Ira's Everything Bagel

This week, Ira spoke with Jason Steffen, Associate Professor of Physics at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who helped organize Exoplanets IV, being held in Las Vegas through May 6 and presented by The American Astronomical Society. In this Interplanetary episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Jason talks about when he discovered his passion for exoplanets; why the sub-discipline of exoplanets contributes to understanding our own solar system; how 10 exoplanets were discovered when he began his studies and there are no 5,000; how planetary systems form and the different paths they could have taken; the different methods (some of which are complementary to each other) for studying them, including the transit method; discovering the first exoplanet orbiting a star like our sun in 1995; and why the discipline is diversifying.

This week, Ira spoke with Robert Teitelbaum, coauthor (with Cindy Carter) of Frogs and Snails and Mobster Tales, and (with Carol Teitelbaum) Hiding in Plain Sight, both published by Teitelbaum publishing. In this syndicated episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Robert talks about growing up in Al Capone’s shadow; how his parents, Abe and Esther Teitelbaum, became mob lawyers, deeply involved in the activities of the Chicago, New York and California branches of organized crime; how family dynamics and his unique childhood resulted in Robert and his siblings moving across the country to California: living conditions in a guarded compound where abuse took place; dealing with his demons by writing these two books; carving out a career in Hollywood as a successful casting agent; lessons he learned from coming to terms with his family history; and his successful marriage to Carol.

This week, Ira spoke with Marilyn Greenwald coauthor (along with Yun Li) of Eunice Hunton Carter: A Lifelong Fight for Social Justice, published by Empire State Editions (Fordham University Press). In this prosecutorial episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Marilyn talks about how she discovered the fascinating life and career of Eunice Hunton Carter (it happened in a visit to Las Vegas); how Carter worked with Thomas Dewey to bring down the mob and provided the link that others could not see; her background in education and social work; the challenge of being black and female at a time when minorities were rare in prosecution circles; how her parents were supportive of her work; and the lessons Marilyn learned in writing the book.