Blog Of The Nation : NPR

February 28, 2011 • "Inside Job" took home the gold statue for best feature documentary during last night's Oscar ceremony. Director Charles Ferguson gave an atypical acceptance speech. Neal Conan spoke with him just before his win.

February 28th Show

by Gwen Outen

February 28, 2011 • In the first hour of Talk of the Nation, Afghanistan, and the role of Islam in economies in the Arab world on the opinion page. In the second hour, defining what it means to be a man, and teachers and politics.

Bingo Makes Life & The Oscars Better

by Priska Neely

February 24, 2011 • Old people know it, children know it, and the ladies at the Washington Post's Celebritology blog know it. Bingo makes everything better. Celebritology's Oscar Bingo cards are a fun way to enjoy the Academy Award show.

Crystal Clear Libya

by Peter Granitz

February 24, 2011 • A lack of a press in Libya has prevented outsiders from seeing what the country actually looks like. Former Ambassador Charles O. Cecil has captured clear, colorful photos of the country. And they're different from what we see on today's broadcasts.

How Protesters Take Down A Government

by Scott Cameron

February 24, 2011 • When an armed rebellion breaks out it's clear why a government might fall. But when protesters take to the streets without violence, why is it sometimes enough to topple a government? Joshua A. Tucker takes a look Egypt.

February 24th Show

by Gwen Outen

February 24, 2011 • In the first hour of Talk of the Nation, single motherhood, Libya and Gasland. In the second hour, how the U.S. should respond to Libya, and pirate hijackings.

Life, Thriving In The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

An abandoned ferris wheel and carousel in the amusement park of the ghost town of Prypyat, adjacent to the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images

Life, Thriving In The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

by Sarah Handel

February 23, 2011 • Earlier this year, Ukraine opened up the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to tourists. Henry Shukman went, and managed to experience the zone beyond the official tour. He found lush forests and happy people, but also, wildlife with unstable DNA.

February 23rd Show

by Gwen Outen

February 23, 2011 • In the first hour of Talk of the Nation, the political junkie and a review of Oscar nominated documentaries. In our second hour, Libya's hold on Tripoli, and Motown's influence on America.

The Girl With The Goat's Head On A Spike

by Barrie Hardymon

February 22, 2011 • An ugly dispute over the legacy of popular crime novelist Stieg Larsson has Barrie Hardymon wondering, whose side should you take? She read in on it, and she's still not sure what to make of the story.

This photo was taken sometime in the 1910s. I wonder what the boy and girl would look like now if they recreated this photo today... Beverly & Pack/flickr hide caption

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Beverly & Pack/flickr

History Repeats Itself, In Photos

by John Asante

February 22, 2011 • Photographer Irina Werning's "Back to the Future" project is full of snapshots that invoke the same emotions nearly anyone experiences when flipping through your own family albums — goofiness, gasps, and good times.

Pedals And Fists Of Fury

by Peter Granitz

February 22, 2011 • Accidents with bikes and cars are down considerably since 1975, but in 2009, there were 630 bike riders killed by vehicles. Joe Simonetti has survived several on his 50 plus mile bike commute into New York City.

February 22nd Show

by Gwen Outen

February 22, 2011 • In our first hour of Talk of the Nation, state budgets and Oscar-nominated documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop. In our second hour, Groupon and oil prices.

Dislike: The Status Of This Commercial

by Priska Neely

February 21, 2011 • Maybe everyone has already seen that commercial where the guy goes on a date and then uses his car to check the girl's Facebook status. I was on a plane during the Super Bowl, so I just saw it. It makes me want to leave the country...or the century.

February 21st Show

by Sarah Handel

February 21, 2011 • On Talk of the Nation, collective bargaining and the public sector, Oscar-nominated documentary Waste Land, what's happening in Libya and why it's hard to get information, and on the Opinion Page, how the abortion rights movement should modernize.

This Australian version of Monopoly shows some updates - check out the laptop. But a new edition puts a computerized banker in control of every move. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images hide caption

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Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images