Ideas from CBC Radio (Highlights)

What happens when historians go searching for new evidence about the nation's past? Historian Robert Johnson speaks to some American historians who are asking us to reconsider America's role in the Vietnam War.

Anything you can do to make someone's life better, you must do. Right? But how much do you owe to other people, and who should you help? In this series, we consider the limits and the extent of our obligations to others, as individuals and as a society.

Two hundred years ago, on April 27th, 1813, an invading American army attacked the muddy little town of York - which is now Toronto. Paul Kennedy revisits the battleground, as part of IDEAS continuing coverage of the War of 1812 bicentennial.

People hate parasites. They bring pestilence, misery, even death. Rosemary Drisdelle explores these much maligned creatures and their importance in nature, and she unveils exciting new medical research into the good they can do for us.

A rare and detailed account of a prostitute and brothel owner in the Canadian west during the late 1800s reveals the integral role prostitutes played in shaping the Canadian frontier.

What is it about rhythm, pattern, and synchronization that fascinate us? How do pacemaker cells in a heart synchronize? How can thousands of people unconsciously walk in step? Filmmaker Tess Girard explores the idea of rhythm and what it means to us.

Dramatizations of the old stories of the Blackfoot of southern Alberta, provide a glimpse into this ancient culture's sacred beliefs, traditions and heroes.

Albert Schweitzer was one of the great visionaries and humanitarians of the 20th century. Writer and broadcaster Megan Williams looks back on his life and legacy.

A controversial, iconic figure, Yoko Ono is today regarded as a multi-media innovator. At 80, she remains an adventurous and committed conceptual artist and musician, celebrated internationally. Eleanor Wachtel talks to Yoko Ono.

Fermont, Quebec was designed as the mining community of the future. Its 1.3 kilometre-long windscreen complex was built to shield residents from the sub-arctic climate. Simon Nakonechny heads north to find out what has become of this visionary town.

A recent Supreme Court decision in favour of the Manitoba Metis Federation could fundamentally change the nature of Crown/Metis relations in Canada. We hear from interested participants, including Thomas Berger who argued this case for almost three decade

In 1895 Joshua Slocum set off to sail alone around the world. It had never been done, and it took 3 years. Since then, fewer than 200 people have sailed in his wake. Philip Coulter explores this greatest challenge sailors set for themselves.

What happens when historians go searching for new evidence about the nation's past? Historian Robert Johnson looks at what happens when Russians begin to examine Stalin's vaunted role as a leader during World War II.

Michael Enright, in conversation with two trail-blazing female political leaders: Vigdís Finnbogadóttir and Mary McAleese. In 1980, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir became the first woman in history to be elected as a constitutional head of state when she became pre

Mary O'Connell brings us the stories of the depressed on the path to wellness and the methods that can be used to get them there.