Coming Up! September 3-7, 2012

Happy September. Happy Blue Moon. Happy Labor Day. Do something nice for yourself. Enjoy the sun!

Here’s what we have for you next week:

MONDAY: The Future of Cities (rebroadcast)
TV shows and Sci-Fi books and from the 1950’s and 60s brought us images of future cities filled with flying machines, moving sidewalks, helpful robots and meals at the push of a button. Although we never quite got there, we do have internet, a phone in our pocket that does everything and we sent a roving space lab on Mars. But what do the visionaries of today have planned for the city of tomorrow? What if we developed transit systems that go 100 or maybe 200 miles per hour that could go ten times faster than that using evacuated tube transport? And what if, as our cities get more and more crowded, we could build floating “seascrapers” that harness ocean currents? Today, on Where We Live, we’ll talk with designers, dreamers and a science fiction writer about the world of the future! And you can join the conversation. What do you think the city of the future will look like?

TUESDAY: Convention Talk
The Republican National Convention featured a big speech by Mitt Romney, a national introduction for Paul Ryan, Clint Eastwood talking to a chair, and a blustery keynote by Chris Christie. What will the democrats do to follow that up? Well, they have Dan Malloy to make Chris Christie jokes. We’ll dissect the RNC that was and the DNC that’s about to be.

WEDNESDAY: Connecticut River
The 410-mile-long Connecticut River was recently designated America’s first National Blueway. U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said restoration and preservation efforts on the river are a model for other American rivers. The Federal Government also just announced they are giving up on restoring Atlantic salmon to the river. It’s the most dammed watershed in North America, but there are major efforts underway to remove the dams to make it easier for fish to travel. Coming up, we’ll talk about how the Connecticut River has changed and what’s being done to keep it clean and healthy.

THURSDAY: Warming Water
Arctic ice recently reached its lowest point on record, contributing to higher ocean temperatures. The melt pushes sea creatures to adapt, alters our coastlines, and affects weather patterns. What changes do warmer ocean waters mean where we live? Tune in to hear from marine scientists about the latest from the Arctic and the Atlantic coast.

FRIDAY: The Renaissance of the Connecticut Farm
After years of decline, Connecticut farms are on the rise, and they’re smaller, more diverse, and more self-sufficient than ever before. It seemed for a long while that Connecticut farms were going out with the 20th century as more and more farms were being plowed under to make way for new suburban housing and commercial development. The cost of cultivating big tracts of land dedicated to tobacco and dairy was just too high to resist the big cash offers from developers and towns in need of tax revenue.  And our few bigger producers just couldn’t compete with the international agribusiness that stocks supermarket shelves with food trucked in from all over. But thanks to a rising demand for local, fresh, and healthy, a new crop of Connecticut farms are sprouting up. They’re small, their crops are diverse, and they’re even profitable. Today, we’ll talk to people excited by the new face of farming in CT and what they’re doing to keep it growing. Have you ever tried Jilo or Calabaza Squash? Have you visited a farmers market or local farm stand this summer?

 

Coming Up! August 27-31, 2012

Don’t forget to come by the Studio at Billings Forge on Thursday 8/30 for the newest edition of my Radio Adventure Theater! (More details on the Facebooks…)  There will be boardroom antics, the Boston Typewriter Orchestra (!), an unruly powerpoint presentation, improv, great radio, a crash course on the history of typewriter manufacturing in Hartford, and MORE.

Should be a lot of fun, hope to see you there!

Here’s what’s on the air next week:

MONDAY: On Board with High Speed Rail
Last week we tackled the busway, today it’s all about rail. Amtrak’s proposal will built high speed rail along the Northeast corridor, from DC to Boston, by 2030. Though the fastest trains wouldn’t make any stops in Connecticut. Coming up, we’ll take a look at the history of rail in the state – and see what these proposals mean for our region and for the existing Metro North line.

TUESDAY: What is the “Middle Class?”
This election season, we’ve heard plenty of candidates talk about how they want to help the middle class. So who are they talking about? Coming up, we’ll talk with Yale’s Jacob Hacker and sociologist Dennis Gilbert about what politicians mean when they say “middle class.” Gilbert says candidates’ use of this term is “dishonest.” A new Pew study says “the middle class has shrunk in size and fallen backward in wealth.” We’ll look at the wide, varying and sometimes manipulative definition of the middle class.

WEDNESDAY: Suburbs 4.0 (Rebroadcast)
Our federally-funded highway system has been called the greatest public subsidy to private real estate in history. Where’s that real estate? The suburbs. You might think of cities as places for tall buildings, busy sidewalks, buses and trains, and coffee shops. Suburbs, on the other hand, are places for single-family homes, green lawns, and no sidewalks at all. But over the years that is changing – as more people move to suburbs, and they age, they’ve taken on some the characteristics of cities – but often lacking a transit connection. Today, where we live, as we continue our city series, we talk with author and Montreal resident Taras Grescoe about what he calls Suburbs 4.0 – the current iteration of North American sprawl. Grescoe’s latest book, Straphanger, details his trips to over a dozen cities around the world examining public transit systems. Grescoe has never owned a car. We hear also from Lyle Wray, head of the Capital Region Council of Governments, as well as Dr. Markus Moos, the author of the Atlas of Suburbanisms, about how urban and suburban patterns are blending.

THURSDAY: Connecticut’s Space Case
From the very beginning, Connecticut companies have played a significant role in the manufacturing of parts for the U.S. space program. Today, twenty-seven companies across the state are partnered with NASA’s SBIR/STTR Program to help advance the administration’s technological research and development. Yardney Technical Products, Inc., a Connecticut-based SBIR/STTR company, recently took the spotlight for its production of the battery currently powering NASA’s Mars rover, Curiosity. Today, we’ll delve deeper into the history of Connecticut’s involvement with the space program, see how NASA’s SBIR/STTR Program has encouraged small businesses across the state and find out where all of this is headed in the future.

FRIDAY: Magazine: New Book on Pete Seeger “In His Own Words,” The Connecticut Senate Horse Race, Middletown Gets Remixed 
Three segments of audio goodness.

Coming Up! August 20-24, 2012

Lots happening this week! Live music, mosquitoes, and transit talk. Special Happy Birthday to our fearless leader John Dankosky and our most helpful producer Heather Brandon. We’re still celebrating in the newsroom!

MONDAY: Big Bang Economic Development (rebroadcast)
Today, the “big bang theory.” Not the kind that Ira Flatow talks about onScience Friday, but the kind that city leaders talk about when they want to make a splash, to revitalize their city, to get millions in taxes. These urban “big bangs” are often pipe dreams that never get beyond an architect’s sketch. But sometimes they do become reality – with mixed results. Today, we’ll consider two “big bang” projects – one in New Haven that went bust before it ever happened, and one in New London that could still boom, even after a contentious battle that ended up in the Supreme court. But first, the city of Bridgeport announced that Bass Pro Shops will become the first big tenant in the Steelepoint development. Yes, the long-rumoured plan to use vacant industrial land with prime water frontage is actually close to becoming a reality. But, of course, after 30-odd-years of on again/off again promises, many city residents are still a bit skeptical. We’ll talk about the “big bang” theory and urban redevelopment. Can it work in Bridgeport? What about New Haven and New London?

TUESDAY: On Track for CT Fastrak
The rapid transit busway planned between Hartford and New Britain – dubbed “CT Fastrak” – is beginning construction. We’ll check in on its progress – there have already been a few bumps along the way. We’ll talk to the DOT, a transit planner, and town officials. And we want to hear from you: What will the busway do for you? How will it get you to or from work, shopping, school, and recreation? Join us as we weigh best planning practices against realistic needs.

WEDNESDAY: Those Pesky Skeeters
The summer barbeque usually consists of some grilling, a little badminton, and of course – swatting away mosquitoes. Last week, the State Mosquito Management Program said the first Connecticut resident this year was infected with the West Nile virus. Coming up, we’ll talk about mosquitoes and the diseases they carry. In Texas, they’re spraying insecticide from planes after West Nile affected over 200 people there. We’ll also talk with a researcher who has figured out how tiny drones can imitate mosquitoes during rain storms.

THURSDAY: Regional Roundtable: Casinos, Lobsters, and Presidential Politics
Could we someday have the“Springfield Strip?”  Yesterday MGM unveiled their plans to revive the struggling Massachusetts city by pumping 800 million dollars into a gambling resort, entertainment complex, and housing development. It’s one of several proposals on the table as Mass tries to take on Connecticut casinos. In New Hampshire, casinos are on the back burner, but political madness is front and center. President Obama was just there, Mitt Romney has his camp set up, and the race for the vote is on in New England’s only “swing” state. And in Maine, it’s more lobster business. Warmer waters have caused an overabundance of soft shell sea creatures, forcing prices way down. It’s causing all sorts of problems for lobstermen in Maine and Canada.  Today it’s a regional reporter roundtable. Don’t think what happens in neighboring states doesn’t affect you. Presidential politics, high class casinos, and loads of lobsters!

FRIDAY: Goodnight Blue Moon
Goodnight Blue Moon is an indie-folk band from New Haven, Connecticut. Coming up, they’ll join us in Studio 3 to play a few tunes and talk about their new album How Long.

Primary Day Polls Not Hopping

As expected, polling places across Connecticut are not handing out many stickers today.

Photo by Catie Talarski.

On this morning’s Where We Live, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said this Primary Day turnout will be similar to previous years. “Sad to say, I’d be happy with 30%,” said Merrill.

All day long, we’ll be talking to those who are showing up to the polls. The Colin McEnroe Show is talking with “Citizen Reporters” about what they are (or aren’t) seeing. WNPR reporter Diane Orson talked with voters in North Haven and Bridgeport this morning. Frank Giordano cast his vote for Linda McMahon in North Haven. He said Chris Shays isn’t the change that he’s looking for in Washington. “He was there for too long. And a lot of these politicians have been there for too long,” said Giordano. “It’s time for a change.”

Linda McMahon is expected to win tonight but Chris Shays and his supporters haven’t given up yet. Pat Redding is one of those supporters who acknowledges the uphill climb the former Congressman faces but is holding out hope. “It’s hard to compete against that when you can’t get your name out, when there’s an oversaturation of negative ads, pro-ads for Linda McMahon..that’s stuff you can’t beat,” said Redding. “But I’m hoping for the best. I’m hoping for a solid turnout for him.”

Diane Orson caught up with a supporter of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Susan Bysiewicz, who is also facing a tough battle in her campaign against Rep. Chris Murphy. But Bysiewicz got the support of Rita Wozniak who likes her for representing the ordinary citizen. “She understands some of our problems and I love her attitude. She’s determined to do something to help,” said Wozniak.

At the end of this morning’s Where We Live, Colin McEnroe called in to share what he’s seen around West Hartford. He didn’t see much and called the turnout “shockingly low.” There were also very few people standing outside the polling places with signs in support of candidates. That’s coming from someone who has been through every primary since Lancelot Phelps first held the 5th District seat in 1835.

We’ve heard from people on Twitter about voter turnout too.

• @RosieDeRobertis: Husband & I were the only ones there. Realized 3/4′s of the political TV ads I’d seen are not for our district.
• @saultert: Hardly anyone there. A coworker just told me they don’t vote because they don’t think primaries count. Sad.
• @danielschwartz: Yes, I voted. And there wasn’t another person who was voting at the same time around 7:15 in Avon. Very quiet.
• @jancdavis: as an independent I would vote if we had open primaries in CT

This low turnout wasn’t unexpected. When Ned Lamont beat Sen. Joe Lieberman in the 2006 primary for the Democratic nomination, 43% of Democrats showed up. The big issue during that election was the Iraq War. There isn’t an issue like it this time around. Lamont joined us on the show this morning and said that this crop of candidates are very similar on the issues. “They have to make up differences,” said Lamont. “There’s nothing of substance that really gets people to drive to that polling booth and cast their vote.”

Remember to follow WNPR’s Primary Day coverage with the CT Mirror, culminating tonight with a live broadcast from the Red Rock Tavern in Hartford. The Mirror also has a great page dedicated to Primary Day news today.

As always, let us know what you’re seeing as you vote today. Are you in the 5th District where voter turnout is expected to be slightly higher? Or are you in Hartford voting by yourself?

Coming Up! August 13 to 17, 2012

Don’t forget to stop by Red Rock Tavern in Hartford on Tuesday night to get in on the primary night action. Dankosky and McEnroe (and a whole lot of guests) will be broadcasting live from 7-10PM. Hope to see you there!

Here’s what we have this week:

MONDAY: Nuclear Power
About half of Connecticut’s electricity comes from nuclear power – and much of the rest is from natural gas, which is cheap and abundant, for now. Do we need another nuclear plant in the state, or are the risks too great, with climate change making severe weather more and more damaging to our infrastructure? Coming up we’ll hear from experts on energy sources in the state, and we’ll hear what Germany is up to – eliminating all of its nuclear power plants and relying heavily on wind and solar instead.

TUESDAY: It’s Primary Day!
Join us for in-depth primary coverage with Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and others. And don’t forget to stop by Red Rock Tavern in Hartford for primary night special coverage hosted by John Dankosky and Colin McEnroe. We’ll get the latest reports from our crack team of WNPR and CT Mirror reporters stationed around the state. That’s 7-10PM on air or LIVE at the Red Rock.

WEDNESDAY: Connecticut Eccentricities
Why is East Hampton, Connecticut west of Hampton? Is Washington really the first town in the US named after George Washington? How does Lyme feel about its disease-ridden infamy? Why is Mystic half in Groton and half in Stonington? What’s a Noank, and why are there so many “villes” in Connecticut towns? Join us as we hear from guests who specialize in all the wonder and eccentricity that holds our state together, including writers for The Size of Connecticut and Connecticut Museum Quest.

THURSDAY: Understanding Global Environmental Politics (rebroadcast)
At theRio Earth Summit, more than 100 world leaders gathered to talk global sustainability and set goals for the environment. President Barack Obama was not among them. Neither was Angela Merkel of Germany or David Cameron of the UK. This may say something about the real importance of these gatherings. The goal of Rio and other international environmental summits is to set new international goals, and target…protocols and treaties. But according to a report by the UN Environment Programme we already have “treaty congestion.” World leaders have signed onto some 500 internationally recognized agreements in the past 50 years. Meaning we make more international rules for the environment than we do for anything else – including human rights, trade, and war. That same UN report says that the international community is making progress on only a small percentage of goals. And many countries willfully disregard the deals once they’ve signed on…so, what’s the point? Today, we’ll hear from local experts on global environmental deals. And we want to hear from you: Are international treaties the best way to solve our overwhelming environmental problems? Can there ever really be global consensus between superpowers, developing economic giants and smaller countries looking to hold them accountable?

FRIDAY: America, we need to talk: Take a Vacation (rebroadcast)
Everyone counts down the days to vacation, right? Well not in America…it seems we’d rather keep working. Yes, despite all the data that time off makes you happier, healthier and MORE productive, a majority of americans – some 57percent had unused vacation time at the end of 2011, and most of them left an average of 11 days on the table. Meanwhile, profits per-employee are at a 10 year high. What if we just cut into those corporate profits by taking a day we’ve earned here and there? The rest of the world seems to get it: The British mandate 28 paid days off! France and Greece 25 days! Even the Chinese – the country we fear is manically running us into the ground economically – they give workers 10 days off a year. So, why aren’t Americans taking vacation? Don’t we know that all the problems that plague us as a nation – obesity, depression, anxiety, can just be cured by a few days off? We’ll consider America’s Vacation Deficit disorder – and we want to hear from you.

Coming Up! August 6 to August 10, 2012

Whoa, sorry about the delay on this blog post. I was going to post it yesterday but WordPress wasn’t loading for me. So I forgot about it…until now.

Anyways, we hope you’re having a good summer and if you’re going back to school soon, bless your heart. Yesterday we asked the question, “Is Algebra Necessary?” It turns out that it is a question that gets people really fired up. It was a fun show!

MONDAY: Algebra…Who Needs It?
You might not have the best memories of your high school algebra class. But was it necessary? That’s the question posed in a recent NY Times op-ed by Professor Andrew Hacker. Not surprisingly, columnists and science writers have pushed back saying, “Of course algebra is necessary!” We’ll talk with Hacker and local educators about the role of classes like algebra, calculus and geometry. Should these classes be required of public school students?

TUESDAY: Child Sex Slaves in Connecticut
The state’s child welfare agency said it’s aware of roughly 100 children who have been sold for sex in the state during the past five years – and that’s just who they’ve identified. Joette Katz – commissioner of DCF is launching a public awareness campaign to try to train both safety officials and the public to identify and treat these minors as victims rather than prostitutes. We’ll talk with Commissioner Katz as part of a collaboration with the Connecticut Mirror. You can read a comprehensive series on child trafficking this week at ctmirror.org.

WEDNESDAY: Future of Cities
Television shows of the 1960′s brought possibilities for a future filled with Jetson-style flying machines and Star Trek spaceships that never really lived up to our expectations. Sure, we’ve come a long way with some things. Fifty years ago, it was outrageous to think we would be connected to the internet, have Facebook friends, and land a roving space lab on Mars. So why is it that with our cities expected to absorb an additional 2.5 billion people by 2050, or nearly 70% of the population, we haven’t come up with new designs to house and transport people in and out of cities. Is it time to imagine radical changes for our future cities? We’ll talk to three visionaries whose ideas for the future can transform the way we live and travel, and a CT science fiction writer who talks about where transformational change begins…in our imagination.

THURSDAY: TBA
Keep checking back for updates on what will become a great show.

FRIDAY: TBA
See Thursday.