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Last broadcast on Sun, 26 Jul 2009, 19:15 on BBC Radio 4.
Synopsis
Matt Frei presents an insider guide to the people and the stories shaping America today. Combining location reports with lively discussion and exclusive interviews, the show provides new and surprising insights into contemporary America.
Crime in the city
Crime appears to be falling in major American cities. But why? We speak to Ed Norris, Baltimore's former police commissioner, now a radio talk show host and Cecil Thomas formerly with the Cincinnati Police Department, now a Cincinnati councilman about what works, and doesn't, in their back yards.
Cecil Thomas
Ed Norris
Soccer: the beautiful game
What will it take for Americans to fall in love with soccer?
Despite the appeal of David Beckham, the American public seems resolutely uninterested in the appeal of the beautiful game. Matt is joined by Grant Wahl. He writes about American sports for Sports Illustrated Magazine and is the author of the brand new book, “The Beckham Experiment.”
Also joining the discussion from Oregon is Buzz Bissinger. He’s a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and the author of, among other books, Friday Night Lights - an American classic about the glory of American football – that book went on to inspire a movie of the same name and a popular TV series.
Buzz Bissinger
Circles of Death
Why do Americans fear the humble traffic roundabout? In this massive nation there are only 2000 of what the American press dub "circles of death." Can traffic planners convince a sceptical nation of their value?
Matt is joined by Tom Vanderbilt, author of How We Drive.
Tom Vanderbilt
Broadcast
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Sun 26 Jul 200919:15
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