Airing This Month

Into the Light (November 4-10)

People experiencing out of the body near death experiences have been depicted in movies and even television shows like the Sopranos. Bruce Greyson (University of Virginia) is one of the first researchers to gather empirical data near-death experiences using scientific methods. He has documented clear patterns in the long-term health of those who have experienced near-death phenomena. Although these experiences vary from one person to another, they often include feelings of comfort and lack of pain, a sensation of leaving the body, and a sense of deep understanding of events of the past and of events of the future.

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Historically Black Colleges (November 11-17)

Historically black colleges are facing competition for minority students from predominantly white colleges that are trying to become more diverse. In addition, more and more African American students are opting to learn in an integrated environment. Elsie Barnes (Norfolk State), Julian Bond, Christina Draper (VFH) and Lucious Edwards (Virginia State) all give their perspectives on the opportunities and the challenges facing historically black colleges.

Why We Do Good (November 18-24)

What makes ordinary people do “good deeds” without expecting anything in return? Why do people give money to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts but far less to earthquake victims in Pakistan? Psychologist E. Scott Geller (Virginia Tech) talks about altruism or “active caring” and our sense of moral responsibility. Also: Robert Vaughan (VFH) offers a compelling personal story of one week that changed his life. Vaughan says, “Volunteering in Mexico was the hardest week of my life and it was the best week of my life.”

Crude Awakenings (November 25 - December 1)

This summer, oil prices reached record high levels and many wondered whether we were headed towards another 1973-style oil shock. Steve Yetiv (Old Dominion University) believes that the world market in petroleum products is far more stable and predictable than what is portrayed to us by the media and lawmakers. Also: Nathan Busch (Christopher Newport University) says the global threat posed by nuclear weapons of mass destruction continues to be one of today’s key policy issues with the ever growing possibility of countries unleashing their nuclear arsenals.