Oct 14th, 2008 · In his new book, Hot, Flat, And Crowded, Thomas Friedman warns that our thirst for fossil fuels is polluting the planet, altering the climate, dragging down the economy and endangering national security. A green revolution, says Friedman, "is not about the whales"; it's a competitive necessity.
Oct 9th, 2008 · The Boston Typewriter Orchestra is a small, Monty Python-esque group that mixes original "typewriter" music with swatches of surrealist comedy. Sometimes they play their typewriters so hard that they upset the audience.
Oct 8th, 2008 · In the 1970s, the musical environment of Senegal was ready for a revolution and Orchestra Baobab delivered. Combining a variety of established popular styles, the legendary Afropop group shaped the region's style with an Africanized sound of indigenous instruments and language. Hear a session from WXPN.
Sep 8th, 2008 · Thomas Friedman is a man bent on revolution. In his new book, Hot Flat and Crowded, the three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist writes about the need for a green revolution — and calls upon Americans to lead the charge.
Aug 7th, 2008 · Nearly 50 years after revolution brought Fidel Castro to power, Cuba's infrastructure is in shambles. In a July 26 address, his brother and successor, Raul Castro, offered no new plans to liberalize the economy and warned people of even harder times ahead.
Aug 5th, 2008 · Small farmers in Honduras are increasingly selling their crops to Paiz, a chain owned by Wal-Mart. It's helping to fuel the economy. But farmers face a challenge creating facilities that meet Wal-Mart's safety standards.
Jul 7th, 2008 · This year is the 100th anniversary of perhaps the most famous car ever made. The Model T put America on wheels and helped forge a manufacturing revolution. But the current energy mess can be traced back to that car's gasoline engine.
Jul 5th, 2008 · During a brief, but incredibly productive year at the end of the 18th century, British poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge joined forces to launch a literary revolution: the English Romantic movement. The story of their partnership "cuts so directly against the myth of the solitary artistic genius," reports Wisconsin Public Radio's Steve Paulson, who goes to the Quantock Hills of Somerset, to follow in the steps of those poets. Wordsworth and Coleridge fed off each other's enthusiasm and intoxicating ideas, according to Paulson. Coleridge was only 24 — and known mainly for his fiery political speeches; Wordsworth was 26 — and completely unknown as a poet. Somehow, they convinced each other they could launch a revolution.