Susan Aaronson, author of Trade Imbalance gave an opinion piece on NPR’s Marketplace yesterday afternoon.

Human rights groups may protest the Columbian free trade agreement, and point to Columbia’s shoddy record of human rights. Ok, yes, it’s shoddy. But should we wave a stick at it and hope it improves?

Aaronson points out that what many protesters fail to notice is that the agreement has built-in protections for human rights. This deal, in danger of failing, could be just what the critics should be rooting for.

July 10, 1925: jury selection begins on Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan’s famous trial in Dayton, Tennessee on the teaching of evolution in schools. The story is a little more complicated that one might think. Scopes, it turns out, agreed to be arrested. And the town was seeking some publicity.

NPR’s All Things Considered ran a great piece on this.

Listen Here >>

What’s all the hubbub about the “Dangers of Darwinism”?

Well, Darwin experienced a lot of the same struggles with his religion, and he writes about them in his letters. We post one every Friday here on this site. Tomorrow, I’ll have to find one rife with conflicted religious beliefs. Until then, I’ll leave you with another good little nugget courtesy of NPR — a song about monkeys and religion by country music legend Vernon Dalhart.

Then to Dayton came a man
with his new ideas so grand;
And he said we came from monkeys long ago;
But in teaching his beliefs Mr. Scopes found only grief;
For they would not let their old religion go.
You may find a new belief;
it will only bring you grief;
For a house that’s built on sand is sure to fall;
And wherever you may turn
there’s a lesson you will learn;
That the old religion’s better after all.

Ever wondered what it’s like to be interviewed on the radio or television?

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Nick Smith, author of I Was Wrong: the Meanings of Apologies. Here are some of his thoughts on dropping everything for media appearances, his own radio idol, and being accused of having a speech impediment.

Jonathan Gaugler, my hard-working publicist at Cambridge, asked my to write up some thoughts about the flurry of activity since the release of I Was Wrong: The Meanings of Apologies. This is my first book, so this is all new to me.

Diane Rehm devoted an entire show to the book on Tuesday. This may not sell as many copies as an appearance on Oprah, but for me it was even more thrilling. Diane Rehm belongs in the pantheon of great figures in contemporary media, and I don’t know of any better interviewer (although Terry Gross surely warrants similar praise). As so many programs become increasingly argumentative and paced for short attention spans, she slows down conversations and treats her guests with such grace and thoughtfulness. She listens enthusiastically, which I find to be one of the most important skills for any teacher. Over the years I have looked to her show as a model for conversations in my classrooms, so this was like meeting the master. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is the link to catch Nick Smith on apology. You can listen to WAMU’s archive in Real Audio or Window’s Media formats.

Weekend Edition Sunday paid a visit to two Cambridge editors to discuss their work in climatology and their new book, Our Changing Planet.

Listen here!

Michael King and Claire Parkinson gave Liane Hansen a warm welcome when she visited NASA Goddard Flight Center for a view of how our planet has changed over the years.

King and Parkinson recently edited Our Changing Planet (November, 2007), a large-format book packed with gorgeous satellite photographs of Earth’s surface. The book shows dramatic changes, from the drying Aral Sea to melting glaciers.

Have a listen at the link above.