Barry Schwartz makes a passionate call for “practical wisdom” as an antidote to a society gone mad with bureaucracy. He argues powerfully that rules often fail us, incentives often backfire, and practical, everyday wisdom will help rebuild our world.

368: Who Do You Think You Are?

This week we bring you stories of privilege and the lengths some will go to to maintain it. In one story, a woman fights—on tape!—with her city’s parking enforcer about playing favorites. And in honor of the late Studs Terkel, we bring you a special collection of stories from his Hard Times radio series; the haves and the have-nots talk about life during The Great Depression.
Act One. Hard Times.

Studs Terkel, the Chicago reporter who recorded oral histories of ordinary Americans, died last week. We assembled a collection of his work from his Hard Times radio series, in which people talk about their experiences during the Depression—how everyone simultaneously became poor, regardless of their class.

You can listen to more of Studs Terkel’s work here. (32 minutes)

Bill Strickland tells a quiet and astonishing tale of redemption through arts, music, and unlikely partnerships.

Interesting to see this topic coming up so frequently, in the national newspaper of record even…

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/education/01college.html

An article by the NY Times which suggests that the ability to contemplate the great stories of mankind and “come to grips with what living is for”, is, and will continue to be, “a great luxury that many cannot afford.”  Frightening correlations between class, education, and the economy.

In Tough Times, the Humanities Must Justify Their Worth – NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/books/25human.html