Anyone who listens to news from National Public Radio is probably familiar with the voice of Carl Kasell. He began doing news for a radio station in Alexandria, Virginia in the 1960,s and then went to work for NPR News in 1975. Now, Kasell has left NPR's news division, but he told Chrissy Keuper that he's not really retired. He keeps score for the NPR game show Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me and he has another job for NPR... 
Outsourcing is a more than $6 trillion dollar industry, used by companies all over the world as a way to save time and money. But Kate Vitasek says a new technique could mean better business for everyone. Vitasek is the founder and lead researcher in the concept of "vested" outsourcing at the University of Tennessee's Center for Executive Education. Chrissy Keuper spoke with Vitasek about the concept, which was developed in a research study commissioned by the US Air Force... 
The University of Tennessee / US Air Force study is available in Vitasek's book: Vested Outsourcing: Five Rules That Will Transform Outsourcing

The painkiller Oxycontin was introduced in 1995 as a panacea drug for people suffering from chronic, extreme pain. Among its early users were patients who suffered from cancer, debilitating injuries and severe arthritis. But before long, recreational drug users began taking it because of its narcotic high. And they soon found it to be highly addictive. As part of WUOT's Next Wave Radio Project, Jennifer Parker spoke to a young Maryville man who now lives his life in the grip of this powerful drug.
Author and religious philosopher Sam Keen has spent years exploring how to live everyday life in what he calls a sacred manner. His newest book is entitled: The Absence of God: Dwelling in the Presence of the Sacred. Keen says religion is experiencing a growth in what he calls "NeoFundamentalism" and "NeoAtheism". He told Chrissy Keuper that when we explore the differences and similarities of those two extremes, the first thing to do is to examine the very roots of religion... 

It's 2010 and if you haven't heard of Facebook or Myspace or Twitter, it's probably because the buzz hasn't reached your cave yet. Sites like these are revolutionizing the way we communicate with each other. They're changing the way we perceive brands and make purchases. And they're changing the way we see the world. But this kind of widespread popularity also breeds new concerns. Is the social mediasphere becoming too crowded and noisy? Is it intruding upon our productivity? Are we exposing ourselves to a new generation of cyber-crooks? And on a more philosophical level, are we losing our ability to interact face-to-face? On this segment of Dialogue, host Matt Shafer Powell speaks with Dr. Jim Stovall of the University of Tennessee's Journalism and Electronic Media Department, Sociologist Dr. Julie Wiest and Bob Wilson, New Media Director for the PR firm Moxley Carmichael... 

Novelist Amy Greene grew up in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. And in her debut novel Bloodroot, she takes readers into the shadows of those mountains to experience an inter-generational tale of heartbreak and hope. Critics are praising her deft touch and her effortless vernacular. WUOT's Matt Shafer Powell recently sat down with Amy Greene to discuss this ode to her Appalachian home... 