The Bob Edwards Show, June 4-8, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012: The diminishing clout of unions has resulted in an erosion of the middle class and has increased economic disparity between the rich and the poor. Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation and labor lawyer Moshe Marvitt want to amend the Civil Rights Act to protect labor organizers. Their book is titled Why Labor Organizing Should Be a Civil Right. Then, in 2002, Norah Jones burst onto the music scene with the smash album Come Away With Me. Since then, Jones has used her honest & evocative voice to build a successful career including four studio albums and collaborations with the likes of Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock and Dolly Parton. Her fifth offering, titled Little Broken Hearts, is produced by Brian Burton, also known as Danger Mouse.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012: Love, Life and Elephants: An African Love Story chronicles Dame Daphne Sheldrick’s more than 50 years working to rehabilitate orphaned animals of East Africa whose parents were killed by poachers. Sheldrick is considered the authority on rearing wild animals and she is the first person to perfect a milk formula that has saved many milk-dependent elephants and rhinos. She began and still runs an orphanage near Nairobi whose inhabitants are all elephants. Dame Sheldrick’s life will soon be the subject of a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman. Then, we talk about breasts. They’re the subject of reality TV shows, paparazzi shots, and halftime wardrobe malfunctions. They’re also the subject of Florence Williams’ informative first book Breasts: A Natural And Unnatural History.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012: His father bought him his first guitar, a “worn-in instrument with two strings,” for $4.35. Since then, Buddy Guy says life “ain’t never been the same.” Bob talks to Guy about his music and journey from Lettsworth, Louisiana. His new book is When I Left Home: My Story.
Thursday, June 7, 2012: Bob talks with banjo player Bela Fleck and the Original Flecktones, who have reunited for their latest CD called Rocket Science. Howard Levy is back on piano and harmonica, joining bandleader Fleck, bassist Victor Wooten and Futureman on percussion. Then, Bob talks sports with John Feinstein, Washington Post columnist and co-host of SiriusXM’s “Beyond the Brink” (Mad Dog Radio, channel 86).
Friday, June 8, 2012: Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times, joins Bob to discuss the latest political news. Next, Echo is the sultry debut album of Carrie Manolakos. The songstress gained immediate attention when she released a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” on YouTube. Since, Manolakos has been distinguished by the likes of The New Yorker and other publications for her talent. Bob talks to Carrie about her album, her career in performance theatre, and what we can expect from the burgeoning icon. Then, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, we hear the essay of Andrew Riutta. Raised to be tough, Riutta’s ancestors were farmers, miners and lumberjacks, and he followed them into the hard-day’s-work force. Riutta believed he could muscle his way out of any problem and around any obstacle, until he learned he would be a father. Riutta says fatherhood is the hardest job he’s had, and that it has softened his disposition and rounded his rough edges.
On June 3, I listened to Bob Edwards Weekend on WBEZ in Chicago. Around 10:45 am, he was discussing sports with Feinstein. I was disappointed that the conversation re baseball had no mention of the Chicago White Sox. The two carried on about teams that were doing well, but they totally ignored the perfect game pitched by Phillip Humber. The Sox have been recognized by five awards in the last two months: Chris Sale, AL Pitcher of the Month (May); Jake Peavey, AL Pitcher of the Month (April); Paul Konerko, two separate awards for AL Player of the Week; and Phillip Humber, AL Player of the Week, in recognition of his perfect game. Are the White Sox the Rodney Dangerfield of Baseball – they "don't get no respect"???