"Too much of a good thing can be wonderful."
--Mae West
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"Too much of a good thing can be wonderful." --Mae West
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Get Involved
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December 1, 2008 | |||||||
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 GoodThings on Public Radio July 25, 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, July 19 | A Majestic Tribute If the measure of a true mentor is how much people miss you when you're gone, Jerry Melton must have been the king of all mentors. When he died last week after a long battle with liver cancer, the former Hollywood High School drama teacher was toasted with a stage tribute from the legions of former students who have gone on to careers in theater, film, and television. In the piece, the former student behind the tribute -- himself the screenwriter for last year's film The Majestic -- explains that what made Melton extraordinary was his willingness to welcome anyone into his personal family and his belief in a disciplined work ethic. [NPR's All Things Considered] Listen (4:00). SATURDAY, July 20 | Famine's Memory While New York City began what will likely be a long debate over the most appropriate way to memorialize the events of September 11, another monument was unveiled in lower Manhattan. This one's on a quarter of an acre and looks remarkably like the west of Ireland. That's because it's the Irish Hunger Memorial Park, a tribute to the million Irish who died during the Great Potato Famine of the mid-19th century. The park uses plants, stones, and other relics that come directly from Ireland's County Mayo and depicts the typical scenario on most Irish farms during the "Hunger." The famine marked a time of massive emigration from Ireland; many of those people ended up in America and contributed to a time of tremendous growth. It was also a time that solidified Ireland's rich cultural traditions of music and storytelling. [NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday] Listen (9:00). :: Learn more about the Irish Hunger Memorial Park. [more] SUNDAY, July 21 | "Responsible" Theater And on the other end of the island of Manhattan, people are once again celebrating Harlem's storied Jazz Age in a new musical being staged in the uptown neighborhood's legendary Apollo Theatre. The creators of Harlem Song hope it inspires another Harlem Renaissance and will open the largely African-American district's doors to the entire city again. Harlem has already been enjoying an economic upswing, spurred by -- among other things -- former US President Bill Clinton's new office. Harlem Song has been billed as both an educational and entertaining experience. It's a show that presents a socially responsible message about the rise of Harlem as southern blacks migrated north, its subsequent decline, and its hopes for the future. [NPR's Weekend All Things Considered] Listen (6:00). :: Learn more about the Apollo Theatre's Harlem Song. MONDAY, July 22 | Alan Lomax, World Citizen Without Alan Lomax, many of us would have never known about music legends like Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. The folk archivist passed away last week and left recordings of the first generation underground American music that, without his persistence and fascination, might have been lost to the world. But his legacy is not purely American. His passion for music transcended time and space. His recordings are from as far afield as Ireland, England, Italy, and the Caribbean. Lomax was a pioneer in understanding how music reflects the humanity of the world and the tendency of people of different backgrounds to come together and share culture. [PRI's The World] Listen (4:44). TUESDAY, July 23 | California's Green Machines A new California law will curb the emission of greenhouse gases and change the way people drive by the year 2009, but Californians may already be setting the pace when it comes to the cars they're driving. Particularly in environmentally conscious parts of the state, new hybrid automobiles that combine internal combustion engines with electrical power are increasingly popular. California's new emissions standards will only be achieved with strides in fuel efficiency or with successes in finding alternatives to petroleum. The current incarnation of the hybrid cars is saving fuel, but it costs significantly more to make and buy than comparable traditional automobiles. But tax credits and other innovations are on the horizon and will likely make clean, green driving much more affordable. [NPR's Morning Edition] Listen (5:21). WEDNESDAY, July 24 | Inching Toward Democracy The United Nations Development Programme is applauding steps that 81 countries around the world -- mostly in eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America -- have taken in moving toward democracy during the past twenty years. But the UNDP's Mark Malloch Brown admits that democracy doesn't come easy for most countries. Many democratizing countries have experienced increases in crime and heightened national security challenges. Brown and the UNDP are steadfast, however, in their commitment to the pursuit of goverments where people rule, suggesting that only in democracies do the poor have any chance of reaping benefits from growth or any political mechanisms through which they can effect change on major societal problems. [NPR's All Things Considered] Listen (3:45). :: Learn more about the quest for world democracy from the United Nations Development Programme. THURSDAY, July 25 | Reverse Diaspora Last year, many Afghan Americans were comfortably teaching in American universities, working for American companies, and contributing to American communities. But this year, many have a new sense of purpose with respect to the country where their parents, grandparents, and great-parents were born. Afghan Americans are returning to Afghanistan to work on the effort to secure international investment in the country's economic future, hoping to establish jobs in the transportation, energy, and telecommunications sector. It's in keeping with a widely held belief that good jobs will ensure a future in Afghanistan where people are invested in the education and security of their children. [NPR's Morning Edition] Listen (3:16). [ : 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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