Gregory Warner is a talented independent radio producer who worked with P.O.V.'s Web department on two episodes of P.O.V.'s Borders: Environment and American I.D. Gregory explored the surge in popularity (and sales) that bottled water has achieved in the past decade with an eye toward improving tap water's poor public image, and charted the great (and not-so-great) moments in the history of advertising American democracy abroad.
After completing that piece, Gregory traveled to Afghanistan and has since spent many months there, reporting for outlets like NPR, Slate magazine and Washington Monthly magazine. This month he is working on a piece for P.O.V. about what Afghani people think of America, Americans and the U.S. military as part of our continuing "What Do They Think of Us?" series.
Sabir with his would-be matchmakers, Miriam (left) and Nikaj (right)
Image from This American Life website
For today's media guide, I want to recommend a radio story that Gregory recently filed from Afghanistan that aired earlier this month on NPR's amazing This American Life, entitled "A Good Year for Grand Gestures."* It's a charming story about an Afghani man (with great hair) who meets a woman and falls in love, and some foreign aid workers who try to help him find happiness. Along the way, you learn a little bit about (not) dating in Afghanistan, the custom of "dowry recycling" and different perspectives on what makes a good marriage.
Miriam and her husband were development workers in Afghanistan. They'd had a whirlwind romance themselves, so when they heard that their driver, Sabir, was in love, but didn't have enough money to propose to the girl, they made a grand romantic gesture: they gave him $10,000 to pay for the dowry and the wedding. ...They soon find out making a lasting love match isn't as simple as writing a check. Gregory Warner reports. (16 minutes) link
* Note: You have to forward through the five minute prologue to get to Gregory's piece, or give it a listen. I enjoyed that story, too.
From now until New Year's day, the P.O.V. Blog will be posting about great documentaries from the P.O.V. archives. Rent one at the local video store or via Netflix to watch with your friends and family during the holiday season.
Every Mothers Son recalls accusations of police brutality during New York's Giuliani years
When Amadou Diallo died in a hail of police gunfire in his New York apartment building's vestibule while reaching for his wallet, there was widespread public outrage. Many New Yorkers believed Diallo's death was an egregious example of police negligence or criminal misconduct aimed at poor and minority communities. Others, including then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the police leadership, suggested the killing was a tragic yet unavoidable accident in the dangerous job of policing the city's mean streets. Despite differing accounts of police actions and motives, one thing was certain: the young Amadou, a West African studying in the U.S., was guilty of nothing more than coming home at the same moment a squad from the NYPD's Street Crimes Unit happened to be passing his building.
I thought of Every Mother's Son a few weeks ago while listening to NPR's excellent "On the Media" program. On their November 30 broadcast, a reporter from Arkansas talked about his frustration with the national media and their coverage of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. Arkansas Times reporter Max Brantley complained that "Huckabee's ethical history isn't making the news as much as his folksy conservative bona-fides," saying that he and other local reporters "have some insights that the rest of the world maybe hasn't tuned into yet."
As we approach the primary phase of the 2008 presidential election starting later this week in Iowa, I want to recommend this film that aired on P.O.V. in 2004 that recalls the history of another presidential hopeful. Every Mother's Son takes a look at events that occurred during Rudolph Guiliani's term as mayor of New York City, before he became "America's mayor."
Read the complete synopsis after the jump...
For those of you who sometimes tune into NPR during your workday, today's Talk of the Nation will feature P.O.V. filmmaker Freida Lee Mock and playwright Tony Kushner. They'll be talking about Mock's documentary film, Wrestling with Angels, at approximately 3:40 PM ET. Wrestling with Angels premieres on P.O.V. tomorrow night at 9 PM on PBS. (Check your local listings.)
Update: If you missed it live, listen to the discussion on the Talk of the Nation website anytime.
Just coming back from seeing Jessica Yu's (P.O.V.'s In the Realms of the Unreal) new doc Protagonist and want to know more about her other work? Rented Sicko and want to hear Michael Moore's opinions on healthcare and the '08 election? Can't stop thinking about the Grey Gardens musical you saw last season and want to know more about the Maysles brothers? You could turn to Google for help.
Want a different place to turn for insight? Turn on the (online) radio. Scores of stations around the country regularly interview doc newcomers and legend alike, and many offer the discussions on their websites for live listening or on-the-go podcast downloads. Here's a smattering for your consideration.
