Programs for the Week of Jan 17

Jean’s Pick of the Week: Wisdom in the Workplace: Pretty easy, since I just came back from ten days away – but even if I had a whole week’s worth of programs to choose from, I’m pretty sure I’d still cozy up to today’s show with Swarthmore sociologist Barry Schwartz, the author of Practical Wisdom, who called President Obama’s speech in Tucson "pitch perfect."

Monday: Talking to Strangers: In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day we take this moment to reflect on the state of our democracy. How do we interact as citizens? How often do we have positive interactions with political adversaries? And how are young people getting involved in politics today?

Tuesday: 9 Parts of Desire: In this award-winning one-woman show Iraqi-American actress Heather Raffo portrays the lives of nine different Iraqi women including a doctor, a Bedouin and a young girl, all of whom celebrate life despite its hardships. She will be joined by her accompanist Iraqi musician Amir Elsaffar.

Please see our previous post to find out more about their Stevens Point performance on January 29.

Wednesday: Capital Punishment on Trial: Why does the U.S. hold on to the death penalty while other countries in the West have abolished it? Justice Stevens caused quite a stir in explaining why he turned against the death penalty in his review of David Garland’s new book Peculiar Institution: America’s Death Penalty in an Age of Abolition. Find out why when we talk with David on the show.

Thursday: The Future of Recycling: Tom Szaky, the 28-year-old founder of TerraCycle, one of the fastest growing green companies in the world, is making a business out of recycling and a name for himself as "#1 CEO in America Under 30."

Friday: The Chocolate Chasers: Dan Pearson was working in Peru with his stepson Brian Horsley when they stumbled on a species of cocoa long thought extinct. Even better, the trees had mutated to produce highly prized white beans! Following their discovery, Dan and Brian partnered with local farmers and the world’s top chocolate experts to produce the next big thing in chocolate — Fortunato No.4 — debuting at food expos this month.

It’s good to be back in Wisconsin!

Jean