PRI: Public Radio International

Vote 2008: Xtreme Polls

The Takeaway — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:57:00 -0500

Some of the most accurate polls around might be a little on the unconventional side. For the last few elections the winner of the Presidential election has always sold the most Halloween masks, well according to costume purveyor Party City! School children taking part in the "Scholastic" kids election have predicted the President correctly every year since 1940, with only two exceptions.

Culture correspondent for "The Takeaway," Mary Elizabeth Williams, went on assignment in New York to investigate how coffee cups, Halloween masks and school children are predicting the outcome of the 2008 election.

Watch the video:

"The Takeaway" is PRI's new national morning news program, delivering the news and analysis you need to catch up, start your day, and prepare for what’s ahead. The show is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH.

More at thetakeaway.org

How would you ask for $700 billion?

The Takeaway — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:12:00 -0500

"The Takeaway's" John Hockenberry went on the streets to ask ordinary Americans how they would ask for that much money.

"So the question I have about this bailout that is being discussed in Congress right now -- this $700 billion bailout -- is 'Does it take a special kind of person to ask for $700 billion, like Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson is doing? Can anyone do it? What if any American just asked for $700 billion? What would that sound like?'"

More at thetakeaway.org

Chasing Huckabee, Jon Voight and youth issues with MTV Street Teamer

The Takeaway — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:35:00 -0500

Last night, I met up with Anthony Wojtkowiak on the floor of the Xcel Center, right before John McCain's acceptance speech. One of 51 state-based youth journalists who report on the presidential campaign and local politics as part of a MTV project called Street Team '08, Anthony came to the RNC all the way from Florida to track down some stories. As I watched him effortlessly chat with delegates from his home state, I wasn't a bit surprised to hear that a day earlier he had scored an interview with Mike Huckabee merely by doggedly pursuing him after a press conference.

When we left the convention floor, we heard a commotion. Anthony rushed toward it, calling out "Mr. Voight, Mr. Voight." It was actor Jon Voight; unfortunately, before Anthony even got out his first question, a publicist broke them up. Techniques that work on politicians don't always work on celebrities, it seems.

I spoke with Anthony about getting interviews, the rising cost of education, and how technology is making street-level reporting faster and easier.

-Jennifer Hsu, from "The Takeaway"

More at thetakeaway.org

Foreign-born delegates at the RNC

The World — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:29:00 -0500

We talked to a handful of foreign-born delegates at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Charles Minimah from Nigeria, currently living in West Virginia; he is a politician and a businessman, and a Republican.

"I've always believed that here, in the United States, the African-American population, being in the minority, pretty much have all of their eggs in one basket by being a majority in the Democratic Party. So, I chose to join the Republican party so that, at least, I'll be one of the few."

Timon Tran, the Hawaiian delegate originally from Vietnam, says, "I vote Republican because that is where the principles are."

Miryam Mora, originally from Mexico, is now a delegate for the state of California. She says, "I grew up knowing and believing in self-reliance, moving up ahead, and having a small government. I mean, that is the reason my parents brought me to the U.S"

PRI's "The World" is a one-hour, weekday radio news magazine offering a mix of news, features, interviews, and music from around the globe. "The World" is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston. More "The World."

Watching Senator Clinton's speech at "The PUMA Den"

The Takeaway — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:19:00 -0500

Senator Hillary Clinton gave a rousing speech tonight, as near as I could tell. My back was to the screen as I held a video camera on the crowd of PUMAs watching. From what I could hear, she spoke naturally, as if she were talking to friends (no teleprompter stumbles), paid off a nice emotional arc over the course of it, recognized the accomplishments of President Clinton, repeatedly told people that voting for Senator Barack Obama would be necessary to avoid the consequences of electing Republican Senator John McCain, and left the stage to waving signs and raucous cheers. OK, that I saw.

But it wasn't enough to convince the folks I was with at "The PUMA Den" — a bail bond office repurposed for the evening.

The big-screen TV was tuned to Fox News, which obliged the crowd, showing polls with McCain on top (to cheers!) and cutting away in the middle of former Virginia governor Mark Warner's speech for a commercial break that featured the latest ad for McCain, using Senator Clinton's own words! (Big cheers here, too.)

Once the speech began, there was lots of yelling for Clinton herself, and whoops at any mention of John McCain — this from self-described lifelong Democrats and feminists — and boos and hissing at any mention of Barack or Michelle Obama. This is wounded anger.

There were some tears. They love Senator Clinton profoundly. It's hard to overstate just how much. But despite Clinton's entreaties, only one PUMA at the Den said she'd even consider voting for Senator Obama come November. The rest said they intend to skip the polls or vote for McCain — a message to the Democratic National Committee and Howard Dean, whom they hold responsible for squashing Clinton's shot at the White House.

-Adam Hircsh from "The Takeaway"

More at thetakeaway.org

AfriGadget and African ingenuity

The World — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:06:00 -0500

Items are recycled and reapportioned, and the stories are as entertaining as they are illuminating. The AfriGadget site was recently named, by "Time" magazine, "one of the 50 coolest websites of 2008." One of the driving forces behind the AfriGadget blog is Erik Hersman.

It is a team blog; made up of a bunch of African bloggers from around the African continent who put up stories of African ingenuity and innovation. Watch "The World's" profile of AfriGadget:

Hersman grew up in Kenya and the Sudan. He lives in the States now, but frequently travels back to Africa on business. Wherever he goes, he finds great stories and pictures for the AfriGadget blog.

"Junk in Africa has a long shelf life," says Hersman. There are places in metro areas where people bring junk. "There is a whole business set up to filter that junk," he continues.

If you read the AfriGadget blog long enough, you will be struck by the interesting collision of low- and high-tech in Africa. Take the incident that happened to Hersman in Nairobi, when a bottle of Tusker beer ended up on his mobile phone.

"If you don't have a phone in Nairobi, you are pretty much hamstrung. So, the next day I went down to Cell Phone Alley which is in downtown Nairobi to fix it. It cost me about $15, and it took about 20 minutes," he says. "I can't imagine having a service like this in the U.S."

Baseball behind barbed wire

The World — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 09:46:00 -0500

In the 1920s and 1930s, Japanese immigrant communities across America formed semi-pro baseball leagues. They had actually brought baseball with them from Japan. A U.S. Professor, Horace Wilson, introduced the sport to the Japanese in the 1870s.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 changed everything. Japanese and Japanese-Americans were ordered into a series of relocation centers throughout the American West and Southwest. People had to leave everything behind. They were not allowed to earn money or practice their religion or even speak Japanese. But the camp directors did let them do one thing: play ball. They built fields and formed teams and leagues.

"Grass infields, grass outfields, they had 10 feet caster beams as a home run fence, they used flour to chalk the lines," says Kerry Nakagawa, director of the Nissei Baseball Project. For the past few years, he has also been involved in the making of a feature-length film about the experience in the internment camps. The film is not just about baseball; its also about the war.

In the film, one character gets out of the camp by volunteering for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The 442 was a unit entirely composed of Asian-Americans. The 442 saw heavy action across Europe, and were among the first troops to reach the gates of the Dachau concentration camp. The 442 went on to become the most decorated unit in the history of the U.S. military, with 21 Medal of Honor recipients.

For those that remained in the internment camps, baseball became what Nakagawa calls "a saving grace, and the ball players are finally getting the recognition they deserve."

John Hockenberry Goes for Olympic Gold

The Takeaway — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:34:00 -0500

In the building at 866 Avenue of the American in Manhattan, Hockenberry is given medals in his events of radio, chess and crepe-making.

What is your gold medal event? Let "The Takeaway" know!

More at thetakeaway.org

High school sports axed amid economic slump

The Takeaway — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:46:00 -0500

As the economy continues its downward spiral, schools across the country are cutting sports, art and music programs. In the Mount Vernon school system, two proposed budgets failed to pass and now students are bearing the brunt. "The Takeaway" talks to 16-year-old Sean Harris, a rising senior at Mount Vernon High who expected to play varsity basketball this year — until all of his school's sports teams were axed.

Guest: Sean Harris, Mount Vernon High School student athlete, Mount Vernon, N.Y.

More at thetakeaway.org

Opinions about new Pakistani PM from around the corner

The Takeaway — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:38:00 -0500

At the Pakistan Tea House restaurant in Manhattan, Hockenberry asks the staff behind the counter about the new Pakistani Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani. He hopes to get some comments, a pause for reflection, and also the lamb special with some great naan.

The conversation quickly turned from discussion about President Bush's visit with Prime Minister Gilani to that of the former Prime Minister, Pervez Musharraf.

Hockenberry says, "Musharraf is very popular here. The new prime minister is somewhat of an unknown quantity. And if he is an unknown quantity [in the Pakistani restaurant], then it should be an interesting meeting between Bush and the new Pakistani Prime Minister."

More at thetakeaway.org

The Hugging Saint

The Takeaway — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:08:00 -0500

Mata Amritanandamayi Devi recently came to New York City. Known as "The Hugging Saint," Devi is called "Amma" translated as mother, by some of her many devoted followers. The Takeaway sent two producers to get hugs, and to talk to some of her followers.

She will sit at the well-attended, national events for 12-16 hours each day, offering her blessing via a close embrace. In addition to the hugs, Amma's foundation has been key in disaster relief and in social issues in her native India.

More at thetakeaway.org

Mapping good deeds with Hero Reports

The Takeaway — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:13:00 -0500

Inspired by Dr. Wright and heroreports.org, "The Takeaway" producers took to the streets of New York to solicit stories of heroic deeds, and came back with this video:

More at thetakeaway.org

Amazon Stories: Fish Market

The World — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:36:00 -0500

The fish market is a riot of sound, color, swishing knives and ... well ... fish. The market is in Manaus, Brazil, in the old part of the city called Centro with its splendid architecture and big markets.

Watch this video, captured by Alex Gallafent, a correspondent on assignment in the Amazon for PRI's "The World":

Visit Alex's blog to read his daily posts and to see more videos from his trip to the Amazon.

Gas prices and scooter sales

The Takeaway — Sun, 04 May 2008 13:55:00 -0500

In times of rising fuel prices, Americans are shifting from gas guzzlers to smaller cars. How small? John Hockenberry from 'The Takeaway' went to Scooter Bottega in Brooklyn, N.Y., to investigate. Hockenberry gets the answers and gets taken for a ride.

"The Takeaway with John Hockenberry & Adaora Udoji" is a fresh new morning drive-time news program. Produced by WNYC/New York and Public Radio International in partnership with the BBC World Service, the "New York Times and WGBH/Boston, "The Takeaway" provides a breadth and depth of world, national and regional news coverage that is unprecedented in public media.

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'The Takeaway' gets lobbying tips

The Takeaway — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:52:00 -0500

"The Takeaway's" John Hockenberry asked students from Jan Kunkel's 5th-grade class in Boiling Springs, Pa., for some tips on how to lobby their parents in the lead-up to the Pennsylvania primary. The kids have some very definite opinions about the candidates and some very sound advice for their parents.

Watch video:

"The Takeaway" launches nationwide on April 28, in Baltimore, Boston, New York, and other markets -- get details on stations and air time. The show is also available online at thetakeaway.org.

Eco-Friendly Taste-Test

The World — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 02:08:00 -0500

Critics have long complained about the environmental costs of bottled water. Those costs are a concern when the bottled water come to the U.S. from the Pacific islands of Fiji. But now the bottler of "Fiji Water" has an environmental plan to make "Fiji Water" carbon-negative.

"The World's" Julia Kumari Drapkin tested whether people can taste the difference between carbon negative water from Fiji and water fresh from the faucet:

Tom Moony of Fiji water says drinking his product can be good for the planet, regardless of how far the bottles travel across it. Fiji water is "CARBON NEGATIVE."

Carbon negative meaning the trees we're planting take at least 120% of the carbon out of the atmosphere that we put in.

So for every bottle of Fiji water consumed, the company is planting trees in Fiji's rainforests. And eventually those trees - in about thirty years or so - might offset the carbon footprint of all those bottles plus 20%. And voila - carbon negative water.

So Mooney says, by drinking carbon negative water:

"You are doing something positive for the environment - there isn't another product out there -- in our industry -- that gives you the opportunity to take the carbon out of the atmosphere by choosing that product."

So the message in a water bottle from Fiji is that it's good for the environment?

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well actually some experts in the field say Fiji may be on to something.

If Fiji Water is truly transparent about its carbon emissions and if it manages its trees properly then Fiji Water can be carbon negative.

Readd full story | More PRI's "The World"

'The Takeaway' takes a Cabelas poll

The Takeaway — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:41:00 -0500

Results from the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary show Hillary Clinton defeating Barack Obama in that state.

Shoppers at a Hamburg Cabelas -- the area's premier hunting, fishing and camping store -- beg to differ.

In this hilarious video, John Hockeberry, host of "The Takeway," talked to Cabela's intrepid shoppers and gets their opinion of the Democratic candidates.

Watch:

Designed to expand and enrich the American dialogue on key local, national and global issues, "The Takeaway" with John Hockenberry and Adaora Udoji is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH.

The show launches on April 28 on public radio stations, but you can listen to this exclusive preview on PRI.ORG!

PRI's 'The World': Mexico's War

PRI's The World — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:33:00 -0500

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"The World's" Lorne Matalon reports on Mexico's fighting an escalating drug war against cartels that have grown in strength and scope ever since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan and reduced that country's production of heroin. To Fight this war, Mexico's government is bypassing local police and using its military.

The Air Force is ferrying soldiers to the mountain sides and valleys where fields of poppy and marijuana are easily seen from the sky. Heroin is made from the opium produced by poppy plants. Once identified, soldiers spend weeks roaming the countryside destroying those fields. Mexico was once merely a transit point for U.S. bound drugs, a half-way stop between Colombia, Peru and the United States. Now it is a production center. Heroin production in Mexico soared after the U-S invaded Afghanistan, the world’s number one heroin producer.

President Calderón has sent 30,000 soldiers into the field since taking office in December, 2006. Most people here acknowledge police corruption, but some people still maintain the police, and not the Army, should be fighting this war.

One intelligence Officer says the work is complicated. He says, "You start identifying the lower ranks, then middle management and finally the top people. I try to get people to switch from their side to ours, he says, 'but it doesn’t happen overnight. It can take years. But it is working," he says.

Exclusive Andrew W.K. song on 'Fair Game'

Fair Game — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:07:00 -0500

"The McLaughlin Group" is, in some ways, the godfather of TV punditry. It debuted in 1982, back when Tucker Carlson was but a glint in his mother's bowtie. It quickly established a format -- the bitter and impassioned roundtable breakdown -- that is now mirrored every day on every channel. And McLaughlin still does it better.

Nowadays "The McLaughlin Group" is working on a whole other level. The crazy analogies, the bald faced aggression -- it's not simple discourse anymore. The McLaughlin Group is operating on a level that is bigger than just words. That's why "Fair Game" is thrilled to welcome songwriter and rock star Andrew W. K., who was so inspired by Mclaughlin's artistry -- his POETRY -- that he's used it as the basis for a new rock song. Watch and listen:

Thanks so much to Scott Bateman from Salon, who made this wonderful animated video clip of Andrew W.K.’s "The McLaughlin Groove."

"Fair Game" is a satirical news and entertainment, weekday evening program. Hosted by Faith Salie, possibly the only Rhodes Scholar who performs comedy intentionally, "Fair Game" covers the important stories of the day and features newsmaker and celebrity interviews, live music and regular appearances by the country's best comedians.

More "Fair Game."

PRI's 'The World': Mexico's Other Immigrants

The World — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:53:00 -0600

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"The World's" Lorne Matalon reports on Mexico's other immigration problem -- undocumented immigrants from Central America -- Guatemala and Honduras -- crossing illegally into Mexico, on their way to the United States.

The Mexican government claims 400,000 Central and South Americans enter Mexico every year, some are seasonal farm workers, but the vast majority are passing through on their way to the US. The US border patrol estimates nearly half will make it to the US.

Many of the migrants take the train -- the lesser of two evils -- by road, they face police checkpoints, robbers or kidnappers who force their families to come up with the ransom. On the train they pay bribes to armed gangs that control who gets on, and in some cases, who gets thrown off. They must also stay awake, standing for days on end, gripping a handrail. Many have fallen off, losing limbs, or their life.