"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
- Mark Twain
Get Involved
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"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." - Mark Twain
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Get Involved
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August 29, 2008 | |||||||
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 GoodThings on Public Radio May 23, 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, May 17 | The Global Film Circuit Film critic Kenneth Turan has been traveling the world, soaking up the continual glory of international film festivals for some 30 years, and his new book Sundance to Sarajevo describes the role of such festivals in our understanding and appreciation of the best in film. Turan says he's fascinated by the varied perspectives of different cultures on film and film festivals. In this piece, he reflects upon the way film festivals can make even the most embattled parts of the world feel a sense of normalcy. [Morning Edition] Listen (6:15). :: Buy a copy of Kenneth Turan's new book Sundance to Sarajevo: Film Festivals and the World They Made. SATURDAY, May 18 | Literary Evangelism What do you do with your books having you've finished reading them? Two Web sites say there's nothing better than the feeling of giving those books away. The spirit behind both BookCrossing.com and FreeWords.org is one of sharing, sharing not only the power of words but also the joy of connecting through loved books. BookCrossing.com lets you visit the site, register your book, and print out an instructional label. Then, all you do is affix the label, leave the book in a public place, and keep checking the Web site to see what happens. Those who find the books are asked to share their impressions on the site. 15,000 such books are now making the rounds in 19 countries around the world. Afraid of letting go of your books? True believers say the sharing is invigorating. [Weekend Edition Saturday] Listen (6:55). :: Learn more about sharing books with strangers from BookCrossing.comand FreeWords.org. SUNDAY, May 19 | A New Member of the World Community On May 20, 2002, East Timor became a free and independent country and the 190th member of the United Nations after a troubled history and over 25 years of war and military repression. Now, the tiny but diverse nation of fewer than one million people begins the long process of reconciliation. In this piece, Alexandre Tilman, East Timorese by birth, shares his thoughts on the country's future. He's just penned the brand-new East Timor volume of the well-known travel guide series Lonely Planet. [Weekend All Things Considered] Listen (3:48). :: Learn more about the Lonely Planet guide to East Timor. MONDAY, May 20 | Ugandans Take Charge of Health Care In a part of the world commonly associated with the amount of international aid it receives, local communities are getting a chance to define their own futures. Tiny villages in Uganda are beginning to put in place local health care co-operatives, where there once were no basic health care facilities. The cooperative ideas is predicated on the notion of paying in advance for future access to health care. It's a tricky proposition in a place where annual incomes are extremely low. But the example set by the Minnesota-based Health Partners is giving many Ugandans -- most of whom don't live past their forties -- a sense of hope. For the equivalent of $29 per year, Ugandans get reliable treatment of malaria and dysentery and have access to prenatal care. Most importantly, they manage and control a system that is more sustainable than typical aid. [All Things Considered] Listen (12:30). :: Learn more about Uganda's new health co-operative and the Minnesota Health Partners model. TUESDAY, May 21 | Housing for All? The US Conference of Mayors, led by its new president Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, is determined to become an impassioned voice for the need for more affordable housing in American cities. Says Menino, over 60% of America's rental households can't afford to buy housing where they live. It's a problem that affects huge numbers of people but doesn't seem to make the national headlines. Menino is his fellow mayors hope to move the issue "to the front burner" by advocating for progressive policy alternatives, such as developer tax credits, to increase the urban housing supply. He also hopes to make more people aware of the fact that those who need so-called "affordable" housing are good, hard-working people who simply have incomes that aren't keeping pace with escalating housing prices. [Morning Edition] Listen (3:30). :: Learn more about the US Conference of Mayors position on affordable housing. WEDNESDAY, May 22 | One World Through Music NPR's Marika Partridge says it's rare that one hears a song that's truly extraordinary, that has an almost transcendent power that way that, say, Woody Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land does. But with the lyrics, the melody, and the message of Pat Humphries' extraordinary song Swimming to the Other Side, Partridge believes she's found one. It's a song, Partridge says, that makes her "feel good" and gives her a "surge of optimism" during otherwise very uncertain times. In this piece, Partridge explores what makes Humphries' "near perfect" song truly meaningful and exceptional. Humphries herself says the song is not a religious song, but a political song, and the kind of song that her friend Pete Seeger says will still be sung to promote peace and unity even in the 22nd century. [All Things Considered] Listen (10:13). :: Learn more about Pat Humphries' Swimming to the Other Side. :: Buy Pat Humphries' music. THURSDAY, May 23 | "Let Go of the Lawn" Are drought conditions threatening your beloved garden this year? NPR's Ketzel Levine says it's time to give up your lawn and do your part to conserve water. Many parts of the US have had a spring characterized by both limited rainfall and unseasonably cold weather. Many plant nurseries are not even stocking plants this season that aren't considered drought-tolerant. In this piece, Levine offers some words of wisdom for dealing with drought: water new plants well initially but then mulch, mulch, mulch to retain the water that's in the soil. [Morning Edition] Listen (3:11). :: More about water-wise gardening. [ : 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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