James Fallows. He's the Washington Editor for the "Atlantic Monthly" and the author of a new book, "Looking at the Sun" (Pantheon). Fallows examines new political and economic systems that have arisen in East Asia which challenge Western principles of capitalism and democracy. Fallows argues the impact of Asia on the West has been hidden by America's false perception about the "success" of individual enterprise and rights in the area.
Dumisani Kumalo grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, and fled the country in the 1970s. Kumal is back in the country to act as a monitor for South Africa's upcoming elections.
Jennifer Irish is a human rights activist who is not optimistic about the elections. Irish is coordinator for the Network of Independent Monitors which is tracking election related violence.
Jazz pianist Fred Hersch. His new solo album is "Fred Hersch at Maybeck." Hersch recently revealed he is HIV positive and appears on several recordings to fund raise for the disease.
Iain Softley is the writer and director of the film "Backbeat." The film focuses on the early days of The Beatles when Stu Sutcliffe was the bass player.
We feature a new interview with John Waters on the day his latest film, "Serial Mom," is released. After the low-budget "Polyester," Waters went to Hollywood to make the big-budget films "Hairspray" and "Cry Baby." Waters still lives in Baltimore, where he was born. "Serial Mom" stars Kathleen Turner and Sam Waterston. Waters is also the author of several books, including "Shock Value" and "Trash Trio."
Journalist and author Lawrence Wright. Wright's latest book is "Remembering Satan: A Case of Recovered Memory and the Shattering of an American Family" (Knopf) Wright explores the nature of memory and the notions of recovered memory and repression. "Remembering Satan" is the story of Paul Ingram and his family. Ingram was a Washington state deputy sheriff. His two grown daughters accused him of sexually abusing them. They said that Ingram and other members of the sheriff's department had committed Satanic ritual atrocities.
Kemal Kurspahic. He was editor-in-chief of Sarajevo's only surviving daily newspaper, "Oslobodenje." ("Oslobodenje" means liberation in Serbo-Croatian.) Now he is Washington correspondent for the paper. It has been a trial to get out the paper each day. The staff braved sniper fire just to get to work. After the paper's high rise offices were gutted by mortar fire, publication was transferred to an underground bunker. Three staffers were killed covering the war and Kurspahic himself was wounded.
Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews "The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes" by Janet Malcolm (Knopf). The book is a reflection on the various attempts by biographers to chronicle the life of the late poet Sylvia Plath.
We pay tribute to Professor and filmmaker Marlon Riggs, who died Tuesday. His film about gay black sexuality, "Tongues Untied," unleashed a storm of controversy for its graphic content; it was used by Senator Jesse Helms (Republican, North Carolina), to argue against government grants to the arts. Another RIGGS film was "Color Adjustment," a critique of prime time TV's myths and messages on American race relations. RIGGS was on the faculty of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley. (Rebroadcast of 7/11/1991)
Pro-gun activist Neal Knox. Knox is a powerful weapon for those who abhor any regulation of firearms. Champion target shooter and former gun journalist, he is considered the most influential voice in the National Rifle Association. He has been called the NRA's "spiritual master." He is a hardliner who believes that the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the individual an absolute right to keep and bear guns.
Mexican author Carlos Fuentes. Mexico is in flux. On New Years Day, a violent peasant uprising broke out in Chiapas, and thru negotiations, the Zapitistas (as they call themselves) reached a tentative agreement with the government. Then frontrunner presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio was assassinated as he campaigned in Tijuana. The Mexican government says at least seven people conspired in the killing. Fuentes will discuss recent events in Mexico and the history that shaped them.
Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the recent body of work by British actor Hugh Grant. Grant appears in three new movies: "Bitter Moon," "Sirens" and the very popular "Four Weddings and a Funeral."
Selig Harrison spent four years as Washington Post Bureau chief in Japan, and is now Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He argues that the nuclear threat posed by North Korea is overstated -- that they are using the "nuclear card to get diplomatic recognition and economic help." Negotiations offer a chance for nuclear disarmament and dismantling throughout the area.
