This is Laura Ellis with your Monday morning look at what’s in store for State of Affairs this week.
The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four featured pervasive government surveillance and no tolerance for dissent – ideas that seem so relevant that we still use the term Orwellian to describe situations in the real world. In Soylent Green, overpopulation has lead to environmental conditions in which food can no longer be grown. It’s not coincidence that the most popular works of science fiction are those that make a comment about the possible future consequences of our way of life. Today we’ll be talking about the subversive side of science fiction.
It’s now possible for anyone with an internet connection to watch lectures from Ivy League universities. And it’s not just fly-by-night operations that offer online degrees these days. Tuesday we’ll talk about how technology is changing education.
A recent documentary on Showtime, Guys ‘n’ Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals, puts a spotlight on high school musical theatre programs in Southern Indiana (you might have caught Elizabeth Kramer‘s post about it last week). The film looks at the programs at New Albany, Floyd Central, and Jeffersonville High Schools, their talented kids, and their competitive program directors. We’ll have all three of those directors – and the filmmaker – on the show this Wednesday to discuss their work and the film.
Everyone knows about Albert Einstein and E=MC², but did you know that he first became interested in science when he was home sick at the age of five, and his father gave him a compass to play with? Or how a young Abraham Lincoln was affected by seeing a slave market during a visit to New Orleans? On Thursday we’ll learn about moments like these that planted the seeds for later accomplishments, in a conversation with the authors of Before They Changed the World: Pivotal Moments that Shaped the Lives of Great Leaders Before They Became Famous. [Note: This show was originally scheduled for August 20, but a guest had to reschedule]
On Friday we’ll close out the week with our State of the News show, when you can call with your questions and thoughts about the week’s news.
