Eating organic is all the rage these days - but could it actually help save the planet from climate devastation? As the reality of global climate change continues to sink in - scientists - activists - and lawmakers all across the world are working to find new ways to fight back against greenhouse gas emissions before it's too late. Thom's guest for tonight's Conversations With Great Minds - Tom Newmark - is one such person. A former corporate attorney turned organic farmer - Tom is now at the forefront of the movement to use agriculture to fight global warming. He is the co-founder of the new non-profit the Carbon Underground as well as the co-owner of Finca Luena Nueva - an organic farm in Costa Rica. Tom is also the co-founder of Sacred Seeds - a trustee of the American Botanical Council.
Joe Madison, Joe Madison Show & Human rights activist joins Thom Hartmann. What fuels racism and police brutality in America? Is it politcal rhetoric from the right - or something more deep-seated? And what can we do about it? We'll pose those questions and more to Joe Madison in tonight's Conversations with Great Minds.
Dr. Neal Barnard, physician, author, clinical researcher, and founding president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) / author of more than 50 published research papers on nutrition and its impact on human health, and several books, including The 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart (2011), Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes (2007), and Breaking the Food Seduction (2003)
Chris Mooney, author of four books, including his latest "The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science and Reality" joins Thom Hartmann. His recent articles include pieces on the science of fracking, why people deny science, and how the reality-based community is moving to the left. He is the host of the "Point of Inquiry" podcast and his previous book was the bestselling, "The Republican War on Science".
Candida Moss The Myth of Persecutions, joins Thom Hartmann.Candida Moss The Myth of Persecutions, joins Thom Hartmann. For tonight's Conversation with Great minds I'm joined by Candida Moss. Candida is the Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame and an expert in the role of martyrdom in Christian theology. A renowned scholar in her field of study - she has received recognition for her research from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation - the National Endowment for the Humanities - and the John Templeton Foundation. Her new book - "The Myth of Persecution - How Early Christians Invented A Story of Martyrdom" - reveals the truth behind centuries of Christian persecution stories and is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the mindset of the American religious right.
For tonight's special edition of Conversations with Great Minds - Thom is joined by Lamar Waldron. Lamar is an author and historian - and was once called "the ultimate JFK historian and examiner," by Variety Magazine's Liz Smith. His extensive and groundbreaking research has been featured in hundreds of newspapers - and was the subject of two Discovery Channel specials produced by NBC News. Lamar has appeared on CNN, The History Channel and other major television networks. He is the author of several books - including his newest, full of bombshells, Watergate: The Hidden History. June 17th marks the 40th anniversary of the Watergate burglary - and just in time for the anniversary is the arrival of an explosive new book that sheds new light on the scandal and on President Nixon.
How are progressive victories built? What is the foundation of the progressive victories of the past, like the New Deal? What foundation will the next progressive victories be built upon?
According to Gar Alperovitz, no progressive victory from the New Deal to the Civil Rights movement came about without activists on the ground building up movements.
Gar Alperovitz, the Co-Founder & Principle of the Democracy Collaborative joins Thom Hartmann to discuss the laboratories of democracy being built from the ground up by activists on the ground right now.
The US government freaked out when a Soviet spy claimed that telepathy was possible. The government, and 19 US military and the intelligence communities launched a 20-year research program to investigate whether it would be possible to spy on Russia while sitting on the couch. Some of the experiments were quite unnerving.
Dr. Edwin C. May was part of the research project and shared his experience with Thom during an extended session.
Is it some form of ESP? Space time distortions? Information from the future? The Space Time Continuum?
Susan Jacoby, Journalist/Author, "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism," and most recently, "Never Say Die: The Myth and Marketing of the New Old Age" is tonight's Greatest Mind. Forty years ago - very few politicians flaunted their religious beliefs for personal gain. So what's changed - and what's given rise to the Christian Right in American politics? Her latest piece is - How The Founders Ensured America Would Not Be a Christian Nation.
For tonight's Conversations with Great Minds I sit down with Gunnar Tomasson. Gunnar was originally born in Iceland - but now resides in nearby Maryland. He studied at both the University of Manchester and Harvard University - before going on to become a senior staff member with the International Monetary Fund from 1966 to 1989. Currently - Gunnar is a financial consultant - and with global markets around the world in turmoil - and the nation of Iceland taking a unique approach to shoring up its' economy - he can offer some much needed insight into solutions to get us all out of this mess. He knows a thing or two about world economies, their debts and the revolutions that followed bankrupt countries. He'll cover the collapse of Iceland and what can we can learn from that.
In this week's Conversations w/Great Minds Jeff Clements joins Thom Hartmann. Jeff is an attorney, author, is the co-founder of Free Speech for People, a national, non-partisan campaign to challenge the creation of Constitutional rights for corporations, overturn Citizens United v. FEC, and strengthen American democracy and republican self-government. He is the author of the Corporations Are Not People (Berrett-Koehler, 2012).
Many of us buy into the common myths about happiness - but by doing so - we often end up feeling like something is wrong - and that we are destined to always be unhappy. What can we do to avoid these happiness myths - and live happier and more fufilling lives? We'll ask Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky is tonight's Conversations with Great Minds.
How is power over others measured? How does power change us? Dr. Brian Klaas has the answer.
Do people who want control, seek a position of power for good or otherwise? And, does power corrupt?
Dr. Brian Klaas joined Thom to answer and debate power.
Bio: Dr. Brian Klaas - Associate Professor- Global Politics. University College London / Columnist, Washington Post / Host, Power Corrupts podcast and author of the new book, Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us
Tonight we have a special edition of Conversations with Great Minds is David Stockman. He is a former United States congressman - representing the state of Michigan - who was elected to three terms before stepping down to head up the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan in 1981. He is credited with writing the Reagan Budget - and continued his work on federal budgeting through 1985. After leaving politics, David Stockman pursued a career in investment banking and joined Blackstone Group as one of its earliest partners. He is the author of the book, "Triumph of Politics: How the Reagan Revolution Failed" and his new book - tentatively titled "The Triumph of Crony Capitalism" - will explore how crony capitalism reached a peak during the recent financial meltdown. David talk to Thom about Reagan would be raising taxes right now, the republican party has gone crazy and we need to get control of the Fed.
