August 19, 1996 - Chucking your job -- most people dream of it sometime. Leave your desk, leave your boss, leave office politics, hit the road. For most of us, that's destined to remain a dream; but Loren Eyrich has managed to pull it off. A few years ago, Eyrich walked off his job at a Florida car dealership, and never went back. He bought an old pickup camper and hit the road: oldies on the radio, coffee in the thermos, a plate of ribs waiting in the next small town. Of course, making a living that way isn't easy. Eyrich keeps himself in coffee and ribs by writing a fat quarterly newspaper on the joys and burdens of the traveling life. The newspaper is called Heartland Highways -- and Leif Enger found Eyrich along one of them, camped in a state park south of Brainerd.
August 20, 1996 - MPR’s Garrison Keillor interviews Pulitzer Prize-winning oral historian, Studs Terkel, as part of the Portland Arts and Lectures Series. Terkel talked about his life and family, and his days in radio. Studs Terkel is the author of several best-selling books including Race, and Working, and The Good War: An Oral History of World War II, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize.
August 20, 1996 -
August 21, 1996 - Midday examines The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). As President Clinton prepares to sign it, guests Jim Koppell, member of the Children's Defense Fund and a vice president at the MN Hospital and Health Care Partnership; and former U.S. Senator Dave Durenberger, discuss its impact on the public. Koppell and Durenberger also answer listener questions.
August 22, 1996 - On this special All Things Considered live at the Minnesota State Fair, Kevin Kling performs a piece from "Diary of a Madman."
August 22, 1996 - Excerpt of former U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz stumping with constituents at the Minnesota State Fair. MPR’s John Rabe briefly interviews Boschwitz.
August 22, 1996 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports on the changing dynamics of the Minnesota State Fair, with more metro-centric visitors. The State Fair dates back to 1855, before Minnesota was a state, when organizers wanted to promote agriculture to entice people to settle in the area. Fair officials insist the focus on agriculture hasn't changed, although the presentation has.
August 22, 1996 - Excerpt of U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone stumping with constituents at the Minnesota State Fair. MPR’s John Rabe briefly interviews Wellstone.
August 23, 1996 - MPR's John Bischoff reports on a security force of 350 people canvassing the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, prepared to quell any disturbance and maintain...if not peace, at least a semblance of public order.
August 24, 1996 - Could you--would you--illustrate a book? That was the question the widow of Dr. Seuss posed to two Minnesota artists. The artistic team of Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher are big fans of Dr. Seuss. They were shocked when they received a fax three years ago asking them to do the artwork for a manuscript by Dr. Seuss. Theodor Geisel--better known as Dr. Seuss wrote 44 children's books.