June 2007

What We Believe (June 2-8)

Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Americans struggled to make sense of the motives and belief systems of the suicide bombers. Craig Shealy (James Madison University) is Executive Director of the International Beliefs and Values Institute. He says it’s critical to our national well being to understand not only our own core values, but also those of other cultures. Also featured: Businesses are now looking for ways to employ humor in the workplace. Humor has been shown to foster creativity, innovation and a productive atmosphere. But what is humor, really? John Morreal (College of William and Mary) has studied this elusive part of our lives for twenty-five years.

WGR's companion News Feature: What is it about comedy that makes us laugh?  The former president of the International Society for Humor Studies is a Virginia religion professor who teaches undergraduates as well as Fortune 500 executives about the history and value of humor.  More from Nancy King with the radio program "With Good Reason." Click to hear the 2 and a half minute feature.

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So You Want to be an Entrepreneur? (June 9 – 15)

Entrepreneurs are by nature in love with their ideas. But persistence is more important than a clever concept in the making of a successful entrepreneur. Chic Thompson and Philippe Sommer (Batten Institute at the University of Virginia ’s Darden Graduate School of Business) say that successful entrepreneurs know when to give up on an idea. These individuals also love to work, learn quickly from their failures and--because they thrive on risk--tend to find more conservative partners who balance their abilities. Thompson and Sommer advise aspiring entrepreneurs to take a vacation now; they won’t have the time again for 3-5 years. Also featured: With Good Reason listener Pilar Rivera knows all this first hand. She's in her early thirties and has already started two businesses.

WGR's companion News Feature: A recent survey (in 2004 by Capital One and Consumer Action financial service providers) indicates that 40-percent of Americans dream of starting their own business.  Nancy King, with the radio program "With Good Reason," says it's a risky move that can lead to great job satisfaction. Listen to the two and half minute feature.

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Route 66: Can You Still Get Your Kicks? (June 16 - 22)

Americans have been getting their kicks from Route 66 since John Steinbeck labeled it “The Mother Road” in his classic novel The Grapes of Wrath. Michael Lund ( Longwood University ) is fascinated by the nostalgic small town life found along “ America ’s Main Street .” The author of a series of Route 66 novels, Lund says Route 66 has come to mean slower travel, small towns and a connection to the promise this nation enjoyed at mid-century. Also featured: Jack Kerouac traveled along Route 66 in the novel that made him a literary success, On the Road. English Professor Gordon Ball (Virginia Military Institute) says an uncensored version of On the Road will be released by Viking Press this year, to coincide with the 50 th anniversary of the publication of the book.

Little Big Minds (June 23 - 29)

Marietta McCarty (Piedmont Virginia Community College) has written a new guide book for parents and educators who want to share the enduring ideas of the "biggest minds"--thinkers like Plato, the Dalai Lama, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.--with the "littlest minds," meaning the minds of children. She believes that children have an innate ability to explore the ideas of the world’s greatest philosophers. Also: Nina Brown (Old Dominion University) has written a new book of advice called Coping with Infuriating, Mean, Critical People. Such perpetrators may include colleagues, bosses, friends, parents and lovers who boast and brag constantly, or who take credit for other people's work, expect favors, and never listen.

WGR companion news feature: Both Harvard and Duke law schools now offer seminars on dealing with difficult colleagues...and two popular advice books address the issue of positive approaches to negative people.  Nancy King, with the radio program "With Good Reason," says it's a hot topic in the business world right now. Listen to the two and half minute feature.

Oh Canada, eh? (June 30 - July 6)

What does it mean to be a Canadian? Historian Tim Naftali (University of Virginia) and Elliot Majerczyk (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities), both transplanted Canadians, engage in an insightful and amusing discussion about the culture, politics, history and, of course, the weather of our frozen neighbor to the north.

Also: Washington D.C. has more statues than any other American city. Art historian Thomas Somma (University of Mary Washington) takes us on an insightful tour of the best public art in our nation’s capital. Dr. Somma passed away in May, after battling cancer. We offer this encore presentation of his interview as tribute to his life and study.

WGR companion news feature: This week, as the United States observes Independence Day, Canada celebrates Canada Day on June first.  Nancy King, with the radio program "With Good Reason," has more about the long and complicated relationship between these two neighbors. Listen to the two and half minute feature.