Word of Mouth Past Shows

Today on Word of Mouth, the people’s medicine. While millions of Chinese have risen out of poverty in the past decade, China’s state-run health care system is feeling the strain. We’ll take a look at China’s attempts to fix its broken medical system, and look for lessons for America. Also, an Islamic-American family aspires to build trust and understanding between Muslim teens and their peers. And measuring the carbon footprint of your pet dog or hamster. All that and a visit to HackDay, where circuit benders and music geeks converge.

(Photo by Rich Orris via Flickr/Creative Commons)

Today on Word of Mouth, unruly kids and the parents who try to control them. We’ll discover the upside for kids who break the rules. Then, film critics turn their sharp tongues on each other to ask, “do film critics still matter?” Plus, the enchanted broccoli food network. The Moosewood Cookbook author Mollie Katzen joins us in the studio to talk about her newest recipes and new food-TV inspired videos that urge us to get cooking. Let’s hope she likes the blueberry clafoutis we made for her. Then, a gifted writer and a pair of Bronx teens bring stories of love, drugs and trouble to students in rural New Hampshire.

(Photo by Brady Carlson)

Today on Word of Mouth, keeping score on climate change. A Manchester-based non-profit separates the truly green from the greenwashers. And, giving surgeons a pre-op edge: modeling individual human skulls in resin. And from Napster to Craigslist, the most important Internet moments of the decade. Plus, generation recession – what are the longterm effects of nearly 20 percent unemployment among 16-24 year olds? Plus, opening a restaurant is always risky – but an economic downturn might be the perfect time to launch that quaint French bistro you’ve been dreaming of.

(Photo courtesy Anatomics)

Today on Word of Mouth, reporters as guinea pigs. First a science reporter gets tested to find out which synthetic chemicals are hiding in her body, and discovers that many remain in the bloodstream for decades. And can LSD and ecstasy treat cluster headaches and obsessive-compulsive disorder? A reporter participated in one of the first clinical trials of hallucinigens since the 1960s. And the gourmet cider movement takes off in New Hampshire. Producer Avishay Artsy spoke to New Hampshire orchard owners about whether artisan cider has a place at the dinner table. Plus, pumpkin pie and community: artists, designers and residents in rural Alabama share pie and dialogue. And, private prisons as investment opportunities - what do for-profit prisons mean for the American system of justice?

(Photo by Scott McIntyre)

Today on Word of Mouth, life after network TV. Comcast hopes to swoop in and add NBC to its media empire. Can a buyout save the beleagured network? Plus, high school students flock to the first ever New Hampshire Tech Fest for a little hands-on fun with physics. And, we’ll hear the sounds of science, with the help of a few puppets. Then, a Russian poiceman blows the whistle on corruption, over YouTube. Plus, DIY video game designers leave the blood and gore to the big guys and create existential video games for the indie set.

(Image courtesy David Hellman)

Today on Word of Mouth, the counter-counters. A growing number of people are slamming the door on the census takers. And, mortgaged for life. An investigative reporter discovers that the private student loan market has ripped a page from the subprime mortgage racket. And researchers are concerned about what gets lost when we become GPS dependent. And musician Shelley Short’s bohemian beginnings.

(Photo by Tim Ferguson via Flickr/Creative Commons)