He leads New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, managing the finest municipal water system in America, despite much of it flowing through century-old cast-iron pipes. He told the Municipal Archives, “The pipe under 42nd Street goes back to the time when John Wilkes Booth’s brother was acting as Hamlet on Broadway.” Yes, he dates infrastructure … Continue reading »
Category Archives: Politics and Policy
301: Larry Kramer
He wrote Ken Russell’s Women in Love, geeze, 50 years ago, then wrote plays (The Normal Heart) and novels (Faggots). Amidst the emerging AIDS epidemic, he helped found the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and Act Up. Accomplished, right? Not according to him. “I feel like I failed,” he says. A life examined. Continue reading »
296: Françoise Girard
As U.S. courts veer to the right, lesser souls (OK, me) grow discouraged, but the president of the International Women’s Health Coalition is undaunted: “There’s lots of things you can do. The women’s movement is very resourceful.” Smart, committed, and cheerful? I’m so confused. Music: Dan Kassel Continue reading »
295: Judge Dorothy Nelson
She entered UCLA law school in 1952, one of only two women in her class, and went on to become a dean at USC’s law school, a federal appellate court judge, and a skeptic of our adversary system: “There had to be a better way to resolve conflict.” And she found it. Continue reading »
289: Michael Dowling
Despite a distinguished career in health policy, he calls hurling “one of the greatest loves of my life.” It is Ireland’s national sport, a game of speed, skill, and impressive injuries. Or maybe because of that career: “You’ve got to be in great shape to play this,” he tells the Irish Arts Center. Music: Those Sensible Shoes. Continue reading »
Episode 252: Payam Akhavan
Still in his twenties when he prosecuted a war crimes case at the International Criminal Tribunal in the Hague, he’s come to believe that social justice will not come through courts or politics. To change the world we must first change ourselves, if I can reduce a lifetime’s work to one glib phrase. A conversation … Continue reading »
Episode 248: Jeffrey Sachs
This renowned economist, an advisor to governments around the world, tells the Center for Architecture that to save the planet and increase human happiness, we must study sustainability, read Aristotle, and drink very good coffee. Music from Sam Reider. Continue reading »
Episode 247: Dominique Browning
If everyone – everyone! – knows that mercury does horrible things to children, why would anyone weaken the regulations that protect them from exposure? Dominique Browning, co-founder of Moms Clean Air Force, has an answer, and she expounds it eloquently at the Environmental Defense Fund. Music from Stephanie Jenkins and Ben Cosgrove. Continue reading »
Episode 243: Joe Restuccia
Executive director of the Clinton Housing Development Company, he’s lived in the neighborhood for 50 years and offers this advice about burglary: “When they steal your underwear, it’s time to go.” Tales of Hell’s Kitchen at the Irish Arts Center with music from Jacob Tilove. Continue reading »
Episode 237: Blanche Pitt
ICAP at Columbia University sees its international public health work as part of broad commitment to social justice. Nobody personifies those values more than Blanche Pitt, who directs ICAP’s projects in South Africa. With music from Kevin Nathaniel Hylton. Person: Mark Heywood Place:: Joseph Stone Auditorium Thing: South African Constitution Randy’s People: Gilbert & … Continue reading »
Episode 227: Geraldine Byrne Nason & Ciaran Madden
Mary Robinson, Ireland’s first woman president, is a lifelong force for social justice, says Ciaran Madden, Ireland’s Consul General in New York. And she is admired around the world, adds Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ireland’s U.N. Ambassador: “Say the words Mary Robinson and it lights up at the U.N.” Imagine: mention your country’s president and get … Continue reading »
Episode 220: Martin Hayes, Howard Wolfson
Is a musical performance akin to a political speech? Yes. And no. Two friends, an Irish fiddle player and an American political strategist, consider the question at the Irish Arts Center. With music from, well yes, of course, Martin Hayes. We’re not boneheads. Photo by Anthony Mulcahy. PERSON: Hillary Clinton PLACE: Lake Shore Drive … Continue reading »