Entire program – February 24, 2010

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Today on The World: Toyota’s chief appears before Congress to apologize; Also, the US government takes to the airwaves in Afghanistan to counter the Taliban’s radio broadcasts; Plus — a small village in Mexico keep its young people from migrating by teaching them to play music.

Toyota boss faces tough questions

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Some Japanese initially criticized the U.S. media coverage of Toyota as “Japan bashing.” But reporter Akiko Fujita reports from Tokyo that now those attitudes are beginning to change. Download MP3 (Photo courtesy of Kaustav Bhattacharya)

• BBC coverage
• FAQ Toyota recall
• What the recall means to Japan

Afghanistan’s “radio war”

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The United States government is mounting a counter-propaganda offensive in Afghanistan to combat the Taliban’s media successes. Journalist Douglas Wissing reports on the “radio war” raging in eastern Afghanistan. Download MP3 (Photo:Douglas Wissing)

• The Taliban conflict
• On The World: Behind Taliban lines

Russian radio takes over Vancouver airwaves

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Moscow is 11 hours behind Vancouver, so Russians are having a hard time keeping up with the latest Olympic news. That’s where the fast-talking, joke-cracking trio from Russia’s AUTORADIO comes in. They’re renting air time on a local Vancouver station, and thanks to Canadian laws Moscovites are getting a little bit of Canadian culture thrown in as well. The World’s Andrea Crossan has more. Download MP3(Photo: Andrea Crossan)

• BBC coverage of Vancouver 2010
• On The World: the numbers behind the Olympics
• Listen to Russian radio stations online

Oaxaca’s creative musicians

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The prolonged economic slump in the Mexican countryside has emptied some towns of their young adult populations. Preventing mass migration requires alternative income streams to supplement subsistence farming. Some towns make handcrafts or goods for niche markets, but one indigenous village in Oaxaca produces highly-skilled musicians. Shannon Young reports. Download MP3

Toyoda became Toyota

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Anchor Marco Werman explains how the car company founded by the Toyoda family switched the “D” to a “T” and became Toyota.

Compact cars on the rise + Hummer reader

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Even in the middle of recalls and a struggling economy, car companies around the world are looking to the future. And many of them are doing so by putting out smaller fuel-efficient models. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Paul Eisenstein, editor of DetroitBureau.com, who says America’s attitude toward small cars is changing.

Sportcaster’s Olympic moment

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Anchor Marco Werman speaks with BBC producer Ollie Williams, who got his big break in Vancouver when he was asked to do play-by-play commentary for an Olympic ice-hockey match.

Toxic assets turn valuable for Swiss bankers

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Some bankers at Credit Suisse were given toxic assets as bonuses last year. It was supposed to be a away for them to feel the pain of plummeting investment values. But this year, those assets have soared in value. Anchor Marco Werman gets the story from the BBC’s Alex Ritson.

Homeopathy in Britain

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British lawmakers have determined that homeopathy, a form of alternative medicine, is not medicine of any kind at all (beyond a placebo.) Britain funds four homeopathic hospitals in the UK, spending about six million dollars per year. The World’s Alex Gallafent reports.

• Parliamentary enquiry into homeopathy
• An array of responses to the enquiry, collated by the BBC
• Britain’s Faculty of Homeopathy
• Hpathy portal

Geo Quiz

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Our daily geography puzzler.

Geo answer

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Today we were looking for the body of water that served as the setting for the first Soviet Western. The 1969 film “White Sun of the Desert” was shot near the Caspian Sea. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with film writer Oleg Sulkin about the film’s director, who died recently.