In Residence

Letterman changed the way we look at folks on TV. He made it ok to be grumpy when the phoniness just got too excessive.

The oceans are in peril, but there is still plenty of time to save them. Will people act? Maybe if they find out more about all the wonderful creatures that live at the extremes of the oceans.

Contrary to the stories we hear, great discoveries, great creations, are not typically the work of a single person. Genius usually result from collaboration.

The Surge, the US troop deployment credited with holding the unraveling Iraq war together, owes much of its success to well trained US soldiers fighting the battle in cyberspace.

Wesley K. Clark, retired U.S. Army General and one-time presidential candidate is long out of politics, but not political strategizing.

The history of Seattle, of any city really, shows in the buildings that are still standing and the ones that have been torn down.

" A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity" is by New York Times' Nicholas Kristof and Author Sheryl Wudunn. It is a book of good news, of positive stories, of people making a difference.

Town Hall is on First Hill in Seattle. The folks who run it were interested in finding out about their neighborhood. So, they invited the well known "Now and Then" creators Paul Dorpat and Jean Sherrard to explore.

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich says his duty these days is to raise a ruckus and inspire people with hope they can change politics.

Astrophysicist Roberto Trotta turned a thought experiment into a short book, "The Edge of the Sky: All You Need To Know about the All-There-Is."

Photographer Mary Randlett is known for her portraits of some of the most important artists and writers of the last 70 years. From Tom Robbins back to Morris Graves, Randlett created intimate portraitsof NW icons.

More than 50 million people in the US have some form of hearing loss. It too often keeps us from going out to public places and enjoying public events.Town Hall is changing that.

Neuroscientist and one time rock and roll record producer Daniel Levitin explores how the mind categorizes and retrieves information in his book "The Organized Mind."

Iran is a divided nation. Politically, the regimes support among its most stalwart supporters has dwindled. Iranian efforts at reform ebb and flow.

Scientist Ruth DeFries talks to Steve Scher about her book, "The Big Ratchet," which looks at ways humans have managed to solve species threatening catastrophes. Can we do it again?

Michael Backes worked in the field of medical marijuana when it was emerging from the darkness of illegality in the early 2010s. His book, Cannabis Pharmacy: A Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana, takes a look at the quality, quantity, negative and positive health impacts of marijuana, as well as the shifting ground of legality. Steve Scher, Scholar in Residence at Town Hall Seattle, talked to Backes September 25, 2014.