The Story from APM - Archive

The Whole Library In His Hands

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:00:00

The Whole Library In His Hands

Dick speaks with Brewster Kahle, who is collecting copies of all the books he can from around the world. Some are scanned and put online while others are in storage. His model is the Ancient Library of Alexandria and if someone wants to look at a copy of Euclid's Elements from centuries ago, all they have to do is search the database. You can also read at the Internet Archive a book that Dick’s grandfather wrote . [Photo: Brewster Kahle and a petabox storage unit from the Internet Archive]

Twitter Klout

You either have it or you don't. And when Sam Fiorella applied for a marketing job a few years ago, he was shown the door once the employer checked his Klout score - and it was low. So he went on a campaign - lots of Tweeting – to drive it up to "rock star status."

Letters

Dick reads letters today about the audio-only fictional story "The Book," which we aired this month and came to us from the Public Radio Exchange.

Music in this show: "In Your Own Backyard" by Randy Caldwell; and "Begin the Beguine" by the BBC Big Band Orchestra.

Walking Away From Wall Street

Thu, 24 May 2012 01:00:00

Walking Away from Wall Street

Alexis Goldstein was wrapped up in the competitive world of Wall Street. She shares an insider’s view with Dick about the mind-set of traders and why she decided to leave. Now she's pushing for reform through the Occupy Wall Street movement. [Photo by Stacy Lanyon]

Occupy the Playground

Fourth graders protest when their playground is threatened.

Amanda Palmer

The indie musician and former Dresden Dolls vocalist tells Dick about how she’s raising money to produce her next album. She has raised more than $800,000 on Kickstarter, offering rewards like books or house concerts in exchange for purchases. She says this is the new way that musicians can take their music back and control their careers. [Photo by Zoe Bogner]

Music in this show: "Dura" and "Noose" by Ratatat; and "Astronaut" and "Do it With a Rockstar" by Amanda Palmer.

Leasing a Patch of Paradise

Wed, 23 May 2012 01:00:00

Leasing a Patch of Paradise

Jeff Dick, a former gas and oil man and geologist at Youngstown State University, loves his home in Ohio - the land is a refuge for him. He leased it to a company to explore for natural gas through fracturing the underground rock. He says he is at ease with the risks he is taking with fracking and that he'll watch his land and water carefully. [Photo: Drilling site in Dimock, Pa., by Brandi Lukas]

Fracking and Farm Animals

Michelle Bamberger, a veterinarian in Ithaca, N.Y., and Robert Oswald, a professor at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, have done a series of case studies of farm animals and water contaminated by fracking waste. They are seeing animal deaths and illnesses, and a paper they published in the journal New Solutions suggests more studies need to be done.

Row Your Boat

Producer Phoebe Judge speaks with competitive rower Roz Savage, who planned to row across the North Atlantic Ocean and then enter London just in time for the Olympics.

Icebergs

Producer Rob Rosenthal sends an audio postcard recorded while kayaking off the coast of Newfoundland.

Cowboy Junkies

Producer David Schulman has recorded the front man of the Cowboy Junkies in his own words. Listen to a lovely soundtrack to ice travels.

Music in this show: "Back Bay Shuffle" by Artie Shaw; "Beirut" by The Shrew; and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" performed by the Cowboy Junkies.

Riding Out the Joplin Tornado

Tue, 22 May 2012 01:00:00

Riding Out the Joplin Tornado

Tom Cook tells the story of how his family home was hit by a tornado in 2008. His wife died and his home was destroyed. After that, Cook and his daughter moved to Joplin , Mo., and when he bought a new home he also purchased a steel tornado shelter. When the Joplin tornado hit, his home was destroyed again but this time he and his daughter were safe. [Photo: The News-Leader]

Saving the Photos

Angela Walters created an archive to collect all the scattered photographs after the Joplin Tornado. She has reunited some people with family photos and is keeping unclaimed ones safe.

Music in this show: "Sunday Gardena Blvd." by Money Mark and "Honey Bee" by Cassandra Wilson.

Two Men and their One Voice

Mon, 21 May 2012 01:00:00

Two Men and Their One Voice

Scott Haren and Ben Harris met in a support group for people with Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as ALS. In this conversation, Scott (left) voices the words of his friend Ben, who types them onto a computer because he no longer can speak. They describe researching and making their own medicine and taking it themselves - a do-it-yourself attempt to slow the progression of the disease.

A Duke University researcher has put together a website to help people make sense of the investigation of alternative and off-label ALS treatments.

Mapping America

Mapmaker Dave Imus looked at the maps he could find of the country and set out to create a better one - one that delineates the states and rivers and forests better. His map, which won "Best of Show" in a prestigious mapmaking competition, reminded us of the poem "In the Elementary School Choir."

Music in this show: "Slow Guitar" by William Pasley and "Jakolando" by Hera Ma Nono.

Studs Terkel at 100: Talking Dance

Fri, 18 May 2012 01:00:00

Ballerina Makes Move to Russia

Studs Terkel loved to talk to dancers. Dick sits down with Keenan Kampa, a U.S.-born dancer, about the rigorous work it takes to find a place in a dance company, and how she was invited into the storied company The Mariinsky Ballet. She studied at the school that is associated with the ballet company called the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. She loves the history of the stage, and the historic boxes where tsars have watched the dancers.

Dame Margot Fonteyn

The legendary dancer spoke with Studs Terkel about dance and famous dancers such as Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan. She tells Studs that the waltz was scandalous when it was first introduced.

Studs at 100

We end our series with a musical and voice mediation on Studs Terkel. This "sound drop" comes to us from the Third Coast Audio Festival and producer Alan Hall.

And you can read about Dick's conversation with Studs on Salon.

Music in this show: “Magic Garden Dryad Queen Solo,” “Pas de Deux (Act III),” “Ensemble Dance of the Dryads” and “Quiterias Variationas Dulcinea” from Don Quixote, performed by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.

Studs Terkel at 100: The Work Goes On

Thu, 17 May 2012 01:00:00

Studs Terkel at 100: The Work Goes On

As The Story celebrates the work of oral historian and broadcaster Studs Terkel, Dick interviews a woman who was laid off and found herself offered a job as captain of a river ferry. Jenny Brown was given a hard hat and training, and now runs a ferry boat on an Oregon River.

Working: A reading from the Studs Terkel classic

We hear the words of Frank Decker, a steel hauler in Indiana. Read by actor Daniel Trigg.

The Paperboy and the Waitress

We hear excerpts of original interviews from Working: Fourteen-year-old paper boy Terry Pickens talking about collecting from customers, and waitress Dolores Dante has her say on tips. Thanks to the Chicago History Museum.

Music in this show: “One Foot in the Groove” and “Free Wheeling” by Artie Shaw; “Little Jazz” by Roy Eldridge and Artie Shaw and His Orchestra; and “L'amour est un Oiseau Rebelle” by Maria Callas.

Studs Terkel at 100: Working

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00

Studs Terkel at 100: Working

In our second day featuring the work done and inspired by oral historian Studs Terkel, Dick speaks to labor leader and steel worker Ed Sadlowski. We hear him driving Studs Terkel around the flagging steel mills in South Chicago, and Dick talks with Sadlowski about steel mill work and organizing.

To Cut a Knife

Knife maker Joel Bukiewicz talks about finding an old grinder in his parents’ barn and trying to make a knife. It was the first of many. He describes shaping the steel and making close to a dozen knives every month for his shop Cut Brooklyn.

Music in this episode: "Sweet Home Chicago" by Robert Johnson; "Which Side Are you On" by Pete Seeger; and "Back Bay Shuffle" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra.

Studs Terkel at 100: Hearing America

Tue, 15 May 2012 01:00:00

Studs Terkel at 100: Hearing America

The Story begins a four-day celebration of the work of oral historian and writer Studs Terkel. The Chicago radio host believed in talking about big ideas and small ones. He amassed some 7,000 hours of interviews for his radio show on WFMT-FM, and today we’ll share some, including conversations with Eudora Welty, Dorothy Parker, R. Buckminster Fuller and Mahalia Jackson. Also, Roman Mars gives us his take on Studs. Over the next three days, we talk about “Working,” the classic book that Studs published about people's jobs, and we hear from his former assistant Sydney Lewis and her documentary, “Working with Studs.”

Music in this show: "I Will Move on Up a Little Higher" by Mahalia Jackson and "Frenesie" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra.

Gay Rights in Russia

Mon, 14 May 2012 01:00:00

Gay Rights in Russia

Alexander Kargaltsev, a gay filmmaker, was granted asylum in the United States because he faced harassment and abuse in his native Russia. He says gay pride day marches there are not held openly because it is too dangerous, and he's still getting used to the openness in the U.S.

Coming Out in the Age of Lady Gaga

Radio Rookie Bebe tells her story of deciding whether to come out. She asks her uncle, who is gay, for advice and he says that being gay as a young person is not easy in any way.

Letters

Dick’s conversation with children's book writer and illustrator Ashley Bryan sparked some notes from listeners.

The Book

A story from writer Hans Anderson about a pantry door and a curious homeowner.

Music in this show: “Unc” by Trombone Shorty; “Born this Way” by Lady Gaga; “Eternal Drift” by Material; “This Little Light of Mine” by the Gene Harris Quartet; and “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho” by Mahalia Jackson.

Angie's List

Fri, 11 May 2012 01:00:00

Angie's List

Dick speaks with Angie Hicks about how the business got started - door to door with just a handful of subscribers. Angie had little knowledge about home repairs but she learned and amassed a great Rolodex, and that's how the company grew.

Camp in My Garden

Londoner Victoria Webbon has a list of London homeowners who will allow Olympic visitors to pitch a tent in their gardens. There are few hotel rooms left in the area for the Games and people still need places to stay so the garden reservations are going fast.

Traveling with Mom

Producer Larry Massett visits his mother and they plan a trip together and Larry documents every step. From the series Hearing Voices.

The Photograph Not Taken

Aaron Schuman tells a story about a photograph he chose not to take. From the book Photographs Not Taken.

Music in this show: "Alison House" by Neil Perlman; "Everything that Rises," by Songs of Water; "In Your Own Backyard" by Randy Caldwell; and "The High Road" by Broken Bells.

What to Tell the Children

Thu, 10 May 2012 01:00:00

What to Tell the Children

Dick speaks with Alison Feigh, who remembers a classmate who was abducted in 1989. Her small town in Minnesota made a concerted effort not to frighten the community afterwards, but it was a turning point; just as the disappearance of six-year-old Etan Patz was in 1979. Alison Feigh now works at a missing children's center that is named in honor of her classmate who was taken and never found.

The Little Library That Could

Dick looks into the debate that bubbled up about a small library in Shutesbury, Mass. While some residents want a new one and are willing to pay with new taxes, others say no. It is the talk of the town and no end is in sight yet. Dick speaks with Bob Mahler, principal of Shutesbury Elementary School. [Watch a viral video about the library here.]

Remembering Maurice Sendak

Samaria Graham, an actress, talks about the time she spent with children's author Maurice Sendak as they worked together on the play based on Sendak's work “Really Rosie.” She says that Sendak loved children more than adults.

Finding Miles

Wed, 09 May 2012 01:00:00

Finding Miles

An audio diary of a young woman who over the course of a year transitions into being a man. Miles talks about how he always felt different and also how he wrestled with the exact words to tell his parents about it. We listen as he takes hormone injections, his voices changes, and Megan becomes Miles. Produced by Sarah Reynolds. [See diary photos here.]

Edward Hoagland

Producer Phoebe Judge talks with Edward Hoagland, the author of more than 20 books of memoir, essays and novels. He is an acute observer of nature and human nature and he talks about growing up with a stutter and using the natural world to help him find his voice.

Music in this show: "Go Without" and "Ungodly Fruit" by Wax Taylor.

Teachers Examine The Test

Tue, 08 May 2012 01:00:00

Teachers Examine the Test

We hear from two teachers: Dick speaks with Los Angeles high school teacher Coleen Bondy (center right), who was given a standardized evaluation of her abilities and feels it missed the essence of what goes on in her classroom. He also speaks with Ruth Dandrea, a longtime teacher from upstate New York who gave standardized tests a hard look, and felt compelled to write a letter apologizing to her students for giving them these types of tests.

A Moment On the Ice

In the midst of National Hockey League playoffs, Dick speaks with former Montreal Canadiens goalie Steve Penney about how he was plucked from the minor leagues in 1984 to defend the goal in a playoff game. It was a shining moment for him, but his career ended due to injuries.

Music in this show: “Look in the Air” by Explosions in the Sky.

Udacity: Teaching Online

Mon, 07 May 2012 01:00:00

Udacity: Teaching Online

David Evans and Sebastian Thrun have thousands of students in their class - and they love it. They teach through Udacity, a website that is free and open to anyone in the world. Similar services include Coursera and edX. David and Sebastian talk to Dick about how their work is reaching students and changing the way people see higher education.

The Making of Temple Run

Dick speaks to husband-and-wife team Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova, who invented one of the most addictive mobile phone games of the past year. Temple Run has become one of the top-grossing applications for the iPhone and Android phones.

Music in this show: "Jumpin' Woodside" by Count Basie, and "Huron River Drive" by The Vipers.