February 22, 2001 - A rapid snowmelt -- at least when measured on a geologic time scale -- is already underway in the earth's polar regions. In just the past 50 years scientists have documented an average temperature increase of 4 degrees in the Arctic and Antarctic. The effect of the temperature change is most visible in areas where plants and animals are pushing further into once barren landscapes. Environmental photojournalist Gary Braasch (BRA-shh) has documented these changes in his new exhibition of photographs called "Polar Thaw: Global Warming in the Arctic and Antarctic." I met up with Braasch at the Science Museum of Minnesota today where his pictures are on display.
February 20, 2001 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Bo Thao, who proposed a new oral history project documenting the lives of Hmong women in the Twin Cities. Thao says she hopes the stories will empower younger women with the knowledge that Hmong women have always been leaders in their communities, especially in times of war.
February 14, 2001 - Human rights activist Jim Keady is in the Twin Cities to discuss his work exposing conditions in Nike Shoe factories. Keady spent one month last summer living in Indonesia on the wages of an average Nike factory worker. But his interest in the world's top shoe manufacturer started a couple of years earlier, when he was fired from his coaching job at St. John's University in New York for refusing to abide by a contract that required him to wear and promote Nike products. Keady says it would have been morally wrong to support Nike while workers in Indonesia can barely support themselves on Nike wages.
February 13, 2001 - (OPEN WITH TRACK 1 "Je cherche un homme"... fade under after "or Tom...." 20 secs in.... run under until the tape starts) To those who have heard the voice before, she is instantly recognizable. To many others -- just say "Catwoman" and they'll reply -- "Eartha Kitt." Thirty years after she appeared on the Batman TV show it's still her most famous role... and she doesn't seem to mind. Her sex kitten image endures even into her 70s. But there is much more to Eartha Kitt both as a person and a performer. Born the daughter of South Carolina sharecroppers, her family was abandoned by her father when she was 2...her mother died when she was 6. After being passed from neighbor to neighbor for a couple of years she was taken in by an aunt living in Harlem. It was there she began showing her talent for language and dance, which, despite having to repeatedly overcome the barriers of discrimination, was eventually to lead Eartha Kitt to international acclaim as a singer, and a star of stage and screen. In the Rogers and Hammerstein's production of "Cinderella" opening tonight at the Historic State Theatre in Minneapolis, Kitt plays the fairy godmother. But she believes she has more in common with Cinderella.
January 30, 2001 - Greg Galloway, a supervisor with St. Paul's sewer maintenance division, discusses how a storm's heavy rain caused huge puddles to build up on Twin Cities roads. Crews in Minneapolis and St. Paul worked all night and day to open catch basins and allow the water to flow into the sewer system. Galloway has just 31 employees to oversee the maintenance of 20,000 catch basins.
January 30, 2001 - Wilson Bradshaw is President of Metropolitan State University, which is part of the MnSCU system. He says Ventura's budget is a place to start.
January 29, 2001 - Meteorologist Tony Zaleski details freezing rain engulfing the southern third of Minnesota, making for treacherous commutes. The National Weather Service predicts significant amounts of ice forming, an uncommon occurrence in Minnesota. Zaleski explains how an ice storm happens…even when it’s below freezing.
January 25, 2001 - All Things Considered’s Lorna Benson talks with Minnesota guitarist Sharon Isbin about her album "Dreams of a World: Folk-Inspired Music for Guitar," which is Grammy-nominated in the best solo instrumentalist category.
January 24, 2001 - All Things Considered’s Lorna Benson talks with Duluth reporter Chris Julin, who details Governor Ventura’s Duluth visit to talk to citizens and students about the benefits of his budget. Topics included higher education, and the Iron Range economy.
January 24, 2001 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews John Brandl, dean of the Humphrey Institute, about his take on Governor Ventura's two year budget plan. It has been drawing mixed reaction from citizens and lawmakers. Many Democrats are concerned about Ventura's minimal spending increase, and some Republicans have echoed similar concerns. Brandl says Ventura's desire to hold the line on spending is flawed.