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Forms and Functions

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Monday, January 02, 2006

Christopher Andrew tells us about his history of the KGB’s secret operations in the Third World during the Cold War. Next, David Bodanis celebrates the 100th anniversary of E=MC2 by explaining what the famous equation means. Next, we’ll get a tutorial on how to cheat your friends at poker from Penn Jillette. And historian Sean Wilentz looks at how American democracy was forged in the days between the Revolution and the Civil War.

The World Was Going Our Way

In 1999 Christopher Andrew pulled together the notes of the KGB’s most senior archivist to uncover the history of the KGB’s secret operations in the US and Europe. Now, for the second volume of that history, he looks at the KGB’s interests and influences in the developing world, and reexamines ...

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E=MC2

E=MC2 is one of the world's most famous equations. But while most people have heard of it, few really understand what it means. David Bodanis decided to decode the science and history of the equation for non-scientists in E=MC2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation.

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How to Cheat Your Friends At Poker

Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller fame), shares some of the wisdom he gleaned from a career card player who won hundreds of thousands of dollars by cheating in How To Cheat Your Friends At Poker.

Music: "Night on Earth" soundtrack (Tom Waits/Island) # 2 & 3

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The Rise of American Democracy

Between the American Revolution and the outbreak of the Civil War, many political battles were waged over the best way to govern the new republic. Princeton historian Sean Wilentz describes those tumultuous days in The Rise of American Democracy.

Music: "Jefferson in Paris" soundtrack (original music: Richard Robbins; ...

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