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An apology can be very private or very public. It can be personal, political or professional. But more often than not, it can be very difficult. Tonight, we'll discuss the best ways to go about apologizing and accepting apologies. We'll also discuss whether or not it's always the best thing to do.

We'll talk with Bruce Weinstein, professional ethicist and author of Life Principles: Feeling Good by Doing Good. He'll guide us through some of the dos and don'ts of apologizing.

Dr. Maurice Ramirez, emergency room physician in Orlando and founding chair of the American Board of Disaster Medicine. He'll talk with us about whether or not doctors should apologize for professional mistakes that cause bodily harm.

We'll also hear from Jennifer Lind, assistant professor of Government at Dartmouth College. She'll tell us why she thinks it's usually best for governments not to apologize for past wrongs.

Gerry Putnam and Tom Pirozzoli are more than just two guys and two guitars. They each have established music careers; one plays jazz fusion and is the head of a recording studio, the other is a singer/songwriter and recording artist. After admiring each other's work for thirty years, they've combined their efforts in a new cd called "Conversation Without Words." We'll hear them play a range of tunes live in the studio.

When many people think of John James Audubon, they may conjure an image of a gentle, maybe even delicate man who painted birds and tiptoed gingerly through nature. They might not realize that he was a bit wild himself. He lied about his past, spent time in jail for bankruptcy, and was blackballed by other natural scientists. Tonight on the Front Porch, we're getting to know the real John James Audubon. A new film that digs into his colorful life and times will premiere on PBS tomorrow. It's called John James Audubon: Drawn From Nature. We'll get a sneak peak from director/producer Larry Hott.

The film is part of the PBS series American Masters. It will air tomorrow (Wednesday, 7/25) at 10pm on WGBH and next Monday (7/30) at 10pm on New Hampshire Public Television. Click here for more local listings.

Back when Harry Potter was still just a kid, so were most of his readers. And as Harry grew up, so did they. Now, the final book is about to be released, and spellbound fans are eager to find out how it will all end. Tonight on the Front Porch, we'll delve into the Harry Potter phenomenon with some kids who grew up with Harry and the gang. And we'll explore the traditional British literature that inspired the series.


Our guests are:

James Krasner, Professor of British Literature at the University of New Hampshire

Emily and Hilary Judd, die-hard Harry Potter fans. Emily is 18, Hilary is 14, and both girls grew up reading the series.

We'll also hear a radio piece about the Harry Potter phenomenon that was produced for the Front Porch by Bill Slammon.

Lee Blessing's play "Two Rooms" was awarded Time Magazine's "Best Play of 1988." It tells the story of an American professor who is kidnapped by Shiites, and the efforts on the part of his wife to secure his release. It raises questions about love when conflict keeps two people apart and serves as a reflection of issues related to terrorism and human dignity that are timely today. We'll talk with Director Bryan Halperin of Winnipesaukee Playhouse and actors Megan Gaffney who plays the role of Lainey and Andy Nogasky who plays the role of Michael, her hostage husband in an upcoming production of "Two Rooms" about the work's relevance. We'll also talk with Joseph Hitti, a former American University of Beirut graduate student, whose experiences in that city during the 1980's mirror the sense of fear and uncertainty apparent in "Two Rooms."

The online audio for this program is an extended version of the program broadcast on July 18, 2007.