July 29, 2002 - In this short documentary, Narrator Earl Leaf presents various insights on the history of the “poorhouse,” as well as a look into how society treats poor people today, compared to the era of the poorhouse.
August 2, 2002 - St. Paul Pioneer Press sports reporter Gordon Wittenmyer provides commentary on the Minnesota Twins bullpen. Wittenmyer says Eric Milton has been especially strong since the middle of June, but he's always been a dominant player.
August 5, 2002 - Richard Florida says that Husker Du, Jimmy Jam and the Gay Men's Choir have a lot more with economic development in the Twin Cities than you may think. He is the author of The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life. He's a professor of Economic Development at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Florida spoke recently at the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce.
August 6, 2002 - Ed Lotterman, a consulting economist; and Jeanne Boeh, chair of the economics department at Augsburg College in Mpls, discuss President Bush signing "fast track" trade legislation and its implications for the US economy.
August 7, 2002 - Pasadena, California may conjure up an image of suburban smog and sprawl these days, but the unique physical and social landscape of the city has been a lure since the beginning of the 20th century. Citrus groves provided employment for thousands, and it was the perfect setting for resorts for the wealthy. Writer David Ebershoff told Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Crann that it was also the perfect setting for his latest novel, named for his hometown, "Pasadena."
August 12, 2002 - Neil Gaiman became the toast of the comic book world with his "Sandman" series. He then became a best selling novelist with his books "Neverwhere" "Stardust" "and "American Gods". Now he has written "Coraline", a horror novel for children. "Coraline" is about a little girl who discovers a malevolent netherworld hidden behind a door in her house. It's ruled by a hideous being known as "the other mother" who kidnaps Coraline's real parents. She then tries to imprison the girls herself. Gaiman, an Englishman who now lives just outside the Twin Cities, says he began writing the novel for his daughter 10 years ago. He followed G.K. Chesterton's admonition that fairy tales are more than true, not because they say dragons exist, but because they say dragons can be beaten.
August 14, 2002 - MPR series "Voices of Minnesota" features interviews with World War II military veterans Avis Schorer and Ken Porwoll.
August 14, 2002 - It's tough to break into farming nowadays, and even tougher if you're an immigrant. MPR’s Rob Schmitz reports on Minnesota Food Association, which assists immigrant farmers in areas like production techniques, marketing, and management skills. Unfortunately, federal budget cuts have had a negative impact on program.
August 15, 2002 - In Fairbault, Gregg Bongard, a U.S. Department of Agriculture employee, is making a special effort to reach out to Minnesota's growing immigrant population. In the second part of his series on immigrant farmers, MPR’s Rob Schmitz reports that Bongard thinks he's discovered a new approach to farming that could change the face of agriculture in the United States.
August 16, 2002 - On Word of Mouth, MPR’s Chris Roberts provides a radio guide to the local arts. This episode includes Chamber Music Society of MN, Roman Polanski retrospective, all things Finnish folk, Christ Church Lutheran, Blood Money, and an arts round-up..