Eating good, eating easy 2/26

Let's face it, we know better.

We know what foods are good for us and which ones are nothing but empty calories. Still, us modern humans tend to eat poorly and we're paying for it - with our health and pocketbook. In a recent article, past Here on Earth guest Mark Bittman asks whether we've reached a point where it makes sense to tax products like soda in order to decrease their consumption.

Today's show offers another solution. Guest Louisa Shafia with her new book, Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life, helps us do organic, seasonal and local so that it's easy, cheap and yummy.

Share your tips and tricks for eating good and eco-friendly by leaving a comment below.

We'll post a recipe from the book on Monday.

The Routes of Man 2/25

Today's show extends a meditation we began on Monday about the transformative power of cars and roads.

Peter Hessler took us on a drive through a transforming China on Monday, and today we'll take a road trip through the history of the car and reflect on how the auto has changed our landscapes and our lives, for better or worse...

Have you witnessed the advent of the car in your neighborhood? Share your thoughts on the air or at our voicemail by calling 1877-GLOBE-07 or by leaving a comment below.

Globalizing psychiatry 2/24

Carly Yuenger

Yesterday's show with Ethan Watters about the influence of western medicine on other culture's understandings of the mind and its idiosyncrasies sparked some really great conversation.

Watters' book, Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche, not only opened a far too rare discussion of the many ethical, social and personal issues surrounding mental health, but showed how important and helpful it is to think through them from a global perspective. And that's just the kind of conversation we love to hold...

You can listen to the show here, check out some of the audience discussion at our Facebook page, or leave a comment below with your thoughts.

Jean's Pick of the Week - February 19th

Joe

We've been airing some terrific shows on religion lately and Jean's choice this week reflects that.



Take a journey of faith with our Pick of the Week by downloading the show from our Here on Earth archive. Enjoy!

With this ring... 2/15 Update

Carly Yuenger

I was greeted with a happy email over the weekend from Christina Ammon of the With This Ring Project and our guest from February 4th.

When the auction for her grandmother's 3-carat diamond ring closed at the end of the day on the 13th, the top bid was an impressive $22,000!

You can read about the hand-picked projects around the world that the money from Christina's ring will fund here.

But the story isn't over, it seems, for the With This Ring Project...

Someone has donated a gold ring to the bidding site to be auctioned off to raise money for Haiti. As became clear from the calls we got during the show with Christina, it sounds like there are more than a few others who are looking to transform a cherished material object into a symbol of commitment to something bigger than themselves. We think that's pretty neat.

Picky Eaters

Our guest this Food Friday is Jill Colella Bloomfield, a self-professed picky eater, though now reformed. So much so that she's now a cookbook author and cooking instructor. She believes that teaching kids how to cook can help them avoid becoming picky eaters as kids--or even as adults only ordering grilled cheese when out in a restaurant (though really, sometimes a grilled cheese is just amazing).

There's many kids taking the reigns in teaching other kids how to cook, too. One of the most popular is the Spatulatta girls, 13-year-old Belle and 11-year-old Olivia. They have more than 350 online cooking videos as well as a cookbook. There's also the adorable Audrey and Monica, hosts of "Two Girls and Their Aprons," a YouTube sensation. Here they are making banana bread:


Were you a picky eater? Do you have picky eaters at home? Do you have any tricks to get your kids to try new foods?

The Whale - 2/3

On today's show, we'll talk to Philip Hoare about his book The Whale, with which he won the 2009 Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction. Philip Hoare has had a fascination with whales ever since he was a kid. With his book, he delivered an exhilarating travelogue into the realm of this animal. We don't know that much about whales, but they occupy a prominent place in our collective imagination.

Why do you think are we so fascinated with whales? Have you ever seen a whale? What feelings did it trigger in you? Are you involved in the movement that tries to save whales? Leave your comments below!

Stargazing here on earth 2/1

Carly Yuenger

On today's show Doug Reilly, author of the blog "Punk Astronomy", joins us to explain why we should be spending more time looking up...


Does looking up into the stars leave you feeling like you've witnessed something utterly profound? What can the perspective change do for us?

Share your thoughts and stories of stargazing by leaving a comment below. And, help us create a list of stargazing clubs and viewing opportunities by sharing information about those in your area, so more of us can go get lost in the stars.

Three updates since the show: One caller asked Doug for recommendations on books that have un-doctored pictures of what one sees through a telescope. Here's his recommendation:

• "There is a series of books by observer Stephen James O'Meara called "Deep Sky Companions". The first book covers the Messier Objects. Steven draws each object and his drawings match the eyepiece views much more closely than Hubble photographs."

And here's the thought he left us with, the full quote from Philip Glazebrook's Journey to Kars:

• "To have your eyes widened and your organ of belief stretched, whilst remaining discreetly submissive, seems to me a faculty the [traveler] ought to cultivate. When you have submitted to looking about you discreetly and to observing with as little prejudice as possible, then you are in a proper state of mind to walk about and learn from what you see."

Lastly, moonsword has kindly left a list of observatories, astronomy clubs, and databases that is sure to get you started. Just check out the comment below!

Clear skies to you!