NPR Programs: Talk of the Nation
NPR Programs: Talk Of The Nation
Journalist Neal Conan leads a productive exchange of ideas and opinions on the issues that dominate the news landscape. From politics and public service to education, religion, music and healthcare, Talk of the Nation offers call-in listeners the opportunity to join enlightening discussions with ...
Building A Better Lightbulb
The U.S. Department of Energy is offering $10 million to the first individual or company to develop an energy-efficient LED replacement for the standard 60-watt incandescent bulb. DOE lighting program manager James Brodrick discusses the L Prize, and ...
Giving Athletes A Heads-Up On Concussions
Football players take a lot of hits, but when does hard-headed play go too far? New research suggests that head trauma can do lasting damage. Two brain researchers talk about what happens in the brain when a player gets hit, and how athletes can better ...
Students Build Living Microbial Machines
At the 2009 International Genetically Engineered Machine competition, undergraduates from all over the world unveiled the living machines they'd created with snippets of DNA, from bacteria that change color when they detect pollutants to ones that ...
Considering Values In The Health Care Debate
As health care legislation moves through Congress, bioethicist Thomas H. Murray asks if enough attention is being paid to concepts such as justice, fairness and liberty. Murray and health care economist Len Nichols discuss the role of values in the ...
Poll: U.S. More Conservative Now Than In 2008
The GOP claimed victories a number of victories in the 2009 elections. And a Gallup study found American conservatives now outnumber moderates. Guests examine whether the U.S. is becoming more conservative, or if it's the definition of conservative ...
Has The Conversation About Race Changed?
President Obama became the country's first black president one year ago, and the term "post-racial" became a household phrase. But the conversation is far from over. What events of the past year triggered conversations about race in your life?» ...
Emoticon Inventor Marks Web's Birthday With A :-)
October 29th marked the 40th anniversary of the Internet. We'll talk with Scott Fahlman, the computer researcher who invented the virtual smiley face, about how emoticons and abbreviations have changed electronic communication.» E-Mail ...
'Obamanos!': One Year Into Obama's Presidency
Hendrik Hertzberg, author of Obamanos!, assesses the year since President Obama's election. And former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee and NPR political editor Ken Rudin talk about gains Republicans made in the 2009 elections.» E-Mail ...
Should Fashion Reflect Fantasy Or Reality?
The September issue of Glamour magazine features a model who is considered plus-sized. Cindi Lieve, the editor-in-chief of the magazine, and Washington Post fashion editor Robin Givhan examine whether or not the fashion industry is "sizing up."» ...
H1N1 At Work: If You're Sick, Stay Home?
The threat of the H1N1 flu virus has many employers taking precautions to prevent its spread in the workplace. And while it may be an easy decision to allow one member of staff to stay home with the flu, decision-making gets tougher when half of the work ...
Debbie Allen Loved Jackson's 'This Is It'
The movie about Michael Jackson's preparation for a series of concerts in London, This Is It, mixes rehearsal footage with production elements from the planned shows. Dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen loved the film.» E-Mail ...
Rocky Mountain Activist Carole King
Carole King's Tapestry has become one of the biggest selling albums of all time. Now, the singer-songwriter is focused on environmental activism, and is working to push Congress to pass a bill to help the Northern Rockies.» E-Mail ...
Drug Policy Changes Under New Director
The Department of Justice will no longer prosecute medical marijuana users who comply with state laws. Some reform advocates hope the move means decriminalization of pot may be in the works. Drug czar Gil Kerlikowske talks about the direction of U.S. ...
'Genesis': R. Crumb Illustrates The Bible
Underground comic legend R. Crumb has put the entire text of the best known book of the Bible into a graphic work. In The Book of Genesis Illustrated, he depicts it all, from the creation of the world to the death of Joseph.» E-Mail ...
Op-Ed: 'I'm A Doctor. So Sue Me. No, Really.'
As the debate over health care continues, members of congress and the American Medical Association argue that tort reform is key to reigning in costs. Dr. Rahul K. Parikh explains why he believes capping malpractice suits won't fix rising health care ...
Scozzafava Out In NY, NJ Too Close To Call
Voters in New York, New Jersey and Virginia head to polling stations Tuesday. Those voting in the Empire State won't find republican Dede Scozzafava on the ballot. She withdrew from the race in New York's 23rd congressional district on Sunday.» ...
Happy Birthday, Internet
On Oct. 29, 1969, around 10:30 P.M., a message from one computer was sent over a modified phone line to another computer hundreds of miles away. Some say the Internet was born that day. UCLA computer scientist Leonard Kleinrock, who was there, gives his ...
People ... People Who Eat People
In her book Dinner With a Cannibal, writer Carole Travis-Henikoff documents the long — and often hidden — history of cannibalism in humans. Travis-Henikoff notes that cannibalism wasn't always taboo, whether it be eating loved ones out of ...
A Head-Shrinker Studies The Zombie Brain
Psychiatrist Steven Schlozman recently expanded his practice from humans to the inhuman. Poring over his library of classic zombie films, he came up with neurobiological explanations for the behavior of the undead, such as lack of a frontal lobe and an ...