August 2006

“Ewwww... Bed Bugs!” (August 5-11)

They're baaaaack! Liberal use of DDT and other pesticides virtually eliminated bedbugs in the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s, but international travel has brought these unwanted passengers back into our hotel rooms. Entomology Professor Dini Miller (Virginia Tech) is studying the bedbug problem. She's growing them in her lab, and volunteer graduate students are offering up their arms to study just how the bedbugs bite.

Also: Wildlife photographer Lynda Richardson (J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College) has risked life and limb traveling the world to photograph animals in the wild.

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Race and Class After Katrina (August 12-18)

The response to Hurricane Katrina once again exposed inequities related to race and class. Historians Dirk Philipsen and Renee Hill (Virginia State University’s Institute for the Study of Race Relations) will talk about why these differences exist and what they mean for the future of race relations.

Also: In Virginia ’s version of Upstairs/Downstairs, historians Norrece Jones ( Virginia Commonwealth University ) and Elizabeth O’Leary ( Virginia Museum of Fine Arts) explore the viewpoints of the server and served at Maymont, the Richmond estate of millionaires James and Sallie Dooley.

African Trials (August 19-25)

When he was in power, former Liberian president Charles Taylor managed to destroy his own country, as well as de-stabilize the governments of three neighboring countries. Later this year, he will go on trial in The Netherlands for genocide and crimes against humanity. J. Peter Pham ( James Madison University ), who has met and negotiated with Charles Taylor, says the upcoming trial is a small but important step towards ending the “culture of impunity” that engulfs Africa today.

Also: Economist Karol Boudreaux ( George Mason University ) believes the key to prosperity in Africa lies in creating employment and self reliance rather than on a continued dependence on foreign aid.

Franco and the Seeds of World War II (August 26-September 1)

2006 marks the 70th anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War, made famous by Hemingway in his novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. Historian Geoff Jensen (Virginia Military Institute) says the conflict was a testing ground for World War II tactics, with the fascist leader Francisco Franco allied with the Nazi regime in Germany.

Also: historian Kimberley Phillips (William and Mary) speaks about the complex relationship between African Americans and military service, from World War II to the present conflict in Iraq.