No one can write about food, man’s relationship with it, how far we’ve come from what previous generations used to eat, and the hazard much of today’s food is to the human body than Michael Pollan. His newest book is Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation and in it, he returns to the true classic elements of life and food: fire, water, air and earth. He joins Mark Perzel on the phone to talk about his newest work, already a bestselling addition to his previous books: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, Food Rules and others.

The final Barrows Conservation Lecture Series presentation at the Cincinnati Zoo takes place Wednesday, May 15 and features renowned polar bear expert Dr. Steven Amstrup. He has been studying polar bears for over 30 years and, as Thane Maynard discovers in this week’s Field Notes, his current work with Polar Bears International is showing some dangerous trends affecting their habitat and ability to feed and survive.

Sitting at the top of Devou Park in Covington, the Behringer Crawford Museum chronicles the history and culture of Northern Kentucky. In addition to a variety of permanent and special exhibits, the Museum hosts a number of special events, none more popular than their summer music series. Laurie Risch, executive director of the museum, and Mark Schalchter, volunteer coordinator of Music@BCM, join Mark Perzel to share some of the upcoming music and displays visitors will be able to enjoy during the summer.

In his third feature film, Mud, writer-director Jeff Nichols has delivered a stirring coming of age tale that’s part Stand by Me, part Hickleberry Finn, and part William Faulkner. If it had been made in the mid-fifties, I can imagine a young Paul Newman as the title character. As it is, Matthew McConaughey, who keeps adding to his acting laurels with each chosen role, plays Mud. From Bernie to Killer Joe to Magic Mike, and now Mud, McConaughey seems determined to break out of the Hollywood rom-com pigeonhole and create characters that impress and intrigue. And maybe even get him an Oscar nomination one day.

May 9th is National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day. Maryanne Zeleznik speaks with Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Vice President of Clinical Services, Dr. Diana McIntosh, and JOURNEY to Successful Living Project Director Carolyn Jones about mental health programs for children and National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day. 

Stepping Stones, the local agency that provides children and adults with disabilities a range of educational and recreational services, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. As Mark Perzel learns from Executive Director Chris Adams, one part of the celebration is a reunion picnic on Saturday, May 18 for anyone whose life has been touched by the agency, including staff, volunteers, board members, supporters and, of course, clients.

Sally Jenkins is a veteran sports journalist, previously writing for Sports Illustrated and now as a columnist for The Washington Post. Her newest book is called Sum It Up: 1,098 Victories, A Couple of Irrelevant Losses, and a Life in Perspective and it’s all about the life and current health battle of former University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach, Pat Summitt. On this week’s The Front Row with Betsy Ross, Sally Jenkins talks about writing the book with Coach Summitt and how she is courageously facing the early-onset Alzheimer’s that forced her off the bench.

For more than 40 years, the United States has tried to develop comprehensive policies on energy, yet each of these efforts has failed. Peter Z. Grossman has written an extensive book about these failed policies called, U.S. Energy Policy and the Pursuit of Failure he is this week’s guest On the Money with Chris DeSimio.

The Week in Review with Jay Hanselman