"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."
-- Edith Wharton
Get Involved
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"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." -- Edith Wharton
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Get Involved
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August 28, 2008 | |||||||
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 GoodThings on Public Radio June 27, 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, June 21 | Choosing to Live When Major League baseball star Lou Gehrig made his famous speech to New York Yankees fans that he was leaving the sport he loved because he had been stricken with a disease without a cure, it wasn't just sports fans who mourned. Today, another professional athlete is faced with giving up on his passion because he's been diagnosed with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. You've likely never seen Jeff Julian's name atop the leader board of any Professional Golfers Association tour event, but with the help of his wife and an unflagging determination, the 40-year-old has fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing professional golf in spite of all the odds that are stacked against him. [All Things Considered] Listen (8:00). SATURDAY, June 22 | Opening a Closed Door When Chinese-American Vincent Chin became the victim of a brutal Detroit hate crime in 1982, immigrants everywhere had renewed fears for the safety amidst a country facing serious economic crisis. But twenty years later, Chin's legacy survives in positive ways, even though Chin's killers -- two white men -- never served a day of prison time for their crime. Many consider the Chin case the start of an improving climate for Asian-Americans in the US. Still, Asian immigrants continue to face discrimination and misunderstanding from mainstream in ways that differ from typical racial issues, something Frank Wu's new book Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White explores. [Weekend All Things Considered] Listen (2:45). :: Learn more by reading Frank Wu's book Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White. SUNDAY, June 23 | Unlikely Clean Air With the largest wildfires in Colorado still burning but gradually being controlled, it may come as a surprise that the skies above Denver are nearly crystal clear. But it's no odd fluke. Only five years ago, Denver's air quality was among the worst in the US, with nearly 200 days a year considered high-alert days. But more recently, people of Denver are breathing more easily as the state's environmental agencies have gone about reversing the downward spiral the old-fashioned way -- by used tried-and-true pollution prevention and clean-up techniques better than anyone else. The result? The city will soon become one of the Environmental Protection Agency's "Clean Air Cities." [Weekend Edition Sunday] Listen (4:25). MONDAY, June 24 | Starting the Journey By now, you've probably heard of the Sudan's Lost Boys, a whole generation of boys orphaned during the African nation's bloody civil war. Many of those boys became refugees who wound up in communities all over the US. Thirteen of them have just graduated from high school in Philadelphia and are considering the life that's ahead of them and the opportunities that might not have existed without the loving support of their American foster families. The boys live with frightening memories of the tragic world they left behind, but their outlook tends to be one of hope. Their lives are now filled with many small victories. [The World] Listen (3:21). TUESDAY, June 25 | The Absurdity of War The perspectives of both Palestinian and Israeli youth continue to shed light on the absurdity of the raging Middle East conflict and of war in general. Absurdity is at least how Israeli teenager Liat Margelit describes it in the context of her high school graduation, which will mark the beginning of mandatory military service for her and her classmates. Her perspective on the conflict and on Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is fearful and uncertain, just like that of her Palestinian counterpart in this piece, Ala Uwainah, a 20-year-old from Bethlehem. He has been curfewed in his home along with his family for much of the past two months and has no need to keep up with the news because he's living it. These two youths, on either side of the conflict, share a remarkably similar viewpoint the chaos of their lives. [All Things Considered] Listen (3:15). :: Read the transcript of this piece on the NPR Web site. More from Youth Radio. WEDNESDAY, June 26 | Public Spaces for All For decades, the non-profit Trust for Public Land (TPL) has established itself as one of the foremost organizations in the area of preserving pristine natural landscapes. And now with a new program at the urban core, TPL is demonstrating its commitment to a type of public land that's accessible to all people -- children's playgrounds. In the heart of Newark, New Jersey, TPL has collaborated with the students of McKinley Elementary School to design a whole new world for them on what was once defined primarily by its hard asphalt and chainlink fences. Just like the best design teams, the students have traveled to reference sites and have debated with each other over the relative benefits of basketball courts and swingsets. At an estimated $500,000, their new playground will begin to become a reality this September. [Morning Edition] Listen (4:14). :: Learn more about the Newark City Spaces Program from the Trust for Public Land. THURSDAY, June 27 | Dancing into America The world of ballroom dancing has a rich tradition in many parts of the world, especially in parts of eastern Europe like Russia and the Ukraine. But many dancers emigrating to the US have -- until recently -- found it difficult to continue doing what they love. There's been a proliferation of dance studios like the New Jersey-based Rising Stars, where world-class ballroom dancers -- many of whom have emigrated themselves -- are training the next generation. Dance students are finding that ballroom dancing is helping ease their transition into a new culture and providing them with comfort and companionship. [Morning Edition] Listen (5:45). [ : 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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