Casey Miner

What we can learn from wild animals and the people trying to save them

Casey Miner — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:40:12 +0000

Audio available after 5pm.

There's an inside joke around KALW News: that when you can’t come up with a conclusion, you should just end your story with, "the future is uncertain." And in a way, that's the theme of Jon Mooallem’s new book. It’s called Wild Ones: A sometimes dismaying, weirdly reassuring story about looking at people looking at animals in America. The book looks at three different endangered species – polar bears, Lange's metalmark butterflies, and whooping cranes. But it's less about the animals than the people trying to save them.

Mooallem is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Magazine and Pop-Up magazine here in San Francisco; he's also appeared on This American Life and the Colbert Report. He spoke with KALW's Casey Miner about how he got started looking at animals – and people.

JON MOOALLEM: I think it's sort of miraculous that we're doing anything, you know I don't see grizzly bears trying to preserve other species.

Iraq and Afghanistan veterans face an uncertain future after war

Casey Miner — Tue, 14 May 2013 06:24:56 +0000

Since 2001, about 2.5 million people have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, at least a third of them more than once. When they return, many veterans need long term physical and mental care. But they often don't get it.

A ‘doorkicker’ on campus: UC Berkeley student and Iraq veteran tells his story

Casey Miner — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:10:36 +0000

For many of us, ten years can seem like a long time. Things that happened a decade ago feel far away. But for veterans of the Iraq war, and their families, ten years can feel like very little – because the damage wrought by that war is still right there with them.

BoomTown Sounds: San Francisco's sonic history

Casey Miner — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:17:00 +0000

Andrew Roth is a sound designer who re-creates soundscapes that no longer exist. You can hear his most recent work at the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco.

How do we define wilderness?

Casey Miner and Rai Sue Sussman — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:57:39 +0000

If someone told you they wanted to open a commercial business in a national park, your answer might be obvious—Who wants a McDonalds when you’re out in nature? But it can be more complicated than that.