RadioWest

Fridays from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

A show for the wildly curious. Doug Fabrizio explores the world through in-depth conversations with writers, filmmakers, scientists, thinkers and others. From KUER in Salt Lake City.

Facing the Storm: The Story of the American Bison

By • Apr 23, 2012

 

The past 200 years haven’t been kind to the American buffalo. Once the basis for the cultures and economies of Native Americans on the Great Plains, bison were nearly eradicated in the 19th century. Conservation efforts saved the animals from extinction, but they no longer roam freely on their old range. In a new documentary, the filmmaker Doug Hawes-Davis chronicles the history of human relations with the American bison. He and Western historian Dan Flores join Doug on Tuesday.

Paper Promises

By • Apr 20, 2012
<i><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoliblog/3198088960/">Zoli Erdos</a>/<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a> via flickr</i>

For the past 40 years western economies have splurged on debt, but it’s hardly a new phenomenon. Financial journalist Philip Coggan says that economic crises have a time-worn place in history. Governments fall, currencies lose their value and new systems emerge. In his new book, Coggan traces our attitudes towards money and debt through history. Monday, he joins us to explain what these debt cycles can teach us about our current situation and how our attitudes might be about to change again.

Inside Scientology

By • Apr 19, 2012
<i>Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/astroot/4809263036/ ">Aaron Stroot</a>/<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a> via flickr</i>

Friday, we're talking about Scientology with the journalist Janet Reitman. To its adherents, Scientology is the "fastest growing religion in the world." Its critics though call it a "cult" and even a "mafia" pointing to the hundreds of thousands of dollars that believers can pay for salvation. Reitman spent five years investigating the group and joins us to discuss her book "Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion." (Rebroadcast)

The Book of Love

By • Apr 18, 2012
<i>Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/2214450463/">Dennis Jarvis</a>/<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a> via flickr</i>

When the Hindu philosopher Vatsayana wrote the Kamasutra some 2000 years ago, he said that he did so in a spirit of chastity and meditation – not for the sake of passion. So how is it that the treatise has become synonymous with sexual ecstasy and acrobatic positions? The writer James McConnachie joins us to tell the story of the Kamasutra’s journey from India to Victorian England and the role it has played in the West’s ongoing wars over sexuality and morality.

The West's Withering Snowpack

By • Apr 17, 2012
Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25968780@N03/4614784650/>dh</a>/<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a> via flickr

Utah's famed powder snow -- snow so great it typically covers local mountains well into the summer -- faces a dim prognosis. Several recent studies suggest spring snowpack in the Mountain West is dwindling, the result of a warming climate. If the predictions hold true, in the future the region will see less snow and more rain from fewer, more intense storms. A panel of guests joins Doug on Wednesday to talk about global warming's toll on the region's snowpack and the potential side effects. 

Preparing for Utah's "Big One"

By • Apr 16, 2012

There's geologic evidence of 6.5 and greater earthquakes violently shaking our region. Seismologists say it will happen again in Utah, though it's difficult to say when. We do know that there could be devastating consequences for the urban landscape. Tuesday, the state is sponsoring an earthquake drill called "The Great Utah ShakeOut," so we're taking the opportunity to rebroadcast our conversation about earthquakes and what one would mean for the Wasatch Front. (Rebroadcast)

Fringeology

By • Apr 13, 2012

Many of us have stories of paranormal events. Strange objects in the skies, ghosts at the old hotel. When Steve Volk was a kid, odd bumps echoed through his house at night. His sisters said their sheets were pulled from their beds while they slept and that an old woman walked through the closed door of their room. Inspired by the noise his family could never trace, Volk set out to explore the world of the paranormal. Doug talks to him about his research in the field of fringeology. (Rebroadcast)

A Conversation with Neil deGrasse Tyson

By • Mar 19, 2012

Neil deGrasse Tyson, the director of the Hayden Planetarium and one of America's most vocal proponents of space exploration, is as fascinated with the depth and mysteries of outer space as he is with its proximity. "We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us," he has said. Tyson joins Doug on Tuesday to talk about his personal relationship with the cosmos and his crusade to get humanity back into space.

1/18/12: Rin Tin Tin - The Life and the Legend

By • Jan 18, 2012

A canine orphan of World War I, Rin Tin Tin was rescued from a French battlefield and went on to become one of the most renowned names of 20th century entertainment. Susan Orlean wrote about the life and legend of the famous German shepherd, his descendants and their owners,tracing in the rise of dogs in American life and the cinema and exploring the bond between humans and animals. Orlean talks with Doug on Wednesday about the legacy of Rin Tin Tin. (Rebroadcast)

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