Sunday June 04, 2017

THE SUNDAY EDITION Artificial intelligence - wonderful and terrifying - will change life as we know it

Now that "deep learning" allows computers to think in very human ways, everything is up for grabs. Ira Basen's special hour-long documentary is called, "Into the Deep: The Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence."

Posted: Jun 04, 2017 10:59 AM ET
Last Updated: Jun 02, 2017 5:21 PM ET read comments
Listen 51:51
Sunday April 30, 2017

THE SUNDAY EDITION Bee Nation upends stereotypes about life on First Nations reserves

Meet William Kaysaywaysemat III—a big name for a little guy. The nine-year-old was victorious at last year's First Nations Provincial Spelling Bee in Saskatchewan. The film documentary "Bee Nation" by Lana Šlezić chronicles William's triumph and his parents' emotional journey.

Posted: Apr 30, 2017 3:15 PM ET
Last Updated: Apr 28, 2017 5:14 PM ET read comments
Listen 20:10
Sunday May 28, 2017

How 'spiritual dread' and flawed risk perception make us overreact to terrorism

A majority of Americans say terrorism is the most important issue facing their country, and that they fear someone in their family will become a victim of terrorism. Yet gun violence kills about a thousand times more people per year in the U.S. than terrorists do. Jessica Stern is a research professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies in Boston, and coauthor of "ISIS: The State of Terror". She says we respond to blanket media coverage which amplifies the threat, and to the psychology of what she calls "spiritual dread."

Posted: May 28, 2017 11:39 AM ET
Last Updated: May 26, 2017 4:53 PM ET read comments
Listen 23:55

Featured Episode

Sunday June 18, 2017
Listen to Full Episode 1:42:28 Listen 3:43
Why do we hate? - Michael's essay

"What is it in us that causes us to hate a fellow human being or group of human beings? It is a disease from which no one is immune." More Jun 16, 4:10 PM ET read comments

more stories from this episode
- Why overtreatment and overdiagnosis can be bad for your health
  
  When your doctor hands you a prescription or a requisition for a medical test, the instinct is to do what you're told. Michael talks to three doctors about why patients should be less obedient and more inquisitive. Guests are: Dr. Guylène Thériault, family doctor and Medical Officer of Public Health for the Outaouais region in Gatineau, Quebec, Dr. Lisa Hicks, Malignant Hematologist, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto and Dr. Wendy Levinson, professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and Chair of "Choosing Wisely Canada". More Jun 16, 4:37 PM ET
  Listen 26:47
- Helen Mirren on how to live a happy life
  
  The great British actress Dame Helen Mirren delivered an inspirational convocation address to the class of 2017 at Tulane University in New Orleans. The line that got the most applause? "No matter what sex you are — be a feminist!" More Jun 16, 4:11 PM ET read comments
- The Fort Hope education of Sarah Diamond
  
  When the newly-graduated Ms. Diamond first travelled north to teach in an elementary school in the Eabametoong First Nation, she was brimming with idealism and energy, determined to make a difference in her students' lives. Now, two school years later, she’s pretty spent. She’s keenly aware of the longstanding pattern of white teachers from the south coming into the community — and then leaving it. Sarah Diamond has a tough decision on her hands. Julia Pagel’s documentary is called "Are You Going to Stay?" More Jun 19, 10:38 AM ET
  Listen 27:13
- Daphne Merkin on staying alive, despite her near-constant wish to die
  
  The critic, essayist and novelist Daphne Merkin has suffered from what she calls the "dark season" — depression — since childhood. For years, she says, she has longed for, even planned, her own death. Yet she remains in the world. Merkin's new book is called "This Close to Happy: A Reckoning with Depression". More Jun 16, 4:11 PM ET read comments
  Listen 25:58
- 'Laughter is a good way to breathe again': David Grossman on using comedy to deal with tragedy
  
  David Grossman is widely regarded as Israel's finest living novelist. His new novel, A Horse Walks Into a Bar, is a searing account of a stand-up routine that teeters precariously on the line separating comedy from tragedy. In June, 2017, it was awarded the international Man Booker prize for fiction in translation. More Jun 16, 3:23 PM ET read comments
  Listen 40:22
- Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel says 75 is a good age to die
  
  Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel has an unusual ambition. He wants to die when he is 75. He doesn't have a terminal illness. And he has no plans to commit suicide.... More Jun 16, 3:23 PM ET read comments
  Listen 28:12
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