The annual gathering of innovators and thinkers called the Idea Festivalbegins tomorrow in Louisville. The festival brings together some of the top talent from science, technology, business, the arts and other disciplines. One of the many presenters will be Connie Duckworth, a former Goldman Sachs executive who started up a program in which women in rural Afghanistan weave rugs for sale online and in the U.S. Participation in the program also provides them with access to education and basic health care."From our small start of 30 weavers, we have grown to be one of the largest private employers of women in Afghanistan. We employ over 1,300 people in seven different villages," she said. The program is called ARZU, which is the Dari word for hope. The festival will also include a demonstration of the IBM computer, Watson, a free roundtable discussion on aging and a tasting of farm-to-table foods.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.