Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend, friends! Looks like the weather is on our side.

Here is what is coming up next week – May 30 to June 3, 2011:

MONDAY: Memorial Day Special Programming: Travels with Mike: In Search of America 50 Years After Steinbeck

In the fall of 1960, the writer John Steinbeck climbed into a pickup-camper that he’d named Rocinante, after Don Quixote’s horse, and started driving. He left his home on Long Island with a set of questions that could, he wrote, be lumped into a single one: “What are Americans like today?” With his poodle Charley by his side, the novelist traveled 10,000 miles in three months, making a loop from one coast to the other and back again. His account of the journey, Travels with Charley In Search of America, was published in 1962, the same year Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Perhaps even more than Steinbeck could grasp at the time, the United States was at a turning point. He drove along an historical seam between one era and another, one kind of country and another. Half a century later, it seems fair to say that America finds itself at another crossroads.Travels with Mike retraces Steinbeck’s steps, not with a poodle but with a stereo microphone (i.e., Mike). Producer John Biewen went to key locations on Steinbeck’s itinerary and in each place collaborated with an artist who’s deeply grounded in that place. Travels with Mike comprises a series of conversations, across time, between a great American writer of the last century and a diverse array of contemporary artists — conversations about issues, place, and the spirit of the country. This special program is hosted by Al Letson, host of the NPR/PRX show, State of the Re:Union. Travels with Mike is a production of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.

TUESDAY: Memorializing The Past
Upon our return from Memorial Day Weekend, we’ll explore the purpose and power of memorials, and the controversy they often engender. We’ll speak with the editor of a recent book about the difficult task of creating a public space that allows both a collective and intensely personal experience of remembrance.  And we’ll hear from Mary Fetchet, the founding director of New Canaan-based Voices of September 11^th about their interactive online Living Memorial Project, and the controversial 9/11 Memorial at ground zero. And Dave Skoczulek, lead organizer for the Hartford Distributors’ memorial garden, will talk about the commemorative sculptures to be dedicated later this summer on the one-year anniversary of the workplace shooting.

WEDNESDAY: The Best Intentions
In the US, people give more than $200 billion to charities each year.  But are our philanthropic dollars being put to the best use?  Yale economics professor and Founder of IPA – Innovations for Poverty Action, Dean Karlan, joins us to talk about his new book, More Than Good Intentions, which reveals the most successful, pragmatic and cost-effective ways to fight global poverty.

THURSDAY: Changing The Way We Eat
E. coli, Salmonella Listeria, Cyclospora…. All bacteria that have caused food borne illnesses and deaths in the past decades. Today we’ll ask the question: How safe is the food we eat every day? We’ll look at the moment in American history that changed the food industry for the better – and how some are fighting for even more regulation.

FRIDAY: Regional Reporter Roundtable
So, Connecticut has tackled it’s enormous budget deficit through new taxes, happier revenue projections and a tentative deal on massive union concessions – what’s next?  Well, now we might be up against the spending cap?  Huh?  We’ll find out what’s happening at the capitol – and check in with Missouri native Susan Campbell, just back from Joplin.

Transit Oriented

by John Dankosky - Our conversation about mass transit on yesterday’s Where We Live covered some familiar ground for us: The Hartford-New Britain Busway project and The Springfield-New Haven commuter rail line.  But as I got to thinking about these topics, I realized we probably can’t talk enough about projects that – when combined – will cost more than $1 billion and could radically transform the look and life of many communities.

Our friend Tom Condon raised some of the same concerns of New York Times blogger Nate Silver when talking about the new Brookings report on transit and jobs in the top 100 metro areas (equally incredulous that Modesto, Calif. seems to rate more “transit-friendly than New York).  We also raised a question about the study’s treatment of cities like Bridgeport, where residents’ usage of transit to get to work was only really studied within that metro area.  Meaning that the thousands who hop the train to head to work in New York City weren’t counted.  For his part, co-author Alan Berube defended the work, and suggested that this was just the first step in a larger process.

Future site of Enfield train station, by Serri Graslie, WNPR

Serri Graslie, our soon-to-depart NPR Kroc fellow has been following the preparation in towns along the rail line, and has gotten her fill of buzzwords like “density” and “transit-oriented” and “multi-modal.”  Her reporting on Enfield and Meriden reveals two communities with different ideas about how a commuter line might help them rebuild and transform.  One of my favorite images from her story about Enfield is from the town’s community development director Peter Bryanton:

As he drives down a narrow road abutted by overgrown trees and the train tracks, Bryanton points out two houses — one is boarded up, the other looks occupied. Both are hardly 15 feet from the tracks.

“I’ll tell ya, you see these houses here how close they are to the tracks? When that train comes by, you know it. Because it’s buzzing through here at about 50 miles an hour.”

The implication: Maybe someday, they’ll actually slow down and let people off here.

We also heard voices from New Britain, where the busway project seems much closer to reality than an Enfield train station.  Our collected Courant columnists, Kevin Rennie and Condon split on the merits of the idea, Rennie reinforcing his description of the plan as a “boondoggle,” while Condon told us he’d come around to the concept.  To hear what people in New Britain think, I encourage you to check out CCSU journalism students’ “Project Main Street” an examination of the what the busway might mean to the city.  I especially like Matt Clyburn’s virtual busway ride, where he follows the path of the new commuter option from downtown New Britain to the proposed Sigourney Street stop next to Aetna in Hartford.

Coming Up on Where We Live!

by John  Dankosky – In this week leading up to The Rapture, Catie Talarski is storming her way across Ireland…shadowing The Queen‘s every move, chasing away snakes, rooting out leprechauns, and stalking the trail of an elusive local beverage.  To that end, I’ve been charged with keeping you up to date with what’s happening during the week of 5/23 on Where We Live.  This is, of course, pending the status of end-of-the-world prophecies.  Let’s just say, this schedule is subject to change:

Brooke Gladstone

Monday 5/23: Brooke Gladstone is Host of NPR’s On The Media (heard Sundays on WNPR) and she’s author of the new book “The Influencing Machine.”  It’s a kind of non-fiction graphic novel about the changing role of media in the country and the world.  She tackles the slippery subjects of opinion and objectivity, filters and gatekeepers.

Tuesday 5/24:  May is “Preservation Month” in Connecticut.  We’ll look at efforts to preserve and maintain our historical heritage in architecture and agriculture.  And our guests will make the case for why they think historic preservation could mean money and jobs for the state.

Tuesday Night Special Event 5/24: Jazz is outside the modern American musical mainstream – so where does that put jazz that’s even “further out?”  Join Where We Live for a live special event Tuesday night, 8 p.m. May 24 at Firehouse 12 in New Haven.  This innovative space is part of a neighborhood resurgence in downtown New Haven – and

Courtesy taylorhobynum.com

they’re doing it while presenting music that’s bold, challenging and avant-garde.  We’ll be joined by Connecticut jazz artists who’ll play and talk about creative music.  Panelists include Nick Lloyd, Mario Pavone and Taylor Ho Bynum.  The event is FREE but because space is limited you have to RSVP on their website. Do it now!  (Show will be broadcast on Friday)

Wednesday 5/25:  Yale Law professors Judith Resnik and Denny Curtis have published an enormous new book called “Representing Justice” – recently featured in the New York Times.   It explores how justice has been represented throughout history.  From Charles Schulz’sLucy van Pelt, blindfolded, holding a sword and scales, to a battered lawyer’s corduroy jacket in aMinnesota courthouse, this book tells how these various images of justice have, over time, influenced the development of courts and governments.

Thursday 5/26: A new study by Brookings says that America is missing an opportunity to connect people to jobs – and that our transit systems could be the key to these linkages.  We’ll put these numbers to the test as we consider two big transit projects on the regional horizon.

Friday 5/27:  We’ll explore innovative jazz in an innovative space, New Haven’s Firehouse 12 (taped on Tuesday night).

Where We Live at Firehouse 12!

By Catie Talarski

Where We Take a Field Trip!

We’re heading on the road this month- to one of the coolest music/recording/drinking venues in the state – Firehouse 12 – to talk Jazz.

Jazz is outside the modern American musical mainstream – so where does that put jazz that’s even “further out?”  Join Where We Live for a live special event Tuesday night, May 24 at Firehouse 12 in New Haven.  This innovative space is part of a neighborhood resurgence in downtown New Haven – and they’re doing it while presenting music that’s bold, challenging and avant-garde.  We’ll be joined by Connecticut jazz artists who’ll play and talk about creative music.  

Panelists include Nick Lloyd, Mario Pavone and Taylor Ho Bynum.

The event is FREE but because space is limited you have to RSVP on their website. Do it now!

Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

Here’s what we have for you May 16 to 20, 2011.

MONDAY: Roots of Prejudice (rebroadcast)
Today we’ll revisit a conversation about one of the more troubling and baffling aspects of human nature: Prejudice. A Yale study set out to discover the roots of human prejudice, by studying groups of rhesus monkeys.  It’s interesting to learn what monkey behavior can teach us about ourselves.  And, we’ll take a test meant for humans that some say can unveil our subconscious stereotypes.

TUESDAY: The Supreme Memory Show (rebroadcast)
Today’s guest memorized the precise order of an entire deck of cards in one minute and forty seconds.  This supreme act of memorization earned Joshua Foer a US record for speed and a winning title at the US memory championship in 2006.   Today we’ll explore memory with some of the best minds on the planet – we’ll find out how we might use some of the tricks of their trade in our own lives.  And did you know the brains of rats and human beings are nearly identical in terms of developing and processing memory?  It’s true, according to a UCONN researcher who studies the brains of rats to better understand just how memory works.

WEDNESDAY: Obama At The Coast Guard
Just weeks after the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden, President Barack Obama addresses graduating Coast Guard cadets in New London.  We’ll preview his speech – the politics and the impact on foreign policy – as the president talks to newly minted members of his homeland security team.

THURSDAY: The Science of Annoying (rebroadcast)
You’re on the train, listening to only one half of somebody else’s inane conversation.  That is so annoying! What else annoys you?  Lip-smacking at the dinner table, slow drivers in the left lane, someone singing (ever so slightly) off key.  Let’s see, I’ve gotten some of these from people: Close talkers, crying kids on a plane, the toilet seat left up (sorry ladies), texting during a movie (or during dinner, or during an important conversation). The smallest things can be as annoying and offensive as fingernails on a blackboard.   NPR Science correspondent, Joe Palca and Flora Lichtman, multimedia editor for NPR’s Talk of the Nation: Science Friday, explore the why in their new book, ANNOYING: The Science of What Bugs Us.  

FRIDAY: William Tong
Five years ago, William Tong made history as the first Asian American elected into Connecticut State Government.  Now, he’s taking another big step…into the ring of Democrats vying for the Senate seat being vacated by Joe Lieberman.  He’ll be running against Congressman Chris Murphy and former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, both candidates with big name recognition and the ability to bring in big dollars from Democrats.  We’ll talk to Tong about his Senate run.

Meet George Jepsen! (The New, Low-Key AG)

George Jepsen, photo by Chion Wolf

by John Dankosky – When George Jepsen took over as Connecticut’s 24th Attorney General, he also forever changed the daily newsgathering habits of newsrooms across the state.  His predecessor, now Senator Richard Blumenthal, still  jokes about showing up for a “garage door opening,” and would make himself available at a moment’s notice – albeit in tightly scripted soundbites – to any media outlet willing to listen.

Blumenthal also crafted a persona as a “national” defender of consumers, joining in multi-state investigations and settlements with major companies.  His highest-profile case was the multi-billion dollar settlement with the tobacco industry, which resulted in millions coming into the state’s general fund (while very little was ever actually used to stop people from smoking).

In many ways, Jepsen is similar in his views on the position of AG.  He told the Connecticut Post in November, ”I grew up with a view that the playing field is often tilted against the average citizen. As an attorney general, you are an advocate in their corner.”  But in temperament, he seems at times to be the opposite of Blumenthal – very low key, even quiet at times.  If you want an example, listen to his appearance with opponent Martha Dean on Where We Live last year.  (Or maybe this (I)nterview with the CPBN Media Lab)

So far on the job, he’s waded into some of the territory we’ve become accustomed to traveling with Blumenthal.  He’s asked Apple and Google to divulge more information about how they’re tracking consumers with their smartphones; and he settled a fraud case with a mobster.

But in a unique settlement with pharmacy giant CVS, Jepsen may have hinted at a new way of doing business.  In an effort to get expired goods off of store shelves, Jepsen has CVS issuing coupons to customers who find out-of-date products on the shelves.  A kind of “crowdsourcing” watchdog effort.

He also lit up a bit when he talked about the deal on air, calling it “cool.”

Yes, today on Where We Live Jepsen was not exactly “high energy,” but did bring back some info from a trip to DC, where he’s working with other AGs on how to get mortgage companies to take better care of the millions of homeowners in the US who got caught up in dubious loan practices.  You can listen to today’s full conversation on Where We Live here. 

Coming Up!

By Catie Talarski

Better late than never!  Here is what’s on tap for this week May 9 to 13 2011

Monday: Woodstock
To help celebrate CPTV’s documentary 60’s in Connecticut, Where We Live presents a documentary of our own, Woodstock Revisited.  This documentary chronicles the adventures of several Connecticut residents as they make their way to the three-day music festival in 1969, and find out how it changed their lives forever.  Produced by Lori Mack, senior producer of The Faith Middleton Show, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Woodstock in 2009, Woodstock Revisited mixes these voices with archival audio and music.

Tuesday:  Design Thinking
From shopping to banking to taxes design thinking is all around us in our everyday lives.  But what exactly does this new buzz phrase “design thinking” mean? Today we try to understand this new way of looking at the systems that govern our lives, health, finances, even our environmental impact.  We’ll talk with several participants in this past weekend’s conference that addressed the importance of design in reshaping healthcare, to learn how this new strategy can reduce a fragmented system and empower patients to take control of their own health.  And we’ll explore the fun side of statistics as we look at revolutionary new uses of data visualization to make this jumble of numbers accessible, even beautiful.

Wednesday: George Jepsen, Attorney General
George Jepsen’s predecessor was well known for being “media savvy” – and that’s a nice way to put it.  Reporters joked that Attorney General Richard Blumenthal would show up for “a garage door opening.”  Now, Jepsen – a much more low-key kinda guy, is forging his own path as AG.  We’ll talk about his vision for the office, and how he hopes to get out from under the shadow of a man who served in the job for 20 years.

Thursday: Getting In
Many high schoolers know before even reading the contents – if the letter is in a thin business envelope, the news is bad, a thick manilla envelope…get ready to pack your bags!  Springtime marks the sometimes glorious, sometimes devastating college admissions season where the country’s young, bright students discover the institution that will define their next 4 years and perhaps the rest of their lives.  But while more young adults than ever before are entering higher education to propel them up the social ladder, author Ann Mullens argues the higher education experience is actually perpetuating the very class disparity it was intended to work against. Through a case study of 100 students  at Yale University and Southern Connecticut State University, we’ll look at two schools that are at once two miles and worlds apart.  So what are people doing to bridge this entrenched class divide? We’ll look at the New Haven Promise program to see how it plans to motivate and enable more inner-city students to seek higher education, and ask whether financial aid can be really be the great equalizer.

Friday: Reporter Roundtable on Capitol Madness
Late night meetings on union concessions; layoff notices rattling the state workforce; and a “plan B” that stands for bad news in state goverment.  Coming up – our regional reporter roundtable goes inside the capitol to find out what’s happening with the budget, bills and bargaining.

 

Murphy Sees “Disconnect” Between Military, Public on Afghanistan

Chris Murphy - Photo by Chion Wolf, WNPR

by John Dankosky - 

Congressman Chris Murphy was in Afghanistan in the days before the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.  In fact, he said he felt a bit “sheepish” about the special ops briefing he got – given what he later found out was on the unit’s plate.

After the trip, Murphy says it’s time to start “drawing down our presence in that country.”

Murphy’s a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and it was his third trip to Afghanistan.   He told WNPR’s Where We Live that one big change since his first trip in 2007 has been public perception among Afghans.   He said four years ago,  the U.S. was seen as a “force for good.”   Now, that support has eroded – and in some parts of the country, he says our presence hasn’t helped at all.

“We are sometimes bringing the fight to towns. Just as we did in Iraq, where we essentially drew Al Qaeda to that country. As we have an extended presence in Afghanistan, there are are some places – like the Korengal Valley – where places were safe before we got there,” he told me.

He likens the perception problem to how the US is seen in neighboring Pakistan, where drone strikes into mountain villages have killed civilians.  He says that practice has “cratered” our standing in Pakistan.

Murphy says he learned on his visit that there is what he called a “fundamental disconnect…between what the American public thinks is the timetable and what the military thinks is the timetable” for troops to leave Afghanistan.

“Most of my constituents think that there is something important happening this year. There wasn’t a single military or civilian leader that I met with in Afghanistan that talked about a 2011 timetable. They were talking about 2014. And though I’m sure there is going to be some modicum of troop withdrawals to comport with the President’s timetable, there seems to be an assumption amongst our military leaders there that they have about 300,000 troops to work with for the next three years, and I don’t think that’s something that the American people will support.”

Murphy says the U.S. still has a role to play in training the Afghan police and army, but wants to start bringing back some of the front-line troops.