Pests and Presidents: On the Air with Alan Schroeder and James McWilliams

You can read excerpts from James McWilliams’s American Pests: The Losing War on Insects from Colonial Times to DDT and Alan Schroeder’s Presidential Debates: Fifty Years of High-Risk TV but you can also listen to them thanks to NPR.

In addition to a certain ex-president, the Aspen Ideas Festival also invited James McWilliams (see picture above), who spoke about the history of insect control and his new book American Pests. You can listen to his talk courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio and of course you can also see him speak about the book in this video.

Alan Schroeder was recently interviewed by both All Things Considered and On the Media. During his appearance on All Things Considered, Schroeder was asked if he was a consultant to McCain and Obama what advice would he offer. According to Schroeder, McCain needs to watch his temper and allow his sense of humor to come through. While Obama should try and rattle McCain but also emphasize his own ability to empathize.