Cultured Media

Anecdotes from the time of the founding fathers that do not make the founding fathers appear as noble as their statues around Washington, D.C. This care-free discussion covers serious topics such as adultery, pregnant mistresses and their orphans, overseas travel, and the role of women as second class citizens.

Author and ABC News political commentator Cokie Roberts tells the story of some of early America’s notable women and their achievements in “Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation”. In her book, she draws on personal correspondence, private journals and previously unpublished writings to recount the history of former first ladies such as Abigail Adams and Dolley Madison and other women such as Theodosia Burr, Aaron Burr’s daughter. Ms. Roberts discussed her book with Pat Schroeder, CEO of the Association of American Publishers and former Democratic Congresswoman from Colorado.

Listen on Book TV - After Words: “Ladies of Liberty”

At 24, Marya Hornbacher, author of “Madness,” was diagnosed with the most severe form of bipolar disorder. After struggling for years with eating disorders, she finally learned what caused her wild mood swings. A personal account of struggling with, treating, and eventually accepting bipolar disorder.

Listen on Diane Rehm

A California appeals court ruled that parents must be certified teachers in order to home school their children. The decision has sent a chill through the nation’s growing home schooling community. We’ll look at trends in home schooling and new attempts to regulate it.

The interview is with:

• Mike Donnelly, staff attorney, Home School Legal Defense Association
• Rob Reich, associate professor of political science and ethics in society, Stanford University
• Gretchen Roe, home schooling parent for the past 14 years; part-time home schooling community liaison for Calvert School

Listen on the Diane Rehm Show

Ben Stein is perhaps best known for his role as the boring teacher in the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and his stint as host of the award-winning game show “Win Ben Stein’s Money.” But Stein’s experience extends far beyond the entertainment world. As a former speech writer for Presidents Ford and Nixon, a lawyer, a financial expert, and author of over a dozen books, Ben Stein spoke recently at the Commonwealth Club of California about the financial, political and social challenges he sees facing the world today.? He quotes Martin Luther King, tells about the death of his parents, and references “America’s Most Smartest Model,” a VH1 comedy special to determine how much models know.

Listen to How not to ruin your life, Word for Word from American Public Media

One of the few African-American, female billionaires describes how to empower women all over the world and her life as a musician, entrepreneur, advocate for the arts, and philanthropist. I’m going to guess that I don’t agree with her politically (and how can someone who has made money with BET advocate for women not being exploited?) but I am glad that she advocates for women’s education in third world countries. Did you know that 75% of women in the world are illiterate?

Listen to interview with Sheila Johnson

I recently browsed though the book, The Best Old Movies For Families: A Guide to Watching Together. Boston Globe film critic explains how to introduce classic films like Bringing Up Baby and North by Northwest to younger viewers without having them looking for the remote. Burr breaks his titles down according to age group, creating the best movie guide we know for future filmistas. My local library recommended this book back in October 2007. I enjoyed browsing through this book and might use it in the distant future. My wife watched over three-fourths of the movies listed during her childhood. You might be offended by some language and crass/ironic humor of this book if you are the home-schooling Christian subculture. This book is more for the family that wants to watch less Barney and more Marx Brothers, than it is for someone wanting to totally shelter their children from the evils of the world. And by old movies, Burr means 1970.

Carolyn Jessop was once a member of a radical polygamist religious sect. She talks about her life as the fourth wife of a man decades older than her, living under the same roof as his other wives and children, and what spurred her to gather her eight children in the middle of the night and leave.

Listen to The Diane Rehm Show with Carolyn Jessop

Evangelicals, once at the periphery of American life, now wield power in the White House and on Wall Street, at Harvard and in Hollywood. How have they reached the pinnacles of power in such a short time? And what does this mean for evangelicals–and for America? Drawing on personal interviews with an astonishing array of prominent Americans–including two former Presidents, dozens of political and government leaders, more than 100 top business executives, plus Hollywood moguls, intellectuals, athletes, and other powerful figures–D. Michael Lindsay shows first-hand how they are bringing their vision of moral leadership into the public square.

D. Michael Lindsay is a member of the sociology faculty at Rice University where he is also the Faculty Associate of Leadership Rice and Assistant Director of the Center on Race, Religion, and Urban Life. He is the author of two books, both with George Gallup, Jr., and has written many scholarly and popular essays.

This Authors@Google event took place October 5, 2007 at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, CA.

YouTube - Authors@Google: Michael Lindsay

Fifty-seven million Americans are too poor to be considered middle class and too wealth to qualify for government assistance. A sociologist describes the housing, education, health care, and debt challenges facing families living on the financial edge.

The main gist of this book is that a single mother cannot support four children on $30K per year, especially if they have medical conditions or mental disorders. This is the near-poor that does not want to be on government assistance, but is financially on par with the working or non-working poor due to their circumstances.

Katherine Newman: The Missing Class on the Diane Rehm Show

Family physician, research psychologist, and author Dr. Leonard Sax explains why many of today’s young men and boys are unmotivated and uninterested in school and in life. He found five factors that contribute to their decline and offers suggestions to get them re-engaged in life.

On the Diane Rehm Show