How One Man Traded a Paperclip for a House

Guest: Kyle MacDonald, “the red paperclip guy,” and author, "One Red Paperclip: How to Trade a Red Paperclip for a House"

A game of "bigger or better" turned Kyle’s little red paperclip into a house. He shares his fun story, and also a message of hope and optimism for anyone who wants to improve his or her situation.

 

Robert Smalls, Unsung Civil War Hero

Guest: Douglas Egerton, Professor, History, Le Moyne College

Historian Douglas Egerton explores the legacy of one Civil War hero you probably haven’t heard of. Robert Smalls was an enslaved man who took over a Confederate ship, freed sixteen other enslaved people, and turned the Confederate ship over to the Union. Then he went on to have a fiery legislative career.

 

The FBI’s Top Hostage Negotiator Says Never Split the Difference 

Guest: Chris Voss, founder and CEO, The Black Swan Group, and author of “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It”

The same "tactical empathy" hostage negotiators employ in negotiating with terrorists can help you improve your job, your family, and your relationships through effective communication and emotional intelligence. We interview a former top FBI hostage negotiator on how to never split the difference in our daily negotiations.

 

When the News Was Sung

Guest: Una McIlvenna, Hansen Lecturer in History, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne

With low literacy rates, and a desire to spread information quickly, Renaissance Europeans often sang the news in the town square. These news ballads, often melodramatic and moralizing, warned of the bloody consequences of sin and vice. And they were catchy tunes, so listeners often found themselves redistributing the news voluntarily.