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Memorable Moments 2007 Memorable Moments 2007
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Memorable Moments 2007

The Best of 'News & Notes' 2007

Literary Great Chinua Achebe on Prose and Politics

The acclaimed Nigerian writer recently won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for his literary career. Achebe talks about the premise of his debut novel Things Fall Apart, why he stopped writing for nearly 20 years and how his experiences with Nigeria's fractured political past still shape the way he envisions Africa's future.

Literary Great Chinua Achebe on Prose and Politics

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Most E-mailed Stories of 2007

Terrence Howard: 'I Would Be a Witness'

Actor Terrence Howard introduces viewers to the film Knocking." It's a look inside the Jehovah's Witness religion. He talks candidly about the film and his personal connection to the faith.

Terrence Howard: 'I Would Be a Witness'

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Loving Barbaro: A Racehorse and His Fans

The racehorse Barbaro is recovering this week from his latest setback, a diseased hoof. As he convalesces, an online community of thousands is following his progress breathlessly. Why do so many find Barbaro so compelling?

Loving Barbaro: A Racehorse and His Fans

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Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Not My Job: Stephen Breyer

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer plays our game called "Your last album was inspired by $40,000 worth of primo hash and a disembodied spirit called Sheldon." Three stories about the rock 'n' roll lifestyle taken from a recent article in Blender magazine.

Not My Job: Stephen Breyer

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Army Medevac Unit Races Against 'Golden Hour'

The first hour after an attack is crucial for wounded soldiers. Injured troops who get medical help have a 95 percent chance of surviving. Eagle Dustoff, a medevac unit in Iraq, keeps its mission simple: Evacuate the wounded as quickly as possible.

Army Medevac Unit Races Against 'Golden Hour'

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Björk And Konono No. 1, Live In Concert

Björk performs live in 2007 at the United Palace in New York City. Stephanie Berger for NPR hide caption

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Stephanie Berger for NPR

Live in Concert

Björk And Konono No. 1, Live In Concert

The two singular artists played together at the United Palace in New York in 2007. Listen to both concerts in their entirety.

Listen to Björk in Concert

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'Crashing Through' from Blindness to Sight

At the age of 45, Michael May, who had been blind since childhood, was given the possibility of sight through a revolutionary stem-cell transplant surgery. Author Robert Kurson has documented May's experiences regaining his sight in a new book, Crashing Through.

Listen to this 'Talk of the Nation' topic

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Accentuating Accents: The Linguistic Hierarchy

In the hierarchy of foreign and domestic accents, where does your accent fit in? A discussion of which accents came out on top in a ranking of favorites, and how different accents are perceived.

Accentuating Accents: The Linguistic Hierarchy

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Live Music from the Film 'Once'

Swell Season Live Joel Didriksen for kingpinphoto.com hide caption

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Joel Didriksen for kingpinphoto.com

Live Music from the Film 'Once'

Playing under the name The Swell Season, hear Irish singer Glen Hansard and Czech newcomer Marketa Irglova perform songs from the hit musical Once recorded live in concert from Washington, D.C.

The Swell Season in Concert

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Driveway Moments

Photo Captures Firefighters Ensnarled by Blaze

California's recent wildfires produced many spectacular images, but perhaps none as dramatic and memorable as a Los Angeles Times photo of 12 firefighters trapped in a circle of smoke and flames.

Photo Captures Firefighters Ensnarled by Blaze

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Businesses See Green in Iceland's Volcano Power

Iceland's winters are long, dark and cold. But one of the country's favorite winter hobbies is to take a swim in outdoor heated pools or lounge in backyard hot tubs. Heat and electricity are cheap, clean and plentiful here — and Iceland wants other countries to take notice.

Businesses See Green in Iceland's Volcano Power

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Japan Trades In Suits, Cuts Carbon Emission

In an effort to meet a Kyoto Protocol pledge, Japan managed to cut about 1.4 million tons of CO2 emissions last year. The nation reduced summer air-conditioning use, overturning a decades-old "suit and tie" tradition along the way.

Japan Trades In Suits, Cuts Carbon Emission

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Colbert Builds 'Report' with Viewers, Readers

Fresh Air

Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report talks about his book I Am America (And So Can You!). Colbert targets race, religion, sports and the American family as well as more mundane topics like breakfast cereal and the Hollywood blacklist.

Colbert Builds 'Report' with Viewers, Readers

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Farmworker to Surgeon: Immigrant Lives Dream

Twenty years ago, Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa hopped a border fence from Mexico into the U.S. and became a migrant farmworker. Today he is a neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University, and a researcher who is looking for a breakthrough in the treatment of brain cancer.

Farmworker to Surgeon: Immigrant Lives Dream

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Disabled Often Carry Out Afghan Suicide Missions

There have been at least 110 suicide attacks in Afghanistan this year. An Afghan doctor who conducts bombers' autopsies says that up to 80 percent of suicide bombers in Kabul are disabled.

Disabled Often Carry Out Afghan Suicide Missions

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Mailer Remembered as Controversial, Provocative

Fresh Air

Norman Mailer's work combined sweeping cultural criticism, erudition and obscenity. He was deliberately provocative, says book critic Maureen Corrigan, and he wanted to be remembered as a novelist, though he made a strong impact as an essayist and journalist. Mailer's 60-year career was full of depth and controversy.

Mailer Remembered as Controversial, Provocative

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Iran and Its Neighbors

Iran's Ambitions Spark Fears in the Muslim World

As Iran strengthens its military and political muscle, the nation's leaders seek to increase its influence over the Middle East. But Iran's ambitious talk of revolution worries its Arab neighbors.

Iran's Ambitions Spark Fears in the Muslim World

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The Ganges: A Journey into India

Exploring the Sacred, Modern Along the Ganges

India's holy Ganges River provides sustenance to more people than the population of the United States. A 1,550-mile journey along Mother Ganga offers a unique glimpse of what lies behind the complexities of India today.

Exploring the Sacred, Modern Along the Ganges

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