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Emerging from a collection of disparate city states 150 years ago, no other country has had as turbulent a history as Germany or enjoyed so much prosperity in such a short time frame. Today, as much of the world succumbs to authoritarianism and democracy is undermined from its heart, Germany stands as a bulwark for decency and stability. Mixing personal journey and anecdote with compelling empirical evidence, this is a searching and entertaining exploration of the country many in the West still love to hate.

"Truth is a pathless land" said the Indian spiritual leader and iconoclast J. Krishnamurti. He taught pacifism and harmony; he sought freedom through a transformation of the human psyche. People flocked to follow him as he moved across continents and through much of the twentieth century, spreading his word. He never wanted to be called a guru and yet his followers (who included Hollywood film stars) insisted on it.

Producer Judith Kampfner is on her own journey to be, if not the perfect mother-in-law, then at least one that breaks stereotypes and avoids common pitfalls. In the process, she interviews other mother-in-laws, many from different backgrounds and asks them what mistakes they made and how they work to establish a comfortable relationship with their offspring’s spouse. And is it important or even possible to become friends?

From the Orwell Prize shortlisted author of Freedom for Sale, The Rich is the fascinating history of how economic elites from ancient Egypt to the present day have gained and spent their money. Starting with Ancient Egypt and Greece and culminating with the oligarchies of modern Russia and China, it compares and contrasts the rich and powerful down the ages and around the world. What unites them?

John Kampfner ist Brite und zeigt, wie sehr sich das Deutschland-Bild im Ausland in den letzten Jahren verändert hat. Die deutsche Krisenpolitik hält er für Weltklasse: Corona-Bekämpfung, Finanzkrise, Flüchtlingskrise - kein Land navigiere so erfolgreich und souverän durch schwierige Zeiten wie Deutschland. Während anderswo autoritäre Politiker und Populisten regieren, sei Deutschland ein Bollwerk aus Anstand und Stabilität.

Long cherished as a vital American folk art, quilting is fast becoming a contemporary form of documentation. For instance, "The Names Project," the mile-long quilt designed to memorialize victims of AIDS, often includes bits of photographs, handwriting, personal mementos and even artifacts like hair and teeth. Quilts were also used to send messages on the Underground Railroad. We look at the tapestry of quilting stories as we make a patchwork of audio stories celebrating the joys and history of quilts.

At a Maine Youth Center, MIT professor, Seymour Papert inaugurated an experiment to radically change an education curriculum. Rooted in his ideas such as those in his book Mindstorms, Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas, Pappert collaborated with Lego and instituted a learning-by-doing program where young pupils spend their day using Legos to build programmable robots - clocks, vehicles and moving fantasy figures. Mindstorm projects are now ubiquitous.

Each week in Creative Confidential, Jude Kampfner chats to an independent professional performance or visual artist about how they survive and thrive. They share details of moving between projects, becoming more entrepreneurial, finding the best opportunities and developing a signature image and style. Her guests range from lyricists to novelists, videographers to sound designers. A broadcaster, writer and coach, Jude gently probes and challenges her so that whatever your line of creativity you learn from her advice and the experiences of her lively guests. judekampfner.com https://...

In 1958, the United States made its initial steps towards the goal of manned space flight with Project Mercury. Seven men were selected to be the first American astronauts to test the limits of human endurance in space. Behind the scenes, there was a steep learning curve in the new science of astronautics. In fact, the project was a biomedical challenge.

In preparation for sending astronauts into space, scientists sent animals to test the effect of high altitudes. But animals could only tell them so much, and so the Air Force began a remarkable program to send balloonists to the outer edge of the atmosphere. Come to the original research site in New Mexico, where Project Manhigh scientists, flight surgeons and inventors explored the science of space travel.

How do farmers, futures traders, scientists and policy makers forecast production? Forecasters of Farming looks at the history, art and science of predicting agricultural production using space technology and climate modeling. Producer Dave Harries (reluctantly) visits the Mondovi Vineyards in California where growers are operating what plant and soil scientist John Norman at University of Wisconsin calls precision farming: using meteorology and agriculture tools to get the wine just right.

There's a proverb in Korea: sharing your sorrows cuts them half. In the hills outside of Seoul, Korea, there is a home that some elderly women share. They are women who were commandeered during World War II by the Japanese military, to serve as sex slaves. The soldiers called them comfort women. The women in the Korean Sharing House share their past, their grief, and their anger.

Losing your balance and feeling dizzy? It happens as we grow older, and astronauts are trying to help us figure out why. Producer Judith Kampfner takes a look at how health researchers use the experience of weightlessness to better understand the bodies' equilibrium. The effects of motion sickness —disorientation, maladjustment to environment, and human flexibility to adapt — are the same effects experienced by astronauts in outer space.

Divorce has an immediate impact on family and friends beyond the couple and their children. It is not the quick paper solution of a society which discards and moves on all to easily. Producer Judith Kampfner looks at the ripple effects of divorce — how it has an impact far beyond the immediate family. We hear from women who have managed their experiences with humor and insights. In part, though, Who’s Got the Dog? is a personal reflection about the producer's own divorce.

Anyone sending a space shuttle into orbit, building a skyscraper, or even studying bone density owes a debt of gratitude to Isaac Newton and his theory of gravitation and laws of motion. Yet, the role of gravity in life’s processes, from cell structure to the human cardiovascular system remains unclear. Judith Kampfner explores the enigma force by starting in an eight grade science class, following a high school physics class as they perform some experiments on NASA’s vomit comet.

Talk about taxis as a guilty pleasure! Producer Judith Kampfner gives us a metropolitan comparison: whether it's riding in style on the streets of New York (avoiding the hustle, bustle, and pain of the subway), or zipping across London's spiraling maze of cross-streets (never doubting your intrepid guide's sense of direction). Join us for a tour of taxi drivers -- the rough-edged New York City cabbies, and the traditional, vintage hacks of London. It’s never predictable – who might be the next stranger to inhabit your space?

Two writers in Chicago foretold their own deaths. Guy Izzi wrote thrillers but his own end was stranger than anything he had described in his fiction. It seemed to be a continuation of one of his stories. Was he being followed by a cult that he had depicted in his last novel? The Chicago Police find it a mystery. Equally as puzzling is the case of Professor Ioan Culianu at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He also was found dead at his place of work.

Everybody lies. Lying is pervasive in everyday life. But just how good are you at spotting lies? Producer Judith Kampfner talks to researchers who are learning how and why humans practice deception and why lies can be hard to detect. Pioneering psychologist Paul Ekman, whose research is the basis for the television series Lie to Me, tells us about detecting lying in facial and body language. Oxford researcher Paul Harris discusses his work with children, trying to understand why and at what point do children learn to tell deceive.

Between the mid-seventies and the early nineteen-nineties, Paul Erasmus was a secret police official in South Africa. His unit was responsible for what he calls dirty tricks, which included arson, sabotage, theft, discrediting people, illegal phone tapping, and firebombing. Then, before apartheid ended, he went in front of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to confess to 500 offenses and 80 serious crimes and was granted partial amnesty in 2000.

Around the world there is topless bathing but it is rare in this country. Yet one in four Americans admit to having skinny dipped. Is it hypocritical, a holdover from Puritan beginnings, or something more deep-seated? At the end of summer, before the chill winds blow, Producer Judith Kampfner visits a public nude beach in Miami, Florida and a private naturist camp not far outside New York and yes, complies with the no clothes rule. Baring all may mean feeling vulnerable and stupid.