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December 2005

December 30	Songs of the Humpback Whales They are among the largest mammals on earth, but also among the most invisible: humpback whales are an enigma to scientists who can't observe much of their underwater activities. To unlock the secrets of humpback behavior, researchers have turned to sound to hear what they cannot see. Join us on an underwater visit to the whales on their feeding grounds near Sitka, Alaska. The remarkable sounds discovered there are causing scientists to forge new theories about whales and why they sing. There's No Word for Robin In Canada, the warning signs that global warming may be having a long-term effect on the climate are subtle. In the far north of Canada, where the land is defined by ice, ice is slowly melting - and for the first time, people who live in Northern Canada are seeing plants and animals much more familiar to those of us in the South. Producer Bob Carty of the CBC travels north to see how people are adapting to the changes. This is part of our special international collaboration called Global Perspectives: Nature in the Balance.
December 23	A Bird in the Hand Avian Flu has hit many Asian countries, but Hong Kong, where the disease first spread to humans, has not been affected. Still, there are increasing calls to end the sale of live chickens which are chosen and killed at markets and shops across the city. Should Hong Kong stop the sale of freshly slaughtered chicken? Scientists agree this simple public health measure would reduce the risk of a worldwide pandemic which has killed tens of millions. But what if that measure goes against habit, culture and tradition; and what if no one can calculate the risk? How much is a bird in the hand really worth? Producers Hugh Chiverton and Sophia Yow of Radio Television Hong Kong present A Bird in the Hand as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Check-up on World Health. Chickens Producer Adi Gevins presents both a lighthearted and serious examination of chickens and their relationship to humans in historical, cultural, economic and institutional contexts.
December 16	Mummers at the Door Long before Santa, Bing Crosby and the Mattel Toy Company stole the occasion, even before Christianity itself kidnapped it, the Winter Solstice was celebrated with seasonal ritual. One ancient solstice custom is Mummering. Still practiced annually in many parts of England and Ireland, this great-grand-daddy of Halloween masquerade died out in much of Canada and the United States centuries ago. In North America today it is a popular part of Christmas now only in Newfoundland and Pennsylvania. On any night during the twelve days of Christmas you may hear a pounding on your door and strange indrawn voices shouting outside: Any mummers allowed? Whether allowed or not, the mummers will tumble in, loud and masked and rowdy and possibly threatening, turning normal household decorum upside down. They may be friends or complete strangers, and unless you can guess their identities you cannot be sure who is behind the mask or whether their intentions are benign. They are certain to track muddy boots across your carpet, play music, demand drink and act outrageously. All over Newfoundland, these rough-and-tumble spirits of the ancient winter solstice have survived despite the religious and commercial hoopla of modern Christmas. Photos courtesy of Paul Turner Changing Spaces: Hampden, Baltimore Producer Gemma Hooley profiles the neighborhood of Hampden, in Baltimore. It's a pop culture landscape of pink plastic flamingoes, beehive hairdos, vintage clothing, leopard-skin purses, and cat-eye sunglasses. Then there are the annual festivals like the HonFest competition, and Christmas lights that you'll swear are shining through your radio. Join us as we explore the underlying culture of this blue collar community.
December 9	The Busker and the Diva Margaret Leng Tan and James Graseck were boyfriend and girlfriend while they both attended Julliard in 1970. Margaret was offered a place by a Juilliard scout who came to her native Singapore. At the age of 16, she became a piano major in New York. She loved New York, but James who came from Long Island, found it dirty - hating the streets and the noise. That hasn’t stopped him in his chosen line of work -- for the last 20 years he’s been a busker - a street musician, well known in the subway system. Margaret meanwhile has had a long career as an unconventional pianist as a protege of John Cage and in the words of the New York Times "a diva of the toy piano". While at Julliard, Margaret and James drifted apart because they were studying different instruments and had different courses, and they lost touch when they graduated. Their very different musical lives took them in different directions but recently, their paths crossed again, in the bowels of Grand Central station. Their meeting quickly developed once again into an intimate relationship, physically, emotionally and professionally. Producer Judith Kampfner traces their reunion and the obstacles to their relationship, which lie more in their approaches to music making and their polarized positions in the musical spectrum than their bond as individuals. This is the story of both their personal romance, and their professional lives. Van Gogh and Gauguin Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin were two of the greatest painters of the late 19th century. A brief but intense collaboration occurred between the two artists. They met in Paris in the autumn of 1887. Each man tried to learn from the other and admired the other's work. Their collaboration was marked at first by mutual support and dialogue, but there was also competition and friction. The men differed sharply in their views on art: Gauguin favored working from memory and allowing abstract mental processes to shape his images, while Vincent held an unshakeable reverence for the physical reality of the observable world of models and Nature. This is reflected in the very different techniques each artist used. But toward the end of 1888, a series of violent incidents around Christmas Eve brought a dramatic end to their collaboration. This is the story of their personal and professional relationship.
December 2	Gut Reaction There is a disease you've probably never heard of, but chances are you have it or someone you know or love has it and doesn't know. Doctors now believe that one in 133 Americans have Celiac Disease, though only one in 4,700 gets diagnosed. Celiac Disease is an intestinal disorder where, when you eat wheat, barley or rye, your immune system attacks the food as if it were a virus. The results are devastating and painful. Celiac is more common than diabetes and hypertension, but because the means to diagnose it are only two or three years old, the disease is practically unknown in this country -- both to sufferers and their doctors. Producer Richard Paul presents the story of how Celiac Disease played itself out in the lives of 10 people. London: The Superbug Capital of the World? Newspaper headlines have dubbed London "the superbug capital of the world" because of the number of deadly infections, such as MRSA, in the city's hospitals. But across Britain there has been an alarming rise in infections caused by bugs resistant to antibiotics and poor standards of cleanliness have been identified as a major cause. Many people are genuinely scared at the prospect of hospital treatment and the National Health Service is taking steps to improve hospital hygiene, including setting up the post of Ward Housekeeper. In this program, we meet patients and staff in the Lane Fox Respiratory Unit at St. Thomas' Hospital on the banks of the River Thames. Here an infection control initiative has been launched that's a model for the rest of Britain. We spend a day on Lane Fox ward, following Ward Housekeeper Charles Bell and Ward Sister Hazel Chisholm, as they work, often against the odds, to ensure that a stay in hospital does not leave their patients in a worse state than when they arrived. This program was produced by Gillian Gray of the BBC and airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Check-up on World Health.

November 2005

November 25	Inside Art A swirling soundscape of music, storytelling, and tall tales, created by producer Tom Skelly, testifies to the role art plays as a tool for survival in prison. As the multi-art director of the California Institute for Men in Chino, Skelly is able to collect sounds that capture the real importance of art in the lives of the incarcerated. Learning to Live: James' Story "Learning to Live: James' Story" documents the journey of James Robinson, a 38 year old ex-offender, as he makes the transition from repeated prison sentences to life in the free world. After a 7-year prison term, James arrives at St. Leonard's halfway house for ex-offenders in Chicago. He tells the staff that he needs to "learn to live," knowing full well how hard it is to transition back to society on his own. "James' Story" chronicles James' hard work over the course of ensuing three months; job training, drug counseling and 12-step support meetings. During his stay at the halfway house, James also finds his "dream" job and reconnects with family members, including an eighteen-year-old son he hadn't seen since the child was four.
November 18	Go Tell it on the Mountain It was born in the oral culture of African slaves in the American south. It was embraced by the civil rights movement in the 1960's. Today it is a perennial favorite at Christmas concerts and church services across North America. The spiritual Go Tell It on the Mountain has come to mean many things depending on the time and place in which it is sung - freedom anthem, hymn of faith, a simple song of Christmas. As is the case with most spirituals, its music and lyrics cannot be attributed to any one person. African American composer John Wesley Work is credited with formally adapting the song and including it in a songbook in 1907. But the versions of Go Tell it on the Mountain are as varied and distinctive as the people performing it. But it is always, at its heart, a song of joy. This program comes to us from Producer Jean Dalrymple of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is part of our ongoing international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Living History in Colonial Williamsburg Step back in time to the eve of the American Revolution, following a woman whose job it is to play an 18th slave character in Colonial Williamsburg; a woman who must learn, in 2004, to interpret and recreate 1770 slave culture for a tourist audience. The story is told through this character's own narration and reflection, her interaction with other historical characters and with the tourist public in Williamsburg, and through documentation of her daily tasks. As she steps in and out of character, we discover what it's like to step in and out of history: re-enacting the mundanities and tensions of 18th century life in the fields and kitchens during the day and negotiating a modern 21st century life after visiting hours.
November 11	Footprints When archeologist Dave Roberts stumbled across a set of small indentations in a sandstone boulder on South Africa's remote West Coast, he knew they were ancient human footprints. What he did not anticipate, though, was the series of events that his discovery would set in motion. In a country where the social, political and cultural history is being rewritten, the footprints represent more than just scientific evidence of human evolution. From those with a vested interest in challenging that evidence, to those who embrace the footprints as an affirmation of the past, this is a story of perspective and policy in the new South Africa. Fire and Ice The Eskimos in Alaska have a legend that they call "The year of no summer". One year, summer never came, winter just continued. No one could fish or hunt. And nothing could grow. The story is a creation myth. A few survivors were left to form what is now the Kauwerak tribe. Scientists are now looking at the legend as another piece of evidence for what they believe was a major climate shift in the Northern Hemisphere. Producer Dan Grossman takes on a journey to discover the truth behind the legend. This is part of our special international collaboration called Global Perspective: Nature in the Balance. Click on the following link to find out more. Global Perspective
November 4	New Norcia: The Monastery and the Observatory In Western Australia, there's a small and somewhat surreal town called New Norcia. It's Australia's only Monastic town - with a surprising and imposing collection of Spanish style buildings. New Norcia was established in the 1850s as a 'Spanish Benedictine Monastery.' Today, a handful of monks continue the ancient tradition of prayer, work and service in their search for God. Now, New Norcia is also the home to one of the European Space Agency's largest tracking stations. A monastery next to an observatory might seem incongruous, however these neighbors have forged an unlikely understanding. Both groups are exploring the riddle of existence and space, in different ways. This program was produced by Roz Bluett of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Gamma Ray Skies Thirty years ago, a U.S. spy satellite searching for clandestine nuclear weapons tests detected frequent, but brief, bursts of powerful gamma-rays. Fortunately for world peace, they came from space, not from the Earth. Astronomers have puzzled over the origin of these bursts ever since. For close to twenty years after their discovery, gamma-ray bursts remained so mysterious that astronomers could not decide whether they came from nearby stars or galaxies on the far edge of the Universe. Only in the last few years has it become clear that they do, in fact, come from galaxies tens of billions of light-years away. To appear so bright at Earth, and yet come from such distant sources, the explosions that generate these gamma-rays must be truly enormous.

October 2005

October 28	Hags and Nightmares It's the middle of the night. You wake up with a start. There's a presence in the room watching you. You sense that it is evil. But you are paralyzed and powerless. It's your worst nightmare, or is it? This program looks at a strangely common condition called sleep paralysis in which people are dreaming while they are awake and are unable to move. Psychologist Al Cheyne explores what happens to the body during these episodes and tries to explain why the experience is so terrifying. Sleep paralysis appears to be the source of some of our most terrifying myths and legends, and it has inspired artists through the ages. Hags and Nightmares was produced by Michele Ernsting of Radio Netherlands, and airs as part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Halloween: The Time Between Put on your scariest costume and go trick-or-treating again in this portrait of the personal--and cultural--meanings of Halloween. Derived from ancient beliefs about the the dangers of times of transition--the end of October marks the time between the summer and winter seasons,between earth's time of life and death--and this is the theme of the holiday. Incorporating Celtic rituals with Catholic ones, involving the dead coming back to possess the spirit of the living, and the living trying to hide or scare the spirits away, the modern American holiday has developed its own set of strange rituals. Hear a myriad of voices tell about their memories of Halloween--the tricks, but especially the treats.
October 21	The Battlers This documentary takes us deep into the experience of Australia's urban poor. We accompany the volunteers of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, past the million dollar real estate, the mansions, swimming pools and harbor views of Sydney's eastern suburbs, into the homes and lives of the real battlers - people unable to afford to keep a roof over their heads, or feed and clothe their children. This program comes to us from Producer Sharon Davis of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is part of our ongoing international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. The Power of the Unemployed Pierce Power was a charismatic man who stood up to Newfoundland's Commission government and fought for the rights of the poor and unemployed in the 1930s. To some, he was a hero; others called him a fraud. Producer Chris Brooks brings us the chronicles of Powers little-known life.
October 14	Watershed 263 In urban areas across the country, trees and grass have been replaced with pavement and concrete. Storm water runoff from these paved surfaces in cities can be saturated with harmful substances such as gasoline, oil and trash. We head to the inner city of Baltimore where partners have joined forces to clean up the runoff flowing into the harbor and into the Chesapeake Bay, and at the same time to improve the quality of life for the residents living there. The Blackwater Estuary Over the centuries the south and southeast of England have been tipping into the sea, the legacy of the last Ice Age. In fact, concrete walls to keep the sea out surround the entire Essex coast. But now environmental managers are beginning to rethink that fortress policy. Maintaining the defenses is expensive, especially when the walls must constantly be repaired and rebuilt. And to what end? Britain is no longer a farming nation, in need of all the land it can get. On the banks of the Blackwater Estuary, there's a 700-acre farm that's become an experiment in coastal management. The walls are going to come down and the farm will be returned to the sea - becoming a system of soft defenses, like marshes and mudflats. As the BBC's Stephen Beards reports, the farm could become a model of managed retreat from the battle with the sea. This is part of our special international collaboration called Global Perspectives: Nature in the Balance.
October 7	Sleeping through the Dream In 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King led the March on Washington and spoke the famous words "I have a dream." Then 18 year-old Producer Askia Muhammad was, as he recalls, 'sleeping through the dream.' Growing up in Los Angeles, Muhammad was far away from the civil rights uproar and any self-proclaimed political consciousness. Now 40 years later, Muhammad revisits his youth with two close friends. Join us for the journey of a young man's political awakening during a time of intense social unrest. Keysville, GA: Old Dreams, New South On January 4, 1988, 63-year-old Emma Gresham became the first black mayor - the first mayor in half a century- of Keysville, Georgia. She won the election over her opponent by 10 votes. In the town courthouse, on a trailer mounted on cinderblocks, a banner reads: Justice Knows No Boundaries. It's a constant reminder of both the town's troubled history and the dreams the mayor has for the town. In this small, mostly black, southern town, Emma Gresham employed education, patience, and political action, along with her famous biscuits, to realize her dream of a better life for her constituents. Producer Dan Collison takes us to Keysville for a look at the struggle for survival in the town that time forgot.

September 2005

September 30	Dear Birth Mother After waiting for Mr. Right (who has yet to arrive) – and after years of fertility treatments – Suzanne, a single woman in her forties, decided to adopt. She chose transracial adoption. We follow her through workshops designed to "teach white people to raise kids of color," baby-shopping trips with Mom at Target, a critical rendezvous with a young mother at a pancake house, and, finally, a magical night at a suburban restaurant chain. We followed Suzanne for several months as she waited to see if she would become a parent; she offered extraordinary access into her home, and really, into every aspect of her life. The Orphan Train "The Orphan Train" is an unnarrated documentary about one of the least known and yet most significant social experiments in American history. In September 1854, the first "orphan train" carried 46 homeless children from New York City to far off homes to become laborers in the pioneer West. It was the first step in what was to become the emigration of as many as 250,000 orphan children to new homes throughout the entire United States. Some children found kind homes and families, others were overworked and abused. Widely duplicated throughout its 75 year history, the original orphan train was the creation and life project of the now forgotten man who was to become the father of American child welfare policy. This documentary features interviews with surviving orphan train riders, as well as readings from historical newspapers, letters and journals, and is laced with classical and folk music.
September 23	Kinshasa Story Head off to one of the great music capitals of the world, Kinshasa, on the banks of the mighty Congo River in Central West Africa. This Kinshasa Story is all about music and music makers - from well established stars, to hopeful wannabes with nothing more than a set of empty cans as drums. Our guide is Melbourne musician and some time disc jockey, Miriam Abud. This program comes to us from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and airs as part of our ongoing international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. The Music House Music is the life-blood of the Baka Pygmies, the rainforest people of the Cameroon. They use music to enchant the animals of the forest before the hunt, to cure illnesses and to overcome disputes. Everyone sings and plays and there is no sense of performer and audience. The Euro-African band 'Baka Beyond' have been making music inspired by their visits to the Baka for over ten years. On this visit, at the request of the Baka, the band are taking an English timber-frame specialist to build a music house for them, paid for with royalties from Baka Beyond's recordings. In this program, Producer Eka Morgan travels to the forest to meet the Baka and members of the band while they build the music house.
September 16	Something's Happening Here A trickle of humanity is showing up at Canadian border crossings: U.S. military deserters who don't want to fight in Iraq. And they are asking Canada for refuge, as it once was during the Vietnam War. Over the decades, many things have changed; there was a draft then, none now---at least not yet. But today's war resisters are not that different from the ones who came before. Their stories are wrapped up in the politics of Canada-US relations - in soul-wrenching deliberations and life-changing decisions - in the intense interplay of the forces of love, and family and country. This program comes to us from Bob Carty of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and airs as part of our ongoing international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Remembering Kent State 1970 When thirteen students were shot by Ohio National Guard Troops during a war demonstration on the Kent State University Campus on the first week of May 1970, four young lives were ended and a nation was stunned. More than 30 years later, the world at war is a different place. However, those thirteen seconds in May, 1970 still remain scorched into an Ohio hillside. Through archival tape and interviews, Remembering Kent State tracks the events that led up to the shootings.
September 9	24 hours on the Edge of Ground Zero What was life like around the perimeter of Ground Zero in the months following September 11th? Beginning at 7 am on December 12th, 2001, Jad Abumrad and Sesh Kannan collected conversations, stories and sounds between the perimeter and Nino's restaurant, a 24 hour eatery open only to rescue workers. 24 Hours on the Edge of Ground Zero explores the landscape that has become disaster area, tourist attraction and shrine. The program paints a compelling portrait: the rescue workers as they take a break, the visitors and tourists who come to stare and take photographs, the evangelicals, the street vendors, the police officers and those who were left behind. As you travel through the 24 hours, it becomes clear that the situation itself resists summary. Legacies Sept 11th was a day without parallel. For an older generation that fought and lived through the two world wars, riots, terrorist attacks, the holocaust, the carnage and destruction on the 20th century, it brought back memories. It reminded them not just of war but also the tenacity of the human spirit that enabled them to overcome all odds. Many of them realized that they had to pass on their history of survival and hope to their children and grandchildren. They chose unique and personal ways to tell their story. This is the story of Isadore Scott, Leon Lissek and Ruth LaFevre and their amazing legacies.
September 2	Einstein's Blunder When Albert Einstein told us about the relationship between mass, energy, space and time, he assumed that the universe was static. Even though his first equations showed that in fact the cosmos was moving apart from some source, he thought that was a mistake: so he added a fudge factor - what he called the cosmological constant, a way of balancing the force of gravity. Later, he was to call the cosmological constant the biggest mistake of his life. Astronomers started to prove, almost before the ink dried on his equations, that galaxies were flying apart, and the cosmos was in fact expanding from some point in space. But now there's new evidence about that expansion rate - one that shows that Einstein may have been right after all. The Fate of the Universe For virtually all of human history, the study of cosmology has been an exercise in either mythology or guesswork. Remarkably, in large part due to advances in observing capability provided by the space program, we are on the verge of obtaining quantitative answers to some of the most basic questions about the nature of the Universe: How old is it now? Will it live forever? How did its basic structures form? Recent work combining observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and a number of ground-based telescopes has substantially reduced the uncertainty in our measurement of the rate of cosmic expansion, and hence in our estimate of the Universe's age. These efforts also have placed looser constraints on the two cosmological parameters governing whether the Universe will expand forever, or will ultimately turn around and collapse. Now there is evidence that the rate of the universe's expansion is actually growing. The cosmos is accelerating. Future observations to pin down the acceleration of the universe along with figuring out what the cosmological constant is, will help determine the ultimate fate of the universe.

August 2005

August 26	Shades of Grey: Shell vs. Nigeria's Ogoni People In Nigeria, the Ogoni people have been at war with the giant Anglo-Dutch petroleum company, Shell, for nearly a decade. It has been a bitter conflict between David and Goliath, a conflict full of recriminations, deceit and politics. Radio Netherlands producer Eric Beauchemin reports from both sides of the conflict. This program airs as part of the international documentary exchange series Crossing Boundaries. Fishing in Troubled Waters Scottish fishermen are facing an uncertain future as their market opens up to international fishing companies. Combined with falling world prices and rising fuel costs, these global factors threaten the viability of the industry. The British Broadcasting Corporation's Susie Emmett reports on how the small fishing port of Eyemouth adapts to the changes. This program is part of the international radio exchange Series, "Global Perspectives: Faces of Globalization."
August 19	Zoom Black Magic Liberation Radio Mbanna Katanko's pirate radio station, broadcast from a corner of his living room, is heard in a two mile radius of the John Hay Homes housing project in Springfield, Illinois. 'Zoom Black Magic Radio' has attracted a relatively large audience with its mix of rap and reggae music, listener call-ins and political commentary. It has also attracted the attention of the FCC, the local legal system and the Springfield Police, all of whom have attempted to shut the station down. Calling Mr. Marconi When Guglielmo Marconi installed a receiving station at St. Johns Newfoundland in November 1901 he probably never realized the full impact of his invention. Radio is now as remarkable as wallpaper. The people of St. Johns are determined to celebrate this most ubiquitous of mediums on the 100th anniversary of the transmission of the first signal across the Atlantic. Producer Chris Brookes from Battery Radio captures the town's enthusiasm as they move through the day.
August 12	Flight from Kosovo The war in Serbia and the subsequent displacement of Albanians has become a savage epilogue to the 20th century. Tens of thousands fled their homes for the refugee camps in neighboring countries. The camps, giant tent cities, housed twenty to thirty thousand people in overcrowded conditions. Heat, starvation, long lines and fatigue epitomized the tragedy of their nation. As NATO troops entered Kosovo, Operation Safe Haven was launched as a humanitarian effort, to evacuate thousands of refugees from the war zone to safe havens until the situation stabilized. This is the story of 19-year old Tony and his flight from the refugee camp to Australia. This program comes to us from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and airs as part of the international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. A Refugee Returns A Refugee Returns examines the Vietnam War's bitter legacy for one divided family. For many Vietnamese the war remains an open wound. Though Vietnam is now unified, there is still a gulf between the North and the South. So too, many families remain divided by the decisions they made during the war. This is the story of one such family and Hung Le, a Toronto businessman, as he returns to Vietnam for the first time since his escape in 1979. This program comes to us from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and airs as part of the international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries.
August 5	Get A Life Coach When Alan was told to get a life, he decided to go one better. He got a Life Coach. What exactly is a Life Coach, this new kind of ultimate personal trainer? As one coach describes it: "Coaching is not therapy. In therapy you talk about how to throw the ball. In coaching, you throw it." We'll join Alan as he works with his Life Coach-to improve his flirting skills-and meet other coaches and their satisfied clients. We'll even learn how to become a coach and sit in on a telephone training session. And producer Natalie Kestecher just might convince us, in this sly production from the Australian Broadcasting Company, that it's time to sack that shrink and get a Life Coach instead. This program is part of our ongoing international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Deeper and Deeper It's a form of therapy experiencing a late 20th century revival. It's become pervasive, fashionable and acceptable in countries around the world, from the United States, to Great Britain, to Australia. It's not a drug and it's not a diagnosis. It's hypnotherapy, and it's gaining ground in mainstream culture as both a therapy and a form of entertainment. What are some of the secrets, the methods and the attractions? Join us and the hypnotists as they take you ... deeper and deeper.

July 2005

July 29	Wannabes Why would anybody want, even choose, to be disabled in order to feel whole and secure? In this fascinating and challenging report from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, producer Kath Duncan, who herself was born without one arm and one leg, tries to understand why some people actually aspire to be like her. These "wannabes" are physically complete and able, but wish they weren't and will go to great lengths, even amputation, to achieve the body image they hold of themselves. Duncan brings us a moving portrait of her journey into a strange subculture. This program is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Practicing Emptiness 'Women sell themselves short doing things they hate in search of money or security or emotional fulfillment,' says writer Carmen Delzell. For some this means staying in a bad marriage, to keep a roof overhead or for the children's sake; for some it means prostitution. Delzell shares conversations with women of diverse backgrounds -- a former prostitute, a woman who has suffered an abusive marriage, an exotic dancer -- and reveals the threads that bind their experiences, and those of all women, together.
July 22	Ode to Josephine Josephine Fernandez was Dheera Sujan's 20-something, bow-legged, horsey faced Goan ayah, or nanny. She was about five and her sister two years younger when Josie came into their lives. She stayed with them until they immigrated to Australia a few years later. When they left India for good to start a new life, it was Josie whom they missed more than anything else they'd left behind. This program comes to us from Radio Netherlands and is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Von Trapped A dark tale about a woman obsessed with 'The Sound of Music' and the Von Trapp Family as well as other things Austrian. That is, until she realizes Austria's recent history is not just about apple strudel, singing nuns and happy blond children. The producer is Natalie Kestecher of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This feature was awarded the bronze medal at the inaugural Chicago Third Coast International Audio Festival in 2001.
July 15	Funeral in Irian Jaya With SOUNDPRINT producer Moira Rankin and reporter Vicki Monks, we travel to one of the most inaccessible parts of Indonesia, the mountainous area of Irian Jaya, which shares a peninsula with Papua, New Guinea. Here in Irian, development is forcing some of the most rapid cultural, environmental and social changes occurring in any part of the world. As tribal peoples leave the Stone Age and leapfrog into the 20th century, tourist dollars turn tribal rituals into kitsch. To capitalize on vast natural resources, the government is building roads to connect the interior to the coastline. Thousands of immigrants from Indonesia's other islands are crowding in, hoping for a share of the new economic pie. And in the middle of the development, the government is experimenting with a revolutionary program to engage indigenous peoples in the preservation of their land. Missionaries Not more than 25 years ago, they were the first outsiders to come to Irian Jaya. Outsiders who will never become insiders, the missionaries of Irian Jaya introduced the twentieth century to the native peoples. Although they came to educate, offer health care and save souls, ultimately, as this portrait by producer Moira Rankin reveals, the greatest effect of their work is on their own personal development.
July 8	Through Glass Walls: The Three Lives of Howard Buten Fifty-four-year-old Howard Buten has a very strange CV. Successful writer. Psychologist. Internationally recognized expert on autism. And award-winning clown. Ever since he was a little boy growing up in Detroit in the 1950's, Howard Buten has juggled his need to act, write stories, and help people with disabilities. His 8 books have earned him the title of Chevalier and France's most prestigious arts award. He is the founder of a day center for profoundly autistic young adults in Paris. And as Buffo the white-faced clown, he performs his one-man-show on stages all over the world. On a recent tour of Quebec, CBC producer David Gutnick hooked up with Buffo - and the other guys. Here's his documentary - "Through Glass Walls: The Three Lives of Howard Buten." This program airs as part of the international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Islands of Genius How can a 20 year old man who is blind, autistic and still believes in Santa Claus play the most sophisticated improvisational jazz piano? How can a child who appears withdrawn and retarded gaze at a building for only a minute then draw an exact reproduction on paper? Producer Stephan Smith explores the mysterious powers of savants -- people with profound mental disabilities who develop an island of genius in music, mathematics or art. Contemporary research on Savant Syndrome is producing new insights on how the human brain works, and how personal intelligence can outwit the IQ test.
July 1	My Father's Island In the 1930s, five German brothers fled Nazi Germany and set sail for the Galapagos to live a Robinson Crusoe lifestyle. The Angermeyers were exotic and eccentric, and among the first permanent settlers. Through the memories of Joanna and other family members, Producer Ruth Evans of the BBC uncovers the family history and their links with the Galapagos. This program is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. One Family in a Kansas Town In 1990, Smith County, Kansas, where Lebanon is located, was a thriving region. By the late 1990s the population had dwindled to 4,500, having suffered a drop of 150% in 100 years. If this trend continued, Smith County and Lebanon would essentially disappear. When Jim Rightner and his wife, Christine, came to town, they planned to retire there, ready for small town life. During his first day in town, Jim decided to change things. Before long it became a perfect model of small town America. Lebanon proved to be a town willing, in part, to accept this man's dream if it meant surviving. As we learn more about his grand plan, we begin to learn more about what drives him, and what's really behind his dream to rebuild Lebanon, Kansas.

June 2005

June 24	The Goalkeepers of Sierra Leone The United Nations has labeled Sierra Leone the worst place on earth to live. The final peace accord in an 11-year civil war was signed two years ago. There is a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, often traveling the country in rowboats and on foot, and an internationally funded Special Court has been built in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown. One of the hallmarks of the civil war there was the practice of amputating the limbs of your enemy. There is, in fact, now an entire soccer team in Freetown made up of amputees. Those who had a leg cut off play on the field; men who kept their legs but lost their arms play goal. The team has more in common than missing limbs; they are all intensely interested in the ongoing trials at the Special Court. They want to know what happens to the people ultimately responsible for their missing limbs. In Karin Wells' documentary “The Goalkeepers of Sierra Leone", part of the CBC's "Africa After the Wars" series, she travels to a town where thousands of people have been the victims of amputations. This program airs as part of the international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. It won a Gold Medal at the 2005 New York Festivals. Across The Water: Journey to Robben Island South African President Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in prison on Robben Island. Now the prison is closed and the island has become a museum, a fast growing tourist attraction in the new South Africa. Former political prisoners work alongside their former jailers as the new keepers of the island's history. It is perhaps one of the most tangible symbols of South Africa's miraculous transformation from apartheid to a multi-party democracy. But what about the personal transformations of those who continue to work on the island? Hear from some of the former prison wardens who continue to live and work there.
June 17	Writers on War Every war produces its own literature. The novels, memoirs, poetry and essays from the soldiers who fought are often the most poignant reflections on moments of personal tragedy or banality that make the reality of war only too real for those who stayed behind. Producer Neenah Ellis brings us the stories and memories of three writers: Eugene Sledge on battles in the South Pacific during World War II; Rolando Hinojosa on the fight to take Seoul in the Korean War; and James Webb on the landscape of the Vietnam War. Fierce for Change: Meridel Le Sueur A portrait of writer Meridel Le Sueur, whose works for over 60 years have been informed by her political history and beliefs, and colored by her connectedness to the midwestern land and environment.
June 10	A Complicated Friendship Canadian producer Frank Faulk has an unusual - but long running - friendship with a fundamentalist preacher in Kentucky. They may disagree on just about everything, but their friendship is solid. This program comes to us from the CBC and airs as part of the international documentary exchange series Crossing Boundaries. It won a Silver Medal at the 2005 New York Festivals. Detroit Dialogue Like many American cities, Detroit has survived cycles of decay and renewal. Producer Susan Davis invites you to lunch with a group of long-time friends and former neighbors--six local women, spanning two generations, three of them African-American, three of them Jewish. Listen as they share their memories of neighborhoods and a time when the city's racial divide could be conquered over a backyard fence or a kitchen table. They talk about what it means to build a real sense of community, and how easily it can be lost, as well as their hopes and dreams for the city's future.
June 3	Silver Umbrella Losing, searching, not always wanting to find what we thought we were looking for. Hemingway's lost manuscripts, a father's lost childhood, lost talent, lost opportunities and a mysterious silver umbrella. Stories of loss and memory are played out on the European rail system and interwoven in this feature by Natalie Kestecher of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This program airs as part of the international documentary exchange series Crossing Boundaries. Exits and Entrances The Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu has taken poetry and folk songs and arranged them for choir and orchestra. In themselves they chart a journey from birth to death. They are interwoven with recordings from Tokyo maternity wards and in funeral parlours: a moving exposition of the ways that the Japanese make their exits and entrances. This program was produced by Roger Fenby for the BBC World Service, and airs as part of the international documentary exchange series Crossing Boundaries.

May 2005

May 27	Summer Camp Producer Sam Levene returns to the summer camp of his boyhood and takes us on a fascinating exploration of contrasts. We actually visit two camps: the camp he attended and remembers, filled with middle- class Jewish kids, and the one that exists now on the same wooded site, attended by less privileged, inner-city kids from many different cultures. The faces have changed, the fun is the same. And we also meet the adults that Levene’s bunk-mates have become, and the one who became the love of his life. This documentary from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, goes deeper than any ordinary, nostalgic look at days gone by. This program airs as part of the international radio documentary exchange series Crossing Boundaries. Rodeo Life Rodeo isn't just a sport, it's a way of life. From youngsters just starting out in junior competitions to seasoned veterans vying for national championships, rodeo cowboys are a dedicated group of athletes. They spend long hours traveling from rodeo to rodeo for the chance to risk injury and court glory atop bucking horses and bulls, or to see who's the fastest to rope a calf or wrestle a steer to the ground, all with no guarantee of a paycheck at days end. Producer Matt McCleskey talked to rodeo cowboys about their rough and tumble sport and prepared this documentary.
May 20	Lost in America Four people living on the edge--drug addicts, a prostitute and a blind woman--recount their journeys to a new life, revealing the connections between home and homelessness along the way. Producer Helen Borten brings us "Lost in America." This program won an EMMA award from the National Women's Political Caucus for Best Radio Documentary. The Bonus Army March In 1932, in the depths of the Depression, thousands of hungry and disgruntled veterans of WW I marched on Washington, D.C. demanding that Congress pay them the bonus for their military service that had been promised years before. Banding together, unemployed Oregon cannery workers marched with Pennsylvania coal miners and Alabama cotton pickers, as more than 20 thousand "bonus marchers" participated in the biggest rally to date in the nation's capital. And they stayed for weeks, setting up tent cities, living in cardboard shanties, and shaking the nerves of President Hoover. Find out how they played a role in defeating Hoover in the fall election, and improving the government's treatment of veterans after WW II.
May 13	War and Forgiveness Memorial Day is a day of remembrance of wars won and lost. Often, we think of the battles and the victories. At times, we consider the inevitable war crimes: the massacres, rapes and other atrocities. Rarely do we consider the perspectives of those who are responsible as well as those who are injured. In a special hour long documentary, War and Forgiveness, we present two sides of the equation: the victims and the perpetrators of wartime atrocities. WNYC, RADIO NETHERLANDS, and SOUNDPRINT have collaborated on a two part program that looks at women in Korea who were commandeered to have sex with Japanese soldiers during World War II and Dutch soldiers who carried out a torture campaign in Indonesia. As different as their stories are, they reach the same conclusion: the need for a moral apology from the government.
May 6	Children and God The three major monotheistic religions operate from the assumption that: We have the truth, we have a privileged position, we are above others who do not believe as we do, and we are against others who do not believe as we do. This line of thinking creates strong communities of people with deep, abiding faith. But the dark side of these ideas can be seen in Srebrenica, the West Bank and the World Trade Center. The religious person learns concepts like "God" and "My Religion" at the same time as concepts like "Green" and "Family." By preadolescence, these ideas have been planted quite deeply. This program takes a look at the results by following three 12-year olds - an Orthodox Jew, a Muslim and an Evangelical Christian -- as they pursue their religious education. We hear the songs they sing, the prayers they chant, the lessons they read and how their formal and informal training drives them to believe that, because of their religion, they have a special and exclusive relationship with God. Relating to Dad Does Father know best? Some teenagers think Dads are dominating, disciplinarians who don't always have respect for the thoughts of their young minds. Dads dismiss the day-to-day obstacles of peer pressure, school, and for some teens, work. Producer Joe Gill talks with 17 year-old Cristin about "what a father is," or "what a father is supposed to be" or "why a father is important in a woman's life". Blending audio diaries and conversations, Relating to Dad takes a look at one teen's view about "the father of the imagination" who fills in for the absent, real father.

April 2005

April 29	Mixed Blessings Elsie Tu came to Hong Kong from Britain in the 1950s as a married missionary. She fell in love with one of her Chinese converts, controversially divorced her husband and married her Chinese love. She later became a very vocal activist in Hong Kong politics, and wrote a book about her relationship called "Shouting at the Mountain". In Mixed Blessings, Producers Sarah Passmore and Clarence Yang from Radio Television Hong Kong compare Elsie's experiences with modern East/West relationships, and they take a look at why, in the 21st century, Asian men marrying Western women is still relatively rare. This program airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Romance Series. The Last Good Sari A woman's life in modern India-- bound as it is by traditional cultural and religious strictures-is prescribed by her caste and her sex in ways most Westerners might findhard to understand. From girlhood through adolescence, marriage to widowhood, an Indian woman is not supposed to ask questions about her body, about her husband, or about society s expectations of her. But this is slowly changing. In this documentary, filmmaker T. Jayashree weaves her own story of growing up in India while introducing us to women in Southern India. These stories reveal the power and strength of women helping each other break ancient molds and celebrate their own identity.
April 22	The Sobbing Celebrant Australian Broadcasting Corporation producer Natalie Kestecher thought it might be useful to have a few options up her sleeve if she ever decides to stop making radio documentary features. So she decided to become a Marriage Celebrant. Natalie enrolled in the first ever training course which, under new Australian legislation, all intending Celebrants must complete in order to be accredited. Being a Celebrant is not just about saying the necessary words (which must always include 'I do') and ensuring the right forms are correctly filled in; it's also about devising meaningful ceremonies for a secular society. Theme weddings, butterfly releases, and quotes from 'The Prophet' are all popular. So what happens if you don't do themes, you hate 'The Prophet' and you think butterfly releases are yucky? Natalie spent a week coming to terms with the modern wedding. It turned out to be a week of introspection. 'The Sobbing Celebrant' offers an entertaining insight into the process that confers upon regular (or not so regular) citizens the right to officiate at the most significant moments in our lives. This program airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Romance Series. The Red Deere Museum In the summer of 1998, a museum in central Alberta mounted an exhibit of wedding dresses. The dresses had been sewn over the course of a lifetime by a woman who worked from her basement, creating gowns for the brides of her community. The exhibit was organized by the seamstress's daughter, as a tribute to her mother and to the uncelebrated work of rural women. But there was a lot going on behind the scenes at this exhibit. The daughter, an urban feminist with a doctorate in sociology, was trying to come to terms with what she saw as her mother's sacrifices and unfulfilled life. And the mother was trying to understand the daughter's anger and pain, and wrestling with her own pain at her daughter's harsh judgment. Producer Linda Shorten of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation shares a story of the forces that have driven generations of women apart, and how those women have struggled to find their way back to each other again. This program is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries.
April 15	Life Outside The closure of the last great institution for the intellectually disabled in New Zealand has raised a host of questions about the ongoing process of deinstitutionalization. For decades, citizens with intellectually disabled children relied on these specialist facilities to provide for their needs. These former 'havens', have come to be seen as sites of neglect, abuse, and dehumanizing rigidity. They became dumping grounds for a whole range of people who fell through the gaps in social welfare. Often isolated, the institutions were also seen as a metaphor for the way in which society itself chose to deal with the issue. Producer Matthew Leonard of Radio New Zealand shares the story of the patients and families, whose lives have been affected. This program is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Grace to a Stranger They are the worst of the worse - men who sexually attack children. Their crime revolts everyone. In prison, they are often kept seperate from other inmates for their own protection. But what happens once they are released? Once their crime becomes known, they are the subject of threats, vandalism, and made into pariahs. But in Canada, a small group of Mennonites is trying to change that. Hundreds of ordinary Canadians are now reaching out to pedophiles - trying to reintegrate them into the community. The CBC's Elizabeth Gray has a profile of these neighbors. Her program is called Grace to A Stranger. This program is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries.
April 8	Songs of the Automobile Songs of the Automobile explores U.S. culture through the national love affair with the car. Travel from coast to coast to visit hot-rodder enthusiasts, auto show junkies, and everyone else in between on this musical journey of unfolding car tales and anecdotes. From stories of that first purchase, to dating in the backseat, to the beloved car full of nostalgia rusting in the driveway, BBC producers Judith Kampfner and Roger Fenby take you on this lyrical cross-country radio road trip. This program is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Low Flying Fish A spirited exploration of the culture of extreme motivation in America, from team- and vision- building in the corporate world ... to the multi- million dollar industry of self-improvement books and videos. Along the way, we'll meet Seattle's famous corporate-training fishmongers; hear from someone trying to figure out Who Moved Her Cheese; and be introduced to despair.com's lucrative mockery of the whole motivation business.
April 1	Cut and Paste Plagiarism at universities and colleges is rife - 4 out of 10 students admit they copy material from the internet and try to pass it off as their own work. For some it's an easy way out at the last minute; for others it's driven by cut-throat competition to get into the best graduate or professional schools. To deal with the issue, colleges and universities are trying many different approaches, from changing their teaching methods to using online detection filters to promoting a culture of integrity on campus. Producer Jean Snedegar visits faculty and students at Duke, the University of Virginia, and other colleges to discover the underside of higher learning. This program is part of our ongoing series on education and technology and is funded in part by the United States Department of Education. Revenge It seems we all love to hear revenge stories -- the petty ones and the grand -- even when they are painful or the recipient is blameless. And we seem to love to tell revenge stories about ourselves -- even stories that make us look childish or venal. Revenge visits the unspoken dark place where revenge impulses lie through the stories of people who have planned revenge and those who have carried it out.

March 2005

March 25	Reconsidering the Fifties Producer Alice Furlaud lived in New York City with her husband Max through the 1950s. Her memories - of Union Square, the Lower East Side, 17th Street, Irving Place, the Village - evoke a time when dinner parties had to have an equal number of men and women, when you could get a full course dinner for 75 cents, when the gap between rich and poor was not nearly as visible as now, when the city was much more accessible to poor, starving artists and writers. Winner of 2004 Gracie Award from The National Women in Radio and Television Foundation.
March 18	From Brooklyn to Banja Luka An interesting cross cultural relationship that spans New York, Banja Luka and Amsterdam. Jonathan is a loud New Yorker, a Brooklyn Jew who has been living in Holland for 13 years. He has joint Dutch US nationality, speaks fluent Dutch, and yet remains essentially his boisterous loud American self. He is married to Dragana, a Serbian from Banja Luka, who came here in the midst of the Bosnian war and remains deeply affected by the war and its after effects in her country. They met at a party in Amsterdam ten years ago and have been together ever since. They now have a young trilingual son. The two have much in common - they're clever, loud, extravagant people from musical backgrounds. But she has a Slavic melancholia that contrasts with his wisecracking Jewish humour. In this program, they discuss their different cultures, how they feel being such big personalities living in a country that doesn't seem at first glance particularly suited to their ethnic backgrounds and character, and also the nature of their tempestuous relationship. This program was produced by Dheera Sujan of Radio Netherlands and airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Romance Series. Gay Ballroom Dancing Ian and his partner had no experience dancing in competition. Yet they decided to enter the ballroom event at the International Gay Games held in Australia. They kept an audio diary of their training in the Waltz, the Quick Step and the Tango. They also recorded how they learned to glide around the dance floor with confident smiles, even when shaking with nerves and, on one memorable occasion, with Ian's trousers falling down. Ian Poitier steps out onto the dance floor and takes us into the world of ballroom dancing. This program was produced by Louise Swan of the BBC and is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries.
March 11	The Darker Side of Romance Having a boyfriend or a girlfriend is the dream of teenagers everywhere but, in Britain there’s a bleak side to the story. The UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe, and there’s been a steady rise in Sexually Transmitted Infections amongst young people. Although having sex is illegal under the age of 16, increasing numbers of young people are sexually active. Producer Esther Armah of the BBC visits a unique drop-in centre, that offers young people the chance to discuss sex and emotional problems, and gives them the means to protect themselves. We hear from teenagers in Britain today about the mixed messages they are getting and their concern that they are not getting enough sex education in schools. This program airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Romance Series. High School Time From 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, a student, teacher, and principal let us in on their world of bells, tests, technology, and teen life. We track what a day is like at Westfield High School in Virginia. With almost 3,000 students, it is one of the largest schools in the Washington, DC area. This program is part of our ongoing series on education and technology.
March 4	Burning Embers In these days of big sticks, harsh words and war-talk, who couldn't use a little romance, a little love. Isn't that, as the song goes, what the world needs now. Well, in that spirit, we bring you the story of Sherman Hickey and Marie O'Toole. Theirs is a tale of innocence and desire that began almost seventy years ago. It's also a tale of unrequited passion and enduring devotion that only recently found its happy ending. This program comes to us from Bob Carty of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Romance Series. Attachments Love, the universal emotion. From the first crush, to the worst heartbreak, to a long-lasting marriage, people young and old share with us their stories of passion and pain. Producer Ginna Allison presents us with snapshots of love in "Attachments."

February 2005

February 25	Sunshine and Darkness Xeroderma Pigmentosum is a genetic mutation with a number of implications. It can be life threatening. It diminishes the body's resistance to UV waves. People with XP can't tolerate sunlight. The older they get, the worse the problem becomes. People with XP have to be completely covered up before they go out, and even inside they live with curtains drawn. The disorder also creates a bubble around the person with XP, their family and friends. Often isolated, even in school, their connection to the world is tenuous. Today, that isolation is breaking down. Producer Marti Covington reports on how schools, families and technology are helping people with this rare disorder (only 125 people in the United States have it) connect with the world. This program is part of our ongoing series on education and technology and is funded in part by the United States Department of Education. My Monets Writer David Stewart has a collection of valuable paintings by the impressionist painter Claude Monet. And he has a team of international curators taking care of them. That's because they're stored not in Stewart's private gallery, but in museums all over the world. Wherever he travels, he visits one of "his Monets", personal favorites that he makes a point of spending time with on each trip. That way, he comes to know them intimately, in his gallery of the mind. Stewart suffers with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that renders him increasingly blind. When he visits his Monets, he is remembering them rather than seeing them, and using other people's observations to keep his memories fresh. In pursuit of his passion, Stewart writes essays, journeys to some of his favorite museums, and explains how it feels to take visual ownership of a painting.
February 18	Teaching: The Next Generation In conversations about the use of technology in schools, what you'll often hear is: Once we have a cadre of young teachers and administrators who've grown up with technology, computer use in schools will take off. This program examines that premise by following a young teacher, Brian Mason (7th grade American History) as he begins his second year in the classroom. The program also explores Mr. Mason's approach to teaching by testing his theories about "what works" against the opinions of education experts. Producer Richard Paul brings us "Teaching: The Next Generation." This program is part of our ongoing series on education and technology and is funded in part by the United States Department of Education. Classroom Cool: Training Teachers in Using Technology Faced with the challenge of improving student performance, many schools turned to the widespread use of computers and the Internet. The trend has caught many veteran teachers unawares. Now they have to make use of the latest technology, while in their hearts they remain uncomfortable with the new wave. Though hard data is lacking on whether classroom high tech helps students learn, teachers feel the hot breath of urgency to adapt. Veteran teacher and producer Bill Drummond explores the rush to get America's teachers wired. This program is part of our ongoing series on education and technology and is funded in part by the United States Department of Education.
February 11	The United States of Dating A producer's quest for real stories of how people meet each other in the current dating environment, and how they negotiate their dating relationships. Along the way, we'll hear from matchmakers, relationship experts and common-or-garden daters. We'll explore how the written word still rules romance and dating etiquette -- from staccato text-message shorthand to classified ads, postcards and email. We'll meet the Dating Coach who advises clients on putting their best face forward; New York City's own cupid cab driver who tries his hand at amateur matchmaking in Manhattan gridlock; a political activist who runs a booming online dating service for like-minded lefties (motto: "take action, get action"); and a woman who blogs her private dating activities in a public online diary... with some surprising results. This program airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Romance Series. A Big Affair Producer Deborah Nation of Radio New Zealand brings us a heartwarming romance between man (Tony Ratcliffe) and elephant (Jumbo). This is the backdrop for some reflections on the sometimes troubled relationships between men and women. This program is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries.
February 4	Loida and Johanna go to Flin Flon Welcome to the small mining town of Flin Flon in Manitoba, Canada, founded in 1915 and swept by a wave of immigration a decade later with the arrival of the Canadian railway and miners from around the world. Eighty-five years later, the mine is mechanized. Wal-Mart has come to town. The wave of immigrants has been replaced by the arrival of the occasional foreigner. Now Flin Flon's immigrants are people the town desperately needs: doctors from South Africa, an accountant from Pakistan. This is the story of Loida and Johanna, two young Filipino nurses who come to Flin Flon. This program was produced by Karin Wells of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Looking for Home. After Sorrow "After war, the people you meet differ so from former times," wrote the Vietnamese poet Nguyen Trai in the early 15th century. Americans are still searching for answers to the Vietnam conflict, and the conflict that lives on in the collective mind and soul of this country. American writer Lady Borton is one of the few who has explored the North Vietnamese point of view in trying to reach an understanding of what happened and why. Borton was the first American journalist given permission by Vietnamese officials to speak with ordinary villagers and to live with a village family. During her time there, she met Vietnamese peasant women who played crucial and heretofore unrecognized roles in the Vietnamese victory; women who, like American veterans, "did what they had to do."

January 2005

January 28	Vietnam Blues Vince Gabriel is a Maine-based blues musician who's written an album of songs chronicling his experience in the Vietnam War. In this program, Vince takes listeners chronologically through his time in Vietnam, with his music leading us into stories about getting drafted, arriving in the jungle, what combat was like, the loss of his closest friend, the relief of finally returning home, and his reflections on the legacy of Vietnam today. Vince's stories give listeners an almost visceral sense of what it's like for those on the front lines. Though it is an account of a war that took place years ago, Vince's observations feel disturbingly immediate and poignant. Producer Christina Antolini brings us the "Vietnam Blues." Going Home to the Blues People say going down south is like going home. Take a trip to the Mississippi Delta to find the true meaning of the Blues. Everyone has hard times throughout their lives, but does that classify as the Blues? Producers Askia Muhammed and Debra Morris search for an answer while going home.
January 21	The Evolution Boomerang As humans continue to make their imprint on Earth, they find they are making a noticeable difference in the evolution of different species. The Evolution Boomerang looks at the effect humans are having on insects, fish and certain kinds of bacterium, and how that evolution is in turn affecting humans. Supported in part by the National Science Foundation. London: The Superbug Capital of the World? Newspaper headlines have dubbed London "the superbug capital of the world" because of the number of deadly infections, such as MRSA, in the city's hospitals. But across Britain there has been an alarming rise in infections caused by bugs resistant to antibiotics and poor standards of cleanliness have been identified as a major cause. Many people are genuinely scared at the prospect of hospital treatment and the National Health Service is taking steps to improve hospital hygiene, including setting up the post of Ward Housekeeper. In this program, we meet patients and staff in the Lane Fox Respiratory Unit at St. Thomas' Hospital on the banks of the River Thames. Here an infection control initiative has been launched that's a model for the rest of Britain. We spend a day on Lane Fox ward, following Ward Housekeeper Charles Bell and Ward Sister Hazel Chisholm, as they work, often against the odds, to ensure that a stay in hospital does not leave their patients in a worse state than when they arrived. This program was produced by Gillian Gray of the BBC and airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Check-up on World Health.
January 14	The Intriguing Theremin People fainted when the Theremin was first performed onstage in Paris in 1928. Its haunting sound resembled voices from beyond the grave. It was the first electronic instrument, and at that time, the only one which is played without actually touching it. Its ingenious maker, the charismatic Russian Leon Theremin, was in many ways as mysterious as his invention. Producer Michele Ernsting from Radio Netherlands brings us The Intriguing Theremin. This program airs as part of the international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Violet Flame Producer Brenda Hutchinson's sister has been a member of the Church Universal and Triumphant in Corwin Springs, Montana for several years. As a result, Brenda became interested in finding out more about the church, and has spent time there talking with the people and discovering how the church involves her sister. This religious community includes families and single people from all walks of life. Sound plays an important role in the Church from chanting and singing to teachings and services. The Violet Flame is a portrait of this group and an exploration of the issue of faith.
January 7	Korle-Bu Hospital In the Children's Block of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana's capital, Accra, the dedicated staff struggle to do their best for their young patients. It's a tough and stressful job. They face a lack of equipment, staff shortages, and patients who are often unable to pay for medical care. Ghana's current health system requires that all medical bills must be paid before the patient leaves the hospital; hospitals actually employ security guards to make sure no one leaves without paying their bills. But now the Ghanaian government is introducing a health insurance scheme, to make health care more affordable for all the country's citizens. Joy FM's Akwasi Sarpong speaks with Korle-Bu's staff and patients about the challenges facing them and the future prospects for change. This program is part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Check-up on World Health. Sick at Heart The Netherlands is statistically the sickest country in Europe. One in 6 people of working age are on a disability pension, and most of them are younger than their counterparts around the world. In recent years, more and more young highly educated women have been going onto long term disability leave for various kinds of stress related disorders. Radio Netherlands Producer Dheera Sujan looks at a disability system that is unique in the world. A system which allows its beneficiaries to earn a salary as well as receive sick benefits, a system which rates illness on a percentage basis, and a system which until fairly recently no politician was allowed to overhaul although its financial drain to the economy was almost too much to bear. This program is part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Check-up on World Health.