From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Woodstock, the myths, and the realities.

Hello again, I'm Armin Alney, and this is To the Poet from Public Radio International,

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

It's been 40 years since a half million young people turned up at a muddy farm in New York State for an event that's still celebrated as a major cultural moment. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll didn't begin at Woodstock, but the follow-up film brought the counterculture into America's mainstream. It was three days of peace and music that dramatized opposition to the Vietnam War

and raised questions about politics and commercial values.

At the same time, it popularized illegal drugs, helped create a conservative backlash,

and showed promoters new ways to make piles of money.

We'll look at the Woodstock Paradox. 40 years later.

First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation,

and the Skoll Foundation, supporting social entrepreneurs around the world, uncommon heroes dedicated

to the common good. Learn more at scole.org. Hello again, Warren Alney, back with To the Point.

Forty years ago this month, Woodstock was a musical concert that became both a cultural happening and a political moment that still inspires passion on the left and the right.

We'll find out why it's still worth talking about today.

First, this news update, the Dow Jones Industrial Average took a dive this morning, apparently in reaction to bad news about consumer confidence.

Instead of the rise that had been expected, there was a decline.

Michael Mandel is Chief Economist at Business Week magazine, author of a new textbook called

Economics, The Basics.

Good to have you back on our program.

Glad to be here, Warren.

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