"If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities."
-- Maya Angelou
Get Involved
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"If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities." -- Maya Angelou
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Get Involved
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August 28, 2008 | |||||||
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 GoodThings on Public Radio January 24, 2002 We want to hear from you. What's the best public radio story or show you heard this past week? Share. If you want to listen, you'll need RealPlayer on your computer. (If you don't already have it, it's a FREE download.) Visit Real Networks. FRIDAY, January 18 | We the People? Radio/television journalist Bill Moyers has launched a new PBS television program called Now with Bill Moyers, which will feature unique perspectives on current affairs. In this commentary, he confronts the issue of a rapidly changing religious landscape in the United States, perhaps the most religiously diverse country in the world. He suggests that his own demographic - white, male, Protestant - is no longer the nation's mainstream, raising important questions about tolerance and democracy. Ultimately, says Moyers, it's democracy that matters and has the power to foster understanding. [All Things Considered] Listen (length of clip 2 min 45 sec). :: Get information about the new PBS show Now with Bill Moyers. SATURDAY, January 19 | Looking Like the "Enemy" New York teenager Rana Sino loves living in the United States, and doesn't take her independence and freedom for granted. Although Rana has grown up stateside, her family hails from Lebanon, and because she and her birth father have profoundly divergent views on how to live, Rana is now in foster care. In a piece she wrote for the magazine Foster Care Youth United, she describes how she felt after September 11 when all scornful eyes turned toward people of her background. Even voices lambasted people of Middle Eastern descent in front of her, without knowing how it made her feel. [Weekend All Things Considered] Listen (3:15). :: Read more essays on the Web site www.YouthComm.org. SUNDAY, January 20 | Committing the Truth It's said that nobody likes a tattle-tale. But when you're blowing the whistle on the ethical lapses of your company or organization, does the same hold true? The high-level whistleblower at energy giant Enron who drew attention to the company's illegal activity was just the latest in a string of people who have felt compelled to do the right thing when they see something that looks wrong. But many whistleblowers end up losing their livelihoods and their peace of mind. So what makes them do it? Author Fred Alford says it's a desire to remain morally pure amidst a corrupt world. Alford suggests that whistleblowers are too few and far between; most of their colleagues "check their brains at the door" and choose to look the other way. [Weekend All Things Considered] Listen (5:00). :: Get a copy of Fred Alford's book Whistleblowers: Broken Lives and Organizational Power. MONDAY, January 21 | The New Fabric of Harlem One of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s final speeches was at Riverside Church in New York's Harlem neighborhood. The Harlem he looked out on looked strikingly different to Harlem today. Once a destination for African-Americans fleeing a segregated South, it has become a veritable melting point of people of color. "Black" in Harlem can refer to recent immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa, as well as some Latinos. But Harlem is no longer exclusively "black." A growing Asian population makes up a large percentage of the majority Harlem inhabitants who were not born in the US. Still, in spite of the broad integration of Harlem, many residents still struggle to improve their quality of life. [Morning Edition] Listen (7:04). TUESDAY, January 22 | Everyday Courage The Brooklyn Dodgers would have remained one of baseball's legendary teams even if they had never won the 1955 World Series. In 1947, when Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play in the major leagues, he was a member of a sometimes divided Dodgers team. The ongoing legacy of that Dodgers team has been one of courage, as documented in the new documentary film by Mark Reese, son of Dodgers captain PeeWee Reese, Boys in Winter: The Toughest Season. In the award-winning film, the younger Reese chronicles his father's painful battles with cancer and alcoholism. Among the other courageous stories featured in the film is the family triumph of Dodger Carl Erskine has he watches his mentally disabled son make small but significant strides. [Morning Edition] Listen (6:35). :: Learn more about Boys in Winter. It won Best Documentary at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. WEDNESDAY, January 23 | "He's the Product" A new NPR series charts the lives of everyday New Yorkers whose jobs make them part of a dying breed. In the age of disposal plastic, Walter Backerman is certainly one of the few Seltzer men making their rounds in the city or anywhere. When he left law school, he became the third generation of men in his family delivering "beautiful" Seltzer bottles to long-time customers, some of the bottles collectibles dating from the 1950s worth more "dead than alive." In this heartwarming piece, we follow Walter on the route is clearly cherishes, as he talks and interacts with customers - like Mrs. Blitz in the Bronx - who obviously adore him. [All Things Considered] Listen (8:00). :: Learn more about the radio series New York Works. THURSDAY, January 24 | Volcanic Proportions The town of Goma in the eastern part of the nation of Congo was recently devastated by a volcano that continues to erupt. The international humanitarian aid organization, Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières), is currently working in the Congo to ensure that food and medical aid reaches survivors in greatest need. The organization is being especially vigilant about possible outbreaks of meningitis and cholera, which is endemic to the Congo. [Morning Edition] Listen (2:53). :: Learn more and find out how you can support the work of Doctors Without Borders. [ : previous week : ] WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. Did we miss a good public radio story this week? Want to recommend one for next week? Share it with us! |
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