Programs for the Week of 5/16

Jean’s Pick of the Week (watch video): Inside Islam: Wham, Bam, Islam! The Power of Comics: There were so many refreshing dimensions to our show with Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, the creator of The 99, the first comic book series to come out of the Middle East, featuring 99 Muslim superheroes based on the 99 attributes of Allah. This was truly an Inside Islam show in that Naif was candid about his complex intention: to erase western misconceptions about Islam, but also to “try to fix Islam from the inside.” He’s concerned about the black and white world view that so many of his fellow Muslims seem to be stuck in. His own work has been banned. He’s also very concerned with issues of intolerance, and came to writing comics out of his experiences as a clinical psychologist working with torture victims – former prisoners of war in Kuwait and the Survivors of Political Torture unit of Bellevue Hospital in New York. He’s fast, he’s funny, and he’s just what the world needs right now.

Monday: Fortunate Sons (encore): What happened when the Qing dynasty sent 120 boys to go to school in the US in 1872? The boys got good at baseball and picked up nicknames like By-Jinks Johnnie and Fighting Chinee. But they also confronted a struggle between traditionalism and modernity that ended up influencing both China and the U.S. (Rebroadcast from 2/3/11)

Tuesday: Beyond the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (encore): In the last 20 years Noir has gone global, with Swedish fiction writer Stieg Larsson copping the number two place as best selling author in the US, and crime fiction showing up in countries like Algeria, Turkey, and India. Join us with Detectives Beyond Borders blogger Peter Rozovsky and Delhi Noir editor Hirsh Sawhney. (Rebroadcast of "Tracking the Global Gumshoe" from 8/5/09)

Wednesday: Tuesdays with Morrie, Russian-Style: In the 1980’s, Wisconsinite Lisa Paul was a college student in Moscow studying Russian under the wing of an outspoken Jewish Soviet dissident. In her new book, Swimming in the Daylight, she tells the harrowing story of how she put her own life on the line in her campaign to win freedom for her beloved teacher.

Thursday: On a Wing and a Prayer: Could anything be crazier than a Muslim-American learning to fly a plane in post 9/11 USA? I met Monem Salam a few months ago at a conference in Bloomington, Indiana, where he told his hilarious and touching story of how he fulfilled his lifelong dream to become a pilot in spite of his bad timing, and lived to make a PBS award-winning documentary film about it.

Friday: Beyond the Pasta: Mark Leslie didn’t just want to eat Italian food; he wanted to learn how to cook from a real Italian family. From the family in Viterbo that took him in, he not only learned how to cook, but how to live in a whole new way.

I’ll be attending a summit on US Citizen Diplomacy with Wisconsin’s former Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton on Monday and Tuesday of next week – back on Wednesday.

Stay tuned!

Jean

Food Friday Recipe 5/13

Carly Yuenger

On today's show we discuss the beauty, texture, and flavor that whole grains, like millet, kamut, farro, wheat berries, and "oat berries," bring to the table--breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Maria Speck is a cooking instructor, so she knows how most people react to the idea of whole grains. She says that the best cure for the belief that whole grains are bland is a good recipe.
Check this one out: "Leek Salad with Haloumi Cheese and Rye Berries". It's featured on the cover of her book, Ancient Grains for Modern Meals, and represents her dual ancestry--Greek and German--through the inclusion of rye berries (very German!) in a traditional Mediterranean salad.

We hope you'll give it a go and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below, at our Facebook page, or by leaving a voice message at our hotline: 1-877-GLOBE-07

Maria Speck's Leek Salad with Grilled Haloumi Cheese and Rye Berries:

Haloumi, a textured goat and sheep’s milk cheese, popular across the Middle East, is irresistibly chewy and will not melt when grilled or roasted. Take this salad to a barbecue and char the cheese right there for a smoky touch, or use a broiler anytime. Pecorino Romano can stand in for the haloumi but it lacks the same lip-smacking chewiness. Both cheeses can be quite salty, so you may want to go easy when adding the salt. Serves 4 to 6

Rye:

11/2 cups water

3/4 cup rye berries, soaked overnight and drained

Salad:

2 medium leeks, cleaned and cut into 3/4-inch segments (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 (2- by 1-inch) strip orange zest, white pith removed (optional)

1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, 2 teaspoons oil reserved

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish

2 tablespoons nonpareil capers

3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To Finish:

1/4 pound haloumi cheese

11/2 teaspoons dried crumbled oregano or thyme

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (optional)

1. To prepare the rye, bring the water and the rye berries to a boil in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until the berries are tender but still slightly chewy, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and steam for 10 to 15 minutes if you have time. Drain any remaining liquid and transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.

2. While the rye cools, prepare the salad. Bring the leeks, chicken broth, and orange zest to a boil in a large saucepan. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until the leeks are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain the leeks, and add them to the serving bowl with the rye berries. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, 1/4 cup of the mint, and the capers, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning, keeping in mind that capers and haloumi are quite salty.

3. To finish, position a rack about 6 inches below the heat source and preheat the broiler. Cut the haloumi cheese into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick, and put them on a plate. Sprinkle with the oregano, pepper, pepper flakes, and reserved 2 teaspoons of tomato oil; rub the oil and spices all over to coat the slices on both sides (work gently, as haloumi breaks easily). Transfer the cheese to a medium cast-iron skillet or a broiler pan.

4. Broil the haloumi until the slices just start to brown at the edges, about 5 minutes, turning once with a spatula. (Watch closely as you don’t want the cheese to dry out.)

5. Top the salad with the haloumi. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons mint, and serve right away.

To get a head start: Make the rye berries, as in step 1, ahead. The salad (without the haloumi) can be prepared 4 to 6 hours ahead. Chill, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.

To vary it: A great stand-in for the rye in this dish would be about 2 cups cooked whole oat berries

Programs for the Week of May 9

Monday: A Kidnapping in Milan (Encore): The CIA snatched off the terrorist suspect Abu Omar from a street in Milan on February 17, 2003, and spirited him away to Egypt for extraordinary rendition. The Italian court responded by convicting 23 CIA agents, marking the first time the CIA has ever been brought to trial. Freelance journalist Steve Hendricks investigated the case and wrote about it in his book A Kidnapping in Milan: The CIA on Trial. Rebroadcast from December 28, 2010.

Tuesday: Benazir Bhutto: The premier of Bhutto, an Independent Lens film that airs on Tuesday night, gives us a reason to talk about the woman who broke the glass ceiling to become the first woman head-of-state to rule a Muslim nation.

Wednesday: The 99: What power do superheroes really have? Naif al-Mutawa believes that they can change the world. That’s why he created The 99: superheroes inspired by the 99 attributes of Allah. Together with The 99, Naif is out to fight radical Islam and Western misconceptions about Islam. Ever since, The 99 have teamed up with Superman to fight for a better world, and President Obama has publicly recognized the importance of Naif’s work.

Thursday: After the Dalai Lama: In March of this year, the Dalai Lama announced that he was looking for a successor who could take over his political duties as head of Tibet’s government in exile. In May, Tibetan representatives will meet to discuss the Dalai Lama’s proposal of political retirement. We’ll discuss the future of the Dalai Lama and of Tibet with Tim Johnson, author of Tragedy in Crimson: How the Dalai Lama Conquered the World but Lost the Battle with China

Friday: Ancient Grains: Think whole grains are just for health nuts? Maria Speck’s love affair with barley, farro, and millet will change your mind. She grew up in Greece and Germany and will help us rediscover old world treatments of mankind’s oldest staples.

Happy Mothers’ Day to all, and special thanks to everybody who made One Day Wednesday a huge success!

Jean

Spring and Bicycles Go Together - 5/3

Dominique Haller

Today, we're celebrating spring by talking about bicycles with Robert Penn, whose enthusiasm for bicycles, broad knowledge of its history, and extraordinary bicycling experiences make the perfect guest to make you get your own bike out of your basement!

We thought that Leona's piece about spring awakening in Brussels would be a good fit for this show! You can check it out here.

Programs for the Week of 4/4

This Wednesday is a special day for WPR: We’re calling it One Day Wednesday, a heroic attempt to raise all the cash that usually consumes a whole week in a single day. It’s a win/win – you get less on-air fundraising and we get to do what God intended us to do – make radio worthy of your ears – and dollars. To donate now, click here.

Jean’s Pick of the Week (watch video): The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: I got a little lost in the middle of reading Cynthia Bourgeault’s book, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, but she was clear as a bell on the radio. It was very surprising to me, and to her as well, I’m sure, that so many callers were completely comfortable with the idea that Jesus and Mary Magdalene might have had an intimate relationship. Fully human? Fully divine? Are Christians finally freeing themselves from the mind shackles of the Church Fathers in their rejection of the body, their marginalization of women, and their obsession with celibacy? And if so, what balm for the wound.

Monday: After the Dalai Lama: In March of this year, the Dalai Lama announced that he was looking for a successor who could take over his political duties as head of Tibet’s government in exile. In May, Tibetan representatives will meet to discuss the Dalai Lama’s proposal of political retirement. We’ll discuss the future of the Dalai Lama and of Tibet with Tim Johnson, author of Tragedy in Crimson: How the Dalai Lama Conquered the World but Lost the Battle with China

Tuesday: The Ride of Your Life: It’s time to get your bicycles out of the basement! Whether you’re crazy about bikes or just appreciate a leisurely ride, you’ll fall in love with Robert Penn’s story, who once circled the globe on a bike, then traveled to different countries to find the perfect parts for the bike to grow old with. In his book It’s All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels, he explains how the bike has changed our world in the past and how it just might change our future.

Wednesday: Join The Club: Pulitzer Prize winner, Tina Rosenberg, joins us on One Day Wednesday to talk about her new book on the positive power of peer pressure. That’s right, she says that the influence you were told to ignore as a teenager is the same force that, when harnessed, can overthrow dictators and make teens demand safe sex!

Thursday: Inside Islam: I Speak for Myself: The media have plenty to say about Muslim women, but the day's headlines rarely reflect the lives of the majority of Muslim women. And even less commonly do we hear the voices of Muslim women themselves. This week, Madison welcomes women writers behind a new collection of essays seeking to fill this void, I Speak For Myself: American Women on Being Muslim.

As always, you can comment before, during or after the show at the Inside Islam blog.

Friday: Tender: Revered British food writer Nigel Slater’s encyclopedic take on his vegetable garden arrives on the American side of the Atlantic just in time to inspire your plans for this year’s vegetable patch! Lori Skelton sits in as we nibble everything green, from Asparagus to Fava Beans to Zucchini.

No beans about it!

Jean

Programs for the Week of 4/25

Here on Earth wins a Gabriel Award for "Inside Islam: Muslims, Mosques, and American Identity"

Jean’s Pick of the Week: The Paper Garden: Molly Peacock’s perennial effervescence was well-placed in her enthusiasm for the extraordinary achievement of Mary Delaney, the 18th century British aristocrat who began her life’s work as an artist at the age of 72 when she invented mixed -media collage. As a poet turned biographer, Molly seized on Delaney’s gorgeous, botanically correct, cut-paper flowers as a metaphor, stitching and layering Mary’s story with the same patient craftsmanship for which Delaney is famous. A really fun program, and an inspiring one.

Monday: The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Why so much interest in MM lately? Is it an attempt to subvert the patriarchy? Among the several new studies of Mary Magdalene that started with the fanciful romance of The Da Vinci Code, Cynthia Bourgeault's book stands out. "To reclaim Mary Magdalene is to reclaim Christianity," she asserts.

Tuesday: Gandhi, Great Soul: Amidst political revolution—non-violent and violent—a new biography of Mahatma Gandhi hits the shelves. Has India idolized the man without fully embracing his teachings? What can we learn from this non-violent leader"s successes and disappointments? Pulitzer Prize winner Joseph Lelyveld joins us to talk about his new book.

Wednesday: TBA:

Thursday: Rilke's Poetry: Together with Rumi, Rainer Maria Rilke is among America's most prized poets. His connection to nature permeates his work, and his idea of the relationship between the human and the divine as being one of mutual need still inspires spiritual seekers of all walks of life. We'll be joined by Rilke translators Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy, both luminary poets and spiritual teachers in their own right.

Friday: Aromas of Aleppo: I've just returned from a trip to Aleppo where my husband's grandparents once lived as part of a vibrant Syrian Jewish community. Having eaten sumptuously while there, I naturally wanted to bring to our listeners an awareness of the wonders of Syrian cuisine. I remembered a wonderful cookbook that my sister-in-law once gave me – Aromas of Aleppo by Poopa Dweck, a beautiful blonde first generation Syrian–Jewish American, who has devoted much of her life to preserving and celebrating her community's centuries–old legacy.

I will be celebrating Passover and Easter with family in New York this weekend, and wishing you the blessings of this glorious season,

Jean

Programs for the Week of April 18

In spite of the fact that I’ve been under the influence of jet lag since returning from the Middle East last Friday, I think we’ve had a strong run of programs since Monday when we began with the Triangle Shirt Factory Fire. Parazit, Iran’s Daily Show was another star, but in terms of sheer vitality, wit, literary genius and Here on Earth values, nothing beats Wednesday's remote broadcast from the Fox Cities Book Festival with the inimitable Luis Alberto Urrea, regaling us with stories, both hair raising and hilarious, of life on the Tijuana border.

Jean’s Pick of the Week (watch video): A Life on the Border: Live from Menasha: Here on Earth will be broadcasting live from the Fox Cities Book Festival! We will talk with the acclaimed Mexican-American writer Luis Alberto Urrea who says that the border between Mexico and the United States goes right through his heart. You can join us live at the UW Fox Valley Student Union in Menasha. Both Jean and Luis will stay on for a book signing after the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Monday: The Paper Garden: Mary Delany was seventy-two years old when she noticed a petal drop from a geranium. In a flash, she picked up her scissors and cut out a paper replica of the petal, inventing the art of collage. Now nearly a thousand of her cut-paper collages, known as Flora Delanica, are housed in the British Museum. Molly Peacock has written a biography of Mary Delaney as only a poet could.

Tuesday: Syria: The Other Side of the Mirror: The protests in Syria are making our daily news, and the entire world is watching as Bashar al-Assad is trying to mollify the protesters. But does the image we get in the news correspond with the real Syria? What aspects of this country do we never hear about in the news? And what does that say about us?

Wednesday: Arrival City: Look around: the largest migration in human history is under way. For the first time ever, more people are living in cities than in rural areas. Many of these migrants first live in slums at the outskirts of cities. But these "arrival cities" are not just places of misery. They are also the location of amazing innovation, successful community-owned businesses, and upward mobility.

Thursday: The Optimist’s Tour of our Ecological Future: The Optimist is back! Healthcare tailored to genetic profiles, machines that pull carbon dioxide out of the air, what's next? Writer Mark Stevenson set out to answer that question by talking with scientists and philosophers around the world who are thinking deep into the future. As we invite Mark back to our program on Earth Day, we’ll focus on questions about the future of Planet Earth.

Friday: The Chocolate Chasers (Encore): Dan Pearson was working in Peru with his stepson Brian Horsley when they stumbled on a species of cocoa long thought extinct. Even better, the trees had mutated to produce highly prized white beans! Following their discovery, Dan and Brian partnered with local farmers and the world’s top chocolate experts to produce the next big thing in chocolate — Fortunato No.4 — debuting at food expos this month. Rebroadcast from January 21, 2011

Happy Passover, Happy Spring, Happy Holy Week!

Jean

Programs for the week of April 11

Jean returns this week for a great line up. We're especially excited for our live broadcast in Menasha at the Fox Cities Book Festival! We hope you'll join us.

Monday: Remembering the Triangle Factory Fire: 2011 marks the one hundred year anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City. Hardly anyone knows what a shirtwaist is anymore, but we’re all familiar with the panic bars and lit signs above exit doors, two regulations fought for by the New York community and labor unions after the fire.

Wednesday: A Life on the Border: Live from Menasha: Here on Earth will be broadcasting live from the Fox Cities Book Festival! We will talk with the acclaimed Mexican-American writer Luis Alberto Urrea who says that the border between Mexico and the United States goes right through his heart. You can join us live at the UW Fox Valley Student Union in Menasha. Both Jean and Luis will stay on for a book signing after the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Thursday: Nepal’s Road to Democracy: Twenty years after their revolution and five years after the end of a decade long civil war, Nepalese are still struggling to bring democracy to Nepal. Recent college graduate Subhash Ghimire isn’t giving up. Through education and community projects, he’s leading his generation and Nepal into a brighter future. He joins us with writer Jeff Greenwald who covered the 1990 revolution.

Friday: Chasing Chiles: The chili pepper has transformed cuisines around the world since it was first brought from the “New World.” As farmers began growing chiles in more and more places, the plants changed and adapted, creating new varieties. Our guests celebrate and fight to preserve the world’s diverse peppers.

Carly, Producer

Programs for the Week of 4/4

We're looking ahead to a week of great shows as Veronica and Lori step in while Jean continues her travels in the Middle East and North Africa (at least, we think that's where she ended up!).

Monday: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 1996, womens' lives changed overnight as they were forced into their homes. Yet Afghan women didn’t give up. Journalist Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tells us the story of a young woman who became an entrepreneur and whose business created jobs and hope for many women in her neighborhood during the Taliban years.

Tuesday: Teachers Around The World: American teachers are called everything from lazy to hardworking. Either way, we all depend on the quality of their work. While Wisconsin teachers made themselves heard protesting Gov. Walker's budget repair bill, other countries have their own conversations about the worth of teachers’ work. What lessons can we learn by looking at teachers abroad?

Wednesday: Unhitched: Love and Family Around the World: What makes a "family"? People answer this question in diverse ways around the world. Family researcher Judith Stacey joins us to discuss unique family forms from America, South Africa, and China, including polygamous households and a community that has no marriage at all.

Thursday: An Army of Phantoms: How did Hollywood impact your experience of the Cold War? We take a trek back to the early days of the Cold War with film historian and critic Jim Hoberman to examine how anxieties about communism made it onto the big screen and, then, straight into our heads.

Friday: The D.I.Y. Kitchen: In her recent feature in the New York Times, Julia Moskin details easy projects for an afternoon in the kitchen. It's a do-it-yourself starter kit for everyone. Join us as we learn to make North African preserved lemons, Chinese Chili Oil, and Crème Fraîche!

Here on Earth Producer, Carly

Programs for the week of Mar 28

I am about to take off for Syria and Lebanon, a vacation with family and friends that’s been in the works for a number of weeks and obviously pre-dates the protest movements in the Middle East which have now spread to the south of Syria. We’re monitoring websites closely and keeping our fingers crossed that we will not have to change our itinerary. Inshallah. For the first week, we’ll be airing some of my favorite programs which made the pick of the week, and Lori will be hosting Food Friday. For week two, Veronica Rueckert will be sitting in for me. Thanks to both of them, to the wonderful Here on Earth staff, and to you, our dedicated listeners.

Jean’s Pick of the Week (watch video): The Green Path: A slam dunk, since I’ve been at a conference on Islam until today! (I’m not in the habit of using sports metaphors, but I spent an intolerable amount of time stuck in a sports bar waiting for a connecting flight in the Indianapolis airport yesterday). But I really liked today’s interaction with Black Muslim environmental leader Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, the author of GreenDeen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet, and so did listeners, based on the number and variety of calls we received. Being the environmental policy advisor for the City of New York, Mr. Abdul-Matin has a refreshingly practical approach to the environmental crisis we’ll all struggling with, and the involvement of Muslims obviously enhances our chances of success.

Monday: The Future of Recycling (Encore): Tom Szaky, the 28-year-old founder of TerraCycle, one of the fastest growing green companies in the world, is making a business out of recycling and a name for himself as "#1 CEO in America Under 30." Rebroadcast from January 20, 2011.

Tuesday: Freelance Diplomacy (Encore): After 15 years in the British diplomatic corps, Carne Ross found himself disagreeing with UK policies that led to the Iraq War. Disenchanted with conventional diplomacy, he re-invented himself as a "freelance diplomat," and founded Independent Diplomats, a bold nonprofit organization advising populations that would otherwise not have a voice in international relations. How far would you go for what you believe in? Rebroadcast from November 4, 2010.

Wednesday: The Lion's Eye: Seeing in the Wild (Encore): All her life, Joanna Greenfield dreamed of traveling to Africa to study wild animals. She got a once in a lifetime chance to follow wild chimpanzees in East Africa while she was still in college, an adventure strangely enhanced by her impaired vision. Rebroadcast from November 18, 2009.

Thursday: Talking to the Enemy (Encore): Anthropologist Scott Atran spent years talking to terrorists. In his new book he argues that terrorists don't die for a cause, but for each other. We'll explore the social lives of terrorists, and how things are changing in Afghanistan with a new generation of fighters. Rebroadcast from November 22, 2010.

Friday: The Wild Table: Spring is here, and delicacies such as morels, ramps, and elderflowers will soon make their way into the forager’s kitchen. Connie Green has spent the last three decades not only championing wild food, but also inspiring the finest chefs across the country to add foraged foods to their menus. She’ll join us to talk about her gorgeous new cookbook, The Wild Table.

Jean