Current Show

20120219_shadid_murphy

 
Week of February 19, 2012
In Memory of Anthony Shadid - Died February 16, 2012

Segment 1: Anthony Shadid - "Most Gifted Foreign Correspondent in a Generation"

Two-time Pulitzer prize winning journalist Anthony Shadid, Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War reported from Iraq for the Washington Post. He is of Arab ancestry and fluent in Arabic. He discusses the hopes and anguish of the Iraqi people before and during the war with America.  His memoir, House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and Lost Middle East will be published next month. This program was originally recorded in September 2005.

"I remember sitting there watching the scene – haunted by it. I guess it illustrated to me that gulf between war’s lofty aims and its often horrible reality. It really struck me at that moment. It’s something that I have trouble forgetting."
-Anthony Shadid

Segment 2: West Point Class of 2002

In 2002, at the graduation ceremony at West Point Military Academy, President Bush laid out his argument for preemptive war. Bill Murphy, In A Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002 tells the stories of the first class in a generation to graduate into armed combat.

"West Point's motto is Duty, Honor, Country, and I came away with a duty to my country as well. And it is to pay attention to these people who are carrying this burden. Whether you supported the war or not. I think it's important to pay attention to what they're doing and become involved."
-Bill Murphy

Previous Show

20120212_crosby_solomon

 
Week of February 12, 2012

Segment 1: The Mystery of Sleeping Sickness

It's believed that Sleeping Sickness or Encephalitis Lethargica was the inspiration for stories like Sleeping Beauty and Rip Van Winkle. When it appeared in epidemic form around the time of WWI, 5 million people were afflicted. A third of them died, and a third became permanently disabled. There is no cure or treatment. Molly Caldwell Crosby, Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries tells the stories of the victims and the doctors that tried to defeat the disease.

"If there is a real connection to flu; if we see another avian flu, or another extremely virulent flu strain, then we might see this come back as well."
--Molly Caldwell Crosby

Segment 2: Water - Our Most Precious Natural Resource

Unlike other precious resources, fresh water cannot be replaced. Without it, we die. Author and journalist Steven Solomon, Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization describes the challenges some parts of the world face as fresh water becomes scarce.
 

MG Show commentator Victoria Zackheim reviews Jane Gardam's novel, "The Man in the Wooden Hat."

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