Doctor Elaine Abrams and Doctor Stephen Nicholas are pediatricians who work with babies born with HIV. While many children have died, some have survived into adolescence. Abrams is the director of the Family Care Center at Harlem Hospital Center, and Dr. Nicholas is the director of pediatrics there. They treated the first wave of babies infected with HIV at the height of the epidemic in Harlem in the 1980s. They have studied the effects of the virus on the children's physical and mental health as well as the toll on the community. Some of the children spent years in the hospital.
Next week (Aug 6) jazz bassist Charlie Haden turns 65. As a child he sang with his family on their country music radio show. Later he worked with Ornette Coleman when Colemans music created controversy and sometimes provoked a violent response by listeners. Haden has also worked with Art Pepper, and Paul Bley, and he's recorded with many artists including Abbey Lincoln, Bill Frisell, Joshua Redman, Rick Lee Jones, and more. Hadens own groups include the Liberation Music Orchestra and Quartet West which he formed to play music of the 1940s and early 50s.
Director Sam Mendes. He made his feature film debut in 1999 with American Beauty which won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Mendes also won an Oscar for directing. Prior to that Mendes made his mark directing theatre productions in London (revival of Cabaret and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice)and on Broadway (The Blue Room). He directed the new film Road to Perdition starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law.
Writer Max Allan Collins. His graphic novel Road to Perdition is the basis for the film. Mickey Spillane said of the novel, "I know mysteries, and I know comics and Road to Perdition is one great ride!" Collins twice won the Private Eye Writers of Americas Shamus award for his Nathaniel Heller historical thrillers, True Detective and Stolen Away. His comics credits include Dick Tracy, Batman, Ms Tree and Mike Danger.
In June the Writers Guild Foundation held its 2002 Film and Television Writers Forum, called "Words into Pictures." The forum focused on the role of the writer in film and television. We feature highlights from the forum. Participants included David Milch of NYPD Blue, Stephen Gaghan of the film Traffic and Aaron Sorkin of The West Wing.
Freelance firefighter Peter Leschak has battled forest fires in the Northwoods and the West for over 20 years. Hes written several works of nonfiction as well as a memoir, Hellroaring. His new book is Ghost of the Fireground: Echoes of the Great Peshtigo Fire and the Calling of a Wildland Firefighter. (HarperSanFrancisco). Its about the 1871 wildfire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin which was the deadliest fire in North American history. Coincidentally it started the very day and hour as the Great Chicago Fire.
Investigative reporter Michael Berens writes for the Chicago Tribune. His recent series of articles is about the epidemic of life-threatening infections that occur in America's hospitals. He reports that infection rates are soaring and they are exacerbated by hospital cutbacks and carelessness by doctors and nurses. Deaths caused by hospital germs are now the fourth-leading cause of mortality among Americans, and can largely be prevented. Plus the problem is often kept secret by hospitals and it persists because of a lack of government oversight.
Veteran registered nurses Kim Armstrong and Audrey Ludmer. Armstrong is currently working in obstetrics with high-risk labor and delivery in the Seattle area. Ludmer works in a peri-operative care center for endoscopy patients in the Manhattan area. Both will talk about how the nursing shortage and hospital cutbacks have affected hospital health care.
Pianist and singer Michael Feinstein. His repertoire is American popular song and he is a collector of vintage recordings and musical memorabilia. In the fall he plans to release a collection of radio duets by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, on his new record label Feinery. Feinstein released a new CD with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Feinstein and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (Concord).
New York Times investigative reporter Kurt Eichenwald. He covered the Enron scandal for the paper as well as related scandals. He's written about white-collar crime and corporate corruption for The Times for more than a decade. Eichenwald is a two-time winner of the prestigious George Polk award for excellence in journalism. He's also the author of The Informant, about the Archer Daniels Midland Corporation.
Songwriter Matt Dennis died Sunday at the age of 88. He wrote the songs "Angel Eyes," "Everything Happens to Me" and "Let's Get Away from It All." In the 1940s he worked with Tommy Dorsey as an arranger and vocal coach when he wrote his biggest hits. This interview first aired December 12, 1995.
