Search results for

Orlando de Guzman reports U-S diplomats and law enforcement officials are in the Philippines, trying to obtain the release of a 24-year-old American taken hostage by a brutal group of Muslim separatists. Jeffrey Schilling of Oakland, California, is the latest of dozens of foreigners to be kidnapped by rebels. He was abducted from a shopping center in Zamboanga City, by the group known as Abu Sayaf. The same group beheaded two school teachers earlier this year when demands for their release were not met. Nonetheless, the U-S State Department says the US will not pay ransom, change policies, release prisoners or make any concessions that reward hostage-taking.

Linda talks with Hod Lipson, a research scientist at Brandeis University about a robot he and computer scientist Jordan Pollack designed, which constructs other robots. He says this is a new step towards the autonomy of artificial life.

The annual Jobs Rated Almanac, by Les Krantz has been released. It rates 250 occupations from the best to the worst based on five criteria. All Things Considered asked some workers where they thought their jobs would place. (2:30) Jobs Rated Almanac 2001, by Les Krantz is published by Griffin, ISBN # 0312260962.

The cottontail rabbit used to be a common sight among the oak forests and mountain trails of New England. No more. NPR News correspondent John Nielsen reports on a request by conservationists to put what once was thought to be the most procreatively successful American animal on the endangered species list.

Minority enrollment is up at Florida's state universities and Governor Jeb Bush is attributing the increase to his "One Florida" program. The governor's plan abolished affirmative action in state college and university admissions. It substituted a program where the top 20% of students in each high school class is guaranteed admission to a state institution. But critics say the governor is off base, because other outreach and recruiting efforts are really behind the increase. Susan Gage of Florida Public Radio reports.

A cheery story by Franz Kafka about an executioner called In the Penal Colony has been turned into a pretty opera by Phillip Glass. It's being directed by Glass' former wife, celebrated theater director Joanne Akalaitis. The work is premiers in Seattle tonight at ACT Theater. It travels to Chicago in November. Marcie Sillman, of member station KUOW, reports.

Phillip Davis reports on the political battle surrounding rising hurricane insurance rates in Florida. Florida insurers have used a scientific model they commissioned to argue that global warming means that Hurricane strength will continue to increase in the coming years, thus the need for rate increases. State meteorologists are not convinced. But efforts to get money appropriated for an independent state study have been killed by the insurance lobby.

Jason Beaubien reports on tensions between teachers unions and school districts in Boston and Philadelphia - tensions that could lead to teachers' strikes in those cities. One issue is that teachers' hard-won rights regarding seniority are clashing with attempts to make poor-performing schools better.

Linda talks with sportswriter Stefan Fatsis about this year's close race in baseball for the pennant. All in all, it's been an exciting season for baseball fans -- so many teams have a chance at winning their division. And in other good news for baseball fans -- players and owners have struck a deal that means no strike next season.

Robert talks with Barry Eisenstein M.D., Vice President of Science and Technology for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, about his hospital's participation in creating an international tissue bank. They will be asking patients for permission to sell tissue left over from surgery. The tissue will be used by scientists worldwide for genetic research.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports traditional Indian medicine men in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico, are trying to stop transnational companies from what they call bio-piracy -- making off with medicinal plants from the region and then taking out patents for any pharmaceutical potential. The Mayans say that such drug prospecting does not benefit Indian communities. The companies and some scientists say they stand to lose billions of dollars and perhaps the chance to cure deadly diseases.

Novelist James Welch has a new novel called The Heartsong of Charging Elk, based on an Oglala Sioux Indian who was part of the cast of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. From this historical incident novelist James Welch has made his new work -- (1:30) The Heartsong of Charging Elk is published by Doubleday.

Robert talks to ABC News reporter Robert Krulwich, about his 3-part series airing next week on Nightline, called "Hip Hop." Before beginning his research, Krulwich professed to be no expert on the subject of hip-hip culture, but wanted to understand why it was so compelling to kids, like his son, and millions of other teens and 20-somethings. In the first segment he profiles Russell Simmons, a hip-hop executive and record producer -- a household name to many hip-hop lovers, but previously unknown to Krulwich. Krulwich comes to understand that hip-hop is music, clothing, image, attitude -- a collage of ghetto and street, and the aspirations and signs of wealth and success. And he also discovers that the business of hip-hop is unlike any model he'd seen before, where music and fashion executives hold no distinctions between race, gender, or sex. He found it refreshing.

Alison Richards of NPR News has the third part in her series on Osteoporosis. Patients with osteoporosis now can be diagnosed with a bone density scan, and there are more drugs and therapies to treat it. But that wasn't always the case. Because osteoporosis -- meaning porous bones -- develops in silence, doctors needed a way to detect the disease. They were helped by research done in the 1950's by the old Atomic Energy Commission. The commission was looking at ways to prevent atomic fallout from getting into bone. That early work on bone biology was dusted off to help 21st century sufferers of osteoporosis.

Robert and Linda have a quick compendium of words that might be useful for anyone travelling to Australia for the Olympics.

A federal appeals court today decided to keep former Los Alamos nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee in jail, in response to a Justice Department request. A lower court federal judge had ruled last week that Lee should be allowed to return home, but will remain under house arrest until his trial on charges of breaching national security. The Justice Department asked for more time to prove that Lee's release would be a threat to national security. Critics of the investigation and Lee's defense team allege that Lee was targeted as an espionage suspect by federal agents because of his race. NPR's Barbara Bradley reports.

Minnesota Republican Rod Grams is considered one of the most vulnerable US Senators facing re-election this fall. He's a staunch conservative in a state with a long history of progressive politics, but he's also a maverick in a state known for its independence. Anemic poll numbers and a modest legislative record brought lots of challengers into this month's Democratic primary, but the big field may prove to be Grams best defense. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

Ina Jaffe reports a massive new residential development planned for northern Los Angeles County has been halted by court order. The judge ruled that the developer couldn't prove there was enough water for the anticipated 70 thousand residents. Experts predict more such cases as the population of California grows and water gets harder to come by.

Commentator Lenore Skenazy has some thoughts on the history of wine and beer inspired by a museum visit.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports officials in Sydney, Australia hope the upcoming Olympic Games will boost tourism and investment for years to come. Despite the excitement, Australians are not nearly as enthusiastic about the games as they were seven years ago when Sydney won its bid to play host. Cost over-runs and scandals involving Olympic officials have taken a toll.