Tag Archives: Flora Thomson-Deveaux

WPRB News: The Heart of the Story


This week’s episode featured explorations into all kinds of literature, ranging from an unpublished manuscript by JD Salinger to a celebration of Irish prose. If you didn’t catch us on the air (Mondays at 6:00pm), or you’d like to have another listen:

Click here for Flora Thomson-Deveaux’s piece on JD Salinger’s never-published short story.

Click here for Peter Giovine’s coverage of The Cracked Looking-Glass and exploration of the art of story-telling.

Executive Producer: Raphael Murillo
Senior Producer: Rosy Yang
Chief Engineer: Jackie Cremos

WPRB News: Nobel Politics and the History of the Woodstock Festival

On October 8, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Chinese political dissident Liu Xiaobo for his “long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.” Princeton Philosophy Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah wrote to the Nobel Committee in favor of Liu Xiaobo’s nomination. I recently spoke with Professor Appiah about his support for the nominee.

Next, two of our reporters take a look at the history of the famed Woodstock music festival in a conversation with Artie Kornfeld, an American musician, record producer, music executive and organizer of the music festival.

Listen here: Right Click to Download

This episode featured work by Brittany Murphy, Andy Martens, Anthony Paranzino, and Sandy Fong.

Executive Producer: Nikki Leon.
Senior Producer: Flora Thomson-Deveaux.

CC licensed music from .Tape.

WPRB News: Green Politics and the Politics of Science

As Americans cast their votes in the midterm elections, they will set the course for American environmental policy for years to come. Van Jones, the founder of three non-profits and author of a book on green jobs entitled “The Green Collar Economy,” served as a green jobs advisor to the Obama administration for six months in 2009. In September, he was forced to resign after criticism from conservative politicians and media outlets. Derek Gideon sat down with him to discuss green jobs and the politics of environmentalism.

On October 6, physicist Harold Lewis, Professor Emertitus of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, stepped down from the American Physical Society (APS) after writing an open letter of resignation criticizing what he sees as a shift in the field of physics in favor of global warming research at the cost of other pursuits. In 2007, the APS issued a statement calling the evidence for man-made global warming “incontrovertible” and advocated policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Producer Aaron Smargon discussed Lewis’ resignation in an interview with William Happer, a Professor of Physics at Princeton University who has expressed support for Lewis’ position.

Listen here: Right Click to Download

This episode featured work by Derek Gideon, Brittany Murphy, Aaron Smargon, and support from Jackie Cremos.

Executive Producer: Nikki Leon.
Senior Producer: Flora Thomson-Deveaux.

CC licensed music from .Tape.

The Dispatch: Haisong Jiang and the Airport Kiss

Newark Airport (CC Flickr: _hlian)

Newark Airport (CC Flickr: _hlian)

In January 2010, a graduate student named Haisong Jiang crossed a Newark Liberty International Airport security line in order to say goodbye to his girlfriend one last time.  The breach (which came less than a month after the apprehension of the so-called “underwear bomber“) caused more than travel delays.  For Jiang, a Chinese national, it brought a personal introduction to the American justice system.  In March, he pleaded guilty to defiant trespass.  His punishment?  Community service and a $500 fine (plus court fees).  A bill to tighten airport security is now advancing through the New Jersey Legislature.

Although the incident was covered by a number of media outlets, Jiang has been shy about interviews.  We wanted the story straight from him.  Rosy Yang reports.

Download:


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Script by Aku Ammah Tagoe and Rosy YangFlora Thomson-Deveaux and Nikki Leon contributed editing. Senior Producer was Aku Ammah Tagoe. Executive Producer was Nikki Leon. Special thanks to Ian Auzenne and Jon Solomon. Music from Chad Crouch and Evgeny Grinko.

You can also watch the video of what happened at Newark Airport here: