On tonight’s Inquiry, our guest is award winning writer, designer and novelist CHIP KIDD. In the 1960s, renown Japanese manga artist Jiro Kuwata turned out an amazing series of Batman comic stories, that until very recently were only known in Japan. Kidd has lovingly reproduced a set of these comics in a state of the art volume titled BAT MANGA that also includes some photographs of the distinctly Japanese merchandise that was sold at the time. Tune in and find out what the Japanese thought of this American superhero and what kind of unique villains the Japanese Batman fought. On-line, we also talk about Kidd’s latest novel THE LEARNERS, which begins, with the quote: “An idea ahead of its time, no matter what it is, is not a good idea.”
Friday, May 1, 2009 - 11:19am
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 11:56am
Inquiry speaks with noted children’s book author MELISSA STEWART about her latest book A PLACE FOR BIRDS, a companion volume to her A PLACE FOR BUTTERFLIES. Ms Stewart specializes in writing books about the natural sciences for young readers. In A PLACE FOR BIRDS, Melissa describes how children and adults have helped a number of endangered species survive. Tonight Melissa Stewart talks about how the Westover Air Reserve Base put aside a large parcel of grasslands so the diminutive Grasshopper Sparrow could breed. In Florida, school children helped save the breeding habitat for the local Florida Scrub Jay. While in Hawaii, local residents are controlling the introduced pig population to save the stunning Crested Honeycreeper. In each case there was something simple people could do to create a “place for birds.”
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 11:34am
Inquiry welcomes back film director ROBERT ADANTO. His documentary film, THE RISING TIDE is an intimate social and political portrait of contemporary China as seen through the eyes and words of the cutting edge artists working there today. Robert has just returned from showing his film in Shanghai, and has some very interesting comments to make on the current relationship between the artists and the still repressive government. How has the recent economic slump affected the artists working in China and the market for these world famous artists? Tune in and find out. Robert Adanto will be showing THE RISING TIDE, Saturday May 2 at the PEABODY-ESSEX MUSEUM in Salem, Massachusetts. For further details, go to: http://pem.org/events/music_film.php
Monday, April 27, 2009 - 11:01am
Freeman Vineyard & Winery is the fruition of a 20-year dream shared by Ken and Akiko Freeman to craft elegant cool climate California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in a sophisticated, Burgundian
style. With a passion for fine wine and contemporary cooking’s wealth of exotic flavors, the Freemans strive to create wines with the depth and character to pair seamlessly with the abundance of modern, global cuisine.
Believing in the vast potential of the Sonoma Coast to produce wines of complexity and refinement, after years of searching for the ideal site, the Freemans discovered a beautiful small winery in the
picturesque Russian River Valley town of Sebastopol. Guided by the old winemaking adage that "wine is made in the vineyard,” the Freemans researched and visited over 200 individual vineyards, searching for hillside locations with coastal fog, Goldridge soil, proper clonal
selection and stressed vines producing extremely low yields of nuanced fruit. The end result was Freeman Vineyard & Winery’s small portfolio of partner vineyards, including such renowned growers as Ted Klopp of Klopp Ranch, Marcy Keefer of Keefer Ranch, Charlie Heintz of Heintz Ranch and Dennis and Mary Black of Black Emerald Vineyard.
Friday, April 24, 2009 - 2:20pm
Have you ever wondered how one develops a serious interest in the natural world? Is it due to your schooling? Your parents and family? Or, perhaps, a book you happened to read? Tonight, natural historian, teacher and noted photographer JOHN GREEN speaks about his long and passionate career of observing the plants and creatures of Massachusetts (and elsewhere). John talks about his complex and extraordinary life and how he became such an incisive and discriminating observer of our natural environment. Along the way, you’ll learn about Skunk Cabbage, False Hellebore, and John’s continuing passion for photographing the ever-changing patterns of ice in streams, rivers and waterfalls. For some examples of John Green's photography, go to: http://www.johngreenphotos.com/
Friday, April 24, 2009 - 1:49pm
If you have ever attended a concert at Tanglewood and wondered who used to live in the grand houses on the estate, be sure not to miss tonight’s show. In the middle of the 19th Century, Lenox Massachusetts was cosmopolitan, cultivated community at the height of its “Gilded Age”. It was a time of grand mansions and their extraordinary families. People like Nathaniel Hawthorne, the Sedgewicks, the Tappans, and Fanny Kemble made Lenox in the 1850s and extraordinary place of beauty, artistry and style. Tonight on Inquiry, we speak with CORNEILA BROOKE GILDER, writer and historian, about her wonderful history of this magical period in the history of the Berkshires: HAWTHORNE’S LENOX: THE TANGLEWOOD CIRCLE.
Friday, April 17, 2009 - 2:26pm
In the very near future, will humans have emotional and sexual relationships with robots? You may think this sounds like the plot of the film Bladerunner, but tonight’s guest believes it is only a matter of a few decades till advances in hardware and AI produce sexy, lovable fembots and malebots that will be an intimate part of our lives. DAVID LEVY is an artificial intelligence expert and President of the International Computer Games Association. His controversial book is titled LOVE+SEX WITH ROBOTS: THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN-ROBOT RELATIONSHIPS.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 - 2:21pm
Hank Stolz is host of Wake Up Worcester!, a 30-minute TV show seen Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. on Charter Channel 3.
Some of you may know him from his 10 years waking up Worcester County on The WTAG Morning News or from The Hank Stolz Experience the last couple of years on AM 830 WCRN.
He says that being on the air the last dozen years in Worcester has really driven home just how special this area is. He feels he can fill hundreds of shows as the ideas just keep spilling out.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 - 1:32pm
The Rocket That Fell To Earth
by Jeff Pearlman
He was supposed to be the next Nolan Ryan: Roger Clemens, the fearless,
hard-nosed Texan with a 98-mph fastball and a propensity to throw at
the heads of opposing hitters. Yet shortly after his arrival in the
major leagues in 1984, it became apparent that the Ryan comparisons
were simply unfair—Roger Clemens was significantly better.
Over 24 seasons, the Rocket would go on to win 354 games, an
unprecedented seven Cy Young Awards and two World Series trophies. In
1986 he set the major league record with 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning
game, then matched it a decade later. He would be routinely praised for
representing the game in a just and righteous manner—a living,
breathing example of the power of determination and hard work. "Roger
Clemens," a teammate once said, "is an American hero."
But the statistics and hoopla obscure a far darker story. Along with
myriad playoff chokes, womanizing (including a 10-year affair with
then-teenage country singer Mindy McCready), a violent streak (most
famously triggered by former Mets star Mike Piazza) and his use of
steroids and human growth hormones, Clemens has spent years trying to
hide his darkest secret—a family tragedy involving drugs and,
ultimately, death.
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