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July 2009

July 24	Survivors (2009) A half-hour audio documentary about the use of solitary confinement in America’s prisons. First broadcast nationally on “Making Contact.” Claire Schoen: Producer/director, sound recordist/editor Quique Cruz: Original music Scott Koue: Sound Effects Program Summary: President Obama has declared that “We have banned torture without exception.” However, some would take exception to this claim. The practice of isolating a prisoner in solitary confinement for extended periods of time causes severe sensory deprivation and has been denounced as torture by the United Nations. But tens of thousands of inmates are locked up in solitary confinement in American prisons. The Convict Streak Bernie Matthews was a ‘serial escapee’ - the thought of incarceration too much to bear. Yet every time he escaped (6 in all), his sentence (for armed robbery) was extended, and the punishment made more severe. Until he escaped through the pen. Bernie likens himself to the convict George Howe – one of the thousands of criminals transported to New South Wales between 1819 and 1848. ‘Happy George’, with no formal eduction became the first editor of The Sydney Gazette. But these two men are the exceptions of their times. The life of a convict in early C19 Australia was gruelling and desperate, as it is for those incarcerated today. Punishment for Escaping included solitary confinement and being sent to the harshest of prison environments –Van Diemen’s land then and the Super max prisons now. Yet some still managed to get away… The Convict Streak was produced by Roz Bluett of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, as part of the 2008 international documentary collaboration, Global Perspectives: Escape!
July 17	Practicing Emptiness 'Women sell themselves short doing things they hate in search of money or security or emotional fulfillment,' says writer Carmen Delzell. For some this means staying in a bad marriage, to keep a roof overhead or for the children's sake; for some it means prostitution. Delzell shares conversations with women of diverse backgrounds -- a former prostitute, a woman who has suffered an abusive marriage, an exotic dancer -- and reveals the threads that bind their experiences, and those of all women, together. Temple Prostitutes Temple Prostitutes A group of former devadasis - or Temple Prostitutes - are fighting to eradicate a centuries-old Hindu tradition which turns them into prostitutes. Originally, devadasi were celibate dancing girls used in temple ceremonies and they entertained members of the ruling class. But sometime around the 6th Century, the practice of "dedicating" girls to Hindu gods became prevalent in a practise that developed into ritualised prostitution. The girls are mainly of the lowest class, 'untouchables,' and their fight is the ultimate clash of ancient and modern culture in India. The prevalence of the devadasi tradition in parts of Southern India, in particular, means that social acceptance of sex work in Karnataka State is common with devastating consequences for the spread of HIV/AIDS. Hear the heart-wrenching story of Joythi, a young 'devadasi' or temple prostitute. Joythi, her two small children, and her entire family depend on the income she receives from bestowing her divine gift on her clients. But the truth is that she is no more than a common prostitute, and as such is in a very dangerous profession. Award-winning documentary-maker Kati Whitaker travels to the south of India to meet Joythi - and the small group of former devadasis who are trying to persuade her to leave the profession.
July 10	Sycamore Tree Fiona was randomly and violently sexually assaulted at the age of seven; Helen was sexually abused by her father, and later her stepfather. Both are sick and tired of sleepless nights and living in fear, and have turned to the Sycamore Tree Project in an attempt to move on. The Sycamore Tree Project is a faith based, restorative justice program, where victims visit unrelated offenders in prison over a period of months to discuss crime and its ongoing effect on victims. Victims are given a platform to describe their pain, fear and loss. Offenders are encouraged to share their stories, to accept responsibility for their crime and to consider ways in which they might make restitution to their particular victims. Sycamore Tree was produced by Kirsti Melville of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and airs as part of the international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. The Goalkeepers of Sierra Leone The United Nations has labeled Sierra Leone the worst place on earth to live. The final peace accord in an 11-year civil war was signed two years ago. There is a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, often traveling the country in rowboats and on foot, and an internationally funded Special Court has been built in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown. One of the hallmarks of the civil war there was the practice of amputating the limbs of your enemy. There is, in fact, now an entire soccer team in Freetown made up of amputees. Those who had a leg cut off play on the field; men who kept their legs but lost their arms play goal. The team has more in common than missing limbs; they are all intensely interested in the ongoing trials at the Special Court. They want to know what happens to the people ultimately responsible for their missing limbs. In Karin Wells' documentary “The Goalkeepers of Sierra Leone", part of the CBC's "Africa After the Wars" series, she travels to a town where thousands of people have been the victims of amputations. This program airs as part of the international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. It won a Gold Medal at the 2005 New York Festivals.
July 3	Where the Buffalo Roam Hong Kong is largely known for its sophisticated mix of every thing modern, and its thriving economy, but this island city of over 7 million people also has a thriving animal kingdom. Like their human counterparts, these animals are not native to the land. Sarah Passmore of Radio Television Hong Kong introduces these animals, from "Pui Pui" the celebrity crocodile to the Rhesus Monkeys that terrorize women and children. For our Global Perspective Series on Escape, Sarah Passmore shows us around Hong Kong where the Buffalo roam. Born Free Built on the site of a colonial era estate, the John Morony Correctional Complex in Sydney’s outer suburban fringe covers 300 acres and all the bases. There are minimum and maximum-security prisons for men, and a women’s prison. There is also accommodation for a seized crocodile, smuggled parrots, endangered snakes, crippled kangaroos and wounded wombats. In the middle of an Australian summer the sprawling prison grounds are dry, bare and flat, and the whole complex is surrounded by high chain link fences topped with razor wire. Within this forbidding environment there lies an unlikely refuge, a literal sanctuary of green, with a lush garden, shady trees and plenty of water. The wildlife center is part animal hospital, part educational facility – and a congenial workplace for three correctional officers and ten minimum security male inmates. Producer Natalie Kestecher of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation takes listeners inside a jail to meet up with a group of men for whom working in a cage might even be fun. This program airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: The World of Crime.

June 2009

June 26	Birthday Suit Janet Jackson reveals a breast and there is an uproar, a woman breast feeds in a mall and is thrown out, a child of 4 is naked on a beach and the life guard tells him to put his swimsuit on. Around the world there is topless bathing but it is rare in this country. Yet one in four Americans admit to having skinny dipped. Are we hypocrites? We obviously secretly like swimming nude so why don't we do it all the time? The Internaional Naturist Federation says that nudism or naturism is " A way of life in harmony with nature, characterized by the practice of communal nudity with the intent of encouraging self respect, respect for other and the environment". I don't know that going naked makes you respect the environment more but surely it must lead to a greater appreciation of the different shapes and sizes bodies come in and that might conceivably make us less body conscious and phobic about fat and imperfections. Naturist camps are almost always in a mixed social setting. Detractors say that naturist is a code for sex but perhaps men and women start to notice their differences less? And what about naked children? Naturists warmly encourage children. Would being at one of these camps cause psychological harm? And then how hygenic really are these places? At the end of summer, before the chill winds blow, reporter Judith Kampfner visits a naturist camp and yes, complies with the no clothes rule. And that's no clothes when dancing, horsebackriding, kayaking, or in the canteen. It's not something that this reporter relishes. She is short and is used to her everyday weapons of stacked heels. Like most women she uses clother to camoflage faults. Baring all may mean feeling vulnerable and stupid. But the nudists who come year after year find it liberating, relaxing, democratic, wonderfully cheap, wildly romantic. Perhaps our reporter will become comfortable in her birthday suit. Now why do we say 'suit'? Brazilian Beauty In a world where just about everyone is concerned about their different shapes, sizes and colors producer Ilana Rehavia takes us from the beaches to the countryside of Brazil to see what the people have to say.
June 19	Mediums, not Rare It's a small village in the rolling hills of southwestern New York. Perched on the edge of a tranquil lake, it's a place where a stranger is made to feel welcome. The friendly people who live here are doctors, teachers, accountants, artists. Plain folks -- who talk to the dead. Welcome to Lily Dale, the home base of Spiritualism -- a uniquely "made-in-America" religion in which communication with the dead is both possible and desirable. Founded in 1879, Lily Dale is North America's oldest community of Spiritualists and Mediums. With its roots in the radical and socially progressive movements of the late 19th century, it began as a summer campsite for all who shared the Spiritualist vision of universal equality and harmony. The tents and temporary shelters that dotted the grounds soon gave way to permanent homes, and today Lily Dale has a population of over 400. During the summer months, Lily Dale attracts over 20,000 visitors. They come for workshops, seminars, and lectures on communicating with the dead. It was a natural for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation producer Frank Faulk. His documentary is called Mediums, Not Rare. The Lucky Secret to Success Many Hong Kongers believe that a person’s success is governed by five factors. These are, in order of importance: fate/destiny, luck, feng shui, good deeds/virtues, and hard work/study. For the city that’s known for its competitive business culture, assiduous students, and industrious people; it seems surprising that hard work comes at the bottom of the list and more importance is attributed to external factors facilitating success. So are Hong Kongers successfully lucky or luckily successful? Erin Bowland of Radio Television Hong Kong explores the culture that is full of superstitions, rituals and beliefs revolving around the pursuit of success. This program was produced by Radio Television Hong Kong as part of our Global Perspective series on belief.
June 12	Touchstones of Reality Having a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or severe bipolar disorder isn’t easy for patients, or for their families. In the early days of mental illness, the pressures can tear families apart, and many of them don't know where to turn. As patients and caretakers age, things can get even tougher. While mental health services may provide some support, it's often family members who remain the only "touchstones of reality" for the person suffering with a severe mental illness. Producer Jean Snedegar speaks to several families who face the difficult challenge of supporting their mentally ill family members throughout the course of their lives. Lost in America Four people living on the edge--drug addicts, a prostitute and a blind woman--recount their journeys to a new life, revealing the connections between home and homelessness along the way. Producer Helen Borten brings us "Lost in America." This program won an EMMA award from the National Women's Political Caucus for Best Radio Documentary.
June 5	The Color of Shakespeare At countless times in America, and for countless groups of citizens, the question has come up: Who "owns" Shakespeare? Who is it meant for, and to whom does it mean what? This is a particularly poignant question in the case of African-Americans, whom some have sought to exclude from the Bard's work. This story looks at minstrel show parodies of Shakespeare, color-blind casting of Shakespeare, and the African-American experience with Shakespeare. Produced by Richard Paul and narrated by Sam Waterston, The Color of Shakespeare was made possible with support from the Folger Library. Living History in Colonial Williamsburg Step back in time to the eve of the American Revolution, following a woman whose job it is to play an 18th slave character in Colonial Williamsburg; a woman who must learn, in 2004, to interpret and recreate 1770 slave culture for a tourist audience. The story is told through this character's own narration and reflection, her interaction with other historical characters and with the tourist public in Williamsburg, and through documentation of her daily tasks. As she steps in and out of character, we discover what it's like to step in and out of history: re-enacting the mundanities and tensions of 18th century life in the fields and kitchens during the day and negotiating a modern 21st century life after visiting hours.

May 2009

May 29	The Peakist Facing the future, with news bulletins full of daily doom and gloom, can be a dispiriting business. In fact, sometimes it seems easier to turn off the news and do something simple. Something we can control all by ourselves – like going for a walk. Lloyd Morcom knows intuitively that people get sick of too much bad news. But he also feels he must change his life dramatically to survive the challenges of the years ahead, especially the challenges of the global financial crisis, climate change and peak oil. In ‘The Peakist’ – the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s contribution to the 2009 Global Perspective ‘island’ series, we hear the story of Lloyd, an ex 70’s hippy and former oil man, and how his experiences and the mistakes he made in the past, are helping shape big changes in his life. While John Donne said that no man is an island, Lloyd Morcom sometimes feels like one. An island in his own community and his own country. At the height of the global financial crisis Lloyd, with some misgivings (he knows how people feel about bad news) decides to call a public meeting to outline his fears for the future. More importantly he hopes to convince his fellow locals in this small, conservative, rural community in South Gippsland, Victoria to follow his lead and start changing their lives. The Public Green and the Poor Numerous times in American history, reformers have sought to help the poor by putting them amidst nature -- the belief being that physical beauty can make beautiful people. It seems like an odd idea. But Thomas Jefferson believed it fervently. And it's also the reason Central Park exists in New York and the town of Greenbelt exists in Maryland. This program, from Producer Richard Paul, looks at a time in our past when nature was used to uplift the poor. It airs as part of our ongoing series, Tales from Urban Forests.
May 22	A Hiroshima Story On a sunny August morning in 1945, Keijiro Matsushima sat in his math class in Hiroshima. He looked out the window, saw two American bombers in the clear blue sky, and suddenly his world was torn apart. Now a retired English teacher, he fears young people today are no longer interested in his story. On a sunny June morning in 2005, Amsterdam English teacher Kevin Hogan’s 11th grade class are reading a novel about Hiroshima. They are the same age Mr. Matsushima was sixty years ago. How will they react when they hear his story? A Hiroshima Story was produced by David Swatling of Radio Netherlands and airs as part of our international documentary exchange series Crossing Boundaries. The Bonus Army March In 1932, in the depths of the Depression, thousands of hungry and disgruntled veterans of WW I marched on Washington, D.C. demanding that Congress pay them the bonus for their military service that had been promised years before. Banding together, unemployed Oregon cannery workers marched with Pennsylvania coal miners and Alabama cotton pickers, as more than 20 thousand "bonus marchers" participated in the biggest rally to date in the nation's capital. And they stayed for weeks, setting up tent cities, living in cardboard shanties, and shaking the nerves of President Hoover. Find out how they played a role in defeating Hoover in the fall election, and improving the government's treatment of veterans after WW II.
May 15	Life Beyond Death " My son was dead, but six Israelis now have a part of a Palestinian in them, and maybe he is still alive in them" These are the words of the Palestinian father Ismail Khatib who donated his son Ahmed's organs to Israelis after the 12 year old was shot dead by Israeli soldiers while holding a toy gun. This remarkable gesture of humanity is not the first time victims of the conflict have given life to people on the other side of the Arab-Jewish divide. This year is the 5th anniversary of the death of Yoni Jesner, a 19 year old Jewish religious student murdered in the bombing of a Tel-Aviv bus. Part of his body went to save the life of a Palestinian girl from East Jerusalem. Presenter Vera Frankl takes a closer look at the generosity and faith of these two families - the Jesners and the Khatibs - and we ask if a person can live on in some way through organ donation - here, in these two stories, part of a Jew alive in an Arab, and part of an Arab alive in a Jew. Epiphany In this program, producer Richard Paul examines the roots of hatred in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam and considers whether people of faith can ever reconcile those divisions. The world’s great monotheistic faiths share centuries-old traditions, but they are also locked in dangerous rivalries that permeate contemporary thought. Through the stories of three men raised to their religion's version of the truth, and distrust of the "other", this program probes that duality and confirms the power of faith to overcome legacies of hostility, illuminating ways that people work beyond hatred and stereotypes.
May 8	Death Diminishes Me When John Donne hopefully asserted that no man is an island, he couldn’t have foreseen the agony of isolation suffered by those living with the HIV virus. Add guilt, abandonment, memory, anger and the wearing effects of a serious illness, and the sufferer can feel less like an island, and more like an abandoned leper colony . In Death Diminishes Me, six New Zealand men who have been HIV positive for more than 20 years and lost both lovers and friends to the disease are now isolated by the same things that connect them - infection, guilt, loss and hope. The Darker Side of Romance Having a boyfriend or a girlfriend is the dream of teenagers everywhere but, in Britain there’s a bleak side to the story. The UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe, and there’s been a steady rise in Sexually Transmitted Infections amongst young people. Although having sex is illegal under the age of 16, increasing numbers of young people are sexually active. Producer Esther Armah of the BBC visits a unique drop-in centre, that offers young people the chance to discuss sex and emotional problems, and gives them the means to protect themselves. We hear from teenagers in Britain today about the mixed messages they are getting and their concern that they are not getting enough sex education in schools. This program airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Romance Series.
May 1	The Traveler The monarch butterfly is the greatest marathon runner of the insect world. Each year in May hundreds of millions of them take off from their winter quarters in Morelia, Mexico to begin a perilously delicate 3000 mile journey north. With luck, three months later by the human calendar but three generations later in butterfly time, the Monarchs reach northern United States and southern Canada. In late summer their journey begins again, and they arrive back in their winter roosts around the time of the Mexican Day of the Dead in late November. And while the monarch butterfly is beautiful, it is also mysterious. We don't know how the monarchs know where to go. We have no idea how they navigate the annual route along identical flight paths, right down to nesting on the same trees in the same fields year after year. And we don't know how they pass on the knowledge of those routes to the future generations that make the return trip. Producer Chris Brookes takes us on an in-depth journey with the monarch butterfly, and looks at three factors that may be threatening its existence. The Evolution Boomerang As humans continue to make their imprint on Earth, they find they are making a noticeable difference in the evolution of different species. The Evolution Boomerang looks at the effect humans are having on insects, fish and certain kinds of bacterium, and how that evolution is in turn affecting humans. Supported in part by the National Science Foundation.

April 2009

April 24	A Prison within a Prison When one thinks of prison islands many names spring to mind – Devil’s Island, Robben Island, Alcatraz Island, to name a few. Gaza may not be an island or a prison but it feels like both to many residents – especially since an Israeli blockade has isolated them from the rest of the world. Fouzan Saleh, an unemployed businessman, suffers from depression. He's had to close his small textile factory and one by one sell off the sewing machines to support his family. He lives in a small apartment with his wife, three children and his 60 year old mother who came to Gaza as a refugee in 1948. The family has been threatened with eviction and depend on aid for food and basic necessities. To "escape" the pressure of not being able to support his family, Saleh sleeps in the garden or walks to the beach. The eldest daughter, age 14, dreams of becoming a psychiatrist to help people like her parents. In October 2008, Radio Netherlands producer Eric Beauchemin travelled to Gaza for a mental health conference and spent time with the Saleh family. He left just before the borders were closed to foreign journalists – two months before Israel began another bombing assault on Gaza. A Life of Ashes There are more than 40 million widows in India today – and for a large proportion of these women, their lives are what some have referred to as a living sati – a reference to the now outlawed practice of widow burning. A woman’s diet, dress, and even sexuality all suddenly become part of the public realm the moment her husband dies. Producer Dheera Sujan is an Indian herself and the daughter of a widow. In A Life of Ashes she weaves her own experiences with those of the women she met.
April 17	Children and God The three major monotheistic religions operate from the assumption that: We have the truth, we have a privileged position, we are above others who do not believe as we do, and we are against others who do not believe as we do. This line of thinking creates strong communities of people with deep, abiding faith. But the dark side of these ideas can be seen in Srebrenica, the West Bank and the World Trade Center. The religious person learns concepts like "God" and "My Religion" at the same time as concepts like "Green" and "Family." By preadolescence, these ideas have been planted quite deeply. This program takes a look at the results by following three 12-year olds - an Orthodox Jew, a Muslim and an Evangelical Christian -- as they pursue their religious education. We hear the songs they sing, the prayers they chant, the lessons they read and how their formal and informal training drives them to believe that, because of their religion, they have a special and exclusive relationship with God. Biblically Correct Tours If you walk through a natural history museum these days, you might see signs that reflect our more "politically correct" reality. For instance, the word "humankind" often replaces "mankind" on the placards. But a Christian movement aims to take museums beyond politically correct to what they refer to as "biblically correct". CBC’s Frank Faulk explores "Biblically Correct Tours" which offer a literal, Biblical interpretation of everything from what fossils tell us about evolution, to the disappearance of the dinosaurs. One of the guides teaches children that evolution is "bad science" and that answers to questions concerning where we came from can be found in the book of Genesis. This program was produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as part of our Global Perspective series about belief.
April 10	Chung King Mansions: a Work in Progress Hong Kong’s Chung King Mansions is an infamous tenament building, which has a colourful past, present and who knows what future. Built as residential flats in the early 60s, these days it is a haven for immigrants, refugees, travellers and anyone else who needs a cheap place to stay. It is an extraordinary place and stands out as a rather shabby island in its more luxurious surroundings. With a thousand owners and bad past management it has been almost impossible to ever get consensus on what to do with it. Meanwhile it thrives as a business community, appears to be self-sufficient and it is an international melting pot somewhat a law unto itself. But change is afoot with two determined managers trying to tame this apparently unmanageable building and community and its reputation growing as an international business hub. “In Chung King Mansions: A Work in Progress” RTHK’s Sarah Passmore takes a step inside. This program airs as part of the international documentary collaboration, Global Perspectives on Islands. Little Fish in a Multiculti Pond Not very far from Amsterdam is a neighborhood called the Baarsjes, or “little fish”. The area covers less than one square mile, and houses 35,000 residents from 126 countries. Such multicultural diversity in such a small area has not been without serious problems. Controversy and discrimination are not uncommon in the area. The most recent debate surrounds plans to build a new Turkish mosque. But residents believe they can make a difference by taking initiatives to bring these diverse communities together - through meetings, sport and cultural events. Producer David Swatling of Radio Netherlands takes to the streets of his neighborhood to find out just how much is changing for the “Little Fish in a Multiculti Pond.” This program was produced by Radio Netherlands Worldwide as part of our special Global Perspective series on belief.
April 3	My Life So Far The story told by the young people of Alert Bay, a remote island on the west coast of Canada, is both familiar and unique. Like most people who come of age in a small community, Alert Bay’s youth is torn between staying and venturing into the bigger world. What’s unique about their story is the struggle to keep their culture alive. Alert Bay is the home of the Namgis First Nation. At one time it was Canadian government policy to assimilate its aboriginal people, and suppress their language and culture. St. Michael’s Indian Residential School, now derelict, serves as painful reminder of the past, as do the stories of the community’s elders. My Life So Far was created from tape gathered by five young people from Alert Bay, aged 11 to 17. Two CBC producers loaned them recording equipment, gave them some training, and a simple task. They were asked, tell us about where you live. Tell us about your life. A Whisper from the Past In Australia, the world's driest continent, the north eastern state of Queensland is in the grip of the worst drought in 100 years, and the state government is pushing hard for one of the country's most beautiful valleys to be dammed. However, the Mary River is one of the last breeding places for a strange and ancient fish held sacred by the Gubbi Gubbi people, who were brought up to believe they must do everything they can to protect the fish. In 'A Whisper from the Past' the ABC's Nick Franklin explores how an indigenous elder is pursuing her belief in the Queensland lung fish', known to her people as 'Dala', to save the valley. This program was produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as part of our Global Perspective series about belief.

March 2009

March 27	Islands of Security In South Africa’s not so distant past the word ‘Island’ would have immediately conjured up Robben Island off Cape Town, the prison for decades of Nelson Mandela and his fellow political prisoners during apartheid. But in a country of very high levels of violent crime, with a murder rate around 7 times that of the USA, other ‘islands’ are springing up inland – the gated and guarded residential estates which are becoming a refuge for the wealthy. Gated communities are a form of living spreading widely in all continents, especially where the difference between rich and poor is greatest, but in South Africa with its history of apartheid and exclusion on racial grounds, the subject of privatisation of space and keeping people out is a particularly sensitive one. In ‘Islands of Security’ for SAFM radio station in Johannesburg Sibahle Malinga visits Dainfern security estate in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs, a gated community with a 7.5 km perimeter, protected by a high electrified double fence, guarded gateways, and armed security guards. Sibahle’s journey takes her to the nearby township of Diepsloot to find out how its residents feel about being outside the fence, and the outskirts of Soweto where a wealthy man living without high fences or gates describes how his feeling of security comes from being known by his neighbours. The Changing Face of Neighborhood Crime A look at how neighborhoods change as new people move in, and when urban dwellers go to the suburbs. Race and class are issues here, with perceptions that crime rates are rising, fuelled by preconceptions about race. The program profiles the town of Laurel, Maryland, a midway point between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland, where Governor George C. Wallace of Alabama was shot and paralyzed during his presidency campaign in 1972. The governor was there appealing to the mostly white constituents. However today Laurel is a town better characterized by its growing minority and ethnic populations, and also by crime. We investigate how the town has changed in the past 30 plus years, and whether crime is actually on the increase, or whether the perception of crime is what is changing. This program airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: The World of Crime.
March 20	Short Circuit Literally synaesthesia means "a crossing of the senses." In practice synaesthetes may see colors when they hear music, or experience taste when they are touched. Letters and numbers have individual colors and words can appear as paintings. For a long time it was thought that synaesthetes were fabricating their experiences, but recent neurological studies show that they do in fact perceive things like music or words with several senses. In Short Circuit, people with synaesthesia talk about the difficulties of explaining what they see, hear and taste. We also hear from two artists, Carol Steen and Ans Salz, who use their work to translate the complex landscape of their minds. This program was produced by Michele Ernsting of Radio Netherlands as part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Betwitched Until recently, little was known about the unusual neurological disorder that compels people to make strange noises, utterances and movements, otherwise known as tourette's syndrome. On today’s Program, producer Natalie Kestecher of the ABC helps us get a glimpse into the worlds of several people living with, and struggling through, Tourette’s Syndrome. This program airs as part of the international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries.
March 13	Treasure Isle This year the international documentary series Global Perspective has the theme of Islands, and for BBC World Service Radio Nick Rankin travels to Fair Isle, one of the most remote inhabited islands in the British Isles, to see how newcomers find their place in a small and tight-knit community. Fair Isle is rocky and too windy for trees to grow on, one of the Shetland Islands way north of the Scottish mainland, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea. At times in the last century Fair Isle’s population became so low that there was talk of evacuation, as happened on the island of St Kilda. But Fair Isle is an outward looking island which has always traded things like its famous patterned knitware, and its community has survived because of its capacity to absorb newcomers and make them its own. In Sepember 2005 the Fair Isle community of around 65 people advertised for a family to join them, and after interest from all over the world, Tommy Hyndman, a hat-maker from Saratoga Springs, New York, his wife Lis Musser and their young son Henry were the successful applicants. Nick Rankin talks to them and other incomers of different generations to Fair Isle about creating a life there, as well as to the ‘indigenous’ islanders they have joined. At Home on Cape Cod In AT HOME ON CAPE COD, reporter Alice Furlaud remembers her childhood and adolescence in summers on the Lower Cape. Furlaud has come back, after 26 years in Paris, to live year-round in the 1829 Truro house which her parents bought in l933. She revisits sites full of memories, and talks to friends who remember her early days on the Cape.
March 6	Traffic Islands:Dividing Lines Traffic Islands: Dividing Lines This documentary explores the collective narrative created by people whose lives intersect in different ways with traffic islands and streetscapes. From a scientist trying to rationalize urban wildlife patterns, to a man who makes a living on the street corner, to people who use the streetscape to memorialize loved ones: what they have in common is that they map out private parts of their lives on the public traffic grid. We'll hear about this traffic island life in stories from the medians, as part of the international documentary collaboration, Global Perspectives on Islands. Every Tree Tells A Story Urban forests provide economic, social and cultural value to neighborhoods and cities. But what are the needs and expectations different ethnic and racial groups have for green space? And how does understanding those needs draw tighter communities? Producer Judith Kampfner compares the cities of New York and London, and the approach new and old ethnic racial and immigrant groups have towards green space. This program airs as part of our ongoing series, Tales from Urban Forests. Photo of Max's cement square from the revitalized New York City park.

February 2009

February 27	Fatwas When Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie in 1989 calling for his death, the fatwa became synonymous in the West with extremism and intolerance. And yet for Muslims the fatwa is the bridge between the principles of their faith and modern life. Thousands of fatwas are issued every month in Egypt by religious leaders dealing with everything from divorce to buying a car on an instalment plan to breast-feeding in public. Presenter Eva Dadrian investigates how fatwas are helping Muslims negotiate their faith in their daily lives. Produced by Katy Hickman of the BBC. This program airs as part of the international exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. Durga's Court It's on the verandah of a house in a remote village in West Bengal, India, where one court's sessions are held. Each litigating party comes with a group of supporters who try to outshout each other, and the judge – untrained in formal law – makes her rulings by a potent alchemy of mythology, common sense, a flamboyant personality and a very loud voice. Shabnam Ramaswamy is the only hope for hundreds of people who are too poor to grease palms to make India’s judiciary or police work for them and her court is often the only shot these people have at justice. In Durga’s Court, Dheera Sujan visits what must be one of the more unusual courts of justice in the world. This program is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries.
February 20	When the Siren Sounds The Volunteer Fire Brigade in Akaroa has been putting out fires, rescuing horses, and prying survivors out of mangled vehicles for over 100 years. It’s the backbone of this tiny community with 25 trained members on call twenty-four hours a day. When the siren sounds, they drop everything – and race to the station and into the trucks. Sometimes it’s a car over the edge of a bank on one of the many treacherously windy roads in the region, sometimes a house fire where the occupants are personal friends. Nowadays, there are women on the brigade, and a disabled man who fought hard to get behind the wheel of the truck. What hasn’t changed is the camaraderie and friendships formed from years of risking their lives to save others. Trauma This program is a portrait of the ebb and flow of life within the Alfred Hospital's Trauma and Emergency Department in Melbourne, Australia. In a kaleidoscopic style, Mark Fitzgerald, the Director of Emergency Services takes us into the heart of his department a place where dramatic, life-changing events occur with relentless regularity against a background of routine order. As staff and patients share their experiences of either unexpectedly arriving at the hospital or coming home from it every day, we discover what place the big questions about life, society and human nature have in an environment that by definition strives to maintain the mechanics of life from one moment to the next. This program is part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Check-up on World Health.
February 13	Gay Ballroom Dancing Ian and his partner had no experience dancing in competition. Yet they decided to enter the ballroom event at the International Gay Games held in Australia. They kept an audio diary of their training in the Waltz, the Quick Step and the Tango. They also recorded how they learned to glide around the dance floor with confident smiles, even when shaking with nerves and, on one memorable occasion, with Ian's trousers falling down. Ian Poitier steps out onto the dance floor and takes us into the world of ballroom dancing. This program was produced by Louise Swan of the BBC and is part of our international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. The United States of Dating A producer's quest for real stories of how people meet each other in the current dating environment, and how they negotiate their dating relationships. Along the way, we'll hear from matchmakers, relationship experts and common-or-garden daters. We'll explore how the written word still rules romance and dating etiquette -- from staccato text-message shorthand to classified ads, postcards and email. We'll meet the Dating Coach who advises clients on putting their best face forward; New York City's own cupid cab driver who tries his hand at amateur matchmaking in Manhattan gridlock; a political activist who runs a booming online dating service for like-minded lefties (motto: "take action, get action"); and a woman who blogs her private dating activities in a public online diary... with some surprising results. This program airs as part of our special international collaboration, Global Perspectives: Romance Series.
February 6	Sleeping through the Dream In 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King led the March on Washington and spoke the famous words "I have a dream." Then 18 year-old Producer Askia Muhammad was, as he recalls, 'sleeping through the dream.' Growing up in Los Angeles, Muhammad was far away from the civil rights uproar and any self-proclaimed political consciousness. Now 40 years later, Muhammad revisits his youth with two close friends. Join us for the journey of a young man's political awakening during a time of intense social unrest. Go Tell it on the Mountain It was born in the oral culture of African slaves in the American south. It was embraced by the civil rights movement in the 1960's. Today it is a perennial favorite at Christmas concerts and church services across North America. The spiritual Go Tell It on the Mountain has come to mean many things depending on the time and place in which it is sung - freedom anthem, hymn of faith, a simple song of Christmas. As is the case with most spirituals, its music and lyrics cannot be attributed to any one person. African American composer John Wesley Work is credited with formally adapting the song and including it in a songbook in 1907. But the versions of Go Tell it on the Mountain are as varied and distinctive as the people performing it. But it is always, at its heart, a song of joy. This program comes to us from Producer Jean Dalrymple of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is part of our ongoing international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries.

January 2009

January 30	Through Glass Walls: The Three Lives of Howard Buten Fifty-four-year-old Howard Buten has a very strange CV. Successful writer. Psychologist. Internationally recognized expert on autism. And award-winning clown. Ever since he was a little boy growing up in Detroit in the 1950's, Howard Buten has juggled his need to act, write stories, and help people with disabilities. His 8 books have earned him the title of Chevalier and France's most prestigious arts award. He is the founder of a day center for profoundly autistic young adults in Paris. And as Buffo the white-faced clown, he performs his one-man-show on stages all over the world. On a recent tour of Quebec, CBC producer David Gutnick hooked up with Buffo - and the other guys. Here's his documentary - "Through Glass Walls: The Three Lives of Howard Buten." This program airs as part of the international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries. The Music Boat Man Reinier Sijpkens travels around the world making magic and music for children. At home in the Netherlands, he haunts the canals of Amsterdam playing barrel organ, trumpet and conch. Producer Dheera Sujan meets with this illusive magical character who says his day job is "developing his soul."
January 23	After the Forgetting This is a story about a Vermont family's experience living with an elderly member's progressive dementia. It is told in a series of interview segments and dinner conversations among the story's three characters, Gregory Sharrow, his husband Bob Hooker, and Greg's mother Marjorie. The story explores the relationship with a son and son-in-law whose names Marjorie can't remember. It addresses the question, what happens to love when there is no more memory? There is no narration in the story. Brooklyn musician Karinne Keithley created music for the story. For more about Karinne Keithley, go to: http://www.fancystitchmachine.org/ Thanks to Rob Rosenthal for his mentorship during the production of this piece. Blindness and Insight They say that you can never go home again, but journalist David Stewart proves otherwise. With the advent of an eye condition called RP and the imminent loss of his vision, David returns to his home town of Galion, Ohio, to test his memory against the truth. He reunites with old friends and finds out that much has changed and still more has stayed the same. Producer Susan Davis presents this portrait of blindness and insight.
January 16	The Busker and the Diva Margaret Leng Tan and James Graseck were boyfriend and girlfriend while they both attended Julliard in 1970. Margaret was offered a place by a Juilliard scout who came to her native Singapore. At the age of 16, she became a piano major in New York. She loved New York, but James who came from Long Island, found it dirty - hating the streets and the noise. That hasn’t stopped him in his chosen line of work -- for the last 20 years he’s been a busker - a street musician, well known in the subway system. Margaret meanwhile has had a long career as an unconventional pianist as a protege of John Cage and in the words of the New York Times "a diva of the toy piano". While at Julliard, Margaret and James drifted apart because they were studying different instruments and had different courses, and they lost touch when they graduated. Their very different musical lives took them in different directions but recently, their paths crossed again, in the bowels of Grand Central station. Their meeting quickly developed once again into an intimate relationship, physically, emotionally and professionally. Producer Judith Kampfner traces their reunion and the obstacles to their relationship, which lie more in their approaches to music making and their polarized positions in the musical spectrum than their bond as individuals. This is the story of both their personal romance, and their professional lives. Kinshasa Story Head off to one of the great music capitals of the world, Kinshasa, on the banks of the mighty Congo River in Central West Africa. This Kinshasa Story is all about music and music makers - from well established stars, to hopeful wannabes with nothing more than a set of empty cans as drums. Our guide is Melbourne musician and some time disc jockey, Miriam Abud. This program comes to us from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and airs as part of our ongoing international documentary exchange series, Crossing Boundaries.
January 9	Trapped on the Wrong Side of History In 1939, California farm girl Mary Kimoto Tomita traveled to Japan to learn Japanese and connect with the culture of her ancestors. She boarded a ship two years later to come back home to America. Two days into the voyage, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The ship turned around and Mary was trapped in the middle of a bloody war between the country of her birth and the country of her heritage. Mary's story -- told through interviews and letters from the time -- is a rare glimpse at a piece of the World War II experience. Remains of the Sword: Armenian Orphans Ninety years ago, up to 1.5 million Armenians were deported and died at the hands of the Ottoman rulers of Turkey. But it is believed that Turkish families saved thousands of orphaned Armenian children secretly. Some children who had been adopted were then forcibly taken away from their Turkish families by foreign troops and sent to orphanages in Europe. Until now, the very existence of the children has remained largely an untold story, buried along with those who died between 1915 and 1916. But their family members are slowly uncovering the stories of those Armenian orphans. The issue still remains extremely contentious, and the story of Armenian orphans is now becoming one of most sensitive and emotionally charged issues in Turkish society. Producer Dorian Jones exposes how descendants of Armenian orphans are discovering their family histories.
January 2	Hospice Chronicles: Joe and Roger In 1967, St. Christopher's Hospice – the first modern hospice – opened in a suburb of London. Since then, millions of people around the world have chosen hospice at the end of their lives, with many patients choosing to receive care in their homes. In Hospice Chronicles: Joe and Roger, team Long Haul follows Joe, a volunteer trained in "respite care", giving family members a break from caretaking responsibilities. As Joe, a Buddhist, engages Roger, a devout Christian, in discussions of death and (im)mortality, he finds himself exploring death in a way for which training could not have prepared him. A Complicated Friendship Canadian producer Frank Faulk has an unusual - but long running - friendship with a fundamentalist preacher in Kentucky. They may disagree on just about everything, but their friendship is solid. This program comes to us from the CBC and airs as part of the international documentary exchange series Crossing Boundaries. It won a Silver Medal at the 2005 New York Festivals.