Friday, March 18, 2005
Dispatches: At the U.S. Memory Championships
NPR’s Alex Chadwick speaks with Joshua Foer about his recent visit to the U.S. Memory Championship in New York City, where “mental athletes” compete by memorizing large lists of names and numbers in very little time. Listen to the segment.
Explainer: March Madness
Andy Bowers explains the origin of the term “March Madness” and its convoluted legal history. Listen to the segment.
Summary Judgment: Melinda and Melinda, Ice Princess, The Ring 2
Mark Jordan Legan takes a look at what movie critics are saying about this week’s major cinema releases, including Woody Allen’s Melinda and Melinda, Ice Princess, and The Ring 2. Listen to the segment.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Culturebox: Women on Newspaper Op-Ed Pages
Are female columnists being shoved to the margins of the nation’s top newspaper editorial pages? Dahlia Lithwick talks with NPR’s Alex Chadwick about the growing debate over gender representation in newspaper opinion sections. Listen to the segment.
Best Policy: Classifying Once-Open Fed Documents
Why are some government agencies now keeping once-public documents under wraps? NPR’s Alex Chadwick speaks with Steven Aftergood about U.S. government efforts to “classify” documents that had previously been accessible to the public. Aftergood serves as director of the project on government secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists. Listen to the segment.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
History Lesson: American History for Dummies
David Greenberg offers his take on the recent book The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History. The book, touted as a conservative “revisionist history” of American politics, was written by Thomas E. Woods Jr., an assistant professor at Suffolk County Community College in New York, and has recently worked its way onto the New York Times bestseller list. Listen to the segment.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Explainer: Major League Subpoenas
Major League Baseball players have been subpoenaed to testify before a congressional committee investigating the league’s steroid policy, but some say they don’t want to appear. The committee chairman has warned that not testifying could lead to contempt of Congress citations. How would a cited player be punished? Daniel Engber offers an explanation. Listen to the segment.
Human Nature: Stem Cell Debate
NPR’s Madeleine Brand speaks with Will Saletan about new developments in the debate over stem cell research. One biologist is hoping to diffuse some of the ethical debate by proposing the use of a new technology to create stem cells without creating a fully formed embryo. Listen to the segment.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Well-Traveled: A Talking Tour of Beirut
NPR’s Madeleine Brand talks with Lee Smith about his recent travels through Beirut, Lebanon, and his recommendations for people visiting the city. Listen to the segment.
