John Terrett

John Terrett's picture
John Terrett
Correspondent | United States
Biography
John Terrett is a Washington DC based correspondent for al Jazeera English.

Latest posts by John Terrett

By John Terrett in Americas on May 18th, 2012

"Shall I put on my white lab coat for you?"

"Yes!", oh, er, I mean yes please, if you wouldn't mind Sir!

That was a brief exchange between me and Professor David Mullin in his tiny two-room laboratory at Tulane University in New Orleans.

As a TV guy I'm slightly embarrassed to admit to you that when your guest is a scientist and he's offering to put on a white coat for an on-camera interview - well - let's just say - that's a gift from God - it really is. We're all about images in TV you see - very important.

By John Terrett in Americas on May 9th, 2012
GALLO/GETTY photo

Children's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak wrote and illustrated dozens of books, but made his name with the 1963 story of Max the little boy in, Where The Wild Things Are.

Max was sent to bed without any supper for being naughty only to dream of monsters who think that he - Max - is the scariest thing they've ever seen.  

It has a happy ending because when Max wakes up his supper is waiting for him on his bedroom table and it's still hot.

The book is a childhood favourite, so much so, that at last month's Easter egg roll at the White House, US President Barack Obama read it to a group of kids on the lawn.

Some children were absolutely terrified by the monsters in Where The Wild Things Are, others adored them.

'Tattered' life

Sendak, who was a famous, old curmudgeon in real life, always insisted on two things.  

One, he would never lie to children.  

By John Terrett in Americas on April 25th, 2012
A close-up view of Eros, an asteroid with an orbit that takes it somewhat close to Earth [AFP]

A group of US billionaires is planning a daring space mission to extract fuel and precious metals from asteroids as they whiz past Earth at millions of kilometres per hour.

The entrepreneurs include film director James Cameron, Google bosses Larry Page and Eric Schmidt and the space tourism pioneer Eric Anderson.

They're not the first to announce plans to mine asteroids in space, but they are the best funded.

A group of US billionaires is planning a daring space mission to extract fuel and precious metals from asteroids as they whiz past Earth at millions of kilometres per hour.

Tags:
By John Terrett in Americas on April 14th, 2012
Photo: Reuters
In common with many people around the world, I've been fascinated with the Titanic story ever since I first heard about it as a young boy growing up in southern England.
 
I've always felt a tiny bit invested in the saga too because my grandfather was a merchant seamen based in Titanic's home port, Southampton, and occasionally we'd visit him at the docks.  I can still picture the big liners, the giant ropes tethering them and the huge cranes filling their holds.
 
Then, as a young man, I had several friends who worked at BBC Radio Solent, the area's main local radio station, in whose building, South Western House, Titanic's passengers spe
Tags:
By John Terrett in Americas on March 30th, 2012

Over the years, the reputation of teachers in the US has taken a bit of a pounding.

It's unfair,  in my view, as I've never met a bad teacher yet in all my years of dealing with them in my hometown and further afield.

Nonetheless, conservatives in particular seem to be willing to bash the profession and its trade unions on a regular basis for one reason or another.

I was intrigued, therefore, by an idea taking root in the state of West Virginia where a major teachers' union - The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) - is teaming up with some pretty big US corporations - and you can't get more conservative than those guys - to help out ailing schools.

The project is taking place in McDowell County, an area that faces tough economic challenges and whose school test results have been among the lowest in the country.

The initiative, called "Reconnecting McDowell", aims to turn things around in five years.

I met Jim Brown, the su

By John Terrett in Americas on March 24th, 2012

 

In Washington DC the official emblem of springtime is the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

Almost 4,000 cherry trees bloom for just a handful of days each year near the city's famous National Mall.

This year is special as it is exactly 100 years since the trees were given to the city as a sign of friendship by Japan.

By John Terrett in Americas on March 14th, 2012


"Hotspot, hotspot"

That's Mark ... a popular guy.

Tags:
By John Terrett in Americas on March 8th, 2012
Photo by EPA
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering one million dollars for information leading to the safe return of one of its former special agents.

Bob Levinson has not been seen in public since he travelled to Iran in 2007.

It's thought he's being held hostage in the border region of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

By John Terrett in Americas on February 21st, 2012



A family of five from North Carolina is on the verge of being torn apart forever, if child welfare officials get their way.

The state's social services department wants the family's three children to be adopted by US foster parents, rather than have them live with their real father in Mexico.

He was deported just over a year ago and even though his wife supports the idea of the kids living with him, case workers doubt his accommodation in Mexico is suitable and they're pushing to keep the youngsters in the US.

I'm in the small town of Sparta to find out more.

Small town of Sparta

By John Terrett in Americas on February 19th, 2012

What do you do if you're one of those people whose health is affected by all those radio waves buzzing around our heads from mobile phone masts, Wi-Fi and even microwave ovens?

The answer, if you live in the US, is move to West Virginia.

For here exists the world's only National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ), set up to protect the sensitive telescopes of the country's biggest star gazing radio observatory.

People who claim to have been made ill by radio waves say they find relief from their symptoms when they're in the radio quiet zone.

I came to West Virginia to do two things - see the telescopes - and meet some of those who have moved into the NRQZ to seek respite.

It takes your breath away to see the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) for the first time.

Al Jazeera Live

Biography

John Terrett's picture
John Terrett
Correspondent
John Terrett is a Washington-based correspondent for Al Jazeera English.

What's Hot


Recent Comments

This work is licensed under Creative Commons. Please read our attribution policy.