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The Story with Dick Gordon brings the news home - through passionate points of view and personal experiences. The program brings together ordinary and extraordinary people to provide perspective on the issues which affect us all. Our goal is to inspire conversation, thinking and understanding. Produced at North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC.
Marriage and the Army
Wednesday, March 10 2010
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marriage and the army
Yvonne L'Abbe and Mark Harrell
Last week, Dick Gordon spoke with Courtney Cook. She had written the essay "How to Leave a Soldier." Courtney and her husband John decided, through letters, to end their marriage while John was deployed in Iraq. A lot of listeners wrote in about Courtney, some congratulating her for talking honestly about the stress of a military marriage, others accusing her of being unpatriotic or disloyal or generally a bad person.
Yvonne L'Abbe's letter stood out. She wrote that her husband had also left the military to be at home with her. And he also chose to go back to war, to Afghanistan. Yvonne and her husband Mark Harrell talk to Dick about how they got through their wartime estrangement, and what finally led Mark to work he finds almost as fulfilling as what he once did in the Army: making and selling high-end saws for woodworkers.
- Learn more about Mark's saw company
THE PRICE OF GOLD
Debra Graham
Every time the price of gold heads towards $1000 an ounce, Debra Graham is reminded of the adventure she had back in the 80s. It all began when she was unemployed and took out an ad offering a reward for information leading to a job. She got much more than she bargained for, buying gold in small town hotel rooms for a generous salary paid in cash…no questions asked and no receipts required.Â
The Corner Office
Tuesday, March 09 2010
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The Corner Office
Ping Fu
As a rule, female entrepreneurs are rare, especially in the high tech field. But CEO Ping Fu has experience breaking the rules. She was expelled from her native China in the 1980s for writing a paper about infanticide. She studied computer science in the U.S. and now runs a successful 3-D imaging company. Despite the rough economy, her firm, Geomagic, is still hiring employees. And, she was Michelle Obama's guest at this year's State of the Union Address. Dick Gordon talks with Ping about her journey out of China, and on to success in the U.S.
MY STRANGEST JOB - OCCULT BOOK EDITOR
Meg Bratsch
Meg Bratsch's ears perked up recently when she heard Dick's conversation with a "hooker booker." That conversation made Meg think about the strangest job she ever had. She was an out-of-work book editor when she read a job posting for a local publishing house. The only catch - the job was with a New Age and Occult publisher. Once Meg started work, the magic and witchcraft began. Meg tells Dick that despite the hexes and ghost jars, she managed to keep her sanity and even learn something about herself.
She's In Charge
Monday, March 08 2010
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She's in charge
Lt. Col. Jody Nelson is on her second tour of duty in Afghanistan. She’s responsible for more than 750 troops and is working daily with Afghans in an attempt to bring security to her area. Col. Nelson talks to Dick Gordon about her work providing Afghans with economic viability, something she feels is key to creating a safe and secure environment. Her most recent project is helping to build a carpet factory, where Afghan men and women injured in the war can earn money - which hopefully will lessen the chances that they’ll accept day jobs from the Taliban instead.
- See pictures of Lt. Col. Jody Nelson in Afghanistan
TEACHING DOCTORS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
There have been a number of attacks on civilians in the Afghan capital recently. One recent attack targeted doctors who were there to help impoverished kids. That news hit Dr. Randall Williams hard. He's made several trips to Iraq and Afghanistan to train doctors. He's faced danger during these volunteer trips, but he says there's nothing more rewarding than helping the brave doctors who stay in these regions, even though they have the money to leave.
Becoming Fluff Chance
Friday, March 05 2010
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Becoming Fluff ChancE
Eric Gaskins
This weekend at the Oscars, one of the best parts will be seeing what the stars are wearing. Eric Gaskins used to design for actresses, but last year he embraced his alter ego Fluff Chance and began blogging about the fashion world full-time.
When Eric started writing about the ups and downs of the fashion biz, he wanted to be brutally honest, so he invented a pseudonym, Fluff Chance, a hairless cat that raked the industry over the coals. He caught almost everyone's attention. In the meantime, the recession was sinking his label, Eric Gaskins Design. Eric decided to go out with a bang. He outed himself as Fluff Chance just days before his business closed doors. It was then he learned that Fluff's blog was getting more attention than Eric's gowns. Eric talks to Dick Gordon about clawing his way into the fashion world, what it's like to dress actresses on the red carpet, and how he transformed into fashionista blogger extraordinaire. This story originally aired on September 29, 2009.
- Read Eric's blog
- Look through Eric's design siteÂ
- Music in this story: Fashion performed by The Lovemakers for the album The Lovemakers (Australian Edition)
The Cove
Mandy-Rae Cruickshank and Kirk Krack
One of the films in the running for an Academy Award this weekend is the documentary The Cove, which captures the slaughter of dolphins off the coast of Japan.
Free-diving wife and husband duo Mandy-Rae Cruickshank and Kirk Krack have always felt a connection to the water. But it wasn't until they got involved with the filming of the documentary that they became environmentalists. Mandy-Rae and Kirk talk with Dick about the dangers they faced diving into dark waters to capture footage of a dolphin net operation. And the dangers they faced on land from officials determined to continue their lucrative practices. This story originally aired on August 28, 2009.
Contact Us
Deep Undercover
Thursday, March 04 2010
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DEEP UNDERCOVER
Most police departments have people who work undercover. Often that means little more than coming to work in civilian clothes. Not in Memphis. There's a well-known school there that trains officers to go deep undercover. Many graduates go on to work for the Memphis Police Department. The officers take on a completely new identity and go undercover for months or years gathering intelligence on drug dealers and other criminals. Detective April Leatherwood went undercover as a drug addict for nearly a year. April says she severed all ties with family. She was so deeply undercover as "Summer Smith," she began to question her real identity. April talks with Dick Gordon about the high price of catching the bad guys.
- Read more about April
COUNTER CULTURE
Sammi DeAngelis has been a waitress for over 40 years. These days you'll find Sammi at the Omega Diner in North Brunswick, New Jersey. It is a classic Jersey diner, about 45 minutes from New York City. Sammi is one of the waitresses featured in a new book called Counter Culture that celebrates the work of America's coffee shop waitresses. She joins Dick to discuss the economy (tips are still down) - and what she loves about working in a diner.
- Music in this story: Cheeseburger in Paradise performed by Pickin' On for the album Pickin' On Jimmy Buffet: A Bluegrass Tribute
A Long History of Quakes
Wednesday, March 03 2010
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A long History of Quakes
Francisco Valenzuela
As the death toll from Chile's earthquake continues to rise, many are remembering the country's long history of devastating quakes. Francisco Valenzuela was a young boy when the ground shook in the city of Chillan and killed 30,000 people. More than 70 years later, Francisco still has nightmares about the experience. He talks with Dick Gordon about his memories of that time, and his confidence that, in time, the resilient soul of the Chilean people will prevail.
Saving UC
Zac Taylor
The California budget crisis is hitting the state's universities, hard. The University of California, once a model for public universities around the country, has been told to cut their budget by 20% next year, over $600 million. For weeks now faculty, staff, and students have been mobilizing, calling for a statewide March for Public Education on March 4th. Dick talks with Zac Taylor, a student at UC Berkeley who has struggled since day one to afford the school. Zac is from out of state, his parents lost their home in foreclosure, and now massive tuition hikes loom. Zac has been out among the protesters, and to save money, he's decided to graduate in three years.
A view from Santiago
Macarena Urzúa
The earthquake in Chile grabbed the headlines for much of this week. We wanted to get a sense of what it's like in the capital city there, so Dick connected with Macarena Urzúa. She's a graduate student living in Santiago. Macarena says that even though she saw a man rob someone in front of her, her hopes for her country are high.
Contaminated Well Water
Tuesday, March 02 2010
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Contaminated Well Water
Ron and Kari Craton thought they were buying their dream home for retirement. It's in the small town of Fennville, Mich. They liked the rural setting. But soon after they moved in, their neighbor, Birds Eye Foods, came to the door. They asked to put a test well on the Cratons' property. Months later, it became clear their water was contaminated - the Cratons say the water stains clothing, damages pipes and kills wildlife. Birds Eye is providing them with bottled water to drink. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says it's testing the water and looking at solutions. The trouble is, Birds Eye Foods is the major employer in the area, and no one wants to see those jobs lost - and the Cratons say things are moving far too slowly.
THELMA & TAMIKA
Thelma Harris
Tamika is a teenager who grew up with drug-addicted parents and ended up in the foster care system in Atlanta. Thelma Harris is a retiree who lost her own mother as a young girl, and was looking for a way to help kids in trouble. When Thelma was assigned to work with Tamika, she knew she'd have to earn Tamika's trust. But the close friendship that developed was one that neither of them expected.Â
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