The Hybrid Catfish

For this week's episode of the DNA Files, I'm pursuing the hybrid catfish. This is a fish that has been around for years -- it's a cross between a blue catfish and a channel catfish. The hybrid, as it's called, gets bigger, is more disease resistant, and processes fish food better than either of its parents.

I'll be taking you to a farm in Alabama's Black Belt, where thousands of pounds of the hybrid fish are harvested. We'll also hear from an Auburn University scientist who has spent years working on this fish. Some Alabama catfish farmers hope it will help make them more competitive against the cheaper foreign imports coming from Asia.

More on this story as the week progresses....

Butler

Pavarotti--more (history, etc.)

More on Pavarotti's life and death, again from AP:

The son of a baker who was an amateur singer, Pavarotti was born Oct. 12, 1935. He had a meager upbringing, though he said it was rich with happiness.

n his teens, Pavarotti joined his father, also a tenor, in the church choir and local opera chorus. He was influenced by the American movie actor-singer Mario Lanza.

"In my teens I used to go to Mario Lanza movies and then come home and imitate him in the mirror," Pavarotti said.

Singing was still nothing more than a passion while Pavarotti trained to become a teacher and began working in a school.

But at 20, he traveled with his chorus to an international music competition in Wales. The Modena group won first place, and Pavarotti began to dedicate himself to singing.

With the encouragement of his then-fiancee, Adua, he started lessons, selling insurance to pay for them. He studied with Arrigo Pola and later Ettore Campogalliani.

In 1961, Pavarotti won a local competition and with it a debut as Rodolfo in Puccini's "La Boheme."

He followed with a series of successes in small opera houses throughout Europe before his 1963 debut at Covent Garden in London, where he stood in for Di Stefano as Rodolfo.

Having impressed conductor Richard Bonynge, Pavarotti was given a role opposite Bonynge's wife, Sutherland, in a Miami production of "Lucia di Lamermoor." They subsequently signed him for a 14-week tour of Australia.

It was the recognition Pavarotti needed to launch his career. He also credited Sutherland with teaching him how to breathe correctly.

Pavarotti's major debuts followed — at La Scala in Milan in 1965, San Francisco in 1967 and New York's Metropolitan Opera House in 1968.

Throughout his career, Pavarotti struggled with a much-publicized weight problem. His love of food caused him to balloon to a reported 396 pounds in 1978.

In the mid-1970s, Pavarotti became a true media star. He appeared in television commercials and began singing in hugely lucrative mega-concerts outdoors and in stadiums around the world. Soon came joint concerts with pop stars. A concert in New York's Central Park in 1993 drew 500,000 fans.

Pavarotti's recording of "Volare" went platinum in 1988.

In 1990, he appeared with Domingo and Carreras in a concert at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome for the end of soccer's World Cup. The concert was a huge success, and the record known as "The Three Tenors" was a best-seller and was nominated for two Grammy awards. The video sold over 750,000 copies.

His name seemed to show up as much in gossip columns as serious music reviews, particularly after he split with Adua Veroni, his wife of 35 years and mother of their three daughters, and then took up with his 26-year-old secretary in 1996.

In late 2003, he married Nicoletta Mantovani in a lavish, star-studded ceremony. Pavarotti said their daughter, Alice, nearly a year old at the time of the wedding, was the main reason they finally wed after years together.

(At his death)...his wife, Nicoletta, four daughters and sister were among family and friends at his side, manager Terri Robson said.

A Week in Germany

For those of you who receive our newsletter Soundings, you may already know about my upcoming trip to Germany. I'll be going there Saturday to spend a week interacting with German news managers, politicians, and students.

The Radio Television News Directors Foundation chose me and 11 others from the U.S. to make the trip. They're going to keep me busy, but if I can carve out some time, I'll keep you updated through this blog and -- perhaps -- with some audio.

In the meantime, Brett Tannehill will be taking over the Morning Edition hosting duties during the next several weeks.

My next blog entry -- hopefully -- will be from Germany!

Butler

APR's Schedule Changes

I am thrilled to let you know that Alabama Public Radio will be airing the BBC World Service. It will debut on Monday, September 3rd, and it will air overnights from 1-5 AM on APR.

Here's a link to the BBC World Service website.

It's part of a broader schedule change that also starts Monday. Take a look at our new lineup.

Butler

Getting Used to 4 AM

Throughout the years, I've done tours of duty as an early morning news anchor and a regular substitute on the Morning Edition shift.

If you've been listening during the past few weeks, you've heard me on my current run as an ME sub. The rule of thumb is that it takes about two weeks to get used to getting up at 4 AM.

That includes a lot of little things -- forcing yourself up when the alarm goes off; making sure you get to bed at a decent hour the night before; setting your clothes out so you don't disturb your wife (too much); getting used to a new eating schedule; and trying to leave work around 2 PM (which hasn't happened yet, by the way).

In the meantime, I'm heading a search committee to hire a permanent ME host/reporter. I'll have more on that later.

Butler

Another Heat Advisory in Effect

The National Weather Service says it'll be hot again Thursday. In fact, the NWS has placed the state under a Heat Advisory until 7 PM.

And unfortunately, the heat is proving to be very dangerous. At least 12 Alabamians have died during the past month as a result of heat-related problems.

Here's a map of the affected counties. Use caution!

Butler

Protecting Journalists and Their Sources

As a journalist, I maintain professional standards (i.e. being fair and impartial) when covering news, regardless of what I think about an issue personally.

However, as a journalist, there are some issues that merit my full support. A federal shield law is one of them. There's a bill in the U.S. House called the ''Free Flow of Information Act.'' You can read it here. It's designed to keep the government from compelling journalists to disclose their unidentified sources in most (but not all) circumstances.

Alabama Congressman Artur Davis (D-7th) supports the legislation and is on the committee that sent the bill to the House. However, he says there are still some gaps in the bill.

I ran into Congressman Davis recently in Tuscaloosa and asked him about the legislation. Listen to what he said about the bill.

If you want more information, the Radio Television News Directors Association and the Society of Professional Journalists have great resources on their web sites.

Butler

Lots of Hot Here

It's still going to be hot this week. Here's what the National Weather Service released on Wednesday....

''Potentially dangerous afternoon heat and little overnight relief expected through Friday.

Well above normal temperatures are expected to continue across Alabama through the end of the week. Each day, temperatures are expected to be slightly warmer. As a result, the heat advisory will be extended through Friday.

A break in the record breaking heat is expected over the weekend when a weak front will move through the area late Friday night. Expect slightly lower temperatures and dewpoints through the weekend.''

Good luck -- and we'll keep watching the weather.

Butler

Hot Hot Hot!!!

It's going to be very hot for the rest of this week, so much so that the National Weather Service has already issued a heat advisory for Wednesday and Thursday. It's possible that the advisory could stretch into the weekend.

Daily temperatures will reach the high 90s and low 100s this week, and the heat index will go as high as 110 in some places.

Alabama isn't alone, though. The heat wave is gripping most of the southeast and midwest.

Stay safe!

Butler

Microbes in the swimming hole?

Did you hear this story on Morning Edition?

In the summertime, there's nothing more inviting than refreshing pools of water. Unfortunately, pools, ponds, rivers and oceans are also contaminated with microbes that could make you sick.

Fireflies and celebrities

There's news, and then there's commentary. You hear a mix of both on Alabama Public Radio.

Here are a couple of the more recent ones.

Catching Fireflies
On the parents’ list of favorite summer activities for their children, perhaps catching fireflies is somewhere in the top 10. For commentator Lisa Davis, it’s a family affair.

Sports & the Celebrity Spotlight
When photos of Tiger Woods' new baby landed in all the papers, it was just the latest sign that athletes are part of the entertainment world. Hollywood and its stars have long been intertwined with sports figures. Frank Deford comments on sports celebrity.

Eric Carle's Colorful World of Children's Books

Alabama Public Radio brings you interesting stories and interviews from NPR, PRI, APM and independent producers. Here is one such conversation.

On the 40th anniversary of his first illustrated book, Eric Carle has come full circle. His new book, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? will line bookstore shelves later this year, and Carle says it may be his last children's book.

Listen online to the story that aired on All Things Considered, along with an audio slideshow and other photos.

Upcoming Changes in News Department

You may be aware that the APR News Department is retooling itself to better inform our listeners and to enhance our coverage of important issues affecting Alabama and its residents.

We've recently closed the application process for two new positions in our news department -- morning host/producer and afternoon host/producer.

Over the next few weeks, a search committee will be reviewing the applications with the hopes of trying to get the best folks we can into these new positions. This expansion will help the APR News Department with our plans to redefine broadcast news in Alabama.

You'll learn more in the coming weeks.

Butler, APR News Director

Speaking of Pets

You've probably heard that it's important to get a good education. Well, that goes for pets, too. It helps them be better companions, and contributes to that special relationship between human and animal.

Learn more with the "petcast" from Alabama Public Radio.

Mindy Norton produces the two minute Speaking of Pets heard on-air each Saturday morning at 8:59. But if you miss it, you can listen to it online -- or sign up for the podcast.

Alabama on NPR - Drought

As severe drought grips the Southeast, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has declared 40 Alabama counties a disaster area. Riley also declared a statewide "Pray for Rain" campaign this past week.

Don Wambles, executive director of the Alabama Farmers Market Authority, spoke with Scott Simon on Weekend Edition Saturday.

The Internet Folk Radio List

The Internet Folk Radio List (TIFRL) is a free database of folk, singer-songwriter, and acoustic radio programs that is maintained by the staff of All Things Acoustic. Most of the programs are in North America, but listings throughout the world are included.

We provide TIFRL as a service to folkies everywhere that need to find folk music while traveling or surfing the Web, but it's also available to musicians looking to find folk-music disc jockeys and music directors.

TIFRL began life as a text file containing a few dozen programs. It was subsequently turned into a genuine database and has grown to include 556 listings. The core data were compiled by Jeremy Butler and the staff of All Things Acoustic. They've been augmented by singer-songwriter Diane Zeigler and updated by many hosts, program directors, and folk-radio enthusiasts.

TIFRL may be browsed or searched online or it may be downloaded in tab-delimited format (suitable for importing into spreadsheet and database programs).

We're currently updating the information in TIFRL, as we do on an irregular basis. If you've got a folk program you'd like to add, please fill out this form.

Avett Bros in Concert

After the fund drive, join us for another 25th anniversary celebration. APR is sponsoring a concert with The Avett Brothers (and guitarist Will Kimbrough). It's Saturday, March 31 at the Bama Theatre in downtown Tuscaloosa, Alabama. [More]

Fund Drive Fun

Alabama Public Radio is in the middle of fund raising for the Spring. If you listen, we invite you to become an official member of APR. Just click the contribute link at APR.org.

Cultural Crossover - Japan

Here's a new podcast from Alabama Public Radio. APR News reporter Courtney Bowland produces Cultural Crossover, a weekly series of interviews with international students and residents currently living in Alabama. Courtney's guests will provide a glimpse into their cultures while also turning the mirror on America's. It will update every Thursday. Courtney talks with two students from Japan in the debut episode of the podcast.

Cultural Crossover