Programs for the Week of Feb 7

Jean’s Pick of the Week: Fortunate Sons: Liel Leibovitz tells a great story about the fortunes of 120 Chinese boys who were sent to the U.S. by the Qing Dynasty in 1872 to be educated at New England's elite schools and bring back the best ideas from their "barbarian" cousins across the sea, but by the time they returned their country was unrecognizable. The program in its wider context is really about the ever shifting relations between China and the U.S. and the profound ways in which we continue to influence one another. Fun and illuminating.

Monday: Adulthood II: What would you do with a second adulthood? Humans are living longer and cultural anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson says it's time we embrace what she calls the "age of active wisdom." We'll discuss the value of longevity in our own lives and to a world in need of a longer perspective.

Tuesday: Mrs. Goundo's Daughter: A new documentary airing on PBS this week describes one Malian woman's determination to protect her daughter from female genital mutilation by seeking asylum in the United States. We'll speak with the co-director and an advocate who says FGM is an issue in need of attention right here in America.

Wednesday: India Calling: Anand Giridharadas grew up in America but returned to India, his parents’ country, to get a closer look at how the India they left had turned into the economic powerhouse that the whole world is watching.

Thursday: An Optimist's Tour of the Future: Healthcare tailored to genetic profiles, machines that pull carbon dioxide out of the air, what's next? Writer Mark Stevenson set out to answer that question by talking with scientists and philosophers around the world who are thinking deep into the future.

Friday: At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Lori Skelton steps in to talk with the high priestess of Indian cooking. But don't worry, her latest book is written for those of you who find South Asian cooking a little intimidating.

Thanks to Carly Younger for putting together this week's bulletin. I've been struggling all week with injuries I suffered from a fall last Sunday while ice skating. Anybody want a pair of size seven and a half figure skates?

Jean