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It’s A Question Of Balance ® radio show balances the intellectual with the creative, exploring whether we have more in common than divides us through thought-provoking conversations – out and about with people on the street on different topics, and in the studio with inspiring guests from the arts. Balance is not a compromise. Balance is truth distilled from many places creating cohesive understanding.
Topic: Out And About – Conversations on the Street about Questions That Matter: Can You Be Pro-life And Pro-War?
We consider ‘Can you be pro-life and pro-war?’ Many people who are against abortion are not opposed to war and the lives that are taken, both military and civilian, including women and children. Is there an inconsistency here? Or is it reasonable to support the protection of life in some circumstances and not in others? Some faiths, such as the Jehovah Witnesses, are conscientious objectors because they believe taking life is always wrong. Other people argue that killing in war can be just in certain circumstances. But does this mean that abortion may be the right choice in certain circumstances too? Once we open the door that some lives can be taken, who has the moral imperative to decide which lives those should be? The question this week is not about whether war or abortion are wrong, but rather is there an inconsistency in being for some lives and not others?
What do you think? I get the views of people in the local area for our Out and About feature.
Arts Interview: In-Depth Conversation with Tad Williams Begins at 53 Minutes
This week as my special guest from the arts I’m pleased to be interviewing Tad Williams, internationally best-selling fantasy and science fiction author. Having been in the business of writing for over 20 years, Tad has an extensive body of work comprising stand-alone novels Tailchaser’s Song, The War of The Flowers and Caliban’s Hour; multi-volume series: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn; Otherland; and Shadowmarch; the noir fantasy Bobby Dollar books; as well as comics published by DC Comics, a series of young-adult books written with his wife, Deborah Beale, The Ordinary Farm Adventures, and also short fiction, essays, and screenplays. Tad is known for his extremely original ideas and meticulous world-building and his work has been translated into more than 20 languages. Tad has been described as a true legend of fantasy writing. His most recent publication is the third book in the popular Bobby Dollar series; he is currently working on a sequel trilogy to the epic Memory, Sorrow and Thorn called The Last King of Osten Ard. Tad lives in the Santa Cruz area with his wife, Deborah Beale, their two children, and more cats, dogs, turtles, pet ants and banana slugs than they can count!
For more info visit http://www.tadwilliams.com
“It’s A Question of Balance ® so rare among radio talk shows, lets its subjects breathe. With her discursive style and pleasingly eccentric range of curiosity, host Ruth Copland each week treats her listeners to two hours of Whole Brain Radio.
Hampton Sides – Internationally bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and historian
Thanks for the interview with Tad Williams. I’m really glad to see he’s returning to Osten Ard! Great books.
Glad you enjoyed it Mike!
Tad Williams is the one writer who inspired me to try my hand at writing. Not discounting the many others who I absolutely love, but only after I finished the Otherland series did I say “Why not me then?”.
I’m not sure, but it’s likely the fact that Tad might be one of the more accessible, or down-to-earth writers I know (not personally), that made the idea of writing less scary.
A really interesting writer and a tremendously gifted one.
I’m glad to hear Tad has inspired you Gil. He is a great writer.
We are all so thrilled to see Tad return to the world of “Memory, Sorrow and Thorn”! The original series was excellent, and has become classic works of Fantasy. His sequels will be legendary, I think. Great interview. Thanks Ruth. (BTW, you seem to have an accent very similar to Tad’s wife Deborah Beale. Are you from the same region of England originally?)
Happy you appreciated the interview, Ron. Deborah and I are not from exactly the same area but both with a recognisable Brit accent evidently! I am from Surrey and Berkshire – two of the ‘home counties’ surrounding London.