Tracy Gary, Pillsbury heiress and noted philanthropist, calls charity the “new American dream” because it is uniquely able to create change in our world. A founder of over a dozen charities herself, Gary has given nearly all of her inheritance away. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials…

“The Meaning of America”. Filmmaker Ken Burns, philsopher Jacob Needleman and others take us on a journey through the ideas and beliefs of America’s founders to understand their social and spiritual vision for the United States. Includes historic readings and the sounds of Independence Hall, Monticello and elsewhere. To see additional resources and…

On this special two-part episode of Humankind, we explore the basic American right of citizens to follow the dictates of their conscience in their own personal pursuit of happiness. Hear PBS Filmmaker Ken Burns (top), philosopher/historian Jacob Needleman, and the words of America’s founders, as we try to uncover the true meaning of America. To see…

The integration of the man-made and the natural environments constitutes a green infrastructure we should restore and preserve for the sake of more livable communities, and as an act of social justice in the interest of low-income people unable to take expensive vacations in distant rural locales. To see additional resources and our other programs,…

Amid medical bureaucracy, the patient’s humanity can get lost. What are the obstacles? How is information and support conveyed to the patient? We look at some solutions. We also learn about the fascinating health benefits of common integrative techniques such as acupuncture, meditation and stress management. To see additional resources and our othe…

In this segment, we visit medical students at the third largest U.S. college campus, Ohio State University in Columbus, who are committed to a greater focus on wellness. We hear their vision of health care in the future. Medical education is in transition—but not rapidly enough, according to several other reformers we’ll hear. To see additional res…

The practice of integrative medicine has achieved high success with heart patients and is now covered by Medicare. We hear from Doctors, patients and other experts about how this practice fits into today’s healthcare landscape. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and …

More than three-fourths of U.S. medical costs are attributed to largely-preventable illnesses related to our lifestyle behaviors – what we eat, whether we exercise, how we manage stress, if we smoke. Yet in most health care today, visits to the doctor are often too brief to get a handle on these complicated challenges. The focus is usually on disea…

We learn about the birth of the International Criminal Court, how it operates, and how cases fall under its jurisdiction — all toward ensuring human rights for people who get caught up in the crossfire of war. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-station…

Can the rule of law can help to limit the worst horrors of war — and hold transgressors accountable? This question may soon face Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, for whom the Hague prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants for war crimes. We also hear about the indictment of Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukr…

Step inside the garden of Cathrine Sneed, a prison social worker, who has found that when inmates leave their cells and connect with nature their rate of recidivism drops. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.…

Perhaps more than any other trait in a spiritual caregiver, recipients of care yearn for the attention of an open-hearted person who can bear witness to their challenges. But what does it mean to bring that presence into an encounter with someone who may be up against adversity?Spiritual caregiving can offer deep personal rewards to practitioners, …

In the second part of this Humankind documentary, we visit two venues where leaders are taking strides toward an enlightened educational experience for young people – and for faculty. The stories you will hear in each part are truly inspiring. But in the first case, it has meant coming to terms with, then gradually working past a national tragedy. …

Faced with the deep divisions roiling America, can education that is “pro-social” provide an alternative path for healing and understanding? And can schools cultivate students’ skills for social awareness and self-reflection? To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PR…

Several chaplains reflect in-depth on the experience of connecting with people who are facing challenges related to mental health, addiction and homelessness. We hear from a social worker, Larry Clum, who explores what it means to companion homeless people without an intent to “fix” their problem. To see additional resources and our other programs,…

Sharon Salzberg, an author and teacher of Buddhist meditation, describes the technique of “lovingkindness,” a way of seeing others and relating to oneself that allows the practitioner to get past resentments and have a clearer view of reality. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are h…

What was the carbon footprint of your dinner last night? Physician Walter Willett, who served as the long-time Nutrition Dept. chair at Harvard, describes the benefits of eco-friendly eating to your health and to the environment. And you’ll meet Olivia Calkins, Liam Reardon and Genesis Butler, youth activists for a “thriving planet”. To see additio…

In this documentary we explore how federal courts enforced fugitive slave laws. Historians, actors and legal scholars re-create the famous case of a young escaped slave who was sent back by a Boston judge, provoking America’s largest abolitionist protest. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind sp…

In the second half of our documentary on the history of Alcoholics Anonymous, we examine the AA recovery principles that have promoted sobriety for millions of recovering alcoholics and have created a template to help people worldwide who struggle with many forms of addiction. To view additional resources for this episode please visit our website a…

On one hill, in one cemetery, in a small town in Massachusetts are buried several American literary giants. The cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, in Concord, MA is in many ways a manifestation of the ideology that they popularized and launched a movement to conserve land. Email: tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook Instagram…

Did your college or university have a cemetery on campus? A surprising amount of schools do. They exist of a number of reasons (well just one actually, but there's plenty of different stories). Celebrate back to school in the best way possible...cemeteries! Email: tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook Instagram…

Zinkies, or white bronze headstones are a perennial favorite of all taphophiles. Today we explore their origin, manufacturing, preservation, and discussed how the company that made them revolutionized sales techniques. Email: tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook InstagramBy Liz Clappin

The rural cemetery movement coincided with an intellectual fascination with past cultures. These elements of society combined to create a century of architectural distinction in American cemeteries. Email: tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook InstagramBy Liz Clappin

Cemetery Symbolism is often the hook that lures people into the cemetery world. What is it? What does it mean? Symbols and how they are interpreted is a complicated and much debated topic in art history. Email: Tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook InstagramBy Liz Clappin

Radiation can both help and harm, from the atomic bomb to life saving cancer treatment the way that radioactive elements and isotopes impact the human body was little understood until the mid-20th century. The answers came from cemeteries, where scientists looked to corpses that had died of exposure to radiation to study the phenomenon, and better …

Between 1895 and 1945 San Francisco not only outlawed burial within city limits, but within the entire county. Following that, a fast-growing western port town hungry for land rallied for the removal of the thirteen major cemeteries. Meanwhile, to the south a quiet farming community, less than two square miles was slowly transforming into something…

The United States largest cemetery is a Catholic cemetery. One of it's most intact mortuary archaeological sites is a Catholic cemetery. Yet despite this, little has been written about Catholic cemeteries themselves, how they are founded, how the y should be run, or how they are designed. Catholic cemeteries are all about one thing... and they do i…

The discovery of KV62, or the tomb of King Tut was one of the most significant archaeological finds in history. 100 years ago, Howard Carter, the son of an illustrator and self-taught Egyptologist under the patronage of Lord Carnovan, first glimpsed the undiscovered tomb. In the wake of his discovery, a new wave of Egyptomania would sweep the world…

For roughly a century in isolated corners of New England the remains of those who died of consumption were exhumed and their remains used as a folk remedy for their relatives, who the population believed were being slowly drained of life by their dead relations. Were these individuals really vampires? Today I examine these fascinating cases and exa…

What are the biggest challenges that historic cemeteries face when it comes to the issue of preservation? No answers this week, just putting a name on the things that stand in the way of successful preservation. tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook InstagramBy Liz Clappin

Death culture historically has been family and tradition-centric, for this reason the LGBTQ+ community often has felt alienated by traditional mourning rituals, and as a result has formed their own diverse traditions, which are often protests of the injustices they faced in life. The fascinating and unique death culture that has emerged is a divers…

The painstaking restoration of the women's comfort station at Oakland cemetery illustrates many of the challenges... and rewards of the field of preservation. Presented by Ashley Shares, Director of Preservation, at the 2019 Georgia Municipal Cemeteries Conference, this presentation addresses both the fundraising, planning, and execution of a major…

For the past ten years Samuel Beetler II has overseen the preservation of the monuments in Savannah's five municipal cemeteries. Recently promoted to director of cemeteries he shares his thoughts on the importance of conservation, balancing burial versus tourism, and many other vital topics to cemeteries today. Facebook Instagram City of Savannah C…

In 1917 the design and marketing of American cemeteries would again change, as one man, a former chemist and miner, Hubert Eaton had a vision of a cemetery that was about life, not death. Eaton's unique marketing of the "memorial park" would eliminate gravestones, paint a glowing new-age Christian picture of death as a glorious resurrection, and mo…

on August 6, 1938 Charles Addams published the first cartoon featuring an unusual, macabre family that would become colloquially known by his name. Though they only represent a small part of his prolific career as cartoonist, they have become an enduring part of American culture to this day. The origins of the Addams family lies in the small coloni…

How did the 19th century change the way that people lived in America, exploring the social, political, industrial, philosophical, and religious changes that swept America in the first half of the 19th century and how they forged a new, completely unique, American model for cemeteries (including the use of the word cemetery!). tombwithaviewpodcast@g…

What was it about Mount Auburn that so captured the American imagination, and started the trend of cemetery tourism and spawned dozens of replica rural cemeteries across America? What were some of the criticisms? tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook InstagramBy Liz Clappin

Why do a podcast about cemeteries? Why am I the one doing a podcast about cemeteries? In the first episode I tell the story of how I became interested in cemeteries and became a member of the cemetery community, and why I thought we all needed a podcast about them. tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook Instagram…

Today we explore how the earliest settlers developed their burial grounds, adapting their practices from both their European roots, and their religious beliefs... and why neither was a great model for long-term success. tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook InstagramBy Liz Clappin

Herbal remedies: Do they work? Are they safe? In The Medicine Garden, a special series drawn from our archives, you’ll take a fascinating tour of this relatively low-cost form of health care. It’s an approach to healing that has become enormously popular among Americans dissatisfied with conventional medicine.…

Everyone knows A Christmas Carol...Why were the Victorians so obsessed with telling ghost stories at Christmas? And why did the tradition never really catch on in the United States? Facebook InstagramBy Liz Clappin

What happens when you can't just let go... In a nice bookend to the story of the wandering case of the corpse of Eva Peron, we travel to Key West for the story of a fake doctor, stolen corpse, and a tale almost too weird to be true. tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook InstagramBy Liz Clappin

In this episode, we hear from physician Ralph Snyderman, MD, a proponent of preventive medicine, who believes that our health care system should place greater emphasis on preventive practices (such as healthy diet and stress management), because it is more humane to avoid disease than to cope with it, and because it is a far cheaper mode of health …

40 years has passed since the controversial design of a young Yale architecture student was unveiled on the National Mall. The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial was as controversial as the war which necessitated it, but ultimately has lead to incredible healing and an evolution in how we design memorials.By Liz Clappin

What is the value of a body once it stops living? The messy political landscape of Argentina wondered that for almost 20 years following the death of its enigmatic First Lady Eva Peron, as they preserved and hid her remains. Email: tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook InstagramBy Liz Clappin

It's Tomb with a View's Third Anniversary, and I openwd up the airwaves for questions! Email: tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook InstagramBy Liz Clappin

August 31, 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Her death in an automobile accident at just age of 36 prompted a global outpouring of grief that was unprecedented in history, with half the world's population watching on television and more than a million mourners in person. I take a look at her death, funeral, a…

Lizzie Borden took and axe... but what happened next? Following some of the nation's most notorious murder victims to their (sort of) final resting place. Email: tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook InstagramBy Liz Clappin

Often the few words of an epitaph are all that we can use to know them from their tombstone. Today I trace the origins of epitaphs, and the somewhat bumpy road that brought them to the present day. What do they say not only about the person they memorialize, but about society as a whole? Email: tombwithaviewpodcast@gmail.com Facebook Instagram…

Have we entered an age of unrelenting chaos? As we grope for a “new normal”, has humanity reached a kind of turning point? In this timely audio documentary, you’ll hear inspiring stories of survivors. We also listen to health care providers, clergy and others who offer specific guidance to help people navigate these choppy waters. They conclude tha…