Roundup

Searching for Shangri-La -- Michael Wood, Caitlin Matthews, Salman Rushdie et al [60min]

Back in 1933 novelist James Hilton wrote of an earthly paradise hidden in the Himalayas. He called it Shangri-La. But Hilton didn't invent the idea. Myths about Shangri-La go back centuries, and they pop up in a variety of places from Tibet to Kashmir. In this hour of "To the Best of Our Knowledge," we'll go in search of this earthly paradise with historian Michael Wood, Celtic scholar and storyteller Caitlin Matthews, novelist Salman Rushdie and others.SEGMENT 1:

PM Denies Raids Anti-Muslim after 17 Suspected Terrorists Arrested in Sydney and Melbourne, Foiling 'Major Terrorist Attack' [multiple clips]

Seventeen men have been arrested in raids in Sydney and Melbourne, which authorities say have foiled a major terrorist attack. Police allege the men were stockpiling chemicals to be used in bomb making. Nine men were taken into custody in Melbourne, while eight others were arrested in Sydney -- one of them shot by police during the operation. Prime Minister John Howard says the arrests of suspected terrorists in Sydney and Melbourne yesterday were not anti-Muslim. Mr Howard has called for Austra

Australia's Role in World Affairs [55min]

The National Trust of Australia (NSW) invited the Australian Journalist of the Year, Paul McGeough, to deliver the heritage organisation’s 2005 Heritage Lecture. Paul McGeough discusses Australia's role in world affairs, debates if Australians are adequately informed about this rapidly changing world and emphasises the need to better understand the culture/heritage of other countries. He'll also shares some of his most memorable reporting moments with the audience. A former editor of The Sydn

Sue Prideaux on Edvard Munch, 1st of 5 [15min]

Sue Prideaux's Edvard Munch: Behind the Scream (Yale University Press) -- as abridged by dramatist Polly Coles and read by actor Louis Hillyer -- is presented in five 15-minute episodes. Munch's early years were beset by poverty and tormented by the early deaths of his beloved mother and sister. He came to believe that fear, sorrow and death would be his constant companions. Prideaux's is the first full biography of Munch written in English.

IRS vs. Church [7min from 7:02]

It's said that politics and religion are the two most contentious topics of conversation. So what happens when talk of presidential candidates comes up in church? According to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, it could mean the loss of tax-exempt status. The IRS says the All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, is in trouble over a sermon preached by a visiting pastor: the Reverend George F. Regas. He preached at the church just before the 2004 presidential elections. J. Edwin Bacon

Karen Armstrong: Myths and the Modern World [36min]

As soon as people became aware of their own mortality, writes Karen Armstrong, they created stories that gave their lives meaning, explained their relationship to the spiritual world, and instructed them on how to live their lives. Armstrong talks about her new book, A Short History of Myth, which explores how these stories morph and change, and why they remain compelling.

Toll, Rewards of Playing a Slave at Brattonsville [9min]

A small group of African American re-enactors in South Carolina bring the history of slavery to life, playing slaves on the Brattonsville Plantation. Karen Grigsby Bates talks with one woman about the psychological toll -- and unexpected rewards -- of playing a slave.

Comparing Harriet Miers to Anita Hill [4min]

Commentator Betty Baye contends former Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers is a victim of the kind of sexism that Anita Hill encountered in the 1990s. Baye is a columnist with The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky.

Who was the greater scientist, Albert Einstein or Sir Isaac Newton? [5min]

Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein are regarded as two of the greatest, if not the greatest, scientists who ever lived. The Royal Society is seeking to find out who scientists and the public think made the bigger contribution to both science and to humankind through a national poll of the general public and a poll of the Fellowship of the Royal Society, representing the UK and Commonwealth's leading scientists. Dr Mark Lythgoe argues for Einstein, while Dr Patricia FaraVisit argues for Newton.

Voices in the News [2min]

A sound montage of some of the voices in this past week's news, including: President George W. Bush; Senate Judiciary Chairman Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA); Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL); Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV); Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN); sound of protesters at the Summit of the Americas; Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez; sound of rioters in Parisian suburb; 19-year-old vendor, Kristoff; French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.

Saxophone's History as 'The Devil's Horn' [11min]

Michael Segell discusses his new book, The Devil's Horn. It follows the history of the saxophone through more than 160 years as a controversial classical, jazz and rock instrument.

'Strange Red Cow': A History of Classified Ads [5min]

From lovesick personals to"help wanted" notices with some peculiar requirements: a look at the history of classified ads in the United States. Author Sara Bader shares some of the funny, heartrending and just plain baffling advertisements featured in her book, Strange Red Cow and Other Curious Classified Ads from the Past.

Doris Kearns Goodwin & 'Team of Rivals': Lincoln's Political Prowess [9min]

In her latest book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin explores how Lincoln's extraordinary political acumen helped him overcome the obstacles of his presidency. Goodwin talks with Linda Wertheimer about the book.

Inside the Ripley's Warehouse of Oddities [5min]

For most people, Ripley is just another synonym for strange. Since Robert Ripley published his first Ripley's Believe It or Not cartoon nearly a century ago, the company that bears his name has expanded into a major franchise. One of the company's signature attractions are its museums, which display the pieces from the Ripley collection of bizarre artifacts. Those include a mural made of postage stamps; the taxidermied head of an elephant with two trunks; and the world's most expensive li

Robert Putnam [26min]

Professor Robert Putnam is best known for his devastating critique of the state of western society. In his book Bowling Alone, he shows how people have become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbours and democratic structures. Putnam warns that the stock of social capital -- the very fabric of people's connections with each other -- has plummeted in developed countries, impoverishing lives and communities. He draws on evidence including nearly 500,000 interviews collecte

The Gunpowder Plot [90min]

Radio 3 marks the 400th anniversary of the plot to blow up King James I and his Parliament with a play that looks at how the Establishment deals with a terrorist threat. Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, ruthlessly and efficiently conducts the hunt for the plotters -- but his real target is Father Henry Garnet, leader of the Jesuits.

Southern Road [30min]

Just prior to Hurricane Katrina striking the US coast, writer and poet Anthony Walton set off on a car journey from Montgomery in Alabama, the birthplace of the civil rights movement, to Richmond in Virginia, the confederate capital during the Civil War. Walton's aim was to explore and experience the areas that go to make up what is commonly called The South, and the role that history plays in defining the region today. His journey takes him to the historic Tuskegee University in Alabama, founde

Antonia Fraser on the Gunpowder Plot [30min]

James Naughtie and a group of readers talk to Antonia Fraser about her book The Gunpowder Plot: Terror and Faith in 1605,A revealing and gripping account of the plot to blow up Parliament on 5 November 1605. Treason and betrayal are everywhere and the price of a mistake is death. The following is from James Naughtie's Bookclub email newsletter:Not only was this month’s programme (Sunday 6 November, Thursday 10 November, 4pm, Radio 4) rather topical, at least in the se

Early British Bandleaders, 1st of 3 [30min]

Humphrey Lyttelton presents a series exploring the world of the early British Bandleaders. In the 1920s and 30s, names like Ambrose, Lew Stone and Ray Noble ruled the music scene. The programme reveals how these bandleaders lived life to the full during the golden age of the Dance Band. With contributions from Rosemary Squires and Stanley Black; plus rare recordings of the bandleaders in conversation.

The Real History of Opera, 4th of 5: Gounod's Faust [30min]

Gounod's Faust is the most enduring adaptation for the theatre of many works which take as their source Goethe's great masterpiece. One of the most popular and most performed operas in the world for more than a hundred years, it's nevertheless extremely problematic -- full of wonderful melody and lavish spectacle, but Gounod is accused by some of turning Goethe's philosophically and intellectually challenging play into nothing more than a sugary dollop of Victorian sentimentality.