Jean's Pick of the Week for August 16th

Carly Yuenger

Jean's pick this week was all about fleetfootedness and having fun: Christopher McDougall joined us to talk about his book, Born to Run. Watch Jean explain why it's her pick, then listen to the show for free at the Here on Earth archive.

Tintin around the World - 8/19

Dominique Haller

Having grown up in the midst of Tintin albums that had been handed down to me by my father, who in turn was an avid Tintin fan as a child, I am especially looking forward to today's show. In the francophone world, comic albums are part of every family's library, and the Tintin albums have definitely become the center part of that tradition.

However, Tintin has also come under fire for some of the quite obviously racist contents in the earlier albums, especially Tintin in the Congo. So how does reading a comic as a child and as an adult differ? How can we hold on to a childhood friend if we know that he wasn't always up to the challenges of his time?

We'll also broadcast another one of Leona's Francombe's vignettes today, where she tells us about the relationship between Tintin's famous creator Hergé and his hometown of Brussels, where she lives. To check out other pieces in her series on Here On Earth, click here.

Roman Catholic Women Priests, An Oxymoron? 8/16

Carly Yuenger

The Vatican recently released a statement making the ordination of women priests one of the highest crimes against the church. Still, the ordination of Roman Catholic women priests continues.

On today's show we speak with Alice Iaquinta, one of many women who have gone through ordination as a Catholic priest--although some within the church refuse to recognize her ordination--and Father Roy Bourgeois, a priest who has been excommunicated for presiding over the ordination of women.

Do you think the Vatican will ever change its stance on the ordination of women? Do you think it should? Let us know what you think at our ongoing poll.

On today's program we'll also hear from our European Correspondent, Leona Francombe, about the Belgian perspective on secularism and the Catholic Church. For your reading pleasure, here's the transcript of her essay, "God in Translation," along with her other pieces in our ongoing series, European Vignettes.