Monica Ganas on the Meaning of California

Before Monica Ganas began teaching California, she lived it. A native of the state and a 30 year veteran of the entertainment industry and now a professor at Azusa Pacific University, Ganas explained how her personal background inspired her book, Under the Influence: California’s Intoxicating Spiritual and Cultural Impact on America. “I think I’ve been trying to make sense of my personal experience for a lot of my life,” she joked. It wasn’t until she left the state that she began to see its strangeness, and the way it impacts …

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How Democratic is Iran?

Stephen Kinzer has reported from over 50 countries on five continents, including those with some of the most vexing relationships with the U.S. In his latest book, Reset: Iran, Turkey, …

A World Without Nuclear Weapons?

As “Countdown to Zero” producer Lawrence Bender discovered, making a movie about nuclear weapons isn’t exactly easy. Most people don’t think about them, and those who do don’t necessarily want …

Nicole LaPorte on DreamWorks

A veteran Variety reporter, Nicole LaPorte wrote The Men Who Would Be King at the risk of never lunching — or breakfasting or dining — in this town again. Her …

How Coyote Capitalism Hurts Immigrants

Jeffrey Kaye, a special correspondent for PBS, argues that policies to encourage immigration may actually hurt immigrants. Governments, corporations, recruiters, and even human smugglers all participate in what Kaye, author …

How Long Can Humans Live?

Science writer Greg Critser knows the world may be a strange place in 2050 if humans are living longer: one in four people will be over 65, compared to one …