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Downwinder Diaries: Nuclear Blast 4:24 Claus Andreasson

In 1953, a 32-kiloton nuclear bomb was detonated at a Nevada test site. Within two years, some farmers and much of their livestock living downwind of the blast contracted cancer and died, most likely because of the nuclear fallout. Janet Gordon’s brother Kent was one on many affected. From the series Downwinder Diaries. [transcript]

Broadcast: Jul 15 2005 on NPR Day to Day Subjects: War, Public Affairs, Historical, Technology

Family Farms and Pork Exports 5:09 Kelly McEvers

The U.S. pork industry is on the upswing compared to past years, mainly due to exports to China and Russia. However, large food corporations receive most of the profit -- small pig farms make up only 1 percent of the industry, an industry which less than10 years ago was largely made up of family farms. [transcript]

Broadcast: Jul 14 2005 on NPR Day to Day Subjects: Business, Acoustic

Walk This Way: Yellow Arrows 4:50 Ann Heppermann & Kara Oehler

Yellow arrows are turning up all over New York City, pointing the way twoards clandestine, citizen-driven, underground self-guided tours of NYC’s lesser-known treasures.

Broadcast: Jun 25 2005 on APM Weekend America Subjects: Travel, Art, Acoustic

Bottom of the World, Part 2 7:45 Scott Carrier

For summer soltice, the longest day in the northern hemisphere, we travel to Antarctica. The sun hasn’t shone for months and won’t be back around until September. The second of a two-part story about a young woman who couldn’t seem to find her way in life, until she found her way to Antarctica. The woman recounts some of the strange things that happen on the scientific base where she worked during the six months of darkness that is the Antarctic winter. [transcript]

Broadcast: Jun 21 2005 on NPR Day to DaySeries: Antarctica Subjects: Acoustic, Technology, Science, Labor, Travel

Bottom of the World 7:44 Scott Carrier

For summer soltice, the longest day in the northern hemisphere, we travel to Antarctica. The sun hasn’t shone for months and won’t be back around until September. The first of a two-part story about a young woman who couldn’t seem to find her way in life, until she found her way to Antarctica. The woman recounts some of the strange things that happen on the scientific base where she worked during the six months of darkness that is the Antarctic winter. [transcript]

Broadcast: Jun 20 2005 on NPR Day to DaySeries: Antarctica Subjects: Acoustic, Technology, Science, Labor, Travel

Private Sector 59:00 Nancy Updike

20,000 civilian contractors are part of the American forces in Iraq. They have been killed by roadside bombs, they were interrogating prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Ira devotes the whole hour this documentary on the lives of several: including a Boston policeman teaching Iraqis the trade, and a screener at Baghdad airport: private citizen on the payroll of an occupying power.

Broadcast: Jun 10 2005 on PRI/WBEZ This American Life; Jun 4 2004 on PRI/WBEZ This American Life Subjects: Business, International, War

Puyallup Assembly Center in Washington, 1943

Puyallup 3:28 Jon Watanabe

Ed Kiyohara was interred at the Puyallup Assembly Center in Washington state during World War II, one of thousands of Americans of Japanese-Americnas orced from their homes in coastal states to live in internment camps while American forces battled Japan for control of the Pacific Ocean. He later joned the all-Japenese all-Japanese 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which became the most decorated unit in U.S. history. [transcript]

Broadcast: Jun 5 2005 on NPR Day to Day Subjects: Historical, War, Asian, Acoustic

Slab City 7:02 Ben Adair

About an hour south-east of Palm Springs, California is Slab City, what some call the last free-place in America. It’s sort of a drifter’s camp that, due to a bureaucratic technicality, is under nobody’s jurisdiction. Pulitzer-Prize winner Charlie LeDuff introduces us to some of the inhabitants, searching for freedom, and something more. Produced for KPCC- Southern California Public Radio series Pacific Drift.

Broadcast: Jun 4 2005 on APM Weekend AmericaSeries: Pacific Drift Subjects: Acoustic, Public Affairs

War vs. Peace 4:33 Joe Frank

For Memorial Day, an excerpt from Joe’s hour "I’m Not Crazy" praising the glories of war and the futility of peace. [transcript]

Broadcast: May 30 2005 on NPR Day to Day Subjects: Historical, War

The Music of Life 4:50 Ben Adair

Nanoscientist Andrew Pelling and media artist Anne Niemetz came together to create music from cellular sounds. Dark Side of the Cell is a concert that includes the unadulterated tones of healthy cells, the static-like noise of human cancer cells and almost meditative sounds of yeast cells recovering from given birth. Produced for KPCC- Southern California Public Radio series Pacific Drift.

Broadcast: May 28 2005 on APM Weekend AmericaSeries: Pacific Drift Subjects: Health, Science, Technology, Acoustic