History

For today's entire show we excerpt portions of The New Yorker magazines benefit program Beyond Words in which New Yorker writers read the work of others on-stage. (Taped Thursday, Oct. 11 at Town Hall in New York City). Beyond Words benefits The September 11th Fund. David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker introduces the readings.

Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid. He's the author of the book, Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia (Yale University Press-2000). Rashid's book has been called the most in-depth study of the Taliban. Rashid is a correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review and the Daily Telegraph, reporting on Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.

After Maine Senator George Mitchell left office, he chaired the Northern Ireland peace talks. His book, Making Peace, is about his work on that negotiation. He recently headed an international panel examining the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.

His new book is Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade (Doubleday). It's the story of the battle for the Holy Land in the late 12th century. It begins as a dual biography of Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, Syria, Arabia and Mesopotamia, and Richard I, King of England, known as the Lionheart. The two men led the battling Islamic and Christian armies. James Reston is also the author of twelve books, including The Last Apocalypse and Galileo: A Life. He is currently a scholar in residence at the Library of Congress.

Documentary film director Ric Burns. He directed the 7-part Emmy-awarded winning PBS series, New York: A Documentary Film. The last two episodes of the series air on most stations September 30th and October 1st. Also commentator Peter Quinn who appears in the film. Quinn is a novelist, essayist and third generation Irish-American. He is the author of the historical novel Banished Children of Eve.

Anthony Vidler discusses urban planning and architecture in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Vidler is Dean of the Cooper Union School of Architecture and professor of art and architecture at UCLA.

Journalist Mark Bowden is a staff writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is the author of the award-winning bestseller Black Hawk Down about the 1993 ill-fated mission by the U.S. in Somalia. Theres currently a film adaptation of the book. Hes also the author of Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the Worlds Greatest Outlaw an investigation into the U.S. government's role in bringing down Colombian cocaine kingpin and terrorist Pablo Escobar. Bowden will talk about the U.S. military strategy in the war against terrorism.

The arts organization brought art, dance, and performance to World Trade Center Plaza. They had offices in WTC building five; a number of their artists had studio space in tower one. One of their artists, sculptor Michael Richards was killed in the attack. Liz Thompson was at a meeting in tower one when the attack took place.

TV critic David Bianculli reflects on televisions coverage of the attacks and the aftermath, and the transition to the new TV season next week.

Syndicated columnist and biographer Richard Reeves. His most recent book is President Nixon: Alone in the White House (Simon & Schuster). Hes also written books about Presidents Reagan, Kennedy, Clinton, and Ford. Reeves is former chief political correspondent of The New York Times. He is currently Visiting Professor of Journalism at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California.

Imam Sayed Hassan Qazwini is the religious leader of the Islamic Center of America in Detroit, the biggest such center in the United States. It includes a Mosque in which he preaches.

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. He covered the Middle East for many years, work that won him two Pulitzer Prizes. He's also the author of the book, From Beirut to Jerusalem. The book looked at the inside of Arab and Israeli power circles, and examined the intefadeh and the perceptions American and Israeli Jews have of each other.

Religion scholar and former nun Karen Armstrong. She is the author of many books, including, A History of God, an examination of the fundamentalist movement in Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faiths and Islam: A Short History. She's also the author of the bestsellers Jerusalem, and The History of God.

Journalist Ralph Blumenthal writes for The New York Times. He covered the trial following the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. He’ll discuss the information about the workings of Osama Bin Laden’s organization that came to light during the trial.

Journalist Benjamin Weiser (“WHY-zir”) writes for The New York Times. He covered the trial of the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Omaha, Thomas E. Gouttierre. He also served on the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission to Afghanistan, and is the American specialist on Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and South Asia at the meetings of the US-Russian Task Force on Regional Conflicts.

Investigative reporter Lowell Bergman is the correspondent on the Frontline documentary about Osama Bin Laden. Previously, Bergman's work exposing the tobacco industry became the hit film The Insider. He was portrayed by Al Pacino. Bergman is a contributor to The New York Times.

TV Critic David Bianculli reviews HBOs Band of Brothers.

We remember newspaper editor and anti-apartheid activist Donald Woods. His relationship with the slain black South African activist Steve Biko was dramatized in the 1987 film, Cry Freedom. He died yesterday in England, where he had lived for over 20 years. Well listen back to a 1987 interview.

Retired Lt. Col. Bradley Biggs was part of America first all-black paratroop unit called the Triple Nickles. The 555th Battalion of the 82d Airborne. The troop was trained to go to war, but instead was sent to the West Coast to fight forest fires started by Japanese balloon bombs. They were the first parachuters to fight fires, and developed many of the techniques used today. Later they became the first army unit to be integrated into the –regular— army during World War II. Biggs has written a new memoir, The Triple Nickles