge.  Last week Donald Trump laid out a plan for paid maternity leave and child care tax deductions.  Hillary Clinton's proposal includes making high-quality child care more accessible and affordable for low-income families.  This hour, we’ll discuss the candidates’ plans, look at current family leave and child care policies in the United States, and discuss why finding and paying for good child care is such a struggle for families.  Mary Cummings-Jordan’s guests are LINDA HOUSER, associate professor of social work at Widener University and COREY SHDAIMAH, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work and the co-author of In Our Hands: the Struggle for U.S. Child Care Policy.

Guests: Matt Katz, Joe Hernandez

The Bridgegate trial starts on Monday.  The case goes back to 2013 when three lanes on the George Washington Bridge were closed leading to nightmare traffic jams during rush hour for over a period of several days. Two top aids to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni, are facing felony charges for deliberately orchestrating the lane closures as political retribution against the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee for not endorsing the Governor’s re-election bid.  We’ll get a primer on the scandal and the trial from MATT KATZ, reporter for WNYC and author of American Governor: Chris Christie's Bridge to Redemption, and JOE HERNANDEZ, reporter for WHYY who covers South Jersey.

Hour 2

Guests: Dan Flores, Richard Beeman, Heather Ann Thompson

On this week’s edition of Radio Times in Review: we devote the hour to different points in American history.  First, we talk coyotes, and the part they played in the American prairie when we listen back to Mary-Cummings-Jordan’s interview with DAN FLORES, author of Coyote America.  We’ll also hear about the contentiousness of the first and second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and the differing viewpoints on what American independence should look like.  Historian RICHARD BEEMAN, who joined us to discuss the lead up to July 4th, 1776, died last week. Finally, we’ll listen Marty’s conversation with historian HEATHER ANN THOMPSON, whose new book, Blood in the Water, revisits the violent uprising that took place at Attica Correctional Facility in 1971.  We discussed how the event shaped civil rights and mass incarceration.