Monday, December 15, 2008     Hard Times for the News Business Is good journalism important to you? You may have heard that the business of news -- at least that part that depends on making a profit -- is in trouble. And commercial news organizations are doing a lot of experimenting in a desperate attempt to keep your attention. We focus on those experiments.   Listen to the program   Guests: McGregor McCance - Managing Editor of the Charlottesville-based Daily Progress. Brian Richardson, Ph.D. - Former reporter and bureau chief for the Miami Herald newspaper; now head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, Washington and Lee University. Maria Hileman - Managing Editor of The Winchester Star. Monday, December 8, 2008     Local Government and the Economy Later this month Virginia Governor Tim Kaine releases his newest budget proposals. One thing seems certain. More cuts are coming. A close-up look at how the economic downturn is affecting state government -- and local governments across our region.   Listen to the program   Guests: J. Brannon Godfrey, Jr. - City Manager, City of Winchester. Emmett Hanger, Jr. - Republican representing the 24th Virginia State Senate District, which includes Albemarle County (Part); Augusta County (All); Greene County (All); Highland County (All); Rockbridge County (Part); Rockingham County (Part); and the Cities of Staunton, Waynesboro and Lexington.  Member of the Senate Finance Committee. Gary O'Connell - City Manager, City of Charlottesville. Joseph S. Paxton - County Administrator, County of Rockingham. Richard M. Wiggans - Director of Finance,  County of Albemarle. Monday, December 1, 2008     The Psychology of Job Loss If you’ve ever lost a job -- you know it is painful. But can that pain be measured as a factor of the economy? A Virginia researcher who helped pioneer the field of behavioral economics says the psychology of job loss has a very real impact on the world financial system. He also says there are things we ought to do about it. We consider his recommended solutions.   Listen to the program   Guest: Arthur H.  Goldsmith, Ph.D. - The Jackson T. Stephens Professor of Economics at Washington and Lee University. Monday, November 24, 2008     Virginia Politics Update As an elections official said, there is a reason why they're called "unofficial results." Election Day was November 4, but election results became official in Virginia on November 24th.  So we discuss that, and possible recounts, with a Virginia Politics update.   Listen to the program   Guests: Rosanna L. Bencoach - Policy Manager,  Virginia State Board of Elections. Chelyen Davis - Richmond-based reporter for The Fredericksburg Freelance-Star. Bob Gibson - Executive Director of The Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and former political writer for The Charlottesville Daily Progress. Tom Perriello (D) - Congressman-elect, from Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. Bob Roberts, Ph.D. - Professor of Political Science at James Madison University and author of From Watergate to Whitewater: The Public Integrity War. Monday, November 17, 2008     The History Guys Almost three years ago -- when the idea first came to them -- they were all teaching history at the University of Virginia. One of them still is, while another one is off giving lectures in England, and the third became a university president. Yet they've still managed to make the idea a reality. A talk with the "Backstory guys" -- the three Virginia historians who now have their own nationally syndicated radio show, called Backstory.   Listen to the program   Guests: Ed Ayers, Ph.D. - President of the University of Richmond and author of numerous books on 19th century American history, including In the Presence of Mine Enemies: Civil War in the Heart of America. Brian Balogh, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of History and Chair of the Miller Center's Governing America in a Global Era  program at the University of Virginia. Peter Onuf, Ph.D. - The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor of History at the University of Virginia, and currently serving as the  Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford University for the 2008-2009 academic year. Monday, November 10, 2008     Editors Roundtable You've noticed that a big election tends to get a lot of media focus. After a while, you begin to wonder if there is any other kind of news besides politics. We gather together newspaper editors from across the WMRA region to get caught up on what, besides politics, is news in their towns... although they may talk a bit about politics too.   Listen to the program   Guests: Maria Hileman - Managing Editor of the The Winchester Star. Rob Longley - City Editor of the Harrisonburg based Daily News Record. Hawes Spencer - Editor and Publisher of the Charlottesville based weekly The Hook. Lee Wolverton - Managing Editor of the Waynesboro based daily The News-Virginian. Monday, November 3, 2008     Virginia Politics Update In addition to the presidential election, 11 congressional races and one open U.S. Senate seat in Virginia are being contested. A Virginia politics update on this week's Virginia Insight.   Listen to the program   Guests: Bob Gibson - Executive Director of The Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and former political writer for The Charlottesville Daily Progress. Bob Roberts, Ph.D. - Professor of Political Science at James Madison University and author of From Watergate to Whitewater: The Public Integrity War. Jen Thompson, J.D. - Director of External Relations and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Wilder School of Government, Virginia Commonwealth University. Monday, October 27, 2008     Issue Update - Health Care Reform If the latest studies are to be believed,  it would appear that the average American is paying about twice as much for health care as the average citizen of most any other industrialized nation. We ask the question -- “what kind of bargain are you getting for your money?” We also explore the two major presidential candidates’ proposals, as well as other alternatives, for health care reform.   Listen to the program   Guests: Christopher Nye - Associate Director of the Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services at James Madison University. Timothy Stoltzfus Jost, JD -  The Robert L. Willett Family Professor of Law, Washington and Lee University School of Law.  His newest book is titled Health Care at Risk: A Critique of the Consumer-Driven Movement (Duke University Press). Hillary Whonder-Genus, MD - Pediatrician, Harrisonburg Community Health Center. Monday, October 20, 2008     Issue Update - Illegal Immigration Just last year it was one of the most controversial and hotly debated issues in American politics. It divided presidential candidates and strained political allegiances. Now, it has faded from just about everyone's political radar. We take a fresh look at the nearly forgotten issue of illegal immigration, and ask our panel of experts, and our listeners, what to do about it.   Listen to the program   Guests: Jennifer Byrne - Assistant Professor of Political Science, James Madison University. David Martin - Professor of Immigration Law at the University of Virginia;  former General Counsel to the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service. Bob Trumble, Ph.D. - Director, Virginia Labor Studies Center, Virginia Commonwealth University. Monday, October 13, 2008     What Do 'Special Needs' Families Need? Sarah Palin delivered this promise about halfway through her acceptance speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention: “To the families of special-needs children all across this country … I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.” Yet since the convention, that promise from Governor Palin has received very little attention. We ask “special needs” families (and those who work with them) what kind of advocacy they would most like to see coming from the top levels of government.   Listen to the program   Guests: Susan Anderson, M.D. - Director of Outpatient Services, Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center at the University of Virginia. Brandon K. Schultz, Ed.D., NCSP - Director of Clinical and Consultative Services,  Alvin V. Baird Attention and Learning Disabilities Center at James Madison University. Martha E. Snell, Ph.D. - Professor of Special Education, University of Virginia. Tierney Temple-Fairchild, MBA, Ph.D. - Founder of the Darden-Curry Partnership for Leadership in Education.  Parent of a 10-year-old daughter with Down syndrome. Monday, October 6, 2008     Other People’s Faith Is your religion better than your neighbor’s? It might be difficult to think of a more impolite question. But if you think about it, that question -- and many people’s answer to it -- could be behind a lot of misunderstanding in today’s world. We get a preview of a four-day-long conference that will have people asking and answering tough questions about religion.   Listen to the program   Guests: Sallie King, Ph.D. - Professor of Philosophy and Religion, James Madison University and participant in the University’s “Interfaith Days of Awareness” Jenan Mohajir, Outreach Education Association for the Interfaith Youth Core  participant in James Madison University’s  “Interfaith Days of Awareness”. Monday, September 29, 2008     A Child's-Eye View Talk of economic meltdown. Bitter political debate. War. And, yes, even homework you’d don’t understand. From a child’s point of view, the world today can be a pretty anxiety-producing place. We talk with a Virginia researcher who has spent the past 15 years attempting to see “worries,” as children see them.   Listen to the program   Guest: Michael Southam-Gerow, Ph.D. - Co-Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Anxiety Clinic,  Associate Professor of Psychology at VCU. Monday, September 22, 2008     The Women Who Call Themselves ‘NeW’ Do the terms “conservative politics” and “women’s rights” go together? “Yes!” is the emphatic answer from a nationwide group of conservative college women. And they see Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as evidence that they are right. We talk with the Charlottesville-based founder of the group that calls itself the “Network of enlightened Women”  -- or “NeW.”   Listen to the program   Guest: Karin Agness,  founder of the nationwide college women’s organization NeW. Monday, September 15, 2008     National Security -- A Recent History “When our security is threatened,” some say, “we must be willing to give up some liberty.” “Not so,” say others. “Our security is dependent on our liberty.” The argument sounds like the debate raging today over the war on terror.   But actually it stems back to a 14-volume report issued by Congress 33 years ago. We talk with the Virginia researcher whose new book examines the recent history of the secret world of national security, and with two expert observers of national security in a post-9/11 world.   Listen to the program   Guests: Russell A. Miller, J.D. -  Associate Professor of Law, Washington and Lee University; author of  U.S. National Security, Intelligence and Democracy: From the Church Committee to the War on Terror. Eric Lichtblau, Washington bureau reporter for the New York Times; winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his stories on secret, NSA wiretapping programs; and author of Bush's Law: The Remaking of American Justice. John B. Noftsinger, Jr., Ed.D. - Vice Provost for Research and Public Service at James Madison University and co-author of  Understanding Homeland Security: Policies, Perspectives, and Paradoxes. Monday, September 8, 2008         Virginia Politics Update What’s the state of politics in your neighborhood? We ask professional political analysts -- as well as listeners from across the WMRA region -- to make sense of the huge changes that appear to be taking place in Virginia politics.   Listen to the program   Guests: Chelyen Davis - Richmond-based political reporter for The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. Bob Gibson - Executive Director of The Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and former political writer at The Charlottesville Daily Progress. Bob Roberts, Ph.D. - Professor of Political Science at James Madison University and author of From Watergate to Whitewater: The Public Integrity War. Jen Thompson, J.D. - Director of External Relations and Assistant Professor of Political Science at The Wilder School of Government , Virginia Commonwealth University. Monday, August 25, 2008    Accelerating Science It is called the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It will accelerate proton beams to near the speed of light. When some of those protons collide, examination of the result could lead to enormously improved scientific understanding. Thanks to 15 years of work by a community of scientists around the world, the LHC is scheduled to go on line in just a few weeks. We talk with two of those scientists about their hopes for greater grasp of the nature of reality.   Listen to the program   Guests: Bradley B. Cox, Ph.D. - Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia. Robert J. Hirosky, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia. Monday, August 18, 2008    Aging Brain Power What happens as your brain gets older? A team of Virginia scientists has found that cognitive ability can change markedly in a few short years. And those changes don’t just happen for people in their 70s and 80s.   These scientists have discovered significant differences in “brain power” between 20-year-olds and 30-year-olds. We talk with the man behind the Salthouse Cognitive Aging Lab.   Listen to the program   Guest: Timothy Salthouse, Ph.D. - The Brown-Forman Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. Director of the Salthouse Cognitive Aging Lab. Monday, August 11, 2008    An Optimistic Vision for a Graying Generation Jeff Goldsmith calls them “The Catastropharians.” It is the term he made up to describe those often-heard-from pundits who say our economy is headed for a meltdown as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age. Jeff Goldsmith also says they are wrong. We talk with the Charlottesville-based public policy researcher about his new book, and his suggestions for how to prepare for the economy of the future.   Listen to the program   Guest: Jeff Goldsmith, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia, President of Health Futures, Inc, author of The Long Baby Boom: An Optimistic Vision for a Graying Generation. [2008, John Hopkins University Press]. Monday, August 4, 2008    On Gypsies Why do we hate? Domnica Radulescu has pursued that question for most of her professional life.  We talk with this Washington and Lee University professor about her new book examining the plight of one of the most discriminated-against groups in history.   Listen to the program   Guest: Domnica Radulescu, Ph.D. - Professor of Romance Languages, Washington and Lee University; co-editor of “Gypsies,” in European Literature and Culture, and author of the new novel "Train to Trieste." Monday, July 28, 2008    Two Senators, One Issue Is Virginia’s transportation system truly in desperate financial straits? Many on both sides of the political aisle believe it is.  But there is little agreement on what to do about it. We get two influential state Senators -- one Republican, one Democrat -- talking with each other and our audience about solutions.  And we ask what the consequences will be if the political stalemate over transportation funding continues.   Listen to the program   Guests: Senator R. Creigh Deeds - Democrat representing the 25th State Senate District,  which includes Albemarle County (Part); Alleghany County (All); Bath County (All); Buckingham County (Part); Buena Vista City (All); Charlottesville City (All); Covington City (All); Nelson County (All); and Rockbridge County (Part). Senator Emmett Hanger, Jr. - Republican representing the 24th State Senate District, which includes Albemarle County (Part); Augusta County (All); Greene County (All); Highland County (All); Rockbridge County (Part); Rockingham County (Part); and the Cities of Staunton, Waynesboro and Lexington. Monday, July 21, 2008    Books Behind Bars Read any good books lately? That question is getting asked more and more often these days in an unusual place... in prison. Thanks to a Charlottesville based program, thousands of books are now making their way into jails and penitentiaries across the Commonwealth. We talk with the woman who founded the "Books Behind Bars" program, as well as some of the inmates who say her books changed their lives.   Listen to the program   Guest: Kay Allison - Director, The Quest Institute. Monday, July 14, 2008    The New Head of Sorensen For more than thirty years he was one of Virginia’s most respected political reporters. Now he heads up a UVa linked group whose mission is to promote more respect for -- and citizen involvement in -- politics. We talk citizenship, personal responsibility, and politics with former Daily Progress columnist, now Sorensen Institute chief, Bob Gibson.     Listen to the program   Guest: Bob Gibson - Executive Director, The Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. Monday, July 7, 2008    Advocating for Children They’re called “CASA” -- for “Court Appointed Special Advocates."  They are volunteers who help abused children rebuild their lives.  On this edition, we talk with Advocates doing remarkable work in the Valley and the Charlottesville region.   Listen to the program   Guests: Doug Brown - Volunteer Advocate with Charlottesville-based Piedmont CASA. Janet Cleveland - Executive Director, CASA for Children of Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro. Phoebe Frosch - Director of Advancement, Piedmont CASA. Monday June 30, 2008    Virginia Politics Update You may have noticed taxes and transportation are making Virginia headlines again.  But also in current political news -- presidential candidates are making the Old Dominion a battleground, two former governors are trying to become a senator,  and a current senator and a current governor keep getting asked about running mate status. We invite listeners to join three journalists and a politics professor in an effort to make sense of the latest in political developments across the Commonwealth.   Listen to the program   Guests: Anita Kumar - Richmond based Political Reporter for The Washington Post Bob Roberts, PhD - Professor of Political Science and Public Administration, James Madison University. Chelyen Davis - Richmond based Political Reporter for The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star Jeff Schapiro - Political Reporter and Columnist, Richmond Times Dispatch Monday, June 23, 2008   How Does Your Garden Grow? Got any good gardening tips?  Could you use some?  Have you thought about going organic? Have you tried it and learned some things that you would be willing to share? We address all manner of gardening issues with a former director of the JMU Arboretum who now runs the Valley based Radical Roots Community Farm.   Listen to the program   Guest: David O’Neill - Gardening Advisor and co-owner of the Radical Roots Community Farm. Monday, June 16, 2008   Fragrant Flower Theory You have probably thought about what it would be like to go back in time... but have you ever wondered what things smelled like in the past? Dr. Jose Fuentes has achieved a kind of environmental time travel, and he’s determined that there have been major changes in the aromas of nature, raising concerns about today’s environment. We’ll talk to Dr. Fuentes about his unique approach to environmental science.   Listen to the program   Guest: Dr. Jose Fuentes - Professor of Environmental Science, University of Virginia. Monday, June 9, 2008   A Sense of Place in the Valley When you travel around the Shenandoah Valley, whether you race up and down I-81 or take a leisurely tour of Route 11, perhaps you’ve wondered how these towns and cities came to be.  Why are the buildings in New Market’s downtown so close to the road?  How did Staunton build its unique architectural heritage? Two historians, one from Lexington and one from Winchester, have traced the settlement and growth of the Shenandoah Valley in the 18th and 19th centuries. After you hear the stories they have to tell, your drive through the Valley may never be the same. We explore the towns around us, and our sense of place.   Listen to the program   Guests: Warren R. Hofstra - Professor of History, Shenandoah University Kenneth E. Koons - Professor of History, Virginia Military Institute Monday, June 2, 2008    Virginia Search and Rescue What special human quality is it that makes someone risk life and limb to save another human being?  To brave the elements to find disaster victims? One man in Virginia coordinates and trains teams from all over the commonwealth to do just that… in Suffolk, in New Orleans, even in China. His job is to use the best know-how and resources to find and rescue you….  should you become lost or trapped. Guest host Andi Arndt talks to the man who oversees Virginia’s search and rescue.   Listen to the program   Guest: Mark Eggeman - Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Coordinator for Virginia Search and Rescue. Monday, May 19, 2008    A Town Hall Meeting with Governor Kaine Virginia’s Governor has called a special session of the General Assembly, to begin June 23, 2008. The issue is Transportation. In advance of the legislative session, Governor Kaine plans a series of town hall meetings across the Commonwealth, including this special one-hour broadcast on WMRA. From Winchester to Lexington, Charlottesville to Farmville, residents of western and central Virginia share their perspectives with Governor Tim Kaine on this Special Edition of Virginia Insight.   Listen to the program   Guest: Tim Kaine - Governor of Virginia. Monday, May 12, 2008    Free Speech Update Who has done the most in the past year to curtail free speech? There is a federal agency that is being ”honored“ for putting out fake news.  But that is just one of the stories behind the latest Muzzle Awards. We detail that particular case and several more on this Free Speech Update edition of Virginia Insight.   Listen to the program Guest: Bob O'Neil - Former President of the University of Virginia, and current Director of The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. Monday, May 5, 2008    Kid Pan Alley Amy Grant has done it. Kim Richey, too. As well as Beth Nielsen Chapman, Tommy Sims, and even the Nashville Bluegrass Band. They are among the professional musicians who have now recorded songs written by groups of children -- as part of the ongoing Virginia-based project “Kid Pan Alley.” We talk with the man behind the project -- and listen to much of the kid-inspired results.   Listen to the program   Guest: Paul Reisler - Central Virginia based song writer and musician.  Founder and Artistic Director for Kid Pan Alley.  (http://www.kidpanalley.org/home.html) Monday, April 28, 2008    Race, Religion, and Politics Some people believe one of this year’s presidential contenders is doing as well as he is because of his race. Some think another contender failed in his bid for a nomination because of his religion. When you make a decision about politics, how much are religion or race factors? A special focus on how race and religion intersect with public thought in American politics.   Listen to the program   Guests: Jennifer Byrne, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Political Science, James Madison University. Martin Cohen, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Political Science, James Madison University. Robert N. Roberts, J.D., Ph.D. - Professor of Political Science, James Madison University. Monday, April 21, 2008    Jim Galloway and The Environment More than 30 years ago, while still a student, his research drew attention to the problems of acid rain. In the decades since, much of his work has been on a variety of environmental challenges in the Shenandoah Valley. Now one of his theories has won him what many consider to be the most prestigious international award in environmental science. We talk with scientist Jim Galloway about his “Nitrogen Cascade” theory, and other issues that some believe hold a key to the future health of Mother Earth.   Listen to the program   Guest: Jim Galloway, Ph.D. - Professor of Environmental Science, University of Virginia.  Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science.  Fellow, The American Geophysical Union.  Co-winner of the 2008 Tyler Prize in Environmental Achievement. Monday, April 14, 2008    Where Now?  Transportation in Virginia When the economy goes sour, government suffers too. With fewer tax dollars coming in, Virginia’s budget for fixing roads and bridges is now running short by hundreds of millions of dollars. A recent decision by the Virginia Supreme Court has erased hundreds of millions more dollars that were supposed to be used to build new roads. How concerned should we be? We put that question to Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation.   Listen to the program   Guest: Pierce R. Homer - Virginia Secretary of Transportation and Chairman of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, Virginia Transportation Office. Monday, April 7, 2008    Lessons From LBJ? During an unpopular war, the president's closest advisors counsel him, on tape, about his choices. We'll examine those conversations and much more, as we search for lessons that just may apply today. Two Virginia researchers take us deep into the secret recordings of Lyndon Johnson's White House.   Listen to the program   Guests: Guian McKee, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor and Research Historian in the Presidential Recordings Department of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. David Shreve, Ph.D. - Former Researcher in the Presidential Recordings Department of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. Monday, March 31, 2008    Legislative Next Steps You have probably already heard what the official observers -- reporters and analysts -- have to say.  Now, how about the participants? We talk with members of the General Assembly, Republican and Democrat, Senators and Delegates, to get their take on the workings of state government. We will also focus on the contentious issue lawmakers now face in an expected Special Session of the General Assembly: dealing with Virginia’s transportation woes.   Listen to the program   Guests: Delegate Ben Cline Republican representing the 24th House of Delegates District,  which includes: Amherst County (part); Augusta County (part); Rockbridge County (All); and the Cities of Buena Vista and Lexington. Delegate David Toscano Ph.D., J.D.  Democrat representing the 57th House of Delegates District, which includes Charlottesville and portions of Albemarle County. Senator R. Creigh Deeds Democrat representing the 25th State Senate District,  which includes Albemarle County (Part); Alleghany County (All); Bath County (All); Buckingham County (Part); Buena Vista City (All); Charlottesville City (All); Covington City (All); Nelson County (All); and Rockbridge County (Part). Senator Emmett Hanger, Jr.  Republican representing the 24th State Senate District, which includes Albemarle County (Part); Augusta County (All); Greene County (All); Highland County (All); Rockbridge County (Part); Rockingham County (Part); and the Cities of Staunton, Waynesboro and Lexington. At the time of this broadcast, Senator Creigh Deeds was scheduled to be traveling rural areas of Virginia where cell phone coverage is unreliable.  Since he could not participate in the "live" discussion,  Senator Deeds agreed to record an interview with host Tom Graham, and allow portions of that conversation to be inserted into the broadcast.   Full interview, as it was recorded with Senator Deeds outside the Miller Center in Charlottesville   Monday March 24, 2008    Virginia Politics Update Dealing with abusive driver fees... coping with a $2 billion deficit... repairing a broken mental health system. There was much work facing state lawmakers in recent weeks.  Now that their General Assembly session has ended, how well did they do? We invite two journalists, a political scientist, and our listeners to address that question on this edition of Virginia Insight.   Listen to the program Guests: Loretta Boniti - State Capitol Bureau Chief for NBC 29, WVIR-TV Bob Gibson - Columnist and political reporter for The Charlottesville Daily Progress. Bob Roberts, PhD -  Professor of Political Science and Public Administration, James Madison University. Monday, March 17, 2008    Going Broke “Where did all that money go?” It’s a question millions of Americans ask themselves whenever they take a moment to think about their own personal finances. We talk with a finance specialist and a psychologist about societal changes and technological innovations that may explain why so many people are deeply in debt.   Listen to the program   Guests: Pamela Peterson Drake, PhD, CFA - The J. Gray Ferguson Professor of Finance and Chair of the Department of Finance and Business Law,  James Madison University. Stuart Vyse, PhD -  Professor of Psychology, Connecticut College.  Author of Going Broke, Why Americans Can’t Hold On to Their Money. Monday, March 10, 2008    Are You What You Read? Does reading fiction change your view of the world? Can it make you care more, or understand better, the people around you? A researcher from our region has come up with answers to those questions that might surprise you. All fiction lovers are invited to share their thoughts, as we question Washington and Lee University’s Suzanne Keen about the findings in her new book, Empathy and the Novel.   Listen to the program  Guest: Suzanne Keen, Ph.D.  - Thomas H. Broadus Professor of English, Washington and Lee University.  Author of Empathy and the Novel. Monday, March 3, 2008       Mental Health in the Commonwealth Long before tragedy struck last spring at Virginia Tech, people were struggling behind the scenes to make radical changes in the Commonwealth’s mental health system. Among them were a law professor, a psychologist, a health care administrator and a mental health patient turned advocate. All four are guests on this edition of Virginia Insight as we consider what improvements are most needed, and what improvements are most likely to be made, in Virginia’s mental health services.   Listen to the program   Guest: Richard Bonnie, LL.B. - Chair, Virginia Commission on Mental Health Law Reform. Harrison Foundation Professor of Medicine and Law and Professor of Psychiatric Medicine at the University of Virginia. as well as Director of UVa’s Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy. Charlotte McNulty - Executive Director, Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Service Board John Ostentak - founder of the Harrisonburg based mental health advocacy group REACH (“Recovery Education and Creative Health”). Peter Sheras, PhD - Clinical psychologist. Professor, University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education and Associate Director of UVa’s Youth Violence Project. Monday, February 25, 2008       Unfinished Business When it comes to equality, Michael Klarman wants to challenge some of your most cherished notions. The Virginia Law Professor is the man behind award winning research on the history of efforts to end racism. A history that he says is full of fits and starts. Progress toward equality, Klarman finds, has traveled in anything but a straight line. Michael Klarman’s newest book, Unfinished Business, traces the roots of racism from the period before America’s Revolutionary War up through today. That book and his newest findings will be our focus on this edition of Virginia Insight.   Listen to the program   Guest: Michael J. Klarman, JD - The James Monroe Professor of Law as well as a Professor of History at the University of Virginia. Author of Unfinished Business: Racial Equality in American History. A former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Professor Klarman’s previous book, From Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality, won the 2005 Bancroft Prize in American History. Monday, February 18, 2008       Race and Health Does the color of your skin affect the quality of your health care? Most people would say, “it should have no effect at all.” But according to the latest research, a significant racial disparity does exist when it comes to who gets what kind of medicine. Join the conversation as we speak with a Charlottesville physician who’s working to change that.   Listen to the program   Guest: M. Norman Oliver, M.D. - Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Associate Professor of Anthropology, and Director of the Center on Health Disparities at the University of Virginia. Monday, February 11, 2008       A Virginia Politics Update You have probably been hearing plenty about national issues... but what about statewide issues? Should there be a law against doing your makeup while you drive? Should someone be allowed to charge you 900 percent interest on a loan? We take on the big and not so big political issues in the Commonwealth.   Listen to the program   Guests: Anita Kumar, Political Reporter for The Washington Post. Bob Roberts Ph.D., Professor of Political Science at James Madison University and author of From Watergate to Whitewater: The Public Integrity War. Jeff Schapiro, Political Reporter for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Monday, February 4, 2008       What Are You Made Of? You’ve probably heard the saying "you are what you eat." Now scientist Steve Macko can prove it. His research has been used to determine the diet of the three thousand year old Iceman discovered in the Austrian Alps, the cultural practices of an eight thousand year old tribe in Chile, and the economic changes that are rippling through the food chain in modern America. He does it by studying strands of human hair.   Listen to the program   Guest: Stephen Macko, Ph.D. - Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Virginia and author of the textbook Organic Geochemistry: Principles and Applications. Dr. Macko is also a featured scientist in the new movie King Corn. Monday, January 28, 2008       The Ultimate Failure? Bankruptcy is a word that (if we're honest) strikes fear in most of us. And for those who have to deal with bankruptcy, shame and other unpleasant emotions often well up. We talk with a woman who started in social work, became an attorney, and now as a college professor, can help us deal with those emotions... since she specializes in bankruptcy.   Listen to the program   Guests: Margaret Howard - Professor of Law, Washington and Lee University. Author of Bankruptcy Overview: Issues, Law and Policy, co-author Cases and Materials on Bankruptcy. Jay Speer - Executive Director of the Virginia Poverty Law Center. Monday, January 21, 2008       Building Goodness So you’d like to make the world a better place... but can getting hold of a hammer and some nails really make all that much difference? We talk with members of the local group that has taken volunteers first to Haiti, then to Guatemala, and now to locations in the U.S. They have been teaching those volunteers how to construct new hope through what the group calls "Building Goodness".   Listen to the program   Guests: Jack Higgins - Program Coordinator for the Charlottesville based nonprofit Building Goodness. Howard Pape - President of Central Virginia Waterproofing. Vice President and co-founder of the Charlottesville based nonprofit Building Goodness. Jack Stoner - Vice President of the construction company Alexander Nicholson, Inc. President and co-founder of the Charlottesville based nonprofit Building Goodness. Monday, January 14, 2008       Virginia Politics - An Update Mental Health Reform... Expanding pre-school for four year olds... Highway gridlock... budget deficits... and those dreaded abusive driver fees. These issues and more are on the agenda now that the General Assembly is in session. And let's not forget that a presidential primary is coming to Virginia in just a few weeks. We take a look at the state of politics in the Old Dominion.   Listen to the program   Guests: Bob Gibson, Columnist and political reporter for The Charlottesville Daily Progress. Bob Roberts Ph.D., Professor of Political Science at James Madison University and author of From Watergate to Whitewater: The Public Integrity War. Chelyen Davis, Richmond based political reporter for The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. Thursday, January 10, 2008       Insight Presents - A Marriage of Inconvenience: The US and the UN On this documentary from America Abroad, we explore the tumultuous relationship between the US and the UN and examine instances of cooperation and conflict. We travel to Sudan to better understand how and why America is working with the UN to support a peacekeeping force in the war-torn region of Darfur; and to Geneva, to examine the first year of the UN's Human Rights Council and find out why the US decided not to seek a Council seat. We also look back at the highs and lows of America's 62-year history with the UN, and hear from top American policymakers about the importance of the United Nations’ authorization resolution authorizing of the Gulf War. A Marriage of Inconvenience: The US and the UN   Tuesday, January 8, 2008       Insight Presents - IQ2: Aid to Africa Is Aid to Africa doing more harm than good? A panel of experts tackle this issue in an Oxford-style debate, as part of the Intelligence Squared U.S. series, produced by NPR. The panelists arguing for the motion are prominent Ghanaian economist George Ayittey, New York University Professor of Economics William Easterly, and writer and policy analyst David Rieff. Arguing against the motion are writer, speaker and activist C. Payne Lucas, UN Millennium Project Deputy Director John McArthur, and Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Gayle Smith. The moderator for the debate is Brian Lehrer. IQ2: Aid to Africa   Monday, January 7, 2008       Editors Roundtable What will be the big news in the year ahead? We put that question to four newspaper editors from across our region... and your predictions are welcome too!   Listen to the program   Guests: Bobby Ford - Managing Editor of the Winchester based daily The Winchester Star. Hawes Spencer - Editor and Publisher of the Charlottesville based weekly The Hook. Lee Wolverton - Managing Editor of the Waynesboro based daily The News-Virginian. Rob Longley - City Editor of the Harrisonburg based daily Daily News-Record. Thursday, January 3, 2008       Insight Presents - Radio Lab: Beyond Time Can we change the future... or is time a fixed stream with pre-determined actions? On this edition of Radio Lab, meet an entire cast of characters who are all waging a theoretical battle against time. You'll go to a particle accelerator where scientists recreate the moment just after the beginning of time; meet a Dublin artist whose life is a 19 century time-experiment; and visit the Mojave desert, where geologic time flows like a frozen hourglass. Radio Lab: Beyond Time   Tuesday, January 1, 2008       Insight Presents - Radio Lab: Time Jorge Luis Borges wrote, "Time is the substance from which I am made. Time is a river which carries me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire," and it’s as close a definition as we have. But maybe if we slow time down enough, or speed it up enough, we can unlock its secrets. On this edition of Radio Lab, we’re using an hour to try and do just that. Radio Lab: Time