Search results for

40 years ago from this past week - Dr. Jonas Salk announced the success of a polio vaccine. Last year, Weekend All Things Considered interviewed Mark O'Brien, one of the few remaining polio sufferers who is still dependent on an iron lung. O'Brien reads a poem called "Stir" that he wrote about the frustrations of being confined to this apparatus which makes life possible for him at all.

NPR's Philip Davis reports that beginning this year, 27 states and the District of Columbia have been required, under the Federal Clean Air Act, to begin tougher automobile emissions testing. The rules would require motorists to have their cars tested at centralized test sites, as opposed to the local gas station, where much of the testing is now done. Most of the states involved are upset with the requirement, arguing they don't want to spend the money to build new tests sites. And motorists are angry, because of added inconvenience.

Mention the words 'performance artist' and people are likely to think of Laurie Anderson. Jim Metzner has a review of Anderson's latest work - this time on CD-Rom. The CD-Rom is "Puppet Motel" published by the Voyager Company.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports on a proposal being considered by President Bill Clinton which would force government employees with access to classified information to submit their financial records for inspection. The measure is an effort to catch people such as Aldridge Ames who flaunted large sums of money while working for the CIA. Ames was a Russian spy who was being paid handsomely for the information he was passing on to Moscow.

Legendary Sports Broadcaster Howard Cosell died this morning. Cosell was known for his somewhat abrasive personality which was both loved and hated by sports fans.

Danny talks to NPR's Howard Berkes, who is covering the National Rifle Association's meeting in Phoenix. Berkes says NRA members are standing behind the association in the aftermath of the controversy over an NRA fundraising letter that described some federal law enforcement agents as jack-booted thugs.

Daniel reads letters from listeners.

Daniel goes to the southwestern African nation of Namibia to see how their language education program is progressing. When the country gained independence form South Africa five years ago, educators and political leaders decided that it was necessary for the nation's children to learn to speak English, so now all major subjects in grades four and above are taught in English. This means that the students must learn science, math, and social science in English, not their native language.

Danny speaks with NPR's Andy Bowers, who is in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. They talk about a fire fight today between French and Bosnian Serb soldiers and also assess the UN's reaction to the holding of more than 200 peacekeepers as hostages by the Bosnian Serbs.

Danny speaks with NPR's Elizabeth Arnold about President Bill Clinton's meeting today with governors. They met to discuss welfare, childrens issues and unfunded mandates.

Film critic Bob Mondello takes a look at how American cinema has typically portrayed gays and lesbians as maniacs or perverts. But Mondello reports that gradually those negative stereotypes are changing and in the next year, there will be several films with prominent gay characters in less stereotypical roles.

Mark Roberts reports on a new survey issued by the National Transportation Safety Board which says that fatigue contributes to as many as 40 percent of truck accidents on the nation's interstate highways.

With block grants being the new mantra for how to allocate federal dollars, NPR's Jon Greenberg profiles a community in Baltimore that went from burned out buildings to a revitalized neighborhood with the block grant scheme.

Daniel visits 84-year old identical twins who teach physics at the University of Maryland. The Slawsky brothers, Mitch and Zack, talk about their eight decades together.

NPR's Anne Garrels visited several villages in the southern part of the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya and reports that residents are divided as to whether to continue fighting Russian troops. The Russians have occupied the capitol Grozny for several weeks.

Daniel talks with NPR's David Welna about the crackdwon on the Zapitista rebels in the Mexican state of Chiapas. The Mexican government announced this week that because talks between the Zapitistas and the government have broken down, the government has decided to arrest the leaders of the group.

Daniel speaks with Silas Cochise, a tribal council member of the Mescalero-Apache Indian tribe in New Mexico. This week the tribe decided not to allow the federal government to bury nuclear wastes on their lands.

Daniel talks to the mayor of Puyallup, Washington, Mike Deal, who was forced to drop an anti-smoking initiative when area restaurants, backed by the major tobacco companies sued him and his city council. Deal says the council realized there were other pressing needs for the city.

Daniel talks to Tom Levenson, author of "Measure for Measure: A Musical History of Science" (Simon and Schuster). Levenson says that during the Enlightenment, scientists thought that they could explain and understand everything in the universe, but that really isn't true.

Daniel talks to Laurie Garrett, author of the book, "The Coming Plague." She says that there are more antibiotic-resistant microbes and diseases that resist conventional medications now than ever before, and that they are spreading rapidly throughout the world because people and goods are travelling more than ever.