Building Bridges: Abrahamic Perspectives on the World Today
with Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, Season II
Now Available on a 3-DVD Set
A first-ever 15-part series conceived by a rabbi for Bridges TV-American Muslim TV Network, the show brings together religious leaders of the three major Abrahamic faiths to grapple with the divisive issues splitting our traditions and country. Fast paced and tied to today's news, it gives viewers a deeper understanding of how people of faith see the world, and each other, with live interviews from the American public.
This week on Intelligent Talk Radio, The Right To Die: Who decides when and how we die? Oregon has become the first state to pass a right to die measure after a local 16 year-old dies of kidney failure due to not going to the doctor. Are parents playing the role of God? With our quality of healthcare and quality of life in mind, how do we respond to these ethical conversations? GuestDerek Humphry, is the author of Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide and someone who helped his wife end her life. He is also a board member for the Final Exit Network, a non-profit that advocates for the right to die.
Also, Survey: Men Marrying Up:A new survey finds an interesting trend in marriage. Due to the value of women's pay going up and other reasons, married men have a higher median income now more than ever. So more men are marrying up, but this can become a real challenge and men can be uncomfortable with it.Richard Fry, co-author of the report published by the Pew Research Center, talks about these new facts brought to light and what it means for couples in America. Listen Below.
This week on Intelligent Talk Radio, Brown Wins in Mass. - Local vs. National Impact: Brown's win in Massachusetts has the capacity to change politics here and around the world. Brown understood that all politics are local. Is this still true? This election has national implications that can start shaping events across the country. Matt Welch Editor in Chief for Reason Magazinejoins this discussion.
Also, Disaster in Haiti: Nine days ago tragedy struck Haiti in the form of an earthquake. It has changed the attention of the world. After hundreds of years of struggling for this small island, how can we open our hearts and minds to change things on a long-term basis? This story becomes two-fold; the tragedy of the earthquake and the tragedy that is Haiti. Daniel Erikson, Senior Associate for U.S. Policy at the Inter-American Dialogue and author of "The Cuba Wars: Fidel Castro, the United States, and the Next Revolution",helps us gain perspective on what needs to change for Haiti. Listen Below.
This week on Intelligent Talk Radio, The Survey Of Obama And The Administration: President Obama's approval rating is now dipping under 50%, and Congress's falls faster and farther. This isn't the problem of one person but a governance problem with our elected officials. Can we create a new and more pragmatic politics in this country? Do Americans have less faith than before and are we giving up on our government?Andy Barr, Reporter for POLITICO, shares his opinions on these questions.
Also, Phobias: What's the difference between fears and phobias? Nearly nine percent of us have a phobia of some kind. Phobias are not always about being afraid. With the embarrassment connected to them, what can you do to take care of it? Lev Grossman, columnist for TIME and author of The Magicians, a NY Times bestseller, shares his first hand experience of a phobia and his ideas for a cure.
This week on Intelligent Talk Radio, The Irish Blasphemy Law: According to a new law, a person will be found guilty of blasphemy if they "publish or utter matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion." Are our rights of expression being constrained by faith and are these laws protecting people or ideas? Mathew Schmalz, Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross shares his perspective.
Also, Christmas Day Air Scare: According to the data, the signs were the same as they were on 9/11. Everything we could know about what happened it seems we did know, and measures weren't implemented. What's the correct response and how are we doing better nearly ten years after September 11, 2001? Kenneth R. Bazinet, White House correspondent for the NY Daily News, helps us understand what went wrong. Listen Below.
This week on Intelligent Talk Radio,The Happiness Survey: A survey of over a million American's reveals the happiest places in the United States. What makes us happy in terms of where we live? How do we assess our happiness and take better control of what makes us happy?Do we have realistic expectations or a general disconnect of what truly matters in our lives?Andrew J Oswald, Professor of Economics, University of Warwick, UK & an ESRC Professorial Fellow is one of the two economists who conducted the happiness study. Listen to his conclusions and hear the top 5 places to live in the U.S.
Also, Keeping New Year’s Resolutions: How do we make realistic and specific goals for this New Year? Resolutions speak of optimism in the human spirit. Learn the techniques to help yourself to a healthier 2010.John Grohol Psy.D CEO and Founder PsychCentral.comshares some helpful hints. Listen Below.
This week on Intelligent Talk Radio,Highlights and Lowlights of 2009: As we look back at 2009, what were the highlights and the lowlights of the year? What accomplishments have been made benefiting human rights everywhere regardless of our personal politics? How can we harvest the best of this year, and learn from the mistakes, to bring what we need into the next decade?Ron Hart, syndicated columnist, libertarian op-ed humorist and author shares his insight of the past year.
Also, The Move to Make Pope Pius XII a Saint: Pope Pius XII has attained the step before sainthood. The question arises; did Pope Pius XII do everything in his power to prevent the mass murder of Jews during the holocaust? This question is a lot more complicated than yes or no, good guy or bad guy. However, transparency, as it includes the Vatican archives becomes more important than ever. This event could potentially diminish sainthood within the Catholic Church. What are the origins and the background of this issue?George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a Catholic theologian and one of America's leading public intellectuals. Weigel helps us understand the specifics of this issue. Listen Below.
This week on Intelligent Talk Radio, Loneliness, Feeling Alone Together & How Loneliness Spreads: During the holiday season the promise of connection is at it's greatest, and that makes some of us feel alone. We are bombarded with ideals of perfection at this time of year, and that can taint a normal experience into a feeling of vulnerability and debilitation. Loneliness is a social problem for us to be aware of, and also a personal issue to nurture ourselves as we nurture those who feel lonely this holiday season. How can we work ourselves out of a place of loneliness to a place of more connection?
Also, War on Christmas:When did Christmas become a war of two dueling sides? Public expression of Christmas has turned into a type of aggressive secularity; defending, disrespecting, and disregarding others rights of expression. What does the politics of multiculturalism mean for our country? This time of year should be an opportunity to celebrate diversity, and to allow room for new religious experiences that gave birth to our western civilization; not demanding that others adhere to our beliefs. How do we express our religious freedoms and respect those freedoms of others?Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League helps us see our way our this problem. Listen Below.
This week on Intelligent Talk Radio, Parliament of the World’s Religions: Every 4 years a faith festival is held and this year Hirschfield and Kula are returning from Melbourne, Australia. You don't have to share the same faith to know faith can unify the people of world. What does it mean to be a person of profound faith and to be connected to those around us? Encounters with real people of all faiths can teach us how to have real pride and humility about our religious freedom and how to be evangelical without trying to convert others.
Also, Taking Personal Responsibility - Facing Ourselves:How can we take a good look in the mirror and become more responsible for our every day actions? All of us have ideals and fall short. How do we admit to falling short without making excuses for ourselves? Our mind has intuitive emotional responses to try and keep us on track, but, when we start to loose balance of our long and short-term goals we may be acting hypocritical rather then responsible.David DeSteno, Associate Professor of Psychology at Northeastern Universityshares his insight on becoming more responsible.Listen Below.
This week on Intelligent Talk Radio, How Do You Deal With An Impending Threat?: With the Peal Harbor Anniversary this week, how can we use the past to help us in the future? Are Japan and Iran genuine threats that would prompt preemptive attack? The United States has not made a point of doing this, and seems our wars are fought and won only after being attacked. If we start a war it should be to win. What are the ethics of these dilemmas?
Also, Growing Phenomena Of Food Allergies And Kids - Are Parents Overdoing It?:Peanut allergies have gone from virtually non-existent to frightening parents and the banning of peanuts in schools. Peanut allergies reported by doctors and parents has increased by 18% from 1997 to 2007. How do we keep our kids safe without going overboard? Amy Branum, a statistician with the CDC National Center for Health Statistics and the lead author of their new report on food allergies in childrengives us insight on this seemingly increasing problem. Listen Below.
This week on Intelligent Talk Radio, Men's Rights: Are our presumptions and assumptions about gender roles crippling rights movements across the board? Our guest, Ben Atherton-Zemon, is a spokesperson for the National Organization for Men Against Sexism, www.nomas.org, and is a public speaker on issues of violence prevention. Atherton-Zemon explains what NOMAS is doing and how we can help lessen repressive gender roles, racism and homophobia among all people.
Also, Freedom of Speech:A 10 year-old choosing not to say the Pledge of Allegiance because he thought the U.S. lacks "liberty and justice for all" was taken to the principal's office for his astute comments. This was an obvious educational opportunity that was missed. Do all issues have to be so polarized with education and litigation?Guest, Mike Newdow, is an attorney and emergency medicine physician. He is best known for his efforts to have recitations of the current version of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools in the United States declared unconstitutional because of its inclusion of the phrase "under God". Newdow, an atheist and an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church, shares with us how to take this as an opportunity for learning. Listen Below.
The Al Gainey Show, WDUN (Northern GA), CPAC Conference - Young people who are conservative seem less attached to some social issues than their older religious counterparts, 2/26/10
