I'm proud to announce the launch of Pleased Productions. I am now consulting for public radio!
I am currently working with WNYC Radio as their Marketing Coordinator.
I will continue to update this blog with all of the pieces that I produce, and I am still producing for public radio. Please visit my new website for Pleased Productions, and let me know if you need a freelance producer or any consulting work.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Rabbi Maestro
Moshe Cotel loved music so much that he wrote his first symphony at the age of 13. He ultimately left home and became a composer. One day an unlikely meeting set him on a new path and he became a rabbi. Moshe thought he had left music for good, but recently he has found a way to weave together his two passions.
- Find out more about Rabbi Cotel
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Faith Versus Duty
Andrew Callahan
Gay marriage is one issue both presidential candidates have been treading lightly around. But in California, voters will decide whether to accept Proposition 8 and ban gay marriage, or keep gay marriage legal. The amount of money both sides have spent on the issue has now reached record-breaking levels.
The driving force behind Proposition 8 is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Andrew Callahan was for decades a devout Mormon, and eventually became a High Priest. But he’s recently broken ranks with the church over its stand on gay marriage. Andrew is not gay, but he explains to Dick Gordon his personal connection to the issue - and why he feels it may be worth getting excommunicated over.
- Read Andrew Callahan’s blog
- Read both perspectives on Proposition 8 here and here
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tough Job - Child Welfare Specialist
Aaron Willis
Aaron Willis wrote us the following note: "I am a Child Welfare Specialist in rural Oklahoma conducting investigations of child abuse and neglect. Every time I tell someone what I do the standard response is 'I could never do that job!' I'm thinking this career would be a great one to feature in your Tough Jobs segment; it's incredibly "tough" but also has the potential for great reward. The work invariably changes one's world view!" Aaron tells Dick how his own world view has changed.
Contact UsTuesday, October 28, 2008
Your Story - Seeing the Queen
Harry Atwood at the spot he saw the Queen - More >>
Harry Atwood was recovering from a disfiguring soccer accident when his wife told him Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother were right next door at a little theatre. Against his better judgment, Harry climbed the stairwell to street level to get a better view. To Harry's horror, the royals caught a glimpse of Harry's face and were visibly repelled. Harry talks with Dick about how he'll never forget the Queen's expression at that instant.
- See what Harry's face looked like
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Right to Vote
Heather Sticka
Heather Sticka voted for the first time in the 1996 presidential election. Then she fell in with the wrong crowd and ended up taking part in a bank robbery. After her conviction, she lost the right to vote.
Heather hasn't cast a ballot in twelve years. But her home state of Nebraska now allows felons who have completed their sentences to vote. As she tells Dick, her dream of finally feeling that she's a citizen again is about to come true.
Home in a Vacant Lot
Adrian Moreno
Even before the economy started to slide, Adrian Moreno was engaged in an experiment to get by on much less. He moved his family to a vacant lot on the far outskirts of San Diego within earshot of the Mexican border.
At first, they lived in a tepee. When that didn't work out, Adrian built a house on the property for about $10,000.
Adrian talks with Dick Gordon about how he - an archaeologist - taught himself construction and the art of living lightly.
- See photos of the house, barn, and chicken coop
Monday, October 6, 2008
Medicine at Any Cost
Julie De Lara - larger >>
Julie De Lara's son had suffered terrible seizures since he was a baby. When she finally found some medicine that could help him, she was ready to go get it immediately. It was at the home of a nurse.
When Julie arrived, it appeared that no one was home. So she opened the door a crack and three German Shepherds lunged at her, baring their fangs. Julie tells Dick about what she did to get the medicine for her son.
- See a recent photo of Julie's son, Michael.
- Learn more about Dravet Syndrome
- Read a piece called "Courage" by Julie
The Perfect Industry
Amy Crooks
Amy Crooks thought she had a great job in the perfect industry. She was a mortgage broker. But the crisis in the mortgage industry has caused havoc throughout the economy, and many mortgage brokers like Amy have now lost their jobs.
Amy was well compensated, but since being laid off from her job, she has found that being a former mortgage broker is not doing her any favors. As she tells Dick Gordon, she has even seen job postings that explicitly state "mortgage brokers need not apply."
Contact UsWednesday, October 1, 2008
Accidental Disrobing
Ian Rushforth
Ian Rushforth worked at a small airport in New York state where he would regularly assist celebrities. He was left all alone one night to assist someone disembarking from a small chartered plane, and he knew she had to be someone important, but he couldn't quite place her face. It was pouring, and Ian slipped, accidentally disrobing her. While watching the movie "Big" weeks later, he realized exactly who she was: actress Mercedes Ruehl.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Out-Pirating the Pirates
Max Hardberger
Pirates are demanding $20 million ransom for a ship they've seized off the coast of Somalia. They say they're prepared to fight to the death. Max Hardberger has direct experience of high seas piracy. His job is to take back ships that have been pirated, many of them worth millions of dollars, and return them to their rightful owners.
Max has worked all over the Caribbean and Latin America - sometimes employing voodoo priests to help him, and at other times using blow torches by moonlight to cut anchor chains. As he tells Dick Gordon, Max enjoys out-pirating the pirates - even when it means occasionally stepping over the legal line himself.
- Check out Max's website
- Visit the Vessel Extraction website
- Read more about Max's books: Deadweight and Freighter Captain
Monday, September 29, 2008
Iraqi Health Now
Haider Alsaedy and Kathy Murphy - larger >>
Haider Alsaedy fled Iraq under the Saddam Hussein regime. He lived in refugee camps in Saudi Arabia before making his way to the US. Haider went back to Iraq in 2006 and was appalled by what he saw: hospitals with no supplies, patients reusing needles, people dying needlessly.
Haider tells Dick Gordon how he and an American friend, Kathy Murphy, created an organization called Iraqi Health Now, which helps provide medical supplies to Iraqi hospitals.
- Read articles about Iraqi Health Now here and here
- See photos from the hospitals in Iraq
- Check out the Iraqi Health Now website
Music heard in this story: "Leila au pays du carrousel, var" performed by Anouar Brahem for the album "Le pas du chat noir"
Contact Us
Friday, September 26, 2008
You're Not Nixon!
George Akers - larger >>
At a time when many people are sorting out which candidate they identify with, George Akers remembers being regularly identified as a candidate by other people: he bears an uncanny resemblance to Richard Nixon. The resemblance was usually the stuff of harmless jokes. But in 1970, George was on a picnic with his university students in a park near Camp David. On a whim, the group drove to the gate at Camp David, and to their astonishment were let in. George tells Dick about his encounter there with Marines, Secret Service men, and black helicopters.
- See a photo of George in front of a poster of Nixon
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Meeting Charisma
Carolyn Maki
Carolyn Maki has been following our series on the personal side of politics - those moments when you realize that politics can (or can't) make a difference. Carolyn remembers the day she came face-to-face with charisma in the political scene. It happened when she was a high school student. And the politician? Let's just say it was someone her dad was not fond of. Carolyn talks to Dick about meeting Hubert Humphrey.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Teach a Man to Fish
Dean Williams
Dean Williams served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala over 20 years ago, introducing fish farming to villagers in a small mountain village. Dean left the country thinking that the project had failed. But on a recent trip back to the area, he learned that the fish farming technology he taught had spread to neighboring areas and - to his surprise- helped changed hundreds lives.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Fighting Dogs
John Clark
When John Clark saw a woman being attacked by two pit bulls, he did what many of us would probably be too scared to do - he took on the dogs himself. John tells Dick why he jumped in and what the incident taught him.
Contact UsMonday, September 15, 2008
Tough Job - How to Drive Defensively
Anthony Ricci
Anthony Ricci discovered early on that cars could be used defensively. He now teaches bodyguards, Navy SEALS, and contractors headed to war zones how to protect themselves through driving techniques. He talks with Dick about how hard it is teaching people who sometimes think they already know it all.
Contact UsWednesday, September 10, 2008
A Vote for Sale
Brian Ward
Around the time of the 2000 election, Brian Ward thought that it might be funny to sell his vote on eBay as an act of political satire. So he set up an auction, and he went home for the evening. The next morning, a coworker pointed out that his auction was the main story on CNN.com, and then he got a call from the Federal Election Commission ... and then another, this one from the Attorney General's office.
Contact UsTuesday, September 2, 2008
Peace or Freedom
James Loney - see him just after he was freed
Five British men are currently being held hostage in Iraq. Thousands of others have been kidnapped and held since the beginning of the war. James Loney was one of them.
James was captured in 2005. Yet he went to Iraq to carry out his belief in peace - he went to Baghdad as a member of the Christian Peacekeepers Team, intending to document human rights abuses. He'd been there just a short while when he was kidnapped by a group of men calling themselves the Swords of Righteousness Brigade. James talks to host Dick Gordon about what it was like to be held hostage and the moral conflicts he had over the use of violence to gain his freedom.
- Learn more about the Christian Peacemaker Teams
Thursday, August 28, 2008
JFK and The Train
Thaine Allison
The Democratic National Convention ends today, but not without a few comparisons made between Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy.
Thaine Allison remembers the DNC when John F. Kennedy was the star. It was the summer of 1960. Thaine was 21 and working on freight trains. He was one of a small group of train operators standing near the tracks when Kennedy's train had to make an unexpected stop. The impromptu meeting with JFK was life-altering for Thaine.
- Check out Thaine's website
- See a photo of Thaine while he was in the Peace Corps
- Listen to JFK's entire 1960 DNC acceptance speech
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Who is James K. Robinson?
James K. Robinson of Alaska
The ACLU says there are over 900,000 names on the government's centralized terror watch list, though TSA says the number is much less.
James K. Robinson is on that list - and at least two men have been routinely stopped because of it.
James K. Robinson of Alaska is a former brigadier general for the Air Force, a commercial airline pilot, and is authorized to carry a firearm in the cockpit. James K. Robinson of Washington, DC has worked for the federal government and has top security clearance.
James K. Robinson of DC
They talk to guest host Aaron Henkin about the first time they were stopped in an airport, how they found out about one another, and what they've done since to try to get off the terror watch list.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Road Rage
Greg and Paula
Incidents of road rage increase in the bumper-to-bumper traffic of the summer. Just recently in San Diego, an off-duty police officer was accused of shooting at another driver in an apparent road rage dispute.
Paula wrote in about her husband, Greg. On the way out of town for a much-needed vacation, Greg and Paula encountered an aggressive driver who nearly drove them off the road. Greg normally keeps his cool - he spends a lot of time on the road driving large loads. In this case he didn't: before too long, both cars had pulled over and Greg had the guy in a headlock.
Greg and Paula join guest host Aaron Henkin to tell the story of what happened when they got caught up in road rage.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Psychedelic Treatment
Annie Levy
"Magic mushrooms" bring to mind hippie trips in the 60's. But these days, doctors are doing human trials with the active ingredient in the mushrooms, psilocybin. Doctors think psilocybin can ease anxiety caused by a terminal illness.
Annie Levy thought she was done with cancer, but when it came back in 2006, it was terminal. Annie was filled with thoughts of death, so she started looking into alternative treatments. She discovered the work being done with"magic mushrooms."
Annie was treated under the care of a psychiatrist researching the effects of psychoactive drugs on advanced-stage cancer patients. She talks to guest host Aaron Henkin about how the treatment changed her view of her own mortality.
- Read a study about the treatment Annie used
- Check out the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies' LSD and psilocybin research
- Read about a study conducted at Johns Hopkins
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Bad Wiring
Debbie Crawford testifying
Debbie Crawford recently saw a television report about soldiers in Iraq being electrocuted in the shower. So far, 16 American troops have died in accidental electrocutions there. Debbie worked as an electrician for a contractor in Baghdad from 2004 to 2006. She recently testified before Congress, stating that the company for which she worked was reckless in its disregard of safety standards - and that when she tried to point out electrical hazards, she was shut down.
Debbie talks with guest host Aaron Henkin about what she saw in Iraq and what made her speak out.
- Check out Debbie's blog - Ms. Sparky
- See more photos of Debbie in Iraq and Antarctica, where she worked as an electrician
- Read KBR's statements regarding the electrocution deaths in Iraq
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Grizzly Bear Attack
Joe Willliams - see him with Don Dayton, the park ranger who rescued him >>
Recent reports out of Alaska and elsewhere have put bear attacks back in the news.
Joe Williams survived a near-fatal attack by a bear in 1959. It was his first day on the job at Montana's Glacier National Park. He was taking a walk in the mountains with a friend when he was attacked by a grizzly sow. His friend fled but later returned with a park ranger who saved Joe's life.
Joe tells Dick Gordon what it was like to go through the attack and what the event has come to mean to him in the years since.
Contact UsHeard in this story: Teddy Bears' Picnic by David Grisman & Jerry Garcia for the album Not for Kids Only
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Bitten and Still Smitten
The snake that bit Amy - larger >>
Amy Lathrop is a herpetologist: she works with amphibians and reptiles in their habitats. Her work brings her to Vietnam, where this past May she was photographing frogs in an extremely remote jungle.
While on the trail, she came across a green snake—a "Christmas present" she called it, given how difficult it is to find them in the wild. When she tried to photograph it, the snake bit her.
She tells Dick about her adventures and misadventures with guides, motorcycles and folk remedies while trying to get treated.
Amy Lathrop
Despite the ordeal, Amy says would do it all over again.
- See a picture of the snake that bit her.
Monday, June 9, 2008
USS Stark - Revisited
Michael Tooker
On the anniversary of the attack on the USS Stark, Dick Gordon spoke with Tim Gable about his survival story. Tim was on the Stark when it was attacked, and if it wasn't for a life ring that was thrown from the deck Tim may not have survived the night in the water.
Michael Tooker, a helicopter pilot stationed on the Stark, heard Tim on the radio and called to tell us his story. Mike was the officer that threw the life ring to Tim. The two men discuss their shared story.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Coming in Second
Peter "PT" Townend
Against the backdrop of Hillary Clinton's dogged efforts to remain in the race to become the Democratic presidential candidate, Dick talks to someone who knows what it's like, and what it means, to come in second. Peter "PT" Townend came in second place 29 times in his pioneering surfing career in the 1970s. But he still managed to become a world champion.
- See a picture of PT doing his legendary signature - the Soul Arch
- Check out PT on the cover of Surfer Magazine
Monday, June 2, 2008
Detasseling Politics
Debra Kaufman
Dick recently asked listeners for stories about times in their lives when the political became personal. Debra Kaufman wrote in about the summer job she had growing up in Iowa - the hot, grueling work of detasseling corn. One day, she and her girlfriends noticed that some boys working on the farm had easier jobs yet were being paid more. That's when Debra and the other girls decided to take action. As she tells Dick, the lesson she learned about standing up for her rights is one she still carries with her.
Music heard in this story: "Vote" performed by Jerry McCain
for the album Struttin' My Stuff
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Floating the Mississippi
Ryan Steiner
It sounds like any child's dream—going down the Mississippi River on a homemade raft. The words of Huckleberry Finn ring in the ears of those who long for such an adventure.
Ryan Steiner was hanging around with some friends and family one night when they decided it was their turn: so they built a raft. Ryan talks with Dick about what it was like to float down the Mississippi and why that trip still means so much to him.
Music heard in this story: "Huck Finn" performed by Andrew Burnis for the album Rail to Reel
Contact Us
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Turned Away at the Polls
Kevin Killer
Kevin Killer is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe. Shortly after taking a job on a reservation in Pine Ridge, S.D., he noticed how disenfranchised his people were from local politics. So he got involved in political campaigning himself. It was then that he noticed something else: members of his tribe were being turned away at the polls.
Contact UsTuesday, May 20, 2008
Paralympic Athlete
Elexis Gillette (image courtesy Anna Kwan)
Elexis Gillette is one athlete who can't wait to get to Beijing. He's currently ranked second in the world in the long jump. Elexis is also blind. He's competing in the Paralympics, to be held at the same site as the Olympics - and his events will likely also include the triple jump, the 100 and 200 meters, the 4x100-meter relay, and the 4x400-meter relay.
Wesley Williams
Elexis lost his eyesight in the fourth grade. But he's always been athletic, and this year he's ready to compete against the best in the world. He talks to Dick about what it was like to lose his sight, and he explains exactly how track works for those who can't see.
His trainer Wesley Williams also joins the conversation to explain what he does to help Elexis.
- See a European Levi's ad featuring Lex
- Learn more about the Paralympics
Thursday, May 15, 2008
USS Stark
Tim Gable
Today's story features an event that traces the long history of mistrust between the US and Iraq.
Tim Gable was an Operations Specialist aboard the USS Stark in May 1987. The ship was struck by two Iraqi missiles while he was asleep. He, along with 28 other crew members, were trapped in the berthing spaces where the missiles hit. They faced electric shocks from severed live wires, quickly rising water, fire, and smoke. Tim escaped by jumping into the Gulf, where he swam for nearly twelve hours so that two of his shipmates could use the life rings that had been thrown overboard.
Tim talks with Dick Gordon about how this experience changed his life and the lives of his crew members forever.
- See a photo of Tim in front of the hole where the missile entered the USS Stark
- Read about the incident and see more photos of the USS Stark
- Find out more about the memorial service that will be held this weekend
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Your Story - Adoption at Gunpoint
Roger and Ellen Questel
Roger and Ellen Questel wrote in to tell us about a pivotal moment in their lives. It all began when they adopted a little girl, Aline, from Brazil.
The couple discovered that Aline had two sisters still back in Brazil. Roger and Ellen decided to begin the process to bring the other two girls back to the U.S. They arrived in Brazil to attend a hearing, and stayed with a friend. That's where the trouble began. They tell Dick the harrowing story of being held up at gunpoint. Eventually, they were able to get the girls and make it home to safety.
- See photos of the family
Almost On the Ground
Matt Capobianco - larger >>
Cyclone Nargis hit Burma nine days ago. More than 30,000 people are dead, and just as many are missing. Matt Capobianco's emergency assistance team is waiting for permission from the Burmese authorities to enter the country.
Matt has been involved with disaster relief before - he was on the ground in Bangladesh after Cyclone Sidr hit in November of 2007. He has seen what it is like for people and for the aid workers who are trying desperately to organize amidst the chaos. Matt's team, GlobalMedic, expects to get on the ground soon to provide aid for those who have survived the deadly cyclone.
- See photos of the aid effort in Bangladesh
- Visit the GlobalMedic website
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Family in Pictures
Helen Tsatsos and Yia Yia
Helen Tsatsos has always been interested in her grandmother's Greek heritage. Helen remembers seeing the stiff formal portraits taken of her grandmother when "Yia Yia" was a teenager. On one trip to Greece, Helen wandered into a shop and began looking through old photos. She was shocked to find her own grandmother's eyes looking back at her from the stack. The store was hundreds of miles away from her grandmother's hometown. Helen talks to Dick about how important it was for her to discover this small piece of her heritage.
Contact UsMonday, May 5, 2008
Better Weapons
Anh Duong
You would think that the victims of war would be the last ones to get into the business of inventing new arms.
Anh Duong was a teenage girl in Saigon when she fled from the invasion of Communist forces. She stuffed everything she owned into a little duffle bag and, along with her family, made her way to the US.
Anh is now a weapons designer in Washington. She is responsible for engineering America's first "thermobaric bomb". This bomb is designed to be extra deadly when it is dropped into caves. Anh talks with Dick Gordon about what it is like to have seen war from both sides, and her strong connection to freedom.
- Read an article written about Anh after she won the 2007 National Security Medal
- See a photograph of Anh receiving the medal
- Read an article about US plans to send 7000 more troops to Afghanistan
Friday, May 2, 2008
Brushes with Fame: Dave Brubeck
Michael Rosen
When the Dave Brubeck Quartet was at the height of its popularity, 16-year-old Michael Rosen's parents wouldn't lend him the car. But Michael was determined to see his idol play, and he walked 10 miles to get to the club - when he wasn't even of legal age. Inside the club, he met Dave Brubeck who ended up paying for Michael's Cokes. Michael tells Dick about how his meeting with the jazz great altered the course of his life.
- See a video of The Dave Brubeck Quartet playing their famous hit "Take Five"
- Check out the autographs Michael got at the show
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Business Class "Terrorist"
Mohamed "Mo" Fikry
Since 9/11, airline security has tightened dramatically. Few people have felt the tightening more than Mohamed "Mo" Fikry. He's a businessman and likes to joke that he's been on more flights than many pilots. Mo is originally from Egypt, but he's called the United States home for decades.
Mo has twice been accused of being someone he's not—a potential terrorist with plans to bomb aircraft. He talks with Dick Gordon about his experiences at airports and why he's decided to stop flying with one major airline altogether.
- Read more about Mo in the Los Angeles Times
Friday, April 25, 2008
Weight Loss Surgery
Katy St. Clair - larger >> (photo by Paul Trapani)
The number of people undergoing weight loss surgery skyrocketed by more than 600% between 1992 - 2005. And that number continues to soar. Katy St. Clair is one person who's had such surgery.
At one point, Katy weighed more than 350 pounds. But she was actually comfortable in her own skin. In fact, she performed at peep shows featuring large women. It was other people who had a problem with her size.
Yet Katy eventually made the decision to have gastric bypass surgery. She tells Dick Gordon how that decision changed her outlook on life and herself.
- Read Katy's column about her experience and see photos of her.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Plastic Ocean
Captain Charles Moore
Captain Charles Moore was sailing the Pacific in 1997 when he came across a large patch of plastic trash. His discovery shocked him, and compelled him to do research on the amount of trash in the ocean.
His recent findings are alarming: much of of the world's plastic waste has ended up off the western coast of the United States and the eastern coast of the Philippines. One floating garbage heap contains 3.5 million tons of junk, 80 percent of which is plastic.
Captain Moore talks to Dick about the problems plastic waste causes for marine and plant life, and why it's crucial to change the way we use plastic now.
- See photos of the kinds of trash Capt. Moore finds in his research
- Visit the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, where Captain Moore works
- Watch a video clip explaining why plastic in the ocean is a problem
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
