Monday, September 20, 2010

The Syringa Tree - 9/20

Dominique Haller

In today's show, we invited actress Colleen Madden and director C. Michael Wright to talk about the play The Syringa Tree. It's a play by South African actress and playwright Pamela Gien which describes the Apartheid system through the eyes of a 6 year old white girl. All 24 roles - black, white, male, female, old, young - are played by one actress.

In this clip, Colleen and Michael react to listeners' contributions to the show. Check it out below!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Jean's Pick of the Week for September 3rd

Dominique Haller

Jean's favorite show of the week was Thursday's show Smaller Living Designs from Japan. It's always nice when Here on Earth introduces a new idea drawn from another culture that listeners grab and run with!

The Poupon You Fight Song! - 9/3

Dominique Haller

Today's show was a lot of fun, as it is usually the case when we have Barry Levenson from the Mustard Museum as a guest. In this after show special, he presents the Poupon You Fight Song, promoting mustard over other condiments.

Check out the video below!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Jean's Pick of the Week for August 16th

Carly Yuenger

Jean's pick this week was all about fleetfootedness and having fun: Christopher McDougall joined us to talk about his book, Born to Run. Watch Jean explain why it's her pick, then listen to the show for free at the Here on Earth archive.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Tintin around the World - 8/19

Dominique Haller

Having grown up in the midst of Tintin albums that had been handed down to me by my father, who in turn was an avid Tintin fan as a child, I am especially looking forward to today's show. In the francophone world, comic albums are part of every family's library, and the Tintin albums have definitely become the center part of that tradition.

However, Tintin has also come under fire for some of the quite obviously racist contents in the earlier albums, especially Tintin in the Congo. So how does reading a comic as a child and as an adult differ? How can we hold on to a childhood friend if we know that he wasn't always up to the challenges of his time?

We'll also broadcast another one of Leona's Francombe's vignettes today, where she tells us about the relationship between Tintin's famous creator Hergé and his hometown of Brussels, where she lives. To check out other pieces in her series on Here On Earth, click here.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Roman Catholic Women Priests, An Oxymoron? 8/16

Carly Yuenger

The Vatican recently released a statement making the ordination of women priests one of the highest crimes against the church. Still, the ordination of Roman Catholic women priests continues.

On today's show we speak with Alice Iaquinta, one of many women who have gone through ordination as a Catholic priest--although some within the church refuse to recognize her ordination--and Father Roy Bourgeois, a priest who has been excommunicated for presiding over the ordination of women.

Do you think the Vatican will ever change its stance on the ordination of women? Do you think it should? Let us know what you think at our ongoing poll.

On today's program we'll also hear from our European Correspondent, Leona Francombe, about the Belgian perspective on secularism and the Catholic Church. For your reading pleasure, here's the transcript of her essay, "God in Translation," along with her other pieces in our ongoing series, European Vignettes.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Jean's Pick of the Week for July 23rd

Joe Hardtke

Jean's pick this week displayed the more serious side of what we do best: Talking about the critical international issues on a very human level.

Watch Jean reveal her pick then download the show for free from the Here on Earth archive.



See you next week with encore presentations from our award-winning Inside Islam series.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Stir Fry to the Sky's Edge! - 7/16

Dominique Haller

On today's show, we've talked with Grace Young about her stunning cookbook Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge. Find a recipe for the Stir-Fried Ginger Beef that Grace mentioned during the show:

Stir-Fried Ginger Beef
(serves 2 as a main dish with rice or 4 as a part of a multicourse meal)

12 ounces lean flank steak
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon corn starch
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
¼ cup sliced pickled ginger (about 1 ounce)
4 scallions halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch sections

1. Cut the beef with the grain into 2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip across the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices. In a medium bowl combine the beef, ginger, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the rice wine, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the oil. In a small bowl combine the oyster sauce and the remaining 1 tablespoon rice wine.

2. Heat a 14-inch-flat-bottomed work or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes whitin 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, carefully add the beef, and spread it evenly in one layer in the wok. Cook undisturbed 1 minute, letting the beef begin to sear. Then, using a metal spatula, stir-fry 30 seconds until the beef is lightly browned but not cooked through. Swirl the oyster sauce mixture into the wok, add the pickled ginger and scallions, and stir-fry 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the beef is just cooked through and the pickled ginger is well distributed.

And enjoy!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Letters from Brussels by Leona Francombe

Dominique Haller

On today's show, we start our series featuring vignettes by Leona Francombe. Leona is a pianist and author who was born in England and grew up in the States. She obtained a BA magna cum laude in Russan and music from Bryn Mawr College, and a Master's from Yale School of Music. She was invited to Brussels in 1987 by the European Cultural Foundation to create an East/West chamber music ensemble. Irresistibly drawn to Europe, she has lived in Brussels, Belgium, ever since. Most of her essays and short stories, as well as her two novels, are inspired by European themes and moods.

Leona's work has appeared in Writer's Forum, Symphony Magazine, The Brussels Bulletin, Humanities Magazine, amongst others. Her first novel, music of the Mists, was a semi-finalist in the 2008 Amazon Novel Competition. (To check out a CD by Leona Francombe, click here.)

Check out Leona's pieces below!

Jean's Pick of the Week for July 9th

Joe Hardtke

Diego in Rome said it best on our Facebook page, "I never believed that NPR would dedicate an entire program to football." Actually, last Wednesday's program was the second time we've talked about the 2010 World Cup. Find out why Jean loved the show in her Pick of the Week video.



You can download the show right now from the Here on Earth archive. We tip our hat to you, Spain.