5.13.10 State of the Union

We started of today's "State of the Union" show with Amanda's very own State of the Union address: "High School and CMP updates" (new programs and administration). Due to the current economic circumstances several positions at local High Schools and CMP have been let go, and changes are being made to restructure the staff system. Consequently, the future of class curriculums and CMP programs, like Radio Uprising, are somewhat unclear.

Box Question: If you were the President of the U.S.A, what changes would you make to the government?

Answers from Becky, Juliana, John and Kristine: Take down the Mexico-U.S. border, Health Care for all, paint the White House with polka dots, ice cream for all, no military presence in non-U.S. territories, and greater funding for non-profits like CMP.

Fun Facts (read by John):

George Washinton gave the first State of the Union address on January 8, 1790. Calvin Coolidge's 1923 speech was the first to be broadcast on radio; Harry S. Truman's 1947 address was the first on television; and Bill Clinton's was the first on the World Wide Web in 1997.

Pre-Recorded Piece: Nory's Diary of an Activist Part 2: "Death to Homophobia. Love, Nory"

In-Studio Piece (read by John): Louisiana Oil Spill.

The pressure from an oil vein being drilled caused an oilrig off the coast of Louisiana to blow up on May 3rd. Now oil is spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Some measures are being taken by British Petroleum to contain the spill, but will this be enough?

Poem (read by Kristine): To A Terrorist by Stephen Dunn

In-Studio Discussion: "Terrorism in the U.S. Takes on a U.K. Pattern", an article by Dina Temple-Raston, analyzes the changing sources of terrorism in the Unites States.

Our discussion questioned the redefinition of the term 'terrorism' by U.S. and European citizens after 9/11. Are terrorists just from the Middle East? Or do they come from the U.S. and other countries, as well, even if their form of terror goes relatively unnoticed in comparison? Can, and should, terrorism be associated with a single nationality or ethnicity, like Pakistan? These are some of the questions we explored.

Question:Growing up in post-9/11 America, what are your associations with terrorism?

Nory's Answer: I've grown up with the idea that terrorism was about 'us' vs. 'them', with 'them' being the terrorists. However, after a recent school project on Weather Underground and the Timothy McVey case, I've realized that terrorism can be a domestic entity, as well.

In-Studio Interview: ROBOTICS (flashback to last week's show)

Our guest today, Ken Livingston, Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Vassar College, has recently become involved in two robotic projects. Livingston's interest in robotics first developed from reading and watching SciFi books as a kid. The first robot Professor Livingston made was out of legos, cheap electronics, and a circuit board. The Professor thinks it's important for students to learn about robots because they are being used more and more for manufacturing and repair work . But technology, he says, is only useful if we understand it. There's a discussion of what roles will robots play in our lives? what roles should they play? And one can only contribute to this discussion if one is knowledgeable about robots and what they are potentially capable of doing, or being used for.

Book Recommendations:

1) Becky's: "Harrison Bergeron", a short story from "Welcome to the Monkey House", by Kurt Vonnegut. The USA added an amendment that all people be equal. Because people can't be made smarter or more talented, everyone with special abilities was hindered somehow (ex. beautiful ballerinas wore ugly masks). A 5 minute read that will keep you thinking for months!

2) John's: "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov. A SciFi novel about a collection of Futuristic robots. Written in the 1950s, the future is considered the 2000s. Three ethical codes for the robots are set in place: 1) Robots have to do what humans say, 2) Robots can't hurt humans, and 3) Robots have to save themselves at all costs, unless the 1st and 2nd law forbids it.

PSAs:

1)Caroline Dash Davis Gleitur Lecture on Social Justice at Oakwood Friends School on 22 Spackenkill Road, Poughkeepsie, NY. Author Linda Kenney Miller will speak about "Beacon Hill", the story of a pioneer African American physician. Friday, May 14th at 2:30pm. Free and open to the public. 845-462-4200.

2) New workshop series, "Learning in the Garden", sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County's (CCEUC) Mater Gardener Program. This month: "Adding Summer Color". Workshops every 3rd Saturday of each month through October at Ulster County Community College. Master gardeners available 9am-noon for help and questions. Short lectures at 10am. No pre-registration. Free! Rain or Shine. 845-340-3990.

Music:

"Can't let go", Lucinda Williams

"Change", Blind Melon