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"I recently learned that in an average lifetime a person walks about sixty-five thousand miles. That's two and a half times around the world. I wonder where your steps will take you. I wonder how you'll spend the rest of the miles you're given." -- Fred (Mr.) Rogers
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 GoodThings on Public Radio February 7, 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, February 1 | The Pursuit of Happiness New York's Stuyvesant High School is located just a short distance away from where the World Trade Center once stood. To US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, there was no more appropriate place to launch a new program he has founded called Dialogue on Freedom. Kennedy recently led Stuyvesant history students in a vibrant discussion on the meaning of two of the foundations of the US Constitution, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's Kennedy's perspective that there is no freedom without "civic participation," precisely the ultimate goal of the program. Other legal scholars will facilitate similar sessions in schools throughout the US. [Morning Edition] Listen (length of clip 3 min 55 sec). :: Learn more about the Dialogue on Freedom. SUNDAY, February 3 | Across Borders Many immigration advocates feared that part of the legacy of the events of September 11 would be a long-term backlash against non-US citizens. Much to their surprise, though, an extreme backlash hasn't happened, and there's actually been a groundswell of interest by many legal immigrants to expedite the process of naturalization. Prior to September 11, the US Congress had begun to think about loosening immigration restrictions, particularly as it relates to the US/Mexican border. Since the attacks, though, the Justice Department has detained many immigrants for questioning, leading advocacy organizations like the National Immigration Forum to ponder the ramifications. [Weekend All Things Considered] Listen (7:00). :: Learn more about the National Immigration Forum. MONDAY, February 4 | A Child's Best Interests Where parenting is concerned, it's secure, supportive households that matter most to a child. And the American Academy of Pediatrics has recently announced that children raised by two parents of the same sex have just as much likelihood of finding that security and support at home as other kids. It also says that partners of gay and lesbian parents should be able to legal adopt their children. The AAP believes it is critical to child health that both parents of a child be recognized under the law, suggesting that there can otherwise be undue risks to children. The Academy also hopes its position will improve public perceptions of same-sex parenting. [All Things Considered] Listen (4:30). :: Learn more about the position of the American Academy of Pediatrics. TUESDAY, February 5 | Helping Others Succeed Coaches abound at the Olympics. But did you know they also influence many people's everyday lives? NPR's Morning Edition has just begun a series on various kinds of coaching, and this week reports on birth coaching as practiced by trained "doulas." More and more people are hiring doulas to motivate them in the birthing process, not as a way to replace a helpful spouse or partner, but as a way to expand a mother's support system. A doula offers no clinical assistance, but provides important emotional benefits. [Morning Edition] Listen (4:35). :: Learn more about birth coaching. WEDNESDAY, February 6 | Returning Home As many as 4000 people per day are now returning to Afghanistan from refugee camps through formal checkpoints at the border with Pakistan, and the same daily number may be returning home through less official pathways. Most returning Afghans are men leaving their families behind in Pakistan to see if the future is safe and hopeful under the government of interim president Hamid Karzai. Many Afghans are buoyed by Karzai's leadership and motivated to return home where they can find educational opportunities. They're also seeking to rebuild the Afghan economy and restore its pre-Taliban culture and vitality. [Morning Edition] Listen (4:18). THURSDAY, February 7 | Real Leadership in Volunteerism In his recent State of the Union address, President Bush asked all Americans to give more of their lives to volunteer causes. His entreaty came without any substantial proposal to make it easier for businesses to support the volunteer efforts of their employees. As Brookings Institution scholar Paul Light says in this commentary, most Americans have the will but not the time to volunteer. Most are working hard to make ends meet. Light says real leadership in the area of volunteerism will come if the government offers tax incentives to businesses that encourage volunteering among their employees and trains nonprofits to become better volunteer managers. Says Light, good volunteerism only serves to improve the effectiveness of progressive organizations. [Morning Edition] Listen (2:33). :: Paul Light is the author of Making Nonprofits Work: A Report on the Tides of Nonprofit Management Reform. [ : 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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