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Broadcast from the Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson Foundation Talk Studio, supporting arts and communications outreach

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Microfinancing is said to empower women in poor nations like Bangladesh, but women are also hit hardest by financial troubles.

Jun. 17, 2011

An appellate court in Bangladesh last month upheld the firing of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus as managing director of Grameen Bank, the institution he founded more than three decades ago. The controversy once again brought to light the heated debate over the effectiveness of microfinance programs. We’ll speak with two researchers about the truths and myths of micro-lending. And Worldview film contributor Milos Stehlik talks to Egyptian-American comedian Ahmed Ahmed about his new documentary Just Like Us. The film chronicles his tour with an ethnically diverse group of comedians in Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

 

Bad press and research put microfinance under new scrutiny

Jun. 17, 2011
The appellate division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court last month agreed that the nation’s central bank was justified in firing Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus from his post as managing director of Grameen Bank, the institution he founded more than three decades ago.

'Just Like Us' chronicles Muslim-American comedians’ tour of the Middle East

Jun. 17, 2011
The new documentary Just Like Us makes its Chicago debut today at the Landmark Theater. It chronicles what happens when a group of ethnically diverse comedians do a standup tour in the Middle East.

Disabled Laotians find refuge on basketball court

Jun. 17, 2011
In Laos, people disabled by polio or injured by unexploded weapons leftover from various conflicts often face stigma and stares.