Mary J. Blige Has the Best Song in the World Today

Filed under: The Best Song In The World Today

Mary J. Blige knows from miserable, and she knows from glory. She runs down the journey from the former to the latter on her new CD, Growing Pains.

Today, host Alison Stewart taps "Just Fine" from that record as the Best Song in the World Today. Sometimes, Alison says, you just have to look around say, you know, this life thing is all right.

If you'd like to pick the next Best Song in the World Today, drop a line in the comments, please.

Laura Conaway

1:01 PM ET | 12-31-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

 

Hey, 19! Want to Run a Country? Pakistan, Maybe?

Filed under: News

For the record, everyone in the world seems to be saying that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is not going to be the candidate for prime minister from his late mother Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party.

The 19-year-old did just inherit the party chairmanship, even if his dad is going to be making most of the decisions while Bilawal finishes his studies at Oxford. Whatever role he's going to play, the guy just got handed an awfully big title.

Anyone out there 19 and ready to lay out a plan for Pakistan? OK, anyone of any age? Hit the comments, please.

Laura Conaway

12:07 PM ET | 12-31-2007 | permalink | comments (21) | e-mail post

 

You Decide: The Tug Over the Pug

Filed under: Links From the Show, Media, Sound Off

Imagine if you were at home, just relaxing in front of the TV, when you suddenly see a picture you took of your beloved Fluffy or Fido appear on the screen. Sure, you think your pet is the cutest, but would you really want their image broadcast into thousand of homes without your permission?

One blogger in Maryland says that is exactly what happened to her, and she isn't happy about it. Tracey Gaughran-Perez says a picture of her pug Truman was ripped from her blog and used by Fox in a Holiday Greeting spot without her permission. Let us know what you think -- does that look like the same dog to you?

On the show: Copyright on the Internet.

Caitlin Kenney

11:15 AM ET | 12-31-2007 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

 

The Robo-Rundown for Monday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Win Rosenfeld

3:34 PM ET | 12-28-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Pakistan Blames al-Qaida, Taliban

Filed under: News

Pakistan's Interior Ministry tells reporters that al-Qaida and the Taliban were responsible for killing opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto after a campaign rally on Thursday.

Spokesperson Javed Iqbal Cheema says the ministry intercepted a note of congratulations from an al-Qaida leader after the attack on Bhutto. Cheema goes on to say that Bhutto was killed not by bullets or shrapnel, but by hitting her head on the sunroof of the vehicle she was riding in. As NPR reports:

Chema said she was killed when she tried to duck back into the vehicle, and the shock waves from the blast smashed her head into a lever attached to the sunroof, fracturing her skull.

Meanwhile, an advance copy of Parade magazine featuring Bhutto on the cover has landed in our office. I couldn't help noticing this quote from Bhutto:

"We must be out on the streets, or the terrorists win."

Check it out.

Laura Conaway

12:43 PM ET | 12-28-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Trouble Downloading the Show?

Filed under: Inside The BPP

If you've been having trouble downloading the show -- or getting the podcast, or iTunes-ing it, or whatever -- please know that we're officially on the hunt for whatever gremlins have lately been coming between us.

I'm here to testify that complete shows from yesterday and today have landed in my iTunes. If you've gotten bum ones or no ones, it's probably time to try again.

Or, you could download them straight from the source: today/ yesterday

Sorry for the hassle. Thanks for sticking with us. A fix is on the way. Promise.

Laura Conaway

11:36 AM ET | 12-28-2007 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

 

Rejected: A Jesus Graffiti Cartoon

Filed under: Stuff We Love

As Alison says, it's not that our standards are lower than the New Yorker's. It's just that our sense of humor may be sicker. Below, and on the show, are some of the latest cartoons rejected by the New Yorker. Thanks to Matthew Diffee for giving them a second life.

Two more after the jump.

Continue reading "Rejected: A Jesus Graffiti Cartoon" »

Laura Conaway

11:27 AM ET | 12-28-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Fresh Off the Wires: Bhutto Case Solved

Filed under: News

Our coverage of the Benazir Bhutto assassination continues. This just crossed the wires, as they say, from the Associated Press:

The interior minister says investigators have resolved the "whole mystery" behind the killing, and will give details at a press conference later today.

We'll keep you posted.

Laura Conaway

9:14 AM ET | 12-28-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Wow: NPR Interview Set to Bhutto Video

Filed under: News

Farah Ispahani, a member of Benazir Bhutto's media team, spoke to us Thursday from the hospital where former Pakistani prime minister was declared dead. Now someone has set that interview to the footage above. The result is amazing.

Writes Blogs of War:

One gets the impression that Farah is weeping not only for Benazir but for Pakistan. Who can blame her? It is such a great loss. Is there anyone who can fill this void?

Laura Conaway

8:55 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

 

Murder and Mayhem: Talking with a Pakistani Blogger

Filed under: News

Interview with a Pakistani blogger

We're still checking in on those blogs coming out of Pakistan and one of the most active ones is the the Pakistani Spectator. They've been updating their site at least every hour or so with breaking news they say is exclusive, hitting the blogs before it goes out on the national TV stations.

They've got 15 bloggers roaming the streets of Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi and other cities, filing their tales of murders, looting and fires from their Blackberries. One of those bloggers is actually the founder of the Pakistani Spectator, and we called him up to find out what he's seen today and how his countrymen are dealing with the murder of Benazir Bhutto. He asked us to keep his name confidential for fear of reprisals.

Here's some of his conversation today with the BPP's Alison Stewart and John Fugelsang.

. . . A mob just came out on the street, a very angry mob, and what they did they first set fire to a factory and then they started close firing. And there was an office of PMLQ there- the Musharraf loyalist party. They just start to attack that office and kill all the people that was in there; there was three of them I think.

Continue reading "Murder and Mayhem: Talking with a Pakistani Blogger" »

Angela Ellis

4:17 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Special Reports: Bhutto's Gone -- Now What?

Filed under: News

Special Report: Bhutto Killed in Pakistan Special Report: Bhutto's Gone -- Now What?

News that Benazir Bhutto had been killed in Pakistan broke about 20 minutes before our show today ended. We stayed on, live on Sirius and prepped here for the Web audience.

The complete podcast of today's show, including these blocks, is available now in iTunes. If the one you got today doesn't include a mention of Bhutto in the Description field, delete it and refresh. We got some amazing interviews today -- you wouldn't want to miss them.

Laura Conaway

3:27 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

 

Headlines Updated

Filed under: News

Looking back through this morning's Benazir Bhutto headlines, we get a pretty good history of what we thought, as we thought it. Even though the links below take you to updated stories, it's a little freaky to look at their original headlines now.

Pakistani Opponents in Gunbattle; 4 Dead
4 Killed at Pakistan Political Rally
Explosion Heard at Bhutto Rally
Suicide Bomber Targets Bhutto Rally
Bhutto Survives Rally Attack
Bhutto Critically Wounded in Bomb Attack
Pakistan's Bhutto Killed in Attack

Ian Chillag

2:47 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Bhutto: 'A Tragedy Like No Other'

Filed under: News

With a tip of the hat to Andrew Sullivan, this take on Benazir Bhutto from Adil Najam of Pakistaniat:

At a human level this is a tragedy like no other. Only a few days ago I was mentioning to someone that the single most tragic person in all of Pakistan - maybe all the world - is Nusrat Bhutto. Benazir's mother. Think about it. Her husband, killed. One son poisoned. Another son assasinated. One daughter dead possibly of drug overdose. Another daughter rises to be Prime Minister twice, but jailed, exiled, and finally gunned down.

Laura Conaway

2:30 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Pakistan Keeps on Blogging

Filed under: News

Global Voices Online is collecting the work of bloggers on the situation in Pakistan after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. It's worth a look.

Laura Conaway

2:27 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Bhutto Assassinated During Attack on Rally

Filed under: News

Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is dead following a suicide bomb attack on a campaign rally near the capital. We spoke with Kamil Siddiqui of News International about her legacy:

Win Rosenfeld

1:20 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Tomorrow: A Punk's Perspective on Pakistan

Filed under: News

Tomorrow on the BPP, we'll hear about the situation on the ground in Lahore, Pakistan, from journalist and blogger Basim Usmani. He writes for The Daily Times and Guardian Unlimited. Basim is also a part-time punk rocker with the band The Kominas, and he sums up the scene in Lahore like this:

You know that song "Riot" by the Dead Kennedys? It's kinda like that.

The lyrics of "Riot," if you're curious.

Ian Chillag

12:43 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Photo: Pakistan Is Burning

Filed under: News

Images of protest and rioting are filtering in from Pakistan, after the assassination of opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Thursday. After the jump, a pair of images rewind the action.

Continue reading "Photo: Pakistan Is Burning" »

Laura Conaway

12:36 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

After Bhutto: 'They Murdered Bibi'

Filed under: News

Got this e-mail from Farah Ispahani, a member of Benazir Bhutto's media team who was with Bhutto when the campaign was attacked after a rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Ispahani was running for a parliament seat as part of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party.

Ispahani gave a tearful report from the hospital where Bhutto died, and later sent us this message:

i am okay but they murdered bibi - people were so cynical about her. i knew her as a mother, as a freind and as a leader. she did not need to come to this country - she knew every minute of every day what she was facing. she really believed that pakistan was in peril.

NPR: Full coverage of the Benazir Bhutto assassination.

Laura Conaway

12:07 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Bhutto Before Return to Pakistan: "I Do Not Know What Awaits Me"

Filed under: News

On Sept. 20, four weeks before she returned to Pakistan from an eight-year exile, Benazir Bhutto wrote an op-ed piece for The Washington Post entitled "When I Return to Pakistan." Here's an excerpt:

Extremism looms as a threat, but it will be contained as it has been in the past if the moderate middle can be mobilized to stand up to fanaticism. I return to lead that battle...When my flight lands in Pakistan next month, I know I will be greeted with joy by the people. I do not know what awaits me, personally or politically, once I leave the airport. I pray for the best and prepare for the worst. But in any case, I am going home to fight for the restoration of Pakistan's place in the community of democratic nations.

Read the entire piece here.

Dan Pashman

11:00 AM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Sound Off: Bhutto Killed. Feeling Queasy?

Filed under: News, Sound Off

First the news said there had been a bomb blast at a Benazir Bhutto campaign rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Then it said the former prime minster had been hurt. And then it said Bhutto had been killed.

Don't know about you, I couldn't help feeling a little queasy in the newsroom -- if I'm not sure yet exactly why. You?

Laura Conaway

10:09 AM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (74) | e-mail post

 

News From the Ground: Pakistani Blogs

Filed under: News

Bloggers out of Pakistan are posting the latest on the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto's assassination. We put together some links for the blogs we're following by Pakistani journalists and citizens as this story continues to break. One blogger for the Pakistani Spectator describes grief and protest in the former prime minister's home town and surrounding areas . . .

In Larkana, the birth place of Benazir Bhutto, all the homes are fully covered in gloom and misery. Karachi is fully choked. There are reports from Lyari that armed people doing aerial firing, and tires are burning on the roads. Shahrah-e-Faisal is fully jammed, and same is the case on other roads of Karachi.

Let us know if you have a blog out of Pakistan you think we should add to the list.

The Insider Brief

Metroblogging Karachi

Pakistani Bloggers

Angela Ellis

10:08 AM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Photo: Moments Before Bhutto Attack

Filed under: News

Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan was killed today, and we're cranking away on coverage. The first interview is up, from the brilliant Kamal Siddiqi, editor of the Karachi News.

Laura Conaway

9:43 AM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Confirmed: Benazir Bhutto Is Dead

Filed under: News

This just crossed from Reuters:

Benazir Bhutto is dead.

We'll fill this in as we learn more. Bhutto had been seriously injured in a suicide bombing today in Pakistan. A report from 8:23 this morning said at least 20 people had been killed. Now it appears the former prime minister of Pakistan, who returned from exile this fall and was making another run, was also killed.

Right now, we're crashing together a segment on it for the show.

UPDATE: Kamal Siddiqi, editor of the Karachi News, is on the air right now. He says it's not clear whether Bhutto was killed by the blast or was hit in the neck by a bullet.

NPR's first full report is up.

Laura Conaway

8:26 AM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Wanted: Your Xmas Gift Horror Stories

Filed under: Sound Off

Can you tell we want you to send us your Xmas gift horror stories? Stuff like this YouTube testimonial, except shorter. And in audio or written form. E-mail it, or comment to this post.

Pauline Bartolone

4:03 PM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Thursday's Rundown

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Senior producer Matt Martinez takes a minute to expound on how tomorrow's BPP broadcast is shaping up:

Win Rosenfeld

2:54 PM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Bush Signs Bill for Whole Lot of Billions

Filed under: Iraq, News

This just in from the Associated Press:

"President Bush on Wednesday signed a $555 billion bill that funds the Iraq war well into next year and keeps government agencies running through next September."

AP says Bush had big reservations about the more than 900 "earmarks" for special interests, but signed anyway. The bill includes $70 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Laura Conaway

1:14 PM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Vacuum Salesman Loses Sale, Saves Life and Makes a New Best Friend

Filed under: Video

Paul Sucher was dying and his medical bills were piling up. His kidneys were in such bad shape that he was on dialysis three times a week and the doctors didn't seem optimistic. But just as time was running out, a new beginning would come for Paul in the form of a door-to-door vacuum salesman. A while back, the former strangers dropped by the BPP to share their remarkable tale of generosity.

You heard the short version on the show today. Click below for the full interview:

Win Rosenfeld

9:47 AM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Running the Iditarod: 350 Snowy Miles in Sneakers

Filed under: Biking the Iditarod

Geoff Roes lives in Alaska with his semi-famous girlfriend, Jill Homer, who's planning to bike the Iditarod. Jill has been blogging about her training for the 350-mile race through the Alaskan wilderness. It'll be a lonely trip, dark and cold and about as hard as a human can stand.

Geoff knows how scary the human-powered Iditarod must seem to Jill, because he's also in the race -- in the runners division. On today's show, we played a couple of clips from Geoff, who says he's planning to run in a pair of oversized sneakers with plenty of socks and a neoprene cover. He'll carry his gear in that sled you see up there, bought for a few bucks at the drugstore.

Continue reading "Running the Iditarod: 350 Snowy Miles in Sneakers" »

Laura Conaway

9:31 AM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

What a Face: NPR's Pet Bat Feeling Better Now

Filed under: City Living

Remember that silver-haired bat living in the wall in Washington, D.C.? Weekend All Things Considered sends this picture of Bat Mitzvah (aka Beautiful) recovering from dehydration in a bat hospital. Come spring, she'll get the chance to fly free again.

Laura Conaway

9:21 AM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

 

A Holiday Multimedia Roundup

Filed under: Stuff We Love

Nothing like some good multimedia to get you in the holiday spirit.

Today's the first day of Kwanzaa, a seven-day cultural holiday celebrating African commonality. The Baltimore Sun did a Web package this month. Check out the clever quiz designed to give a primer on the under-covered holiday.

For those of you still in the Christmas mood, check out the Magnum Group's breathtaking photography. December 25 in black and white.

Also, my geeky side loves timelapse slideshows. Check out Gail Jewel and her husband Richard Murphy setting up their Christmas decorations in 1:40 minutes. Thanks, Washingtonpost.com.

Pauline Bartolone

9:03 AM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Guess What Song This Man is Performing

Filed under: Stuff We Love

This one's even cooler than the four-handed guitar work. Just give it a minute, it pays off...

Dan Pashman

8:34 AM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

 

Four-Handed Guitar Playing

Filed under: Stuff We Love

This is cool:

Dan Pashman

8:19 AM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

 

Got a Bad Gift? Calling All Complaints

Filed under: Links From the Show

Call me a grinch, but I hate Christmas presents. Most of the time, I don't need them, and I have a chochka-free rule in my apartment. What's more, the thought of wasted time and money makes me feel guilty. Yet, I must open the darn things with a smile on my face.

Apparently, I am not alone. According to this article in the UK's Daily Telegraph, four out of five people get presents they either don't want or need. Unwanted presents are so widespread that this year, over half of gift givers are expected to include receipts with some of their presents, according to the National Retail Federation.

Here's where you come in: We want to hear your holiday gift horror stories. Yes, HEAR them. Send us an mp3 of your audio testimonies about what you got, why it didn't work for you and what you're going to do with it. That's right, get out your digital audio recorders and let loose into the mic. But keep it to two minutes or less, and send them in by Friday. Be sure to start with your first name and where you're calling from. We'll air some of your grievances on New Year's Eve.

Pauline Bartolone

7:53 AM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

 

Worm Up! A Good Year for Parasites

Filed under: Links From the Show

Today on the BPP, we heard how more people are getting parasitic worms than we thought. A little more digging tells us that in addition to being more widespread than expected, worms are also way, way grosser than we had thought.

December has been a good month for parasites. That usually means a bad month for humans, but our friend ampulex compressa does us a favor by turning COCKROACHES INTO ZOMBIES, and scientists have just figured out how.

Also, it looks like the good folks at Science Made Cool have taken Christmas week off from their Friday Parasite series, but there's a deep archive of things you should be really worried about.

And, this being the season of "best of" lists, your year-end wrap-up is not complete until you check out this compilation of 6 Horrifying Parasites. I could only look at it for a second, but I still caught the words "festering," "foster-tongue," and the phrase "carting your genitals off to the elephantiasis clinic."

Ian Chillag

5:19 AM ET | 12-26-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Wednesday: The Rundown

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

We're outta here for today -- hope everyone has a great holiday. Here's what we got tomorrow:

Win Rosenfeld

9:45 AM ET | 12-25-2007 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

 

America's Next Top Santa

Filed under: Video

Some call him Kris Kringle, some call him Father Christmas - but this Santa also goes by the name Jonathan Meath. When he's not checking his lists, Jonathan is a TV Producer who specializes in children's programming. He recently made the front cover of Boston Magazine, and we think he qualifies as America's Next Top Santa. But as always, the BPP will let you decide for yourself:

Alison and host-Emeritus Luke Burbank talk to the man in red right here:

Win Rosenfeld

9:08 AM ET | 12-25-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

Krulwich Realized: Marathons Save Lives

Filed under: Links From the Show

Today the esteemed Robert Krulwich shared some Merry Christmath with us: the number of good things that happen is greater than the number of bad things, so on the whole, things are looking up for us humans. A study this week in the British Medical Journal about marathons seems like a microcosm of what Mr.Krulwich talked about.

People die running marathons. It happens to good runners, it happens to bad runners. You get 40,000 people doing something that some would say humans just shouldn't be doing, and bad things sometimes happen.

But! It turns out eliminating marathons wouldn't save lives. You gotta close streets to host a marathon, which means fewer auto-related deaths, and the number of runners who die is more than offset by the number of drivers who would have. For every runner who drops dead while running a marathon, 1.8 drivers are saved. Marathons mean more net living humans.

Ian Chillag

9:07 AM ET | 12-25-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

The Gift of Music on Christmas

Filed under: News

He was an amazing musician who left us so many gifts.

Goodbye Mr. Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) and thank you.

Alison Stewart

5:50 AM ET | 12-25-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

 

The Rundown: Yule Love It!

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Win Rosenfeld

1:25 PM ET | 12-24-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

 

Tonight: Rudolph the Red Planet

Filed under: The Dagobah System

Summer Ash, astrophysicist to the (radio) stars, sends this shot of eggnog from the heavens, where the galaxy is staging a Christmas Eve special. Or something.

Special to the BPP from Summer Ash:

Last Monday, we had our closest approach to Mars. However, orbital mechanics gives us something else to celebrate this holiday season as Earth, Mars, and the sun will all align on Christmas Eve. If the holiday weather is in your favor for a clear night, you should be able to see it fairly high in the sky, somewhat near the just past full moon, glowing reddish-orange. And you shouldn't have to look to hard, because it will easily outshine the stars.

This alignment is called "opposition," as Mars will be directly opposite in the sky from the sun with respect to Earth, or more simply Earth is directly between the sun and Mars, and it happens roughly once every two years. Tonight's date between Mars and Earth happens because both planets take a different amount of time to orbit the sun. Earth takes 365+ days and Mars takes approximately 687 days. Therefore, Earth moves faster in it's orbit and gradually "laps" Mars in the race around the sun. The approach and subsequent passing of Mars is what occurs every two years.

Continue reading "Tonight: Rudolph the Red Planet" »

Laura Conaway

12:02 PM ET | 12-24-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post