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Wanna Bet?
To The Best of Our Knowledge
from Wisconsin Public Radio
Busloads of Senior Citizens roll onto the Reservation
for high stakes bingo. Lottery tickets show up on people's shopping
lists in 47 states. Practically every office has a pool on the NFL
or the Final Four or the outcome of the latest reality television
series. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, America's
obsession with gambling. Indian casinos. The lure of Las Vegas.
And the race horse that lifted the nation out of the Depression.
SEGMENT 1:
Kim Isaac Eisler is the author of "The Revenge
of the Pequots: How A Small Native-American Tribe Created the
Most Profitable Casino." He talks with Jim Fleming about Indian
casinos, admitting to the same ambivalence society feels. Casinos
are fun, but they're making too much money off their patrons.
Also, Sally Denton and Roger Morris are the co-authors
of "The Money and the Power." As they tell Steve Paulson, their
book details the hidden history of Las Vegas — the intricate inter-relationships
among organized crime, "black" money and political institutions.
People go to "Sin City" to have a good time, but the city is the
international capital of money laundering.
SEGMENT 2:
Anthony Zuiker is the creator of the hit
CBS TV series, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." The show is set
on the graveyard shift in the forensics office of the Las Vegas
Police. Zuiker loves the city and has lived there for over thirty
years. He tells Steve Paulson that getting the science right in
"CSI" is crucial; remembers how great it was when the Mob ran
Las Vegas; and admits he's the show's gambling expert.
SEGMENT 3:
Carole Case calls
her book "The Right Blood: America's Aristocrats in Thoroughbred
Racing." It's a history of New York's Jockey Club, the elite cartel
that controls the thoroughbred stud book. She tells Jim Fleming
who the founders of the Jockey Club were, how the Club has changed
with the times, and how racing has come to accept the presence
of gambling at the Track. Also, Laura Hillenbrand's book
"Seabiscuit: An American Legend" has been topping the New York
Times non-fiction bestseller list for some weeks. Hillenbrand
tells Ann Strainchamps how the story of this ugly animal with
a ferocious will to win reflects the history of the United States
as it left the frontier behind.
Cassette copies are available
at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 02-10-06-A.
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Books:
- Laura Hillenbrand,
Seabiscuit: An American Legend (Random House)
- Kim Isaac Eisler, Revenge of the Pequots:
How a Small Native American Tribe Created the World's Most Profitable
Casino (Simon & Schuster)
- Carole Case, The Right Blood: America's
Aristocrats in Thoroughbred Racing (Rutgers)
- Sally Denton and Roger Morris, The Money
and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and It's Hold on America
1947-2000 (Knopf)
Music:
- Kenny Rogers The
Gambler Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits EMD/Capitol
- Broadway Cast of "Guys & Dolls: Luck
Be A Lady Tonight MCA Classics
- The Who: Who Are You by Pete Townsend
(from TV Series)
- The Happy Cowboys from Wisconsin: Blame
it on Las Vegas from Two Happy Cowboys from Wisconsin
Waubesa Ranch Records (608-833-4045)
- Dan Fogelberg: Run for the Roses
Dan Fogelberg's Greatest Hits (Full Moon/Epic)
- Bob Crosy & His OrchestraThe World is
Waiting for the Sunrise from Jazz Age! Hot Sounds of the
20's & 30's (Past Perfect PPCD 78131)
Distribution dates:
Also this week: Hour Two: Mythmakers
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Questions and comments can
be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org
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