Find Out More About What’s Coming Up Next Week on Focus
Next week on Focus, we’ll talk about the magic of summer camp, the growing need for translators and why some are pushing for comics in schools.
Focus
Talk with the Managers
This hour on Focus host Jim Meadows talks with Illinois Public Media’s head honchoes. Bob Culkeen and Mark Leonard will be here to discuss programming changes taking place this summer, the health of your public media station and new ideas we’re cooking up at WILL.
Links:
The Future of Space Travel
Ten years ago, the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded on re-entry over Texas, killing seven astronauts. While the shuttle program continued for some years thereafter, state-funded space flight dwindled in the decade that followed. Now, space is becoming more of a private industry. This hour on Focus, we’ll talk about the future of space travel. Michael Lopez-Alegria, a former astronaut and President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation will be here to talk about his experiences in space and what needs to happen for commercial space tourism and research to become a reality. We’ll also talk with Philippe Geubelle, a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the UIUC and the Director of the Illinois Space Grant Consortium about funding for aerospace education for next generation and Jonathan Card, Executive Director of the Space Frontier Foundation.
Did you ever dream of being an astronaut? If you could plan a vacation to space, would you? Join our conversation on Facebook or on Twitter .
Consumer Fraud and Scams
Categories:
Business,
Consumer issues
The Young Professional’s Survival Guide: From Cab Fares to Moral Snares
We’ll discuss ethical dilemmas in the workplace with C.K. Gunsalus, Director of the National Center for Professional and Research Ethics, and Professor Emerita in the College of Business at the U of I, and author of The Young Professional’s Survival Guide: From Cab Fares to Moral Snares. We’ll welcome your examples of ethical quandaries you’ve faced in the professional world – from rampant stealing of office supplies, to questionable business practices – anything you’ve come across, that maybe you’ve been asked to do in the workaday world that has given you pause, and how you handled it.
Categories:
Business
Ethical Chic: The Inside Story of the Companies We Think We Love
There are many reasons to purchase goods or services from one company over another: price, quality, and convenience. But sometimes, the decision is a moral one; we seek out businesses we believe support or represent our world view – or avoid those that defy it. (The debate earlier this summer over Chick-Fil-A was a demonstration of both).
At the heart of such decisions is whether we deem a company to be socially responsible. But how do you really know? How can you be sure that a reputation is accurate and deserved? And what if the truth is mixed – what if a company leads on one ethical precept, but falls short on another?
Journalist Fran Hawthorne has contemplated these questions, and set out to uncover whether some of the most beloved, trusted companies who have built up a socially responsible reputation really live up to the hype. In the book Ethical Chic: The Inside Story of the Companies We Think We Love, Hawthorne takes us behind the scenes of companies with powerful brand loyalty, companies like Tom’s of Maine, Starbucks, and Apple. Along the way, Hawthorne finds out why these companies have earned seemingly unflagging devotion from socially conscious consumers. And she calls out the companies and consumers alike with a provocative question: Is it really about being socially conscious, or just looking like you are?
This is a repeat broadcast from Tuesday, September 04, 2012, 10 am
Categories:
Books and Reading,
Business,
Consumer issues,
Economics,
Energy,
Environment,
Media and journalism
Farmers Markets
Janine MacLachlan, Food Writer, Blogger, and Founder of The Rustic Kitchen Cooking School
Lisa Bralts, Economic Development Specialist Director, Urbana's Market at the Square City of Urbana
Host: Craig Cohen
We can get our food from most anywhere – restaurants and grocery stores abound in most communities across the country. Even if you live in a small town, many food options are just a short drive away. But much of what we bring home from the grocery store – and much of what many restaurants (especially the fast food variety) serve is processed, pre-packaged, and probably not all that fresh.
And then there are farmer’s markets. Growers, producers and artisans bring fresh food from their local communities to such markets every week. And some consumers absolutely swear by various seasonal markets and farmstands.
Is the food really all that different? What controls are in place to ensure quality and freshness in farmer’s markets? How do you know you’re really getting the higher quality you pay for? And just what are the advantages for you, your family, and your community in seeing that such farmer’s markets succeed?
We’ll discuss the potential benefits of vibrant farmer’s markets for a community, and seek out your experiences shopping at them – or perhaps bringing your own fare to market, as we talk with Janine MacLachlan, a food writer, blogger and founder of The Rustic Kitchen Cooking School. She’s the author of Farmers’ Markets of the Heartland. We’ll also be joined by Lisa Bralts, Economic Development Specialist Director for Urbana’s Market at the Square for the City of Urbana. She and Market at the Square are featured prominently in MacLachlan’s book.
This is a repeat broadcast from Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 10 am
American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company
Bryce Hoffman, Award-Winning Journalist
Host: David Inge
At the end of 2008, Ford Motor Company was running on empty. In an effort to save the American auto industry, Congress offered a bailout. GM and Chrysler took the money, but Ford decided to save itself. The company did it by hiring an outsider, Alan Mulally. It turned out to be a very good hire. By early 2010, it was clear Ford had pulled off one of the most amazing turnarounds in history. We’ll get the story from our guest, Bryce Hoffman, author of "American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company."
This is a repeat broadcast from Wednesday, June 27, 2012, 10 am
Links:
Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best…and Learn from the Worst
Robert I. Sutton, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University
Host: David Inge
This is a repeat broadcast from Thursday, January 06, 2011, 10 am
Links:
Categories:
Business
Farmers Markets
Janine MacLachlan, Food Writer, Blogger, and Founder of The Rustic Kitchen Cooking School
Lisa Bralts, Economic Development Specialist Director, Urbana's Market at the Square City of Urbana
Host: Craig Cohen
We can get our food from most anywhere – restaurants and grocery stores abound in most communities across the country. Even if you live in a small town, many food options are just a short drive away. But much of what we bring home from the grocery store – and much of what many restaurants (especially the fast food variety) serve is processed, pre-packaged, and probably not all that fresh.
And then there are farmer’s markets. Growers, producers and artisans bring fresh food from their local communities to such markets every week. And some consumers absolutely swear by various seasonal markets and farmstands.
Is the food really all that different? What controls are in place to ensure quality and freshness in farmer’s markets? How do you know you’re really getting the higher quality you pay for? And just what are the advantages for you, your family, and your community in seeing that such farmer’s markets succeed?
We’ll discuss the potential benefits of vibrant farmer’s markets for a community, and seek out your experiences shopping at them – or perhaps bringing your own fare to market, as we talk with Janine MacLachlan, a food writer, blogger and founder of The Rustic Kitchen Cooking School. She’s the author of Farmers’ Markets of the Heartland. We’ll also be joined by Lisa Bralts, Economic Development Specialist Director for Urbana’s Market at the Square for the City of Urbana. She and Market at the Square are featured prominently in MacLachlan’s book.