Charlotte Blogs

Novelist and Author of Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Terry McMillan joins us. Millions of people all over the world have read her books, three of which have been made into movies. Her life hasn’t always been charmed however, as she has navigated difficult relationships and failed marriages, all while raising a child and writing novels. She joins us to discuss her life and career.
Guest
Terry McMillan – Author of Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back

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Many men find it difficult to talk about their struggles- from career issues to marital and family challenges. This inability to discuss personal hurdles can lead to a feeling of desperation, depression, divorce or even violence. Our guests today have been working on getting men more comfortable in talking with each other and their significant others about difficult topics. We’ll discuss why men have trouble communicating about their troubles and ways to help change this trend.
Guests
Jerry Hancock – Director, Men In Balance and Host of WTVI’s Final Edition
Philip Loydpierson – Marriage & Family Therapist, Founder of Joshua Project
Dr. John Rowe – Therapist and Director, Davidson UMC Counseling Center

• More information about Men In Balance

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Part One: A Look Back at “Angels in America” in Charlotte
More than a decade ago, the Pulitzer-Prize winning play “Angels in America” opened in Charlotte, to controversy. Heated debate focused on the country funding of the production, which included male frontal nudity. The controversy is now the centerpiece of the comedy “Southern Rapture,” debuting in Charlotte this week. We’ll hear about the fight for freedom of expression vs. public funding of art back then and how things have changed.
Eric Coble - Playwright, Southern Rapture, Actor’s Theatre Charlotte
Chip Decker – Director, Southern Rapture, Actor’s Theatre Charlotte

• More information about Southern Rapture at Actor’s Theatre Charlotte

Part Two: Masterworks from New Orleans Museum of Art
Works by some of the most famous Masters in fire art are currently on display at the Mint Museum of Art. The exhibit comes from the New Orleans Museum of Art, where dramatic efforts were made by museum workers there to save these precious works from destruction during Hurricane Katrina.
John Bullard – Director, New Orleans Museum of Art
Charles Mo – Director of Fine Arts, Mint Museum of Art

• More information about Masterworks at Mint Museum of Art

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A conversation about Doc Graham, Archibald “Moonlight” Graham, who was fictionally portrayed in the 1989 film Field of Dreams. We’ll learn about the real life of Doc Graham, who studied to be a doctor while playing minor league baseball (for a few years with the Charlotte Hornets), his brief stint in the big leagues, and his eventual exit from the sport to be a doctor full time- where he did pioneering research on children’s blood pressure that is still being used today.
Guest
Brett Friedlander – Sports Columnist, Wilmington Star-News and Co-Author of Chasing Moonlight: The True Story of Field of Dreams’ Doc Graham

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If one good thing comes out of most recessions, it’s that economic down times are ripe for entrepreneurs and their ideas. Many big ideas started small on college campuses – think Microsoft. And investors have traditionally been attracted to ideas that come to fruition at Universities. We’ll explore the pros of being an entrepreneur in the current economic climate and how area institutions are helping.
Guests
Ken Paulus – Asst. Director, Business & Entrepreneurial Development, UNC Charlotte
Paul Solitario – Partner, Tobin Solitario Investment Banking and Founder, Wed3

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The Ambassador from Canada to the United States joins us to talk about our relationship with our northern neighbor. We’ll discuss our borders, security and how policy has changed since 9/11. Plus we’ll get Canada’s take on the new Administration in Washington and all the challenges they face internally- from the economy to the wars in the Middle East.
Guest
Ambassador Michael Wilson – Ambassador to the US from Canada
Since this conversation in pre-recorded, we won’t be able to take your phone calls.

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North Carolina is the least unionized state in America. We’ll look at the history of the union movement here and at the latest piece of legislation aimed at making the state more union-friendly. The Employee Free Choice Act has friends and foes. We’re joined by people from both sides of the issue as well as a labor historian.
Guests
Marybe McMillan – Secretary-Treasurer, North Carolina State AFL/CIO
Steve Gennett – Exec. VP, Carolinas Associated General Contractors
Dr. Gary Freeze – Professor of History, Catawba College

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They’re a familiar sight on high school campuses around the country, but after 9/11 and with the onset of two wars, military recruiters are under intense pressure to keep up quotas. Under that pressure, critics say that recruiters have resorted to questionable practices and deception to garner new soldiers. One group is trying to gain equal access to schools to warn students of additional “costs” of joining the military. We’ll hear from both sides to get the truth about recruiting.
Guests
Captain Banks – Recruiter, US Army
1st Sgt. Sharlene Gilmore – Recruiter, US Army
Chuck Fager – Director, Quaker House, Peace Activist Organization

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In the wake of Financier Bernie Madoff’s conviction for cheating hundreds of high dollar clients in his Ponzi scheme, we’ll meet with experts in the area of business and investment fraud to talk about greed, how easily it occurs, who is most vulnerable and the best ways to protect your investments.
Guests
Peter Anderson – Attorney, Anderson Terpening, PLLC
Kevin Walker – CPA, Certified Fraud Examiner, and Partner, Greer & Walker, LLP

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We’ll discuss the Civil Rights movement and its beginnings across the country and right here in the Charlotte region. We’ll discuss the battles over segregation in the post World War I era, the role Communism played in the early Civil Rights movement and we’ll also take a look at Nazi Germany through the eyes of African Americans in the Civil Rights movement.
Guest
Glenda Gilmore – Professor of History, Yale University and Author, Defying Dixie

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