FRESH AIR
Comedian Mike Myers has created a slew of memorable characters through his career: Dr. Evil, Austin Powers, Shrek, and Wayne’s World‘s Wayne Campbell all serve as cultural reference points. Now, Myers wants to add another indelible character to that list: The Guru Pitka. In his new comedy The Love Guru, Myers plays a spiritual guide charged with reuniting a hockey star with his estranged wife so that he can lead his team to winning the Stanley Cup. But The Love Guru may be too outrageous for some. Some Hindu groups fear that the movie promotes
offensive stereotypes. Some are even considering a boycott against Paramount Pictures. ALSO, Dr. Hugh Sampson knows just how deadly a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can be. Sampson, an expert on food allergies, has just been elected president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. He specializes in pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and is also the principal investigator in the Food Allergy Resource Initiative. Sampson provides guidance to allergy sufferers during this season of barbecues and clambakes.
RADIO TIMES
Hour 1
The US military is giving soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan anti-depressants to help cope with combat stress. We talk about whether or not this is a good idea as well as the types of mental health supports that troops need to serve our country. Our guests are MARK THOMPSON, author of the cover story of the June 16th issue of time, entitled, “America’s Medicated Army” and BARBARA ROMBERG, clinical psychologist in Washington DC area who founded “Give an Hour” a program which provides free counseling for active duty soldiers, veterans, and their families. Listen to this show via Real Audio | mp3
Hour 2
There is an injury epidemic among the growing numbers of girls who play competitive sports. Are young female athletes more prone to injuries and are these injuries preventable? This is the subject of MICHAEL SOKOLOVE’s book Warrior Girls: Protecting Our Daughters Against The Injury Epidemic In Women’s Sports. Sokolove is a contributing writer for The New York Times. Listen to this show via Real Audio | mp3
THIS AMERICAN LIFE
357: The Truth Will Out
Does the truth always come out? Of course not! Though sometimes it comes out in the most uncomfortable ways imaginable. Stories of concealed truths bubbling to the surface, including a brand-new, unpublished story by fiction writer and filmmaker Etgar Keret. Host Ira Glass talks with a high school senior about the lies she tells her mom, and if she’ll ever reveal the truth. (5 minutes) Act One. Lieland. Actor Dermot Mulroney reads a new short story by Israeli writer Etgar Keret. Etgar Keret’s most recent book is the short story collection, The Girl on the Fridge. Act Two. The Spy Who Bugged Me. Lawrence Wright is a reporter for the New Yorker Magazine, and an author of the bestselling book on Al Qaeda, The Looming Tower. He’s also one of the few people in America who can say definitively that he was targeted by the U.S. Government’s warrantless wiretappping program, first exposed on the front page of The New York Times. He tells the story of how he knew his phone calls were listened to…and how he then went on to question the head of US intelligence, Mike McConnell, about it. Lawrence Wright first wrote about his experiences in an article in The New Yorker, called “The Spymaster.” His latest article in the magazine is called “The Rebellion Within.” (17 minutes) Act Three. Rosa in the Study with the ATM Card. A woman’s elderly father has several hired caretakers who help him throughout the day. When one of the caretakers accuses another one of stealing from father, it’s up to his daugher to figure out the truth. (15 minutes)
THE WORLD CAFE
Firewater joins World Café host David Dye with songs from their recently released album The Golden Hour. Since their start in 1997, Firewater has experimented with both sounds and ideas, using a wide array of scintillating instruments to complement socially- and politically-charged lyrics. With songs written by band leader, Tod A, during his three-year travels through the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia, The Golden Hour is an eclectic mix that brings new meaning to the term “World Music.”
FIREWATER: Woke Up Down