NPR's Weekend Edition on KUER 1

How The Syria Debate Is Playing Out In The Middle East

editor — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:41:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

That concern is reflected in the Arab media. Ramez Maluf, head of the Department of Journalism at Balamand University in Lebanon, has been tracking that reaction. He joined us from our bureau in Beirut. And I asked him how invested people in the region are in the conflict in Syria.

RAMEZ MALUF: It's beginning to affect our lives. I mean, if you will keep in mind that in Lebanon the number of Syrian refugees is something like a million. It's a little bit more in Jordan, in Iraq as well.

How Possessive: The Apostrophe's Place In Space

editor — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:41:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm sure if I asked him, Will Shortz would probably acknowledge that the same people who really love words and word play also have a special affinity for punctuation. I would put myself in this camp. I have a lot of respect for a well-placed semicolon. But it's really the ellipsis that captures my punctuation imagination. To be honest, I've never much cared for the apostrophe. Maybe it's just too utilitarian.

Well, turns out I'm not the only one.

Political Takeaways: Headaches For The White House

Mara Liasson — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:41:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. President Obama will give a speech this week outlining his plans to make his counterterrorism policies more transparent. The address comes after a week that the Obama White House spent on the defensive trying to contain political fallout from multiple controversies. The IRS has been targeting conservative and Tea Party groups that applied for tax-exempt status, and the Associated Press revealed that the Justice Department had secretly obtained the phone records of its journalists.

Detective On Closing Case After Committing Decades To It

editor — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:41:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.

Earlier this month, three women held captive for nearly a decade came home. Amanda Barry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were rescued from a Cleveland basement where they had been held captive since early 2002. The case has generated worldwide attention, some of it fell on the Cleveland Police Department. Officers there had searched in vain over the years for the missing women.

Put On Your Thinking Hat

Will Shortz — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:28:00 +0000

On-air challenge: Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts with H-A and the second word starts with T.

Last week's challenge: From listener Al Gori of Cozy Lake, N.J. Name a famous American man — first and last names. Change the first letter of his first name from T to H. The result will sound like a term for an attractive person.

First Female Fighter Pilot: 'Attention Wasn't What I Wanted'

editor — Sun, 12 May 2013 09:27:00 +0000

Transcript

COLONEL JEANNIE LEAVITT: I was fascinated with flying. I loved everything about flying from the time I was a child. The more I learned about the more I just loved aviation and flying, and that's what made me want to be a pilot.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

But not just any pilot. This is Colonel Jeannie Leavitt, and pretty much from the time she learned how to fly, she wanted to be a combat fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. Problem was women couldn't do that until the early 1990s. That's when the Pentagon changed its policy.

Rhino Horns Fuel Deadly, Intercontinental Trade

editor — Sun, 12 May 2013 09:27:00 +0000

NPR's Frank Langfitt and Gregory Warner have teamed up for a series about how myth and money are driving extraordinary slaughter of rhinos. They talk with host Rachel Martin about the issue, which has repercussions from the African continent all the way to Asia.

Back From Brink Of Death, Corpsman Tackles 'Warrior Games'

editor — Sun, 12 May 2013 09:27:00 +0000

Three years ago, Navy corpsman Angelo Anderson was shot in his arm and leg in Afghanistan and he thought he was going to die. Sunday, he's competing at the fourth-annual Warrior Games in Colorado, along with more than 200 wounded service members. Eric Whitney of Colorado Public radio has this profile of Anderson, who credits the paralympic-style competition with restoring him physically and mentally.

How Different Cultures Handle Personal Space

Leila Fadel and NPR Staff — Sun, 05 May 2013 09:24:00 +0000

Our perspectives on personal space — the distance we keep between the person in front of us at an ATM, the way we subdivide the area of an elevator — are often heavily influenced by the norms of the places we inhabit.

Jerry Seinfeld once focused an episode of his sitcom on the concept of personal space, giving us a new term: the "close talker."

Of course, invasions of personal space aren't always merely awkward.

In Latin America, Obama Stresses Partnership

editor — Sun, 05 May 2013 09:24:00 +0000

President Obama traveled to Central America this weekend, to Mexico and then to Costa Rica, where he met with other leaders from the region. Host Rachel Martin speaks with Eric Olson of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, who attended the meeting.

Jumping Hurdles, Making The Grade For A Foreign Worker Visa

editor — Sun, 05 May 2013 09:24:00 +0000

Planet Money's Zoe Chace reports that the immigration overhaul bill proposes doubling the number of skilled-worker visas available to companies that want to hire foreign workers. But the application process is a challenge in itself. (This piece initially aired May 2, 2013, on Morning Edition.)

Xenia Rubinos: Adventures In Syncopation

NPR Staff — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:16:00 +0000

Brooklyn-based keyboardist and vocalist Xenia Rubinos likes to play with syncopation. Her debut album, Magic Trix, is based around rhythms that sometimes are identifiable as Caribbean, and at other times veer into the experimental.

"It's something I have a lot of fun with — just taking one rhythmic figure and turning it around as many ways as I can," Rubinos says.

Finding A Home After Sandy — Temporarily

editor — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:40:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Six months after Hurricane Sandy, nearly 1,000 New Yorkers are still living in temporary housing, hotel rooms paid for by the city.

DAPHNE MURPHY: My name is Daphne Murphy and I'm from Rockaway Park, Queens.

MARTIN: Daphne and her long-term boyfriend were living in a Rockaway Park bungalow when the storm hit.

MURPHY: I was in my apartment. It was very windy. We heard the water coming in. Then the lights flickered off. The water was coming in, rushing really quick into our bungalow.

From Coast To Coast with The Power Of The Sun

editor — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:10:00 +0000

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RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Later this week, weather permitting, a solar-powered airplane will take off on a trip from the San Francisco Bay area all the way across the country to New York. The Solar Impulse can fly both day and night. But it will take two pilots to pull it off. Swiss aviator Bertrand Piccard is co-founder and chairman of Solar Impulse. He and his business partner, Andre Borschberg, will take turns flying the craft across the States.

The NFL Draft: Football's Dog And Pony Show

editor — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:09:00 +0000

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF SPORTS THEM MUSIC)

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The 78th Annual National Football League players' selection meeting, what you probably think of as the NFL draft, well, it wrapped up yesterday.

What's Changed About Saving For Retirement?

editor — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:09:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We wanted to hear what younger people are thinking about when it comes to retirement and the viability of Social Security. Here's reaction from 20- and 30-somethings in Nashville, Tennessee.

ROD KELLY: I don't expect it to be there and I'm not planning on it to be there. I'm doing what I can right now to put into, like, IRA, you know, or Roth funds to make sure that I don't have to depend on it.

MORICO IRVING: It looks bleak. I'm expecting probably to be working through retirement.

Koreans In U.S. Have Mixed Reaction To North's Threats

Doualy Xaykaothao — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:09:00 +0000

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RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Here in the U.S., the largest Korean population is in California. It's actually the largest concentration outside of northeast Asia. People in that community have been especially alarmed by North Korea's recent threats. But as Doualy Xaykaothao reports from Los Angeles, many Koreans living there think the North's provocations are mostly bluster.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHATTER)

DOUALY XAYKAOTHAO, BYLINE: Backstage at Royce Hall Auditorium, members of the UCLA Korean-American Student Association are busy constructing stage props for their annual cultural night.

The Ins And Outs Of Obama's Social Security Plan

editor — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:09:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

One of the big issues when it comes to the debate over U.S. budget woes is entitlement reform. Earlier this month, President Barack Obama sparked controversy when he included a proposal in his budget that would slow the growth of Social Security payments. The idea was an olive branch to Republicans, who say entitlement spending must be reined in. But liberal Democrats argued, if anything, Social Security benefits should be more generous, not less.

Making Gains Abroad 'Begins At Home'

editor — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 10:41:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.

There's been a lot of talk about a red line this past week and whether the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria has crossed it. After U.S.

Leading Senate Democrat Has Concerns With U.S. Drones

editor — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 10:41:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. After the September 11th attacks, the U.S. Congress passed something called the Authorization for the Use of Military Force, and it gave the American government the authority to retaliate against those responsible for the attack. It was broad and general and it was supposed to be that way. The U.S. was at war against al-Qaida. Twelve years later, that same law passed just three days after 9/11, is the legal justification for U.S. drone strikes.

For Some Young Latinos: Donkey Jaws And Latino Roots

Maria Hinojosa — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:13:00 +0000

We love hearing stories of how you straddle all the different cultures in your life. That's why we're sharing this report, about retro-acculturation, from our friends at Latino USA.

The process of integrating into mainstream America is a complex one if you are an immigrant. Often, people lose touch with their country of origin.

But for people like Marco Polo Santiago, the reverse is also true. Second, third and fourth-generation immigrants are seeking out their roots and creating a trend of their own.

Santiago, 36, was born in Los Angeles and is also a native English speaker.

House Leadership Crashes Into Outside Hurdles On Bills

Tamara Keith — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:12:00 +0000

The House was set to vote this week on a bill modifying the president's health care law. The Republican bill was supported by the leadership, but ran into trouble and was pulled from the floor before the scheduled vote.

It's an example of the kind of obstacles Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, faces in getting legislation through the House. In many recent cases, his problem hasn't been the Democrats as much as members of his own party, backed by proudly conservative outside groups.

The health care bill was supposed to show the softer side of House Republicans.

New Jersey Homeowners Say Flood Maps Will Add Huge Costs

editor — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:12:00 +0000

Superstorm Sandy pummeled the East Coast six months ago, and, as with other natural disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was there from day one, finding people temporary shelter and later supporting rebuilding efforts.

FEMA also has a lesser-known role. It oversees the creation of flood maps, which model the risk of flooding in different areas during storms. These maps are also used to set building codes and flood insurance rates.

Vermont To FEMA: Put Us On The Flood Maps

editor — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:12:00 +0000

People in Vermont affected by floods in recent years now wish they could be included on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood maps.

The maps for the state are old and don't include flooding from fast-rising rivers and streams, the kind of flooding that tore up Vermont during Tropical Storm Irene.

Karin Hardy's house, built in 1850, once stood in Jamaica, Vt., across from the tranquil Ball Mountain Brook.

'Mixed Up Files' Author E.L. Konigsburg Dies At 83

editor — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:08:00 +0000

From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler introduced us to a spunky kid who, bored with the Connecticut suburbs, runs away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Konigsburg wrote more than 20 other books for children and won two Newbery medals. She died Friday at the age of 83.

Concerns Raised With Legal Issues In Bombing Case

editor — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:56:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings remains hospitalized this morning. He's being treated for injuries sustained in a gun battle with police leading up to his capture. At the same time - the legal case against 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is taking shape.

The Obama administration announced that it would question Tsarnaev without first reading him the Miranda Rights - the right to remain silent and have a lawyer present when questioned.

Underdogs Shine In Early Stages Of NBA Playoffs

editor — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:56:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MARTIN: We have officially begun the long, winnowing process known as the NBA playoffs. The first games were last night. NPR's Mike Pesca was watching. He joins us now. Hey, Mike.

MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: Hello.

MARTIN: So, let's recap the results for those of us who were not glued to our televisions last night.

One Amputee's Message Of Hope For Boston's Bombing Victims

editor — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:54:00 +0000

As Lindsay Ess watched the events in Boston unfold last week, she wondered if she could help the victims of the Marathon bombing. When she found out that many had lost limbs in the explosion, she knew she could.

Ess is a quadruple amputee. In 2006, she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. She underwent surgery for her condition, but it went terribly wrong. She developed septic shock, which lead to complete organ failure.

Boston Slowly Returns To Sense Of Normalcy

David Schaper — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:02:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

In Boston and surrounding communities, things are getting back to normal after a frightening week.

Runners Honor Victims Of Marathon Bombing

editor — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:38:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This morning, thousands of runners in London marked a moment of silence before the start of the London Marathon to honor the victims of the bombings last week. Security at the event in London is tighter than usual. It was the same for races around this country over the weekend - and similar tributes played out. According to USA Today, in Tempe, Arizona, some runners made t-shirts bearing slogans for Boston. During the Free State Trail Run in Lawrence, Kansas, competitors and spectators were urged to donate to Boston charities.