Montana Asbestos Poisoning Case
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Five former mining executives go on trial today in an asbestos poisoning case that dates back nearly 70 years and resulted in at least 200 deaths and thousands of illnesses among residents of the town of Libby, Montana. We revisit a conversation we had in 2007 with Libby resident Gayla Benefield, and Drury “Dru” Gunn Carr who co-directed a documentary about what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calls the the worst case of industrial poisoning in the nation’s history.
Massachusetts Flu Death
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Massachusetts is coming to grips with the state’s first flu death of the season. 12-year old Hunter Pope of Jamaica Plain, who did not get a flu shot this year, died suddenly last weekend, after being sent home from school with symptoms two days before. We speak to a local pediatrician who will take us through the facts and fears surrounding the flu virus, which is expected to claim the lives of 100 children nationwide this season.
Swedish Bank Bailout
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How was Sweden able to recover so quickly from its banking crisis in the early 1990s? We speak with Bo Lundgren, who was minister for Fiscal and Financial Affairs in Sweden at the time, and engineered Sweden’s recovery. He is now Director General of Sweden’s National Debt Office.
No More Bad Meetings
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Are we wasting too much time in ineffective meetings? Reid Hastie, Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business says yes. He recommends that meeting leaders pre-assign homework and be graded for the effectiveness of the meeting afterwards.
Stolen Blues?
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“Folsom Prison Blues” is one of the late country singer Johnny Cash’s signature songs, made classic when Cash performed it for inmates at Folsom prison in 1968. But in writing it, Cash borrowed heavily from an earlier tune, “Crescent City Blues” written by Gordon Jenkins. Boston journalist Daniel Gewertz tells us the story of both songs and shows the links between them.
About the Johnny Cash piece. “I Walk the Line” was written by June Carter Cash, not her husband. An interesting transition….
Posted by David Baumann, on February 19th, 2009 at 2:02 pmJust a note about the first comment: “I Walk The Line” WAS written by Johnny Cash. It was “Ring of Fire” that was written by June Carter. I may not have even met yet back in 1956, when the song was recorded.
Posted by Daniel Gewertz, on April 25th, 2009 at 7:59 pmThat last line should read: The two may not have even met yet back in 1956 when the song was recorded.
Posted by Daniel Gewertz, on April 25th, 2009 at 8:01 pm