Search results for

NPR's Anthony Brooks reports on the controversy over a federally mandated water filtration system in Lancaster, New Hampshire. Officials there say that the 3-million dollar system is unecessary because their water is already clean.

When the Apollo 11 mission to the moon was in its early stages, a group of 13 women were recruited to undergo tests to see if they, in addition to the male astronauts, might also have the necessary endurance for such a mission. Sue Nelson has this report on what happened to those women and why they never made it into space.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports on how Italy's fascist party has renamed itself, shedding it's legacy of Black Shirts and stiff-armed salutes, in hopes of attracting a new generation of supporters.

NPR's David Welna reports from Mexico City on the tumultuous events of the past month.. He explains the complex circles of allegations and conspiracy that surround the assasinations of two leading political figures and the dire state of the economy.

Jacki talks with author Barbara Holland about the more bizarre methods of trying suspected criminals in times past. She feels that the present day jury system is a vast improvement on the previous system - trial by ordeal or trial by combat. Holland tells stories of gladiators... vats of boiling oil...and drownings.. those who survived were of course innocent.

George Ofman reports from Chicago on the return of Michael Jordan to the National Basketball Association. Jordan's return has been rumoured for a couple of weeks. Today, Jordan announced he would be back on the floor with the Bulls for their game tomorrow afternoon in Indianapolis.

Critic Bob Mondello reviews the new Australian film 'Muriel's Wedding' and Ireland's 'Circle of Friends' which he feels have some similar traits.

Daniel talks to Geraldine Youcha, author of "Minding the Children: Childcare in America form Colonial Times to the Present." She says that options we discuss for childcare today, such as federally funded daycare for children of working mothers and orphanages, have been tried in the past and that policymakers should look to history to examine the pros and cons of different childcare solutions.

NPR's Chitra Ragavan reports on the efforts by lobbyists to influence the tort reform debate in Congress. This week, the House of Representatives passed a measure which limits the dollar amount that juries can award plaintiffs who sue doctors and manufacturers.

Michael Jordan returned to the National Basketball Association this afternoon. NPR's Scott Simon was at Chicago Bulls game against the Indiana Pacers and talks with Jacki about Jordan's return.

Jyll Johnstone and Barbara Ettinger have explored the way they each were raised by nanny's in the 1950's in a new documentary called "Martha and Ethyl." Johnstone's nanny was a rigid disciplinarian, Ettinger had the opposite with a woman named Ethyl who she now look upon as a second mother.

Jacki Lyden talks to Geraldine Brooks, former Wall Street Journal corresspondant who has written a book on women and Islam. The book, "Nine parts of Desire" details some of Brooks more unusual experiences in the Middle East including a visit with the late Ayatollah Khomeni's family. Brooks says that there are many advantages in being a woman in that part of the world. The book is published by Doubleday.

Jacki talks with Dr. Sigmund Eckhouse. He's a former chemical engineer who for 36 years worked for the Army in developing the chemical agents that would be used in chemical weapons. They discuss the history of chemical weapons from World War one and up to the present.

NPR's Melissa Block reports survivors of the Long Islan Railroad shooting in New York made courtroom statements this past week in th trial of Colin Ferguson. He was convicted of killing 6 people during a shooting rampage on the railroad. Crime victims and their relatives are making their case in court more and more often.

We present the best and worst of the responses to last week's request for spring cleaning music - music while you clean!

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports on conflicting feelings in Japan as the August anniversary of the end of World War Two approaches.

Alice Magill recalls the time ..just before her wedding when she learned why her father would not be able to give her away.

Daniel talks with Martha Manning, psychologist and author of "Undercurrents: A Therapist's Reckoning with Her Own Depression," (HarperSanFrancisco) which recounts her descent into a debilitating depression and her decision to undergo electro-shock therapy as a last resort. She says the treatment, sometimes considered outdated by professionals like herself, helped her regain her ability to function in the world.

NPR's Laura Knoy reports on another presidential hopeful. Alan Keyes, a former top state department and United Nations official will be the first Black to run as a Republican presidential candidate. Knoy reports that Keyes is a real long-shot.

NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports on the fact that two out of three households cannot afford a computer. Experts say the technology gap between the haves and have nots is a growing problem for the nation's workforce.