By Sarah Handel
When I was in Phoenix during the election, I noticed something strange -- to my eyes, anyway: All the Town Cars arriving at, and departing from, the Biltmore were white. On the East Coast they're black, but in the heat of the desert, of course they're white. The white deflects the sun, keeping the cars' cabins cooler.

What might be Neal's favorite "duh!" example for our "What Works" series is about bridges -- at some point, someone realized you only have to charge tolls one way. Well, if white keeps cars cooler, what about your home? Enter "cool roofs."

Studies show that white roofs reduce air-conditioning costs by 20 percent or more in hot, sunny weather. Lower energy consumption also means fewer of the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming.

Well, duh! Walmart's so convinced of the savings, that "more than 75 percent of the chain's 4,268 outlets in the United States have them." So do you have a white roof? Is it "what works" for you?

*This just in, thanks to a heads-up from Charles at Science Friday -- Paint The Town White!

By Gwen Outen

Organ Trafficking
In a massive sweep in New Jersey last week, FBI agents arrested more than 40 political and religious leaders, including Levy-Izhak Rosenbaum, a Brooklyn-based rabbi who was allegedly involved in the trafficking of human kidneys. Buying or selling organs is illegal in the U.S., but with tens of thousands of Americans on a waiting list for donations, there is a thriving international black market for organs. We'll hear how the Rosenbaum case has put a spotlight on the illegal exchange of human organs for money.

Summer Movie Festival: Children's Adaptations
Murray Horwitz, our favorite movie buff, is back as we continute our summer movie festival. In this installment, we want to hear your picks for the best movie adaptations of a beloved children's book. Princess Bride, anyone?

Newport Folk Festival's 50th Anniversary
Fifty years ago, George Wein co-founded the Newport Folk Festival, and today, we celebrate the festival's anniversary on the eve of the start of this year's Folk Festival 50. (The festival starts tomorrow and runs through August 2nd). We'll talk with George Wein and as well as musicians who have performed at Newport: Doc Watson, Tom Paxton, Mavis Staples and Ramblin' Jack Elliott. We'll also talk with Josh Ritter who is performing at this year's festival. And we want to hear from you. Have you ever attended a Newport Folk Festival? Share your memories with us.

Rarely has beer been so elevated in the public discourse; President Obama's much anticipated heart-to-beer with Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley and Harvard University scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. has all kinds of ale-drinkers talking about what might be served...

Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. told the Globe earlier this week that he prefers Red Stripe, which is brewed in Jamaica, or the German beer Beck's.

Blue Moon, a Belgian-style beer brewed by Coors, seems to be the choice for Cambridge police Sergeant James Crowley. That's what he reportedly was seen sipping at Tommy Doyle's Irish Pub in Kendall Square Friday when Obama rang him to invite him to Washington, according to the New York Daily News.

President Obama, however, will be drinking a Bud Light.

By Sarah Handel
Remember the game Mouse Trap? I didn't have it, but some friends of mine did, and I always thought it was pretty cool. Clearly, some people found it more than "pretty cool" -- a group of friends in the U.K. thought it was so amazing that they decided to make it life-sized, for a cause. Per their YouTube video, "We raised over 2000 for the Shooting Star Children's Hospice... brilliant day..." Neatorama, indeed!

What game would you want to see given the life-sized treatment? Candy Land's an easy answer, but my #1 would have to be Chutes & Ladders. Terrifyingly fun, I'd think... Though I'd probably wear a helmet and affix a pillow to my butt to play!

By Gwen Outen
Political Junkie Ken Rudin is back with this week's roundup of all the political news, including Sarah Palin's farewell speech; the introduction of her successor, Sean Parnell; and the announcement by Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) that he will not run for a third term. Political writer Al Cross joins us, to tell us who may run for Bunning's seat.

Michael Vick
Michael Vick has been reinstated by the National Football League after serving nearly two years of prison time for running a dogfighting ring. In a recent article for The Nation, sports writer and author Dave Zirin says that, while Vick has been reinstated by the NFL, there is hardly a guarantee that a team will risk the protest and publicity of signing him. Zirin's article is entitled, "The Reality of Vick's Return."

Telecommuting
At some point during the work day, whose mind hasn't wandered to thoughts of working from home, complete with pajamas and coffee in hand? We've all conjured up a glamourous idea of telecommuting, and many are living that dream. Today, we'll talk about the pros -- and cons -- of working from home with two authors who have written books about the subject, and the co-founder of Jelly, which combines working from home with the interaction of a traditional office environment.

Josh Willingham high-fives teammates Ryan Zimmerman and Cristian Guzman after Willingham's first grand slam, in the fifth inning. (Morry Gash / AP © 2009)

By Sarah Handel
Last night something incredible happened at Miller Park in Milwaukee: Washington Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham hit not one, but two grand slams, in back-to-back innings. He's only the 13th player in history to hit two in a game, and it hasn't happened for the franchise since they were the Expos, when Tim Wallach got eight RBIs on two grand slams in 1990. Check the video here.

There's got to be a through-line here somewhere to Denny's getting sued for sodium content... Ever ordered a Grand Slam? The Moons Over My Hammy?

A student in Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children's Zone (Harlem Children's Zone)

By Gwen Outen

Harlem Children's Zone
In cities across the United States, many kids are born into poverty, perform poorly in school, and end up dropping out or serving time in jail. We continue our new series called "What Works" with a look at the Harlem Children's Zone. We'll speak with president and CEO Geoffrey Canada about how his nonprofit organization is rebuilding communities and the education system, and changing the lives of thousands of children.

Burr Oak Cemetery
Earlier this month, officials found more than two-hundred desecrated graves and human remains piled at the far end of Burr Oak Cemetery, just south of Chicago. Dawn Turner Trice, who writes the "Exploring Race" column for the Chicago Tribune, has relatives buried at Burr Oak, and she shares the anger of thousands of people who are searching for the graves of deceased loved ones. Do you have a relative who was buried at Burr Oak, or have you suffered through the desecration of a loved one's grave? We want to hear from you.

This Black Male Moment
The ascent of President Obama to the White House prompted millions of African-American men to reflect, as did the recent arrest of Henry Louis Gates, a professor at Harvard University. Author Ta-Nehisi Coates and former Assistant Attorney General Roger Wilkins help us open the floor for our African-American male listeners to have a conversation about their experiences with race, gender, class, authority and change as black men in America.

After playing an ad -- an overtly political ad -- to illustrate a point about health care, and how Canadian health care is discussed, we received a ton of mail asking us to take a critical look at the ad itself. Well, there's plenty of information on Shona Holmes, the woman who claims that the Canadian public health care system would have threatened her life after a rare cyst was discovered near her pituitary glad. From the Mayo Clinic website, where Holmes was treated:

Dr. Naresh Patel, neurosurgeon, diagnosed Holmes as having a Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC). The rare, fluid-filled sac grows near the pituitary gland at the base of the brain and eventually can cause hormone and vision problems. Dr. Patel joined forces with Drs. David W. Dodick, neurologist, and Michael D. Whitaker, endocrinologist, to work on Holmes' case.

Their further tests revealed an increase in the size of her cyst over a short period of time as well as progressively worsening vision. "I was concerned that the pressure on Shona's nervers was causing her to become blind," says Dr. Patel. "We needed to remove the cyst to save her vision."

In this post, there are links to some more articles. And we'll discuss your response in letters.

This weekend, folk music will fill Fort Adams, "the largest coastal fortification in the United States," "at the mouth of Newport Harbor."

The Newport Folk Festival, which is now called "George Wein's Folk Festival," will feature performances from the old guard (Pete Seeger, Mavis Staples, Arlo Guthrie, and Judy Collins, among others) and the new (The Avett Brothers, The Decemberists, Josh Ritter, and Tift Merritt, to name just a few).

A few months ago it wasn't clear that Newport's famous folk festival would celebrate its "golden anniversary." In 2007 George Wein, the octogenarian co-founder of the festival -- and its jazz sister, sold the trademarks to Chris Shields. In the last two years his company, Festival Network, fell on hard times. As Ben Ratliff reported in The New York Times, Wein renegotiated to regain control of the two events. He'll preside over them in August.

If you've been to a folk or jazz festival in Newport, what's your favorite memory? If you can't make it to Rhode Island, you can listen to the shows here, at NPR.org.

More than 35 million Americans use prescription painkillers to get high.(Lynette Watanabe / iStockphoto © 2009)

Canadian Health Care
When policy analysts talk about health care, there is often a comparison between the health care systems in the United States and Canada, where health care is free. We'll talk to a former Canadian health minister and the former head of the Canadian Medical Association about what works in Canadian healthcare... And what doesn't.

Federal Ban On Driving While Cell Phoning
Should there be a federal ban on cell-impaired driving? Boston Globe writer Derrick Jackson thinks so. On the opinion page this week, Jackson explains why it's time to let go of our cell phones.

Pill Head
Reports that Michael Jackson's death may have been linked to a long-term addiction to painkillers have brought to light questions about celebrity addiction to prescription drugs. In his new book, author Joshua Lyon explains how a journalism assignment started his long battle with addiction. Lyon's memoir is called Pill Head: The Secret Life of a Painkiller Addict. We want to hear your stories. Are you, or have you been, addicted to prescription drugs?

Henry Louis Gates And This Teachable Moment
Henry Louis Gates' arrest in Cambridge, Mass., and President Obama's remarks following the incident, have led to an ongoing discussion about racial tensions and police misconduct in America. Ralph Eubanks, author and fellow at the New America Foundation, gives his perspective on what he feels is teachable about this moment. What do you take away from Henry Louis Gates' arrest and the way the media is covering it?

Prosecutors dropped charges against Henry Louis Gates.AP Photo/Cambridge Police Dept.

 

When Cops And Race Collide
The arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. last week brought to the forefront a national discussion about race relations and tensions between police and minority citizens. Last night, President Obama addressed the fact that "there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately." We will hear from a civil rights attorney who was co-counsel in the Rodney King case, and two members of law enforcement about what is supposed to happen when black and blue collide.

Actor Jeff Daniels Takes Your Calls
Actor Jeff Daniels has appeared in dozens and dozens of films. (One of my favorites is his portrayal of Flap Horton in Terms of Endearment.) But he's also a veteran of the stage and an accomplished musician and songwriter, among other pursuits. Now he is starring in a romantic comedy called The Answer Man in which he plays an author who is supposed to have all the answers to life's important questions, but clearly does not.

The Books We Never Stopped Reading
I remember the moment: I was a pre-teen reading a "teen" book and asked my mother to explain a... er... nuance... that was happening to the two teenaged main characters engaged in a sexual act. I remember the look of confusion and anxiety on my mother's face as she grappled with whether or not she should spell it out for me. It was at that point that I knew I had hit on the beginnings of adult content masked as teen literature. I immediately called all my friends and started what could be called a continuous book exchange club. I still have those books... and I still sneak off in a corner to read them. (And I don't need to ask my mom for an explainer.) What about you? What's the teen book you keep re-reading, and why?

Ask Amy: The Dreaded College Roommate
Countless young adults are getting geared up to start their grand adventure of living the life of a college student. Along with fretting about how to decorate the dorm room and what outfit to wear on the first day is the hand-wringing worry of who the heck the university is going to pair with you as your roommate. It's hit or miss, and can make or break the dormroom experience. So how do you prepare to live with a complete stranger? We'll ask Amy Dickinson who writes the syndicated column, "Ask Amy" for The Chicago Tribune . Parents, what are you telling your kids as they head out the door?

The Sears Tower is gone, replaced by something called the Willis Tower. And the wound was still sore this morning when I read this in the Chicago Tribune:

We need to get over it and accept globalization -- the integration of buying, selling and producing goods, assets and ideas. Borders are increasingly meaningless. The freedom of commerce and economic endeavor has given the United States access to world markets and the ability to source cheaply in an unprecedented way. It has given us an empire without imperialists. And maybe with the exception of the Eiffel Tower, we can pretty much buy and name buildings most anywhere we want.

An image of Pres. Barack Obama's birth certificate. (We'll talk at the end of today's first hour about why it's so difficult to stop persistent rumors.) screen grab from snopes.com

 

Health Care Dings Dems, Palin Departs, F-22 Grounded
It's time for Ken Rudin and this week's political junkie segment. Today, we'll look at President Obama's upcoming news conference on healthcare and his first 6-months in office, the delayed vote on the Senate floor on Sonia Sotomayor's nomination, and Governor Sarah Palin's fast-aproaching final day. And Ken will try to stump you again with a new trivia question.

Persistent Rumors: Is Obama A Citizen?
President Obama is at the halfway mark in his first year as president, yet one question persists: Is he a citizen of the United States? President Obama produced his birth certificate during the campaign, but it only added more fuel for those who doubt his citizenship. We'll talk about the tricky political and psychological game of denying rumors.

Judy Collins: The Next Iteration
Grammy award winning singer Judy Collins went from being a child prodigy to one of the most prolific folk musicians of our time. And after a five-decade career in music, she is still reinventing herself. Judy Collins performs live in our studio and talks about her music, social activism and the secret to her longevity.

Andrew Bacevich On Obama's Strategic Blind Spot
As the war in Iraq heads into its ninth year, President Obama has begun sending more troops to Afghanistan. In a recent op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich argues that President Obama's "strategic blindness" is perpetuating the Long War launched by George W. Bush.

Joseph Carnevale's "Barrel Monster." Is it art?intrepid00

When I was younger, one of my dad's colleagues called the orange-and-white construction barrel -- omnipresent on I-40 and I-85, and every byway in between -- "North Carolina's state flower."

Forget the Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida, with its four-petaled white flowers. In the Old North State, where the department of transportation has an annual operating budget of almost $4 billion, you'll see almost as many barrels.

In March, Joseph Carnevale, a student at North Carolina State University, used the orange-and-white construction barrels to create the "Barrel Monster." In June, he was arrested. Today, he was given 50 hours of community service for misdemeanor charges of damage to property and larceny. The News & Observer has the story:

After a minute-long court hearing, Carnevale answered questions from gathered reporters, saying that he'd like to make more Barrel Monsters. But this time, he'll buy the barrels instead of taking them. "I really don't think if I had gotten arrested, it would have gone this far," Carnevale said.

In June, NPR's Michele Norris spoke with Carnevale. (You can listen to that interview here.)

What's next? According to The News & Observer, "the owner of the barrels, Guilford County-based Hamlett Associates, has said it never wanted to press charges against Carnevale and hopes to have another Barrel Monster made to display at its offices or other construction sites."

As you may know, on the show yesterday, we had a conversation about the CIA and assassinations, with Ted Koppel and Richard Kerr, a former deputy director of the Agency.

Kerr said there is an important definitional distinction between "assassination" and "targeted killing":

Part of the problem, I think, is the very word assassination. If you look in the dictionary, I think it's fairly clear what it means. It's political, ideological attempts to kill someone, or a killing. I think what we're talking about in Afghanistan is in a combat situation, where - whether you want to describe it as a formal war or not - we have over 100,000 troops there. And that's quite a different situation when you're trying to essentially go after the leadership and the person who is conducting that war. I would raise the question of would it have been proper to go after Hitler during World War II. Would that be called assassination, cutting off the head of the Nazi regime? I wouldn't consider it that.

On The New Yorker's website, on the News Desk blog, Amy Davidson, one of the magazine's senior editors, has an illuminating post, drawn from Seymour M. Hersh's reportage on the CIA and assassinations, beginning with "What Went Wrong," which was published just after Sept. 11.

So, if you didn't get a chance to hear the show with Koppel and Kerr, download the podcast, put in your earbuds, and dig into a few of these great articles. Forget what Barrie wrote about earlier today. Multitask!

If you want some extra credit, you can read this article, published on MinnPost, about a talk Hersh gave at the University of Minnesota, in which he mentioned -- but didn't elaborate on -- an "executive assassination ring." (Davidson refers to the talk in her post.)

Last week, I drove up to Ithaca and Trumansburg, New York, my old stomping grounds, high above Cayuga's waters.

Although I spent a good deal of time with old friends and former professors, I was there principally for the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance. (On Friday morning, I played a square dance with The Chicken-Fried String Band.)

On Friday night, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings took to the festival's infield stage. It was the highlight of the whole thing, in my humble opinion.

I could go on and on about how incredible they were, how great the music was, and how eager I was to hear more, but I think it'd be best if I let the band speak for itself:

As soon as I got back to Washington, I sent a note to the band's publicist. They have a new album coming out in February. I'll do my best to get them here, to Studio 4A, for a performance chat then. Promise.

The other day, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) criticized the Democratic Party's plans for healthcare reform: "If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him." (DeMint has released his own plan, the Health Care Freedom Plan, which, in his words, "gives patients more control instead of government and reduces the uninsured by over 22 million without any new cost to taxpayers."

Yesterday, President Obama responded:

Think about that. This isn't about me. This isn't about politics. This is about a health care system that is breaking America's families, breaking America's businesses and breaking America's economy. And we can't afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time, not now. There are too many lives and livelihoods at stake.

Over at the Daily Kos, they're having some fun with the allusion. First, Salo gives us the history:

The reference is to the final climactic defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the hands of a plucky little Anglo-Dutch army blocking his advance to Brussels commanded by General Sir Arthur Wellesley the (Iron) Duke of Wellington. That defeat lead to the reestablishment of the ancient regime in France and much of the rest of Europe. The dominance of Britain the rise of Prussia and the decline of France.

Then he/she poses this question:

Well suppose Obama is the 'Fabius Cunctator' Wellington? Or perhaps for all the Prussianophiles he's 'on it like' Blucher? and he's not 'Fat Baldy' Napoleon. So in this fight who'd you style him as? and why?

Vote away! If it's Waterloo, Obama is... Wellington? Blucher? Or Napoleon? (So far, Wellington is in the lead.)

At our meeting this morning, we talked about the news from [The People's Republic of] Cambridge, Mass.: Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University, was arrested last week, charged with disorderly conduct. (Just a few minutes ago, Cambridge and its police department announced that the charge had been dropped, calling the arrest "regrettable and unfortunate.")

It's too early to know what happened, we agreed. Gates has his story, which his lawyer, Charles Ogletree, the Jesse Climenko Professor of Law at Harvard University, conveyed in a statement and on NPR's Tell Me More. And the City of Cambridge Police Department has its version. (You can read the incident report here.)

This is, quite obviously, a hot topic, and each side has its supporters,. You can read some of their thoughts after the jump.

Continue reading "Racial Profiling In 02138?" >

Delicious bits that won't make it on the air today... (Like sausage gravy!)

I suspect that at least three quarters of the people I take calls from while we're on the air are on the road, calling from their cell phone. Which is why The New York Times' series on the dangers of trying to multitask while at the wheel (the three T's -- talking, texting, tweeting) gives me a serious shudders. We'll definitely try to give it some ToTN treatment (more T's!!).

In South Carolina, criminal charges have been brought against a mother whose son weighed 555 pounds by age 14. Question is, when is obesity a matter of child abuse?

And -- a new version of A Moveable Feast, which Maureen Corrigan calls, "remixed," includes material that shows the Pauline Pfeiffer vs. Hadley Richardson smackdown in a new light. (For those of you who have forgotten that long-ago scandal, Richardson was Ernest Hemingway's first wife, whom the writer left for her best friend, Pfeiffer.) The Pfeiffer relatives have never been happy with the way Hemingway portrayed her -- predatory and obsessive, and this version includes more material that's favorable to Hemingway's second wife. (Oh yeah, that's right, he had the nerve to blame Pfeiffer for breaking up his idealized first marriage. Does it not take two to ... er ... tango?*) Read one Hemingway scholar's opinion, here.

*I am contemplating a set of "Team Pfeiffer" and "Team Richardson" t-shirts. Thoughts?

In a few weeks, Vintage will publish nine new editions of books that have been awarded the prestigious Man Booker Prize: Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (1998), Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee (1999), How Late It Was, How Late by James Kelman (1994), Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (1981), Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle (1993), Possession by A.S. Byatt (1990), The Famished Road by Ben Okri (1991), The Gathering by Anne Enright (2007), and The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch (1978).

To inaugurate the collection, the officiants of the Man Booker Prize, which "promotes the finest in fiction by rewarding the very best book of the year" (provided the author is from the Commonwealth or Ireland), are giving away a complete set. Gratis. Details are available here. (Fans of another Man Booker Prize-winner, Yann Martel's Life of Pi (2002), can enter another free contest to win a copy of that book.

Now, I realize that, by telling you this, my odds of winning will dwindle. You're welcome! That's just the kind of guy I am...

In the battle for health care, are insurance companies the problem? iStockphoto.com

Are Insurance Companies The Problem?
We continue our series on healthcare with a spotlight on insurers. In the debate over health care, many point the finger at insurance companies. George Halverson, the CEO of Kaiser Permanente, will discuss the role of insurance companies and whether they are part of the problem in our health care system.

Gates Supporters Allege Racial Profiling
Last week, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was arrested outside his home after neighbors called police about suspicious activity in the area. Accounts of what happened differ between Gates' and the arresting officer. Chicago Tribune columnist Dawn Turner Trice has written about the arrest for her "Exploring Race" column and will talk about how her readers are reacting to what many allege is racial profiling.

Chris Hedges On The Downfall Of American Culture
In his new book, Chris Hedges describes the polarities of the two societies he says we are now living in: one side is based in reality and able to separate illusion from truth. The other side is rooted in fantasy. This side, Hedges says, is the growing majority. The Pultizer Prize winning journalist talks about the "Empire of Illusion", and what he views as the erosion of American culture.

"To Catch A Terrorist"
Last night, NBC News premiered a program called The Wanted that took viewers along on a mission to track down alleged terrorists and war criminals and bring them to justice. David Crane served as the chief prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and he will talk about why he made the decision to join the cast of The Wanted.

CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

CIA And The Rules Of Assassination
After the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, J. Cofer Black, the head of the CIA's counter-terrorism center was authorized by President Bush to hunt down those responsible for the attacks, including Osama bin Laden. According to former CIA officers, Black gave his team a very direct order: "Your job is to capture bin Laden, kill him and bring his head back in a box on dry ice." Today, we'll talk with NPR news analyst Ted Koppel and former CIA deputy director Richard Kerr about when it is OK for the U.S. government to go beyond capture and target someone for assassination.

Chronicling The Life Of Walter Cronkite
Forty years ago most of America sat riveted by Walter Cronkite as he narrated Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon. We mark the 40th anniversary of the first moonwalk by remembering the man who narrated an entire era... from the first moon landing, to John F. Kennedy's assassination, the Vietnam war and the Watergate scandal. What do you remember about watching Walter Cronkite? What memories of his era in news would you like to pass on to the next generation?

What Obstacles Did You Overcome?
When you hear or talk about the classic American success story, there is often the common link of a "humble beginning." Last week's confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court served as a reminder of that, and it can be argued that the people we become is often shaped by some type of struggle that had to be overcome. We want to hear your stories. What obstacles have you had to overcome? And has you story been hard to explain to people?

The Violence We Ignore -- Women Abusing Men
Earlier this month, football star Steve McNair was shot dead by his girlfriend in a murder-suicide. In a recent article for The Baltimore Sun, co-author Dr. Ned Holstein points out that many news sources failed to mention that this was a tragic case of domestic violence in which the male was the victim. We'll talk to Dr. Holstein about the often ignored cases of men victimized by their wives and girlfriends. The article is entitled "The Violence We Ignore" and co-written by Glenn Sacks.

Paul Newman in the 1949 Reveille -- the Kenyon College yearbook.

Source: Kenyon College

 

From one Kenyon man to another -- TOTN movie buff Murray Horwitz remembers the movie star with whom he shared an alma mater...

To attend Kenyon College was to have Paul Newman be a part of your life. He was by far the most famous alumnus (among a not-bad crop: E.L. Doctorow, Jonathan Winters, Allison Janney, Robert Lowell, and father-of-the-birth-control-pill Carl Djerassi, among others) and the fact that Kenyon was Paul Newman's school partly defined your undergraduate experience.

The man who first put him on the stage, the head of the then-Speech (and later Drama) Department was James E. Michael. Newman always gave him an immense amount of credit, and stayed close to him until Jim's death about ten years ago. Jim (I was lucky enough to have him as my mentor, too) said that Paul always answered inquiries from Kenyon people -- and, to my knowledge, it was true. Doctorow says he was "quite the rogue" at Kenyon. The "laundryman" citation refers to Newman's Kenyon job delivering clean sheets to the dormitories every week. He stayed close to Kenyon right up until his death.

--Murray Horwitz

Chris Steiner argues that $20 a gallon gas is good for us. (You can argue with him in our second hour today.) chriskeefe

This Latina Moment
If she is sworn in, Judge Sonia Sotomayor will be the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. Since her nomination, a cultural debate has opened among many Latinos. Some wonder why not a Mexican American? Why not an Hispanic male? We'll talk to author Gustavo Arellano and Latina Magazine editor-in chief Mimi Valdes Ryan about
what Sotomayor's nomination means for Hispanic identity in the U.S. And we especially want to hear from our Hispanic listeners today. What does this moment mean to you?

Summer Movie Festival: Paul Newman
Hollywood icon Paul Newman left behind a string of films that established him as one of the movie industry's great leading men. TOTN movie buff Murray Horwitz continues our summer movie festival with a look at the film career of the late Paul Newman. From Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to The Sting to Road to Perdition, what's your favorite Paul Newman role?

Hoorah For $20 Gas!
If you're anything like me, you consider distance before getting in your car for a joyride, and hold your breath when it's time to fill up. For many, there is a brace yourself moment of fear that the price of gas will mirror the four dollars a gallon horror we had to live through last summer. But according to author Chris Steiner, our lives would be a lot happier if gas rose to even the double digits. Seriously. We'll give Steiner room to explain himself, and the title of his book: "$20 Per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline Will Change Our Lives for the Better".

Sotomayor's Final Day Of Testimony
Judge Sonia Sotomayor is expected to wrap up her confirmation hearing testimony today. We'll hear highlights from today's back and forth and talk with Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor of Slate.com, about Sotomayor's performance, and why senators on both sides dropped the ball.

US Senator John Ensign of Nevada. KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

'Dysfunctional' Nevada, Politics Of Healthcare, More Sotomayor
It's time again for the political junkie. Ken Rudin is back. We'll talk about the week in political news, including the political theatrics of Judge Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, and Senator Roland Burris' announcement that he will not seek a full term in the U.S. Senate. And get ready for this week's trivia question, and the most "dysfunctional" state sweepstakes.

The Man Who Killed Batman
Author Neil Gaiman's latest collection of the "final" stories of Batman is out today in comic book stores. The deluxe edition is entitled Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, and Gaiman writes the book is a "love letter" to the Dark Knight. Batman fans, have your say: Of all the Batman characters over the years, which Batman is your Batman?

Sotomayor Pressed On Abortion, "Wise Latina"
We'll continue our special coverage of the Senate judiciary hearings for Supreme court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor. We'll talk with Los Angeles Times Supreme Court reporter David Savage, Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree and George Mason University law professor Neomi Rao about what surprises might come out of day three of the confirmation hearings.

What 'Diversity' Means To The Supreme Court
Does diversity in the Supreme Court make a difference? We'll ask law professor Sherrilyn Ifill and Slate.com editor Emily Bazelon about the impact of gender and ethnicity in the judicial system.

A demonstrator dressed as former Vice President Cheney calls for an investigation of former Bush administration officials. KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

New Calls To Investigate Bush Administration Officials
Congress may launch a formal investigation into whether former Vice President Dick Cheney ordered the CIA not to brief congress about a program to capture or kill al-Qaeda leaders. Meanwhile, the Attorney General hints that he may appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of torture during the Bush administration. We'll talk with NPR senior Washington Editor Ron Elving and two members of the House Intelligence Committee about the new calls for investigations, and what good -- if any -- would come from an investigation now.

The Desire To Wander
People suffering from dementia display many common behavioral traits, and one of the hardest to manage and understand is wandering. In a recent report for NPR.org, correspondent Linton Weeks explains that while we are all wanderers of varying degrees, dementia-driven wandering can be confusing, frustrating and, sometimes, deadly.

Sonia Sotomayor Grilled By A Senate Panel
It is Day Two of the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. After an emotional opening statement yesterday, Judge Sotomayor faces hours of tough questions from the Judiciary Committee today. In a full hour of special coverage, NPR justice correspondent Ari Shapiro, Newsweek and Slate.com editor Dahlia Lithwick, Harvard professor and author Laurence Tribe and attorney Michael Carvin provide insights on the Senate hearings and tell us what more to expect in arguments from both sides.

Tom Goldstein is a respected lawyer. He's argued 21 Supreme Court cases. He runs ScotusBlog.com. He's even been on our radio show. Now, he's topped it all with "Sotomayor: The Drinking Game":

If the proceedings instead end up as a boring snooze-fest, I suggest using the list as a drinking game. Whenever a senator utters one of the following names or phrases, take a shot.

And what, you ask, is shot worthy? "Frank Ricci," "empathy," "baseball," and "Nancy Drew" to name a few. He explains each -- and several others that promise to keep you downing shots for the next few days. Check it out at The Daily Beast. And if anyone has nominations for the Talk of the Nation drinking game ("bye-bye" maybe?), post 'em here.

In the fight over health care, are patients the problem? Photo by David McNew/Getty Images

Patients, Are You The Problem?
Today, we continue our series of conversations about health care, and the problems that surround the health care system in the United States. In a previous show, we asked whether or not doctors are part of the problem. Today, we shine a spotlight on the patients. Health care costs soar as many patients demand expensive tests and fancy drugs, and the choices made between patient and doctor ultimately influence the cost of healthcare for all of us. So, are patients part of the problem? And if so, what are you, as the patient, willing to give up to change things?

Bruno: Gay Jokes And 'Ironic Understanding'
In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, writer Hank Stuever reflects on Sacha Baron Cohen's latest portrayal as a gay Austrain fashionista in the movie Bruno. He points out that the movie exposes America's "giant case of sex phobia," with homosexuals bearing most of the brunt. Stuever argues that "nowadays, the squirming comes wrapped in layer after layer of post-gay nuance." Stuever's op-ed Bruno's Wild Pride, appeared in the July 9th issue of the Post.

Beyond Bars: Life After Prison
In the United States, more than six hundred thousand people are released from prison every year. Imagine re-entering society in today's economy as a convicted felon. We will talk with Jeffery Ian Ross and Stephen Richards, the authors of the book Beyond Bars, about making a successful reentry into society, the local community and the job market. And we want to hear your stories. If you served time, what helped you the most after prison?

Today's First Words From Judge Sotomayor
The Senate Judiciary Committee began confirmation hearings today for Judge Sonia Sotomayor. We'll hear her opening statement, and preview the partisan fight expected to unfold in the coming days.

DC Comics

I've been hiding this from our host but my copy of the Wednesday Comics showed up in the mail yesterday. For 12 weeks, DC is publishing the comics pages the way they were meant to be... In broadsheet form, 14-inches by 20-inches, in 16 pages of full color superhero action. Neil Gaiman (who will be on the show next Wednesday to talk about killing Batman) writes Metamorpho, with art by Michael Allred. Batman makes the cover. The full list of characters is here on DC's website.

Piggybacking on Sarah's favorite villain-ess -- my submission (and boy does this lady like people to submit), is Bridget from the neo-noir The Last Seduction. Linda Fiorentino personifies the unapologetic femme fatale -- she never lets up on the heat. Yes, she's bad ("bad to the bone" as the voice in the trailer says -- seriously!), but it's hard not to root for her. She's a kick-ass babe.

Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as Bonnie and Clyde. (We'll talk about our favorite movie villains at the end of today's first hour.) Warner Bros. Pictures/Courtesy American Film Institute

We're Under Cyber Attack, What Now?
North Korea has been linked to a wave of cyberattacks that has hit the U.S. and South Korea. The digital attacks targeted the Pentagon and the White House among other government agencies, along with the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and Washington Post. David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times, and Evgeny Morozov, blogger for Foreign Policy.com, talk about the scope of the threat and what the U.S. can do to decode this wave of cyberattacks and defend itself.

Summer Movie Festival: Villains We Love
What is it that we love so much about movies like Silence of the Lambs, Dracula and The Dark Knight? It's gotta be the villain! Today, our favorite movie buff, Murray Horwitz, is back, and in this edition of our Summer Movie Festival, Murray and Neal will pick their favorite film bad guys. Be sure to tell us yours.

The High Cost Of Cheap
Who doesn't love a bargain? The words "discount and "half price" can have many reaching for their wallets. But author Ellen Ruppel Shell says bargain-hunting may come at a high cost. In her new book Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, Shell explains why we obsess about snagging a bargain without really knowing what goes into setting a price. Tell us your story. What did you buy that turned out to be your most costly bargain?

The Art Of Poker Play-By-Play
The World Series of Poker is underway in Las Vegas, and it's ESPN color commentator Norman Chad's job to call all the action. Chad talks about this year's poker event, his own love of playing, and what he's learned from watching first-hand when the best players in the world choose when to hold 'em, and when to fold 'em.

Ready for a sneak preview of today's show? I am!

Today is the first day of our 2009 summer movie festival (check out past years of favorite films here) with Murray Horwitz, and we're kicking it off with the on-screen villains we love. My absolute, hands-down favorite is Maleficent from Disney's Sleeping Beauty, the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil." She's terrifying, awe-inspiring, and as villainous as they come. I dare you to watch the clip above and not get the willies!

My lame attempt to "sketch" myself with Ultimate Flash Face, compared to what I actually look like. Left: screen grab, Right: Jacques Coughlin, NPR

 

This site is oddly addictive. You don't exactly sketch anyone, but the end result is a professional looking sketch. Pick a hairstyle, then make it wider or taller. Next, the eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, face, beard, etc, etc. Every step is customizable. I tried to copy several people in the office, and then tried a self-sketch. If you have some time to kill, click here for the Ultimate Flash Face.

Writing this post really made me miss the cents sign on the keyboard.Thomas Hawk

Hooray! For what seems like forever, webcasters, artists and record labels have been embroiled in a heated debate: On the one side, webcasters with tight bottom lines and free services found royalty fees prohibitively expensive, on the other, artists and labels needed to get paid for the music aired on the sites/stations. Finally they've reached an agreement. It's complicated and you're welcome to dig into it, but the takeaway? If you listen to Pandora for free, you'll get to continue to do so, unless you listen to more than 40 hours a month. "If a user hits that wall," writes MG Siegler at TechCrunch, "it will only cost [you] $0.99 to go unlimited for the remainder of the month." Not bad! The larger issue, of web broadcasters paying royalties that over-the-air types do not, is still unresolved. But, for now, your Pandora stations are safe.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin after speaking in December. A new poll shows she's seen a boost in GOP support since announcing her resignation. Dave Martin/Getty Images

Gov. Palin's Plans And The Politics Of Healthcare
It's the Political Junkie. Our esteemed Ken Rudin is on the road and will not be on the show today (and he's taking the trivia question with him). But it turns out there other political junkies in D.C. Today our guest junkie will be Matt Bai, political writer for The New York Times Magazine. And there is still plenty to talk about: Gov. Sarah Palin, newly sworn-in Sen. Al Franken, Gov. Sarah Palin, Vice President Biden's trip to Iraq, Gov. Sarah Palin, an update on Gov. Mark Sanford, and did we mention Gov. Sarah Palin? Also, former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta explains how Congress and the White House will navigate both sides of the health care overhaul.

A Long Distance Dedication To Retiring Casey Kasem
Last week, radio host Casey Kasem signed off on his final broadcast and entered retirement. Washington Post staff writer Paul Farhi talks about Kasem's nearly four decades in radio counting down America's chart-topping hits, and why so many people tuned in every week to listen.

Roger Cohen 'Bereft' After Bearing Witness In Iran
Roger Cohen, the columnist for The New York Times, says he left a chunk of himself back in Tehran. Cohen talks about how the protests and crackdown he saw in Iran changed his opinion about whether or not the U.S. should still reach out to Iran.

Big Mother Is Watching At Summer Camp
It's summertime, which means kids who have been under their parent's watchful eye can get a reprieve at sleep-away camp, and parents can enjoy childless freedom, right? Julie Kraut says not so fast. According to her article in the Washington Post,
"At Summer Camp, Big Mother is Watching," high-tech parents are keeping a close eye on their little campers, and many summer camps are streaming live video of kids to their parents back home. Parents, where do you draw the line?

First they charged extra for food, then for checked bags... now airlines want to sell standing room only "seats" on planes. From today's USA Today:

At least two carriers, one in Europe and one in Asia, are seriously considering it. Spring Airlines, a 4-year-old carrier that calls itself China's first low-cost airline, is seeking permission from that country's aviation regulators to reconfigure its planes to allow some stand-up "seats." Standing passengers would pay less than their conventionally seated fellow travelers....

Meanwhile, Ireland's Ryanair, arguably the world's most innovative low-cost/low-fare carrier, says it, too, will sell standing-room-only tickets if the Irish Aviation Authority will change its safety regulations.

Sec. Robert McNamara, who bears a lot of responsibility for the American military adventure in Vietnam, passed away earlier this week.

Neal and Ted Koppel marked his death yesterday, and we'll probably talk about his legacy some more tomorrow during our regular "Political Junkie" segment.

Yesterday I listened to filmmaker Errol Morris, who directed the Academy Award-winning documentary The Fog of War, on two public radio programs, one of which was NPR's All Things Considered. Robert Siegel asked Morris to assess what McNamara thought of his role in history.

To him it was an ongoing investigation trying to figure out what had gone wrong, what he had been thinking, and moreover, how we could learn lessons from history and perhaps prevent the same things from happening all over again. Very, very sad because the same things were happening all over again at this time that I was making the movie with him.

According to Morris, McNamara told him, "on so many, many occasions his opposition to what was happening [in Iraq]." That said, he was never a public opponent of the war there.

James Fallows, of The Atlantic, has a poignant remembrance of McNamara, and a good assessment of his career, on his blog. It's well worth reading.

Continuum Press

I am a huge Calvin and Hobbes fan. Much of my family keeps most of cartoonist Bill Watterson's books close at hand, and quotations from the comic strip, like the above "must be a barge coming through," pepper our conversation. Losing the strip nearly 15 years ago felt a little like a death in the family. What ever happened to Watterson?

It's a good question, and Nevin Martell did the detective work to find some answers. His book, Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and his Revolutionary Comic Strip, is due out Oct. 1, and if you send an email to lookingforcalvinandhobbes@gmail.com, you can get a copy of a sample chapter to preview. Cory Doctorow at BoingBoing writes, "I read the excerpt this afternoon -- fascinating stuff. Looking forward to the book!"

Why do we get lost? Psychologist Colin Ellard argues that humans have lost the instinctual ability to find our own way. mitjamavsar

Deadliest Day In A Year For U.S. Troops In Afghanistan
Yesterday marked the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan in almost a year. Seven Americans were reported killed. NPR's Jackie Northam joins us from Kabul with the latest on the continuing U.S. offensives in Afghanistan, and the Taliban response.

You Are Here: Why We Get Lost
You are here. Just thought I'd let you know in case you got lost. According to experimental psychologist Colin Ellard, ants and hamsters have a better sense of direction than we do. Ellard helps us navigate the subject of navigation (and explains why we're so bad at it) and talks about his new book, You Are Here: Why We Can Find Our Way to the Moon, but Get Lost in the Mall.

Michael Jackson's Final Act
Today, hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to attend a public memorial for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles. Countless more will watch news coverage of the event. Duke University professor Mark Anthony Neal, Hitsville.org editor Bill Wyman and author Nelson George talk about the magnitude of Michael Jackson, his music and his memorial.

For anyone who's skeptical about the legacy of Michael Jackson, check out this blog post by one of my favorite country -- yes, country -- artists, Robbie Fulks.

Fulks is no stranger to the perfect pop tune -- he's written more than a few himself -- and to hear him wax philosophic about the King of Pop is to understand more clearly where Jackson's legacy may be heard in the decades to come. We'll hear him in jazz clubs and honky-tonk bars, on MTV and CMT. Here's what Fulks has to say:

...it occurred to me that Michael was my generation's Elvis. He was our common musical denominator, originator of the template, pointer of the path, the central guy that we all grew up with and of whom nobody could live in ignorance. In fact the only reason I wouldn't overplay the comparison is that I think he was better than Elvis artistically. Better dancer, better singer, better song guy; and he stayed better at it all longer (even outliving him, a little). Let the squabbling begin...

Source: Flickr: jocolibrary

 

As I've noted before, I'm about to be married into not just a family, but a state. The Sunflower State, that is. Kansas, of the delicious ribs, amber waves of grain, handsome bald men, and sometime NCAA men's basketball champs. Frankly, the whole darn place makes Oz look positively boring. So, from time to time, when I'm not being schooled on various state trivia (motto, "Ad astra per aspera," or, "to the stars, through difficulties"), I am sorting through the bits of Kansas miscellany that show up in my inbox. This story, however, really tickled me -- it appealed to both the imminently Kansan part of me, and the nerdy lit-joke-lover (which, if associated with a state, would probably have to be Massachusetts).

From the Kansas City Star:

Four literary themed trucks are part of a new ad campaign for the Johnson County Library. Officials hope the trucks will spark interest and bring even more readers to their doors ... Barkley Advertising Agency, a locally based business, offered its service -- valued at $33,000 -- free of charge. Company vice-president Tom Demetriou offered the pro bono work because he wanted to remind people of the sanctuary found at libraries, where the community is intrinsically bound by stories. "It's a quiet place, where you can have your thoughts to yourself," Demetriou said. "That is hard to find these days."

The trucks read as follows: Benjamin Button's Diaper Service, Kafka's Pest Control, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's Pharmacy, and Captain Ahab's Fine Seafood. Which of course begs you to think up your own literary truck decals. Iago's Fine Hankerchiefs! Mrs. Bennet's Wedding Planning! Bishop's Lost And Found! (Isn't this THE MOST FUN YOU'VE EVER HAD!?)

When Random House published Resilience, a memoir by Elizabeth Edwards, I overheard more than a few of my friends ask why she wrote it. I automatically assumed it was because she'd agreed to write it -- and probably signed a contract to write it -- before she learned that her husband, John Edwards, had an affair.

Last week, at a conference in Massachusetts, I overheard a colleague's speculation: Jenny Sanford, the wife of Mark Sanford, the governor of South Carolina, must have a book deal in the works. Or she should.

Turns out, her husband did. According to Publishers Weekly, Gov. Sanford had inked a deal with Sentinel, a Penguin imprint, for Within Our Means, "a book about 'fiscal conservatism.'" In light of recent events, he's off the hook, it seems. PW reports that "Sentinel was releasing Stanford from his contract after coming to a 'mutual decision.'"

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy at the 2009 Bonnaroo music festival.Katie Stratton/Getty Images

Sure, New York Magazine's culture Vulture has a point: the New York Times' coverage of "dad rock" band Wilco's new record has been... thorough. But you know what? I listened to much of Wilco (The Album) on NPR's Exclusive First Listen page, and I was delighted by what I heard. So delighted, in fact, that it left me wanting more, so I dug up this golden oldie: Wilco's live, in-studio performance on Talk of the Nation following the release of A Ghost Is Born. So if you're craving a Wilco fix, click through to hear Jeff Tweedy & Co. chat with Neal, and perform five songs over the course of an hour-long Talk.

Learning More About Sotomayor
Supreme Court confirmation hearings for nominee Sonia Sotomayor will begin in one week. Since her nomination, she has become a household name, but what exactly have we learned about her? Los Angeles Times Supreme Court reporter David Savage, law professor Stephen Carter, and SLAM magazine columnist Dave Zirin talk about Sotomayor's record and reveal some things we may not know about the Supreme Court nominee.

Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin's abrupt resignation as governor of Alaska sent shock waves through the Republican Party and raised questions about Palin's political future. In an article for Vanity Fair entitled "It Came from Wasilla," reporter Todd Purdum talks about the emergence of Sarah Palin as the "sexiest and riskiest brand in GOP politics" and where she may be headed.

Journalism And Showbiz
Reports that include unemployment, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, health care reform and a flailing economy dominate our headlines. But when major news intersects with the world of show business, how should it be reported? Ted Koppel talks about the show business of the news business and what happens when journalism and showbiz intersect.

Save The Salinger Archives
Author J.D. Salinger (best known for his novel The Catcher in the Rye) has not published an original work in four decades, and in a recent lawsuit, he is seeking the "recall and destruction" of a novel that was set to be published this summer. In this week's opinion page, Slate.com columnist Ron Rosenbaum explains why it's time we got some reassurance that Salinger's works will published at some point before he dies ... or we do.

It is by far the most intriguing news to come out of the unmitigated post-mortem on Michael Jackson: in the event that his mother was not able to take his kids, they were to go to the similarly legendary Diana Ross. While Ross and Jackson had a real relationship, it occurred to me that it was a great exercise to imagine the celebrity you would most want to take over guardianship for your kids, pets, estates, etc. I call Michael Chabon; I've been hoping he and his wife, Ayelet Waldman (author of the great book of essays, Bad Mother) would adopt me for years!

Our boss, TOTN executive producer Sue Goodwin, was recently diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. Benign's good, right? Well, sorta.

Now, relatively speaking, benign is a good thing. Far better than the alternative. But, it turns out, benign brain tumors can still grow. Given enough time, some can affect major brain function and even become malignant. I was scared.

Sue blogged about it for NPR's health blog. The twist? In reaching out to others who understand "the anxiety of [her] in-between experience," she started to understand how and why so many of us -- her staff members -- find and make the time for social networking. Read on... And maybe call a doctor if you ever inexplicably smell burning rubber.

Fireworks in Washington D.C. Camera Slayer

 

Just in time for the Fourth of July, Troy Patterson argues in Slate, "fireworks suck."

Just as it is incalculably more thrilling to watch a piano burn than, say, kindling, there is more satisfaction in watching actual stuff explode-cars, volcanoes, toasters, what have you-than in witnessing explosions that produce only bombast. When fireworks blow up, the only things up-blowing are the fireworks themselves. There is no drama. There is violence but there is not sex. There is a feeling of danger without a corresponding spirit of adventure.

Protesters demonstrate waterboarding on a volunteer. (At the end of today's first hour we'll talk with NPR Ombudsman Alicia Shepard about complaints that we don't call waterboarding "torture".) Photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Violence On Your Street
When a neighborhood is struck by violence, the aftermath reverberates throughout the community. People who live in urban and suburban areas talk about how their town or neighborhood reacted to violence, and how it changed their daily lives and relationships.

NPR, Waterboarding And "Torture"
NPR's Ombudsman Alicia Shepard responds to complaints that the network doesn't call waterboarding "torture" and has instead referred to the practice in language like, "harsh interrogation techniques that include waterboarding, which many consider torture."

Doctors Walk A Fine Line On Pain Killers
The deaths of Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith focused attention on prescription pain killers. And many speculate that Michael Jackson was taking pain medication. Even in cases that are not high profile, doctors walk a precarious line in treating patients who are seeking relief from chronic pain. Today, physicians and nurses talk about the pressures they face to manage pain, and monitor abuse.

Infomercial Confessions
It slices! It dices! It... entices! We want to hear your infomercial confessions. Fess up! What product did you buy from infomercials, and why? But wait, there's more.....

Reproduced with permission.

 

Speaking of publications a little off the beaten path, one that comes to me is On Patrol, the magazine of the USO. I'm not sure how I got on this particular subscription list, but the fledgling publication's second issue has the cover reproduced above, and it's arresting. I can't walk by it without reading it. It's a letter that was written by a wounded Navy SEAL, displayed on the door of his hospital room while he recovered. In case the image above isn't big enough, it reads:

ATTENTION

To all who enter here

If you are coming into this room with sorrow or to feel sorry for my wounds, go elsewhere. The wounds I received, I got in a job I love, doing it for people I love, supporting the freedom of a country I deeply love. I am incredibly tough and will make a full recovery. What is full? That is the absolute utmost physically my body has the ability to recover. Then I will push that about 20% further through sheer mental tenacity. This room you are about to enter is a room of fun, optimism, and intense rapid regrowth. If you are not prepared for that, GO ELSEWHERE.

The letter has since been donated to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The Summer issue isn't up yet online, but you can find the Spring edition here.

I thought maybe I found a bit of good news on the economic front in Foreign Policy. They asked a series of experts what the end of the recession might look like:

Their consensus? The end of the recession looks much like the recession itself. We are at the end of the beginning of bad times.

Why is it worth reading the The Local, otherwise known as "Sweden's News In English?" Because of gems like this. "CEO gives board members a pornographic surprise."

The CEO of a municipal housing company in Dalarna in central Sweden has been reprimanded after pornographic pictures popped up during a recent presentation to the company's board ... When the CEO pushed the button on his computer it wasn't the meeting's agenda which appeared, but a picture of a naked woman, the Dalarnas Tidningar newspaper reports.

That's right, he was just reprimanded. And the CEO's reaction was fairly hilarious. "I'm really sorry," he said, "It was a mistake that runs counter to all standards of morality. But it's not illegal. It wasn't child porn or anything like that, but a naked woman." He went from from zero to 60 on the morality scale pretty fast, don't you think? Other great headlines from The Local include: "Elk couple on Sunday morning stroll through Gothenburg,"Swedish docs cleared over misplaced colon," and "Malmo win for topless Swedish bathers." Last but not least? "Sweden set to sizzle into July." No kidding!

President Obama is not moving fast enough on domestic partnership issues for some gay rights advocates. Photo by Damian Dovarganes/AP

Political Junkie: Sex Scandal, 60 Democrats, Gay Backlash
The recount is over in Minnesota. Now Senator Al Franken wins and Democrats reach their magic number. Ken Rudin will talk about that, plus Gov. Mark Sanford speaking up about the affair with his "soul mate." Also, we'll look at whether or not politicians reflect public attitudes when it comes to gay rights. Some advocates are saying President Obama is not moving fast enough on the issue.

FDA Panel Wants Ban on Painkillers
An FDA advisory panel recommended a ban on two popular presciption painkillers -- Percocet and Vicodin -- to prevent acetaminophen overdosing, which can cause liver failure. We'll answer your questions about what this could mean for your next trip to the drugstore.

Generation Broke
There's an entire generation of younger Americans who are trying to start out in the worst economic crisis of their lives. Many are forced to change their plans and make tough choices on how to survive in a recession. We want to hear from recent graduates. Have you been able to find the job you wanted? How has the economy forced you to change your blueprint?

The First Reality TV Show?
The disintegration of their marriage made Jon and Kate Plus 8 one of the most viewed reality shows on cable television. But do you remember the Loud family? The documentary, An American Family, entered households in 1973 and followed the lives of Bill and Pat Loud and their five children. The filmmakers, Susan and Alan Raymond, talk about how the PBS series made way for what we now know as "reality TV".