wbur.org
support wbur today!
Hour 1
Students walk on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit. (AP)

Is it time to remake American Higher Education? Columbia University’s Mark Taylor says it’s time to end tenure and bring on a revolution. He joins us.

Hour 2
Stephen Hawking in Geneva, Switzerland, Sept. 15, 2009. (AP)

Physicist Stephen Hawking and a Cal Tech colleague weigh in on science, the ultimate questions, and God.

 
Recent Shows
Decoding Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson's daguerreotype circa 1846 (Amherst College Archives and Special Collections)

Emily Dickinson died a recluse. Today, her poetry towers. Top scholar Helen Vendler joins us for a deep look at Dickinson.

(Wednesday, September 8, 2010)
Comments [16]
 
Sarah Palin’s Road Show; A Gospel of Thrift
Former Gov. Sarah Palin speaks at the Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington, Aug. 28, 2010. (AP)

We talk with Vanity Fair reporter Michael Joseph Gross, about his big new—and controversial — profile of Tea Party powerbroker Sarah Palin. Plus, we hear a new gospel of thrift, from a young megachurch pastor.

(Wednesday, September 8, 2010)
Comments [103]
 
Cyber Prophet William Gibson
Courtesy of WilliamGibsonBooks.com

We talk with sci-fi visionary and cyberpunk godfather William Gibson about his new novel, “Zero History” –and about what happens when the future is now.

(Tuesday, September 7, 2010)
Comments [13]
 
Who Should Run Congress?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. with House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Jan. 6, 2009. (AP)

The big stage-setter for the mid-term elections. Democrats on why they should be rehired. Republicans on why Dems should be fired.

(Tuesday, September 7, 2010)
Comments [126]
 
Filmmaker Werner Herzog
German director Werner Herzog poses at the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, September 2009. (AP)

We talk with filmmaker Werner Herzog about a bad lieutenant, a matricidal son – and his own lifelong search for the “ecstatic truth.”

(Monday, September 6, 2010)
Comments [6]
 
John Irving: The Novelist’s Art
Credit: John-Irving.com

Novelist John Irving – of “Garp,” “Cider House Rules” fame – is at it again. He talks with us about his latest tale, “Last Night at Twisted River,” takes on Tom Wolfe, and explains the secrets of his own art.

(Monday, September 6, 2010)
Comments [7]
Producer's Picks
Venus Williams on Winning
Venus Williams

The two-time U.S. Open champion is making a bid right now at a third title. Listen back to our conversation with tennis superstar Venus Williams.

(Friday, July 30, 2010)
Comments [19]
 
The Debate Over Sperm Donors
Still from the film "The Kids are All Right" in which a family meets their sperm donor (focusfeatures.com)

Sperm banks are suddenly big in the movies. We look at the real life debate over test-tube daddies.

(Wednesday, July 14, 2010)
Comments [61]
 
Sobriety, Science, and AA’s Legacy
Credit: AP

Alcoholics Anonymous at 75. We look at its legacy and its 12 steps through the lens of the latest science.

(Friday, July 9, 2010)
Comments [132]
 
The Daily Show & Samantha Bee
Samantha Bee on "The Daily Show" set, with Jon Stewart and Jason Jones (Credit: The Daily Show.com)

We get inside Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” with high-humored “Daily Show” correspondent Samantha Bee.

(Thursday, July 8, 2010)
Comments [40]
 
Inside Beethoven’s 9th Symphony
"Ludwig van Beethoven," by Karl Joseph Stieler (Art Archive/Beethoven House)

Deconstructing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, with its monumental “Ode to Joy.” We get inside the music, and the world that inspired it.

(Tuesday, June 15, 2010)
Comments [56]
 
One Reporter’s Middle East
Credit: PublicAffairs

Another round of Middle East peace talks begins, this time under Pres. Obama. It’s a good time to listen back to NYTimes correspondent Neil MacFarquhar reflect on his time in the region.

(Monday, May 4, 2009)
Comments [27]
On Point Blog
For Emily Dickinson Superfans Only

We dug deep into Emily Dickinson’s poetry with top critic Helen Vendler and poet Rae Armantrout. We geeked out a bit when researching this show. If you’re a Dickinson superfan, don’t miss these extras.

More
 
On Point’s Sci-Fi Fleet…

Through the years, On Point has done many segments with sci-fi themes. Here are a few gems.

More
 
Wash Post: Elizabeth Warren Drops Harvard Class, Fuels More Speculation

The Washington Post reports that Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren — a candidate to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — has suddenly dropped out of her teaching duties this fall, prompting more speculation that she may take a job in the Obama administration.

More | Comments [3]
 
VP Biden in Iraq, Changing Command

Following Pres. Obama’s Oval Office address last night, Vice President Biden spoke in Iraq today, on the occasion of Iraqi troops taking command. Here’s the text.

More
 
Climate Skeptic Lomborg’s New Tune?

The U.K.’s Guardian reports that the world’s most prominent climate skeptic, Bjorn Lomborg, has taken a “U-turn” of sorts in his views. Lomborg spoke recently with On Point. Are his latest comments indeed a “huge boost” to flagging environmental efforts?

More | Comments [7]