HOUR ONE
- Ninety-percent of the developing world’s sewage is dumped – untreated – into oceans, rivers and lakes. Almost half of the world’s population has no access to a toilet. Inadequate sanitation kills more people in developing nations than AIDS, tuberculosis, or malaria and dirty water remains the world’s number one health risk. In her book, The Big Necessity, journalist Rose George argues that the way a society disposes of its sewage tells you a lot about its economy, politics and religion.
- Bob first spoke with Mike Birbiglia a couple of years ago, when the comedian was just another stand-up, touring the country. Now Birbiglia is being hailed by everyone from Nathan Lane to Ira Glass for his off-Broadway one-man show, titled “Sleepwalk With Me.” In the show, Birbiglia mixes humor and pathos as he describes often frightening episodes of sleepwalking, anxiety over relationships, and uncertainty about growing up.
HOUR TWO
- News outlets are cutting reporters and closing foreign desks but a new website has recently hired 60 foreign correspondents to report from 40 countries. GlobalPost.com has been operating for almost two months now. The site was started by veteran foreign correspondent Charles Sennott and media entrepreneur Philip Balboni. Sennott and Balboni explain how their model works and why they think it will revive interest in foreign reporting.
- Bela Fleck is probably the best known banjo player in the world, and he’s been lauded for stretching its boundaries with his band The Flecktones. Fleck’s latest project centers on a musical pilgrimage to Africa to trace the roots of his beloved instrument. Throw Down Your Heart is the title of his new album and a documentary film, both recorded during the trip. Now, Bela Fleck is preparing a US tour with some of the African musicians featured in the project.