2010

January/February/March/April/May/June/ /July-August/September/October/November/December

January-February		View it Now
WorkLife	THE AFT PRESIDENT RANDI WEINGARTEN ON HER UNION'S APPROACH TO TURNING AROUND OUR SCHOOLS Having recently reached reform-oriented contracts in cities around the country, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, argues that schools can be turned around. It will take all the adults in the system pulling together, and ending the anonymity of kids, borne, for instance, of class sizes that are just too large. It will also take giving teachers a bigger voice, programs to support kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, and an improved evaluation system, including a process for dismissing underperforming teachers that is "fast and fair." (Host: Fred Feinstein)
In Verse	Poet Grace Cavalieri's "A Poet in a School".
Courting Justice	25 YEARS OF INJUSTICE: SENTENCING DISPARITIES FOR CRACK AND POWDER COCAINE They are the same drug, pharmacologically speaking, argues Nkechi Taifa of the Open Society Policy Center, but the penalties for possessing crack cocaine are far more severe than for powder cocaine. Possession of five grams of crack -- the size of a sugar packet -- is punished by a mandatory five-year sentence under federal law, whereas it takes 100 grams of powder cocaine to get that punishment. Why the disparity? Why are communities of color more harshly treated? Attorney General Eric Holder and US Sentencing Commission favor treating crack and powder cocaine offenses the same way, as does a growing chorus in the law enforcement community. But what about Congress? (Host: Angela Davis)
In Verse	Poet Holly Bass' "the blood".
21st Century Life	A CHANGED CLIMATE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ON CAPITOL HILL Even before the election of Republican Scott Brown to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, the “cap and trade” climate bill was in trouble in the Senate. According to John Passacantando, former director of Greenpeace USA, and now president of Our Next Economy, that's not such a bad thing. Passacantando maintains that “cap and trade” was a classical piece of Washington pork that tried to buy off every interest group. He prefers the bipartisan approach of Senators Cantwell and Collins -- “cap and dividend” -- that is far simpler and offers economic rewards for climate-friendly behavior and punishes bad behavior. (Host: Mike Tidwell)
Musical Traditions	2008 WAMMIE honorees Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein pick and sing their acoustic sounds for us.. (Host: David Eisner).

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March-April		View it Now
21st Century Life	A U.S.-BASED SOLAR PANEL PLANT MOVES TO ASIA: ARE WE REALLY INTENT ON COMPETING IN THE GLOBAL GREEN MARKET? Even as the Obama administration has launched a substantial green energy program as part of the stimulus plan, BP Global recently announced plans to shut down its solar panel manufacturing facility near Frederick, Maryland and move the operation to China and India. Which raises the question, is the US ready to compete for a significant share of the growing global green energy production market. We put that question to Steven Mufson, energy reporter for the Washington Post. (Host: Mike Tidwell)
In Verse	Poet Brian Gilmore.
Writers' Bloc	THE MAKING OF A PRO FOOTBALL ICON His image is that of the fat, cigar-chomping sports executive. But as Rob Ruck and Maggie Patterson, two of the authors of Rooney: A Sporting Life reveal, Steeler owner Art Rooney was a three-sport athletic superstar in his youth, but it wasn’t baseball, boxing or even football that made him rich, it was betting the ponies. (Host: Mark Cohen)
Writers' Bloc	TURNING YOUNG FELONS INTO POETS The Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop in the District of Columbia is reaching juvenile felons housed in adult corrections facilities with a program that includes a book club and poetry writing. We visit “Hear Us Out! 2009,” a poetry reading by the formerly incarcerated youth, and learn about the program from Free Minds co-founder Tara Libert. (Produced by Mark Cohen)
Artistic Eye	A HUMAN RIGHTS ARTS FESTIVAL Silver Spring is host in April to the first ever Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival, featuring hundreds activist artists visual, spoken word, multi-media, theater, music who have joined together to raise awareness of human rights and justice issues. We speak with the events organizer, visual artist Tom Block. (Host: Mark Cohen.
Musical Traditions	Singer-songwriter Lynn Hollyfield. (Host: David Eisner).