Think airs Monday to Thursday from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM. Encore airings of Think can be heard Monday to Thursday nights on KERA FM beginning at 9:00 p.m. Podcasts and streamed video are available online at www.kera.org/think.

Monday, 7/30

Hour 1:  Can a creative approach help mend our country’s troubled economy and the financial and political divides that plague our society? We’ll talk this hour with Richard Florida, director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, and author of the book “The Rise of the Creative Class–Revisited: 10th Anniversary Edition–Revised and Expanded” (Basic Books, 2012).

Hour 2:  How can you maximize the positive effects that exercise and diet can have on your health? We’ll find out this hour with Gretchen Reynolds, who writes the “Phys Ed” column for the New York Times. Her new book on the subject is “The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can: Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer” (Hudson Street Press, 2012).

Tuesday, 7/31

Hour 1:  What’s the best way to recover and ensure appropriate compensation from natural disasters, human-caused tragedies, and acts of violence? Well talk this hour with Kenneth R. Feinberg, administrator of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, the fund for victims of the Virginia Tech shootings, and others. Feinberg writes about his experiences as a mediator in his new book “Who Gets What: Fair Compensation after Tragedy and Financial Upheaval” (PublicAffairs, 2012).

Hour 2:  For many of us who have no idea, what is it like to celebrate Ramadan? We’ll get an interesting take this hour from Reverend Wes Magruder, Senior Associate Pastor of First United Methodist Church of Rowlett. Magruder is observing the fast along with his friend and colleague Imam Shaikh Yaseen of the Islamic Association of Collin County. Yaseen will also join us for the hour.

Wednesday, 8/01

Hour 1:  Where does the federal government actually get the revenue it spends and just how big are the potential budget and deficit pitfalls that our country faces? We’ll find out this hour with David Wessel, economics editor for the Wall Street Journal and author of the new book “Red Ink: Inside the High-Stakes Politics of the Federal Budget” (Crown Business, 2012).

Hour 2:  What are the biggest challenges for doctors working in America’s psychiatric healthcare system? We’ll get one psychologist’s view of this hour with Darcy Lockman, Ph.D., who writes about her final training year in residence at Brooklyn’s King County Hospital in the new book “Brooklyn Zoo: The Education of a Psychotherapist” (Doubleday, 2012).

Thursday, 8/02

Hour 1:  What cements a president’s place in history? According to our guest this hour, biographer and journalist Robert W. Merry, a mix of public opinion and historical context influences how we look back on our leaders. He’ll join us to discuss the presidents and his new book “Where They Stand: The American Presidents in the Eyes of Voters and Historians” (Simon & Schuster, 2012).

Hour 2:  Is there a way to mitigate the current volatility of our social and economic systems by designing built-in coping mechanisms? We’ll explore the possibilities this hour with Andrew Zolli, director of the global innovation network Poptech and co-author of the new book “Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back” (Free Press, 2012).

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