Bk960317
TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE
from Wisconsin Public Radio
March 17, 1996 Programs
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1100 - 1159 Hour #1 Ireland
1200 - 1259 Hour #2 Re-thinking Evolution
1300 - 1359 Hour #3 Vietnam
PROGRAM RUNDOWN Hour 1:Ireland
SEGMENT 1:
John Hume, founder and President of the Social
Democratic and Labor Party in Ireland, has been at the heart of the peace
process that led to the seventeen month long truce which was shattered by
the recent IRA bombings in London. Hume tells Judith Strasser that the
peace process involves two stages - the cease-fire, then all-party talks -
now scheduled to begin in June. Also, Baroness Jean Denton, Northen
Ireland's Minister for the Economy, tells Judith Strasser that the Irish
are attempting to re-write centuries of history and that economic issues
are critical to the success of the peace efforts.
SEGMENT 2:
Behind today's troubles in Ireland, looms the
shadow of the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s which saw more than a
million Irish die of starvation and a mass exodus of the survivors to
the United States. Irish-Americans Jim Donnally and Tom Archdeacon,
historians at the University of Wisconsin, tell Steve Paulson that the
famine quickly became a political weapon for Irish nationalists and also
explain why it was so devastating to the population.
SEGMENT 3:
John Gleeson is the Director of Milwaukee Irish
Arts, and has been known to tell a story or two. He tells Jim Fleming a
story about a bad priest, and explains how the traditon of Irish story-
telling is thriving in some new forms. Also, Thomas Cahill tells Jim that
the monks and scribes of ancient Ireland sheltered the intellectual wealth
of Western Civilization during the Dark Ages. Cahill is the author of "How
the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role
from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe."
For cassette copies of this hour, call 1-800-747-7444, and ask for program number
03-17-A.
PROGRAM RUNDOWN Hour 2:Re-thinking Evolution
SEGMENT 1:
Ron Numbers, a historian of science at the
University of Wisconsin, talks with Jim Fleming about the history of
creationist beliefs in America. He says they've changed dramatically
since the 1960s. Numbers is the author of "The Creationists: The
Evolution of Scientific Creationism." Also, Stephen Jay Gould, an ardent
fan of evolution, says that even though Darwin's theory is hard to swallow,
it's still the right one.
SEGMENT 2:
Arne Wyller is an astrophysicist and former
professor at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences who's critical of both
evolution and creationism. In his book "The Planetary Mind" and in this
conversation with Steve Paulson, Wyller outlines his theory that there is
an intelligence field that organizes molecules into more complicated forms
of life.
SEGMENT 3:
Molecular biologist Peri Senapathy feels
that Darwin's theory cannot account for the origins of life.
Senapathy has his own theory involving an analysis of genetic material
which he explains to Judith Strasser and in a book called "Independent
Birth of Organisms."
For cassette copies of this hour, call 1-800-747-7444, and ask for program number
03-17-B.
PROGRAM RUNDOWN: HOUR 3: Vietnam
SEGMENT 1
Lady Borton (that's her name - it's not an aristocratic title!)
has been active with Quaker organizations in Vietnam since the
Vietnam war. She talks with Judith Strasser about some of the
people she chronicles in her book "After Sorrow: An American
Among the Vietnamese."
SEGMENT 2:
Writer Tim O'Brien has used his experiences as a Vietnam combat
veteran to create three outstanding novels - ""Going After
Cacciato," "The Things They Carried," and "In the Lake of the
Woods." He tells Jim Fleming what it was like to return to
Vietnam twenty five years later. He says that while he'll
always have nightmares, he now has beautiful memories to place
alongside the horrific ones.
SEGMENT 3:
Nguyen Ngoc Hung (that's win noc hoong) is a North Vietnamese
veteran. He tells Steve Paulson about his experiences during
what he calls "the American war," and about the profound effect
on him of his visit to the Highground, a veterans memorial in
western Wisconsin. Hung is now involved in the creation of the
Vietnamese American Peace Park near Hanoi. Also, Mike Boehm,
an American Vietnam vet, also involved in the Peace Park, tells
Judith Strasser how his first trip back to Vietnam (to help
build a clinic) transformed his life: he has now devoted
himself to furthering reconciliation efforts between Americans
and Vietnamese.
For cassette copies of this hour, call 1-800-747-7444, and ask for program number
03-17-C.
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Last modified: Tuesday March 19, 1996