Corruption in American Politics is Nothing New
Americans were shocked by the boldness of the graft and other crimes allegedly committed by indicted former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and by the 20-plus politicians and others indicted for corruption in New Jersey recently. But corruption is nothing new in American politics, although the scope and definitions of corruption have changed over time. This […]
Profiles of People with Disabilities (Berkeley CA)
Americans with disabilities are, in one sense, just like everybody else: they come from varied backgrounds, and cope with the challenges life presents them in many different ways. But living a full, satisfying life with a physical or mental handicap is no ordinary struggle. Adam spoke with several people living with disabilities in the San […]
Mother’s Day: Mothering in the Non-Human World
Mother’s Day in America is a special day set aside for honoring mothers, and celebrating all those qualities and actions that make mother “Mom.” But animals and even plants have also evolved their own dizzyingly diverse maternal styles over the millennia, all of which serve to make sure the next generation thrives. Adam interviewed a […]
Profile: Maxine Greene – Educator, Philosopher, Humanist (VOA 2009)
Professor Maxine Greene of Teachers College, Columbia University, 91, has spent her educating and inspiring educators, artists and children in humanistic “wide-awakedness” and the social imagination. Now 91, Maxine has also been Philosopher-in-Residence at the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education since 1975. She just received a Gold Medal from Barnarnd College. Maxine […]
Woodstock (somewhat groovily) Remembered Forty Years Later
Forty years after Woodstock, the iconic music festival still looms large in the public mind as the high point — or, some say, the death knell — of America’s 1960s’ counterculture. What was it like to be there for “veteran” audience members and performers, and what is the legacy of this unique cultural happening? Adam […]
The Meaning of Gratitude: Everyday Americans Reflect
For most Americans, the Thanksgiving feast means a traditional turkey feast with family and friends, and a moment’s pause to feel and express gratitude for the gifts life has given them, even during tough times. I took to the streets of New York to talk to people about what they are grateful for, and why.
New (serious) Music for Toys
Avant-garde musical artists have always liked to stretch the limits of what traditional musical instruments can do. But some artists have gone even farther and explored the less orthodox music of familiar objects. This story explores the experimental music written especially for toys as performed in a concert in hipster Brooklyn. Features toy piano virtuouso […]
Profile: Dave Isay, Audio Documentarian and “Storycorps” Founder
Meet David Isay, a humane and immensely talented radio documentary maker and oral historian who has probably won every broadcasting award out there. Isay has dedicated his career to celebrating the lives of everyday Americans by recording their stories, and chronicling the experiences of underdogs and colorful characters, many of them living outside the American […]
Labor Day: Everyday Americans Reflect on the Meaning of Work
Labor Day in America is a day most Americans associate with a three day weekend and a farewell to summertime. However, this national holiday is also a time to honor workers and the central place their labor has in our lives. For this report, Adam asked a range of New Yorkers about what “work” means […]
Profile: Barney Rosset, Publisher and First Amendment Activist-Hero (VOA 2009)
This is a profile of the entrepreneurial publisher and First Amendment activist Barney Rosset. During the mid 20th century Rosset tirelessly fought America’s anti-obscenity laws in order to publish now-classic works by D.H. Lawrence, Henry Miller, William S. Burroughs and scores of other non-Establishment writers, several of whom went on to win the Nobel Prize. […]
Profile: Art Spiegelman “Maus” Creator & Comics and Graphics Novel Artist
Art Spiegelman is most famous for his Pulitzer Prize winning work “Maus,” a graphic novel about the Holocaust in which Nazis are portrayed as cats, and Jews are depicted as mice. In this profile, Spiegelman talks about his roots as a Mad Magazine afficionado, underground cartoonist, and his experience growing up in a Queens NY […]
What is a Father? Everyday Dads Reflect
Father’s Day in America is a day set aside to appreciate dad for all they offer their families, and society as a whole. Father’s Day can also be a time to reflect on what fatherhood actually means in today’s culture. Adam asked a random sampling of Americans what the word “father” means to them.
Yo-Yo Ma and “Songs of Joy and Peace” Album
A collection of music produced by Yo-Yo Ma in connection with the winter holiday season, which exemplifies his wide-ranging and talented musical family – including traditional and modern and world music arrangements from the USA, Brazil, medieval Ireland and closer to home. Yo-Yo Ma is his normal charming, charismatic and virtuosic self.
Profile: Yo-Yo Ma, Peaceful Virtuoso (VOA 2009)
A profile of the great (and eminently personable) cellist Yo-Yo Ma based on personal interviews and archival recordings.
Profile: Pamelia Kursten and the Art of the Theremin
Pamelia Kursten is the 21st century’s greatest theremin virtuosa, who has turned an instrument most associate with creepy sci-fi “woo-woo” music into an art form. Hear what she has to say and how she does it in this sound-rich piece, originally produced for the Voice of America’s “Our World” science program.
Gifts of the Rainforest: Indigenous Healing Systems of Belize (NPR)
A sound-rich odyssey in which Adam explores various healing systems that use the plants of the rainforest for physical and spiritual healing. Includes interviews with Mayan shamans, and peasant Catholic and Creole healers.
NYC “Cricket Crawl”
In which Adam goes out with an intrepid group of artist-citizen-scientists as they explore Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal on canoes looking for seven species of crickets and katydids. Also includes some Madison Square Park exploration.
The Romance and Poetry of Space (VOA 1995)
In which Adam explores the biological and the spiritual pull toward the great “Out There” through interviews with an astronaut, Terence McKenna, astrophysicists, and many others. Cameo appearance by his son Noah as an infant.
Hillbilly Stereotypes
Adam went down to the coal-rich mountains of the southern Appalachian mountains, where “hillbillies” are presumed to live. Through on-site interviews and a survey look at American pop culture, he examines the hillbilly stereotype, its roots and impact.
Jewish Humor in America
A sound-rich look at the ways the Jews in America have influenced what Americans find funny, while expressing themselves and their take on life at the same time.