MPR - My Public Radio

In August 1964, in the central African country known today as the Democratic Republic of Congo, a militant rebel group called the Simbas seized nearly 2,000 U.S. and European citizens, many of them missionaries, and held them hostage in Stanleyville. On November 24th of that year, Belgian and American military forces mounted a dramatic airborne mission to rescue the hostages and crush the Simba rebellion. Recently, some of the surviving hostages, the pilot, and the airplane used in the rescue were brought together by a lucky chain of events. (Produced for VOA and AARP Prime Time, April, 2013)

Before I became a reporter, I was a medical epidemiologist with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and lived in Africa in the 1980s. I recently returned to the continent as a journalist and came face to face with a disease I had only read about in textbooks. Here are my thoughts on that experience. (Produced for The World, April 11, 2013)

The tropical disease known as lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis, affects 120 million people worldwide. The devastating parasitic illness causes lymphedema, in which legs, arms and genitals swell to enormous size. Now, a new public health strategy, tested in Nigeria by the Atlanta-based Carter Center, is raising hopes that this crippling disease can soon be eradicated.

They’re at a point in their lives where they could be playing with their grandchildren, working in the garden, or on a cruise, instead, these seniors are spending their leisure time eradicating polio in Nigeria. In December, 2012, I joined a 15-person team of Americans - all Rotarians - as they participated in Nigeria's National Immunization Days.

Georgia is well known for its agricultural products, like peaches, pecans, and chickens. Now in the tiny town of Camilla, one farm is turning out an unusual item that's in big demand in Europe's high fashion industry. (All Things Considered, October 8, 2012)

In the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s bluesman Blind Willie McTell traveled throughout the south, but Thomson, Georgia - his birthplace - was a frequent stopover. For the past 18 years, the city of Thomson has been celebrating its famous musical son by organizing The Blind Willie McTell Festival.

Jellyfish are a nuisance to fisherman and a hazard to swimmers. But some fisherman have learned that they are also a valuable export to China where they are a delicacy.

For the past 100 years, Grady Hospital in Atlanta has been providing health care to the poor and uninsured. In 2007, budget and staff cuts threatened the hospital's accreditation. Now a new board of directors is trying to balance the books. Produced for WABE, January, 2012

Can new management and program directions at Atlanta's Grady Hospital make a difference. Produced for WABE, January 2012

Can a system of primary care at Atlanta's Grady Hospital, make a difference? Produced for WABE January 2012

Can a computer make art? A group of scientists at Brigham Young University is attempting to teach a computer to do that. Produced for Studio360, WNYC December 2011 http://www.studio360.org/2011/dec/16/darci-computer-great-taste/

Slated for demolition, abandoned Georgia school gets reprieve

This month, on beaches up and down the U.S. east coast, tens of thousands of newly-hatched loggerhead sea turtles are emerging from the sand and instinctively crawling into the Atlantic. But very few of these baby turtles will survive. Philip Graitcer tells about a special turtle center in Georgia that’s trying to improve their chances.

A small company in middle Georgia is turning the tables on global trade - it's making chopsticks and sending them to China. And it may be the start of a new manufacturing trend in Georgia. Aired on All Things Considered, July, 2011

This is the season for communal meals - Easter Dinners and Passover Seders. In Mississippi Delta town of Greenville, members of the synagogue, Hebrew Union, have been hosting a community luncheon - called the deli lunch - for the past 130 years. But in the past four decades, the Jewish population there has been dwindling, and now they're wondering if there are going to be enough people to hold luncheons in the future.

The economic downturn has hit the Atlanta theater community hard. Some theaters have scaled back on productions or even shortened seasons; a couple went out of business. Philip Graitcer tells the story of how the recession has had a positive impact on one theater company.

Across the street from Turner Field, the Atlanta Braves home field, there is another game; it's a game of life. This story was an Edward R. Murrow regional award winner in 2007. It also won the GA Broadcasters Award for best feature and a Green Eyeshade Award. The Sisters and Bobby Dews are still on top of their games - with a new group of baseball fan patients.

At an intown Atlanta bar, one sporting event is in full swing. It’s the annual Gingerbread Trailer Park contest, an event with a whole lot more sugar than the Sugar Bowl. Philip Graitcer has the details.

When playwright David Bell and musical director JMichael sat down to write Gut Bucket Blues, a musical about the life of 1920s blues singer Bessie Smith, they knew her music would tell her story. But they didn’t realize they’d have to channel her to get it right. Philip Graitcer has this story.

Braves fans are still savoring their team’s roller coaster season and contemplating a future without manager Bobby Cox. Originally aired on NPR's Only A Game, October 16, 2010

After 41 seasons, Chicago White Sox organist Nancy Faust is retiring, bringing to an end a baseball musical era.Previously aired on NPR's Only A Game, September 18, 2010

If you were in Atlanta in the 1960s or 70s, you probably remember Piano Red. His rollicking piano was heard all over town. But 25 years after his death, Piano Red’s music is almost forgotten. A new CD - released today - may introduce a new generation of Atlantans to Piano Red’s barrelhouse blues. Philip Graitcer has this story. (Aired WABE, Atlanta, August 12, 2010)

Baseball is a game filled with tradition – like singing along when the organ plays “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” But in many major league ballparks, technology has replaced tradition - the organist is gone, and fans sing to a recording. At Atlanta’s Turner Field - home of the Braves - live organ music is making a comeback - with a 21st Century twist. Previously aired on WABE and NPR (Weekend Edition, Saturday): July 2010

It seemed like a crazy, goofy scheme. Kevin Salwen and his family sold their 7-bedroom home in Ansley Park and donated half the proceeds to charity Philip Graitcer has this story.

A new play by Out of Hand Theater is a true story of murder, suicide, and the overthrow of a beloved leader – sort of a modern-day MacBeth. The play, called Hominid, has 14 actors, 12 of them portray chimpanzees.

Tonight is the first night of Passover. And as Jews gather to tell the story of the their escape from slavery, there's another story that they could tell too - the story of one man, Rabbi Tobias Geffen, who in the 1935, infiltrated the inner sanctum of Coca Cola, and got the Coke executives to change the secret formula to make Coke kosher. Rabbi Adam Mintz, a professor of Jewish history, at Queens College in New York tells the story. Originally appeared on www.nextbook.org, April 6, 2009

Atlanta’s performing arts organizations haven’t escaped the country’s economic woes. One theater company has already shut its doors, and others are cutting back on productions. But in theater, the show must go on, and a few theaters are applying their creativity to finding ways to do just that. Aired WABE, Atlanta - March 10, 2009

Most people think folk music as a thing of the past. It seemed to disappear in the sixties. But if you search hard enough, folk music and the musicians who play it are still around. Art Rosenbaum has made it his life’s work to find and record it. He’s become the Indiana Jones of folk music. Independent producer Philip Graitcer traveled with Rosenbaum to visit a few traditional musicians. Originally aired on Weekend America, January 24, 2009

If you’re shopping for a friend or relative who is blind, things like a flat screen TV or digital camera are probably not on the top of your list, but there are other items – like talking scales, scanners and games that could be just the thing for a person who has limited vision.aired December 19, 2008 on WABE: Atlanta

Fifty years ago this Sunday, on October 12, 1958, 50 sticks of dynamite exploded at The Temple, Atlanta’s oldest and most prominent Jewish congregation. The attack, later linked to a white supremacist group, may have been meant to intimidate Jews, but, it had the opposite effect. Aired on WABE, Atlanta, October 10. 2008

The Army says mixed martial arts fighting - a mix of boxing, judo, karate and wrestling - is tailor-made for combat. But mixed martial arts fighting is not just a training strategy. Since the sport is also wildly popular among 18- to 25-year-old guys, it's a useful tool for the Army to attract new recruits. This weekend, the Army's best fighters will compete for the title of All Army Combatives Champion. Aired on Weekend America, October 4, 2008

Soul singer Otis Redding’s stardom was short; he died less than five years after his first hit. Today , September 9, Redding would have been 67, and at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon, Georgia, there’s a special exhibit that celebrates his life. Philip Graitcer was there. Aired on Tapestry, WBHM, Birmingham, September 11, 2008

At one Stone Mountain, Georgia, elementary school, a typical day is more than just math, reading or language arts; many of the students are refugees from more than 40 countries, and the school’s trying to build an international community. Philip Graitcer has this story. Aired WABE, Atlanta, August 19, 2008

In Atlanta on Independence Day, a new monument, the Millennium Gate, will open to the public. It cost 18 million dollars to build and is the brain child of a wealthy Atlantan, Rodney Mims Cook. He says it’s his gift to the city. Philip Graitcer has the story. Originally aired on NPR, Morning Edition, July 4, 2008

For most sons, dads are their personal heroes. But when Morton Broffman died in 1992, one of his sons wanted others to know how important his father was. Philip Graitcer has this story. Aired on WABE, Atlanta, June 15, 2008

To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of - “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” – major league baseball teams are auditioning their fans to find the most talented performers of that iconic song. The national winner will sing at July’s All-Star Game. At Turner Field in Atlanta, home of the Braves, the search has taken on the proportions of an American Idol contest. Philip Graitcer has this story. originally aired on Weekend Edition, Saturday, May 17, 2008

During the 1940s and 50s, field recordings made by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress introduced Americans to traditional music and led to the folk revival. Coffee houses, hootenannies, and groups like The Weavers and the Smothers Brothers took the country by storm. By the mid-1960s, rock and roll and the British invasion had captured America’s listening tastes. Folk music disappeared, and some thought it was dead. But a recent release of field recordings of folk music shows that traditional music is still alive, and one Athens, Georgia man has made it his life’s work to find and record it.originally aired on Studio360, May 2, 2008listen to other shows on studio360.org

Forty years ago today, April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis. As with the death of John F. Kennedy, many people remember where they were and exactly what they were doing when they first heard the news. Reporter Philip Graitcer spoke with seniors at the Helene S. Mills Center in Atlanta’s Fourth Ward. Aired WABE, April 4, 2008

Inspired first by Alex Haley’s autobiography Roots and now, by websites, DNA testing, and the PBS show African American Lives, more African Americans are researching their own family’s heritage. But as Philip Graitcer recently learned, unlocking those family secrets is not an easy task. Aired WABE, February 26, 2008

Computer technology has streamlined banking. Most of the time, that’s to our benefit - we can pay our bills online and get cash from an ATM. But there is a dark side, too – computers make it easier to commit bank fraud. Philip Graitcer takes a look at how one businessman became a victim. Aired WABE, January 21, 2008

Anyone can be a victim of identity theft. According to a Federal Trade Commission report, over 8-hundred cases of identity theft are reported in Atlanta each year, Philip Graitcer reports that identity theft can be a devastating crime with lasting impact. Aired WABE January 20, 2008

It takes lots of work to be a Santa Claus. They have to look the part too. Early preparations take place in a beauty shop in Atlanta where aspiring Santas with real beards come to get their hair and whiskers bleached to a snowy white. From Atlanta, Philip Graitcer reports. NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, December 22, 2007

Arvel Bird plays a style of music that is hard to classify. Its been called Celtic, Native America, and World Music. Whatever his fans chose to call it, it’s a style that’s firmly rooted in his family background. Aired on WABE, November 22, 2007

In the United States, autumn is the time for outdoor festivals. There are festivals celebrating Greek culture, folk music festivals, and even festivals to celebrate historic cemeteries. One of the most unusual festivals is the Oliver Hardy Festival that recently took place in Harlem, Georgia, a town of 2,000 about 30 miles west of Augusta in the southern state of Georgia Philip Graitcer traveled from Atlanta to see it. Aired WABE, October 8, 2007

Baby boomers have redefined retirement. They’re more active, and instead of playing mah-jong, they’re starting new careers and volunteering in their communities. Now, the Peace Corps wants them to go overseas. They’re launching a new initiative to recruit volunteers over 50. From Atlanta, Philip Graitcer has this story. Originally aired The World, October 3, 2007

2008 Winner Edward R. Murrow Award, Region 13 2008 Winner Green Eyeshade Award, Society for Professional Journalists Atlanta’s Turner Field is a lively place. It’s the home of the Atlanta Braves, where thousands cheer young men playing baseball. But less than a fly ball away from home plate sits another kind of home, a hospice for cancer patients, where much older men and women play out the game of life. Philip Graitcer has this story about two men whose lives were touched when they crossed the street that separates the hospice and the stadium. Originally appeared on Georgia Gazette 8/31/07, NPR Weekend Edition-Saturday, 9/15/07

In a parking lot alongside the traffic-snarled Downtown Connector, a car moves along the pavement, between yellow lines and around traffic cones. Georgia Tech scientists are hoping that this car may one day help improve Atlanta’s traffic. Aired WABE June 9, 2007

Don’t expect to go to a play at the Out of Hand Theater and just sit back and watch. At a performance, you could be frisked, have your cell phone borrowed, or meet with a life coach. It’s all part of a plan by Out of Hand Theater to make theater going fun and stimulating. As part of WABE’s continuing look behind the scenes at Atlanta arts organizations, Philip Graitcer has this report. Aired WABE, June 19, 2007

Bluesman Tommy Brown began singing, dancing, and telling jokes in Atlanta in the 1930’s. Today, 70 years later, he’s still performing. Aired Georgia Gazette, May 25, 2007

High schools can seem islands. All day long, students and teachers only see each other. But at 3 Atlanta private schools, there’s a program that is getting some students to see beyond the school walls. Aired WABE, Atlanta, May 28, 2007

A youth detention center is about the last place you’d expect to see theater. But an Atlanta theater company has been holding workshops to help some of the girls there learn about playwriting, acting, and themselves. As part of WABE’s behind the scenes visits to Atlanta arts organizations, reporter Philip Graitcer visited the Metro Regional Youth Detention Center to learn more about the Synchronicity Theater’s Play Making for Girls program.Aired WABE, May 21, 2007