Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

Here is what we have planned for next week: April 18 to 22, 2011

MONDAY: A Tax Plan?
Well, it’s tax day – and taxes are all that we seem to be talking about.  State taxes, federal taxes, corporate taxes… Governor Malloy’s tax plan has changed, as he plans to shift more of the burden onto wealthy residents.  Today, Where We Live, we’ll look at two new studies that try to refute the idea that rich people will leave the state if their taxes go up, and we’ll talk to a Republican lawmaker who’ll assure us that they will leave.  We’ll also talk to a ProPublica reporter who’s been digging into the story about Fairfiled-based General Electric, and how one of the world’s biggest companies gets away with paying so little in taxes.

TUESDAY: Where We Yawn (rebroadcast)
Today, we’re going to take a break from our usual talk about the state budget crisis…or transportation policy…and talk about something really exciting.  Boredom! Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.  Especially in these mid-winter stir crazy days.  What to do with myself?  Well, according to author Peter Toohey, there’s about 3000 years of bored humans dealing with the same problem.   His book is called Boredom: A Lively History. We’ll also talk with boredom enthusiasts who’ve put together a conference on the subject…here are some of the lectures you can choose from: “Like Listening to Paint Dry”, “The Intangible Beauty of Car Park Roofs”, “Personal Reflections on the English Breakfast”.  What bores you?  What do you do when you’re feeling bored?

WEDNESDAY: Our Growing Cities
People are starting to move back into Connecticut’s cities. This reverses a decades-long trend toward suburban sprawl. The five largest cities in the state have gained close to 23,000 residents.  But what does this mean for our small state?  Coming up, we’ll explore these new demographic trends.

THURSDAY: Art as Tolerance
Last Saturday a vandal broke into St. Paul and St. James in New Haven.  The ransacked the chapel, broken windows and tore a bible.  The church community responded with a message of forgiveness and several days later the most valuable items stolen were returned on the front step.  The church, which is home to Sunday jazz services, AA meetings and a soup kitchen, will host a concert this weekend to promote religious tolerance and diffuse the violent rhetoric.  Today we’ll take a look at that and other local projects using art to promote tolerance.  We’ll talk to the founder of Drums No Guns – a percussion workshop in urban schools. And we’ll hear about Music Haven’s program that brings free lessons and instruments to New Haven’s empowerment zone neighborhoods.

FRIDAY: A Look at the Humanities
Jim Leach is a former congressman and champion collegiate wrestler.  Both of these life skills come in handy as he navigates the funding needs for the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Leach is touring all 50 states to talk about the role the humanities play in our daily lives – in understanding the human condition.  Today on Where We Live, we’ll talk to leach about cuts to the NEH, the role of humanities in a digital world, and the case for historical perspective as we approach the problems of today.   

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