Search results for

Laura Haydon reports that as Ireland has been transformed from an impoverished rural society to a booming information economy, the Irish are attending church less and sending fewer young men into the priesthood. This apparent decline in religious devotion is reflected in the falling numbers of pilgrims to Lough Derg, a remote outpost in northwest Ireland, where Saint Patrick is believed to have had a vision of heaven and hell. To draw worshippers back, the Church is now offering pilgrims the option of attending a one-day retreat, rather than the traditional arduous three days of fasting, walking barefoot and going without sleep.

This week, a professor who had JUST been appointed to head the Jewish Studies department at Queens College in New York resigned from the post. Thomas Bird is NOT Jewish and great controversy had arisen over that fact. A colleague of his was quoted as saying the appointment was "unheard of" and "inappropriate." Robert Siegel talks to that critic of this appointment-- Professor Samuel Heilman who once directed the Jewish Studies at Queens College. He says the head of such a department must be a kind of role model and has a symbolic and emblamatic role to play-- and therefore should be Jewish.

Linda Wertheimer interviews the authors of two new thrillers: Michael Connelly, about A Darkness More Than Night, and Evan Hunter, about his collaboration with Ed McBain to write Candyland: A Novel in Two Parts. Connelly's book takes main characters from other novels -- an LAPD detective and a retired FBI investigator -- and pits them against one another. Hunter, an acclaimed author who wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, wrote the first half of Candyland, then looked to his alter-ego for the second half, when it becomes more of a murder mystery. (7:45) A Darkness More Than Night, by Michael Connelly, is published by Little, Brown, ISBN # 0-316-15407-5. Candyland, by Evan Hunter and Ed McBain is published by Simon and Schuster, ISBN # 0-7432-1316-5.

Linda talks with Scott McGraw, a physical anthropologist, about the extinction of a monkey called Miss Waldron's Red Colobus, whose native habitat is West Africa. The last documented sighting of the red colobus was 20 years ago. McGraw says the monkey was hunted and eaten which is one reason for its decline. Also, there is so little of the West African rain forest left, that there's not enough habitat to support the red colobus. McGraw is an assistant professor of anthropology at Ohio State University. He specializes in West African monkeys.

In Hollywood, a good agent is the magical dealmaker who can bring together a script, a director, and a star to make a movie happen. Commentator Jake Halpern says that agents have been the power brokers in Hollywood since the decline of the studio system in the early '50s. But they may be seeing some competition from an unlikely source: Nance Mitchell, a waxer and skin care specialist who also helps her clients connect with each other to make movie deals.

NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports that AOL and Time-Warner completed their merger today shortly after the FCC gave its conditional approval. The deal combines the nation's largest internet service provider with the second largest cable operator. It is valued at more than one-hundred-billion dollars. In a prepared statement, the newly merged company said its "scale, scope and reach" would enable it to capitalize on the digital revolution. Analysts say declining ad revenues may hurt the new company in the short run, but were mostly upbeat about its long-run chances.

George is the name of a four-foot tall wild turkey living in a Newtonville, MA neighborhood. Because of him, mail delivery in the area has become a bit of a problem. Turns out George doesn't like the mail carrier all that much. Tim Hoban is the man who draws George's ire. The bird lunges, squawks and pecks at Hogan while he travels his daily route. He won't attack other carriers, just Hogan. Robert talks with postman about the foul fowl.

Susan talks with children's author Virginia Hamilton about the folktales in "Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales" (1995,The Blue Sky Press/Scholastic). These stories are adaptations of folktales told by women. Hamilton grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio in a large, extended family - a family of storytellers. She says it was the way she learned about family tradition and about her cultural heritage. Hamilton's most recent book is "When Birds Could Talk and Bats Could Sing" (1996, Blue Sky Press/Scholastic).

Daniel talks with Diane Ackerman about her new book, "Rarest of the Rare: Vanishing Animals, Timeless Worlds" (Random House), which is about her journey to a small island near Japan, an island called Torishima, which is home to the rare bird known as the short-tailed albatross. The albatross lives 40 to 60 years and has the capacity for fly for 4 or 5 years without landing (it does float on the water every so often)...it even can sleep while flying.

Republican Presidential candidate George W. Bush has sharply criticized the Clinton administration's national defense policy. He says the Clinton White House has undermined the U.S. military and let the defense forces decline. Bush has promised to "re-build" the military. But there are questions about how the candidate would pay for it. Though he has talked about a major upgrade, his actual proposal only involves a very small spending increase. NPR Pentagon Correspondent Steve Inskeep reports.

NPR's John Nielsen reports that the use of political polls has grown tremendously in recent years, but their ability to tap into the public mood may be declining as voters become more volatile and more and more are refusing to answer pollster's questions. But generally, polls have been fairly accurate. It's their interpretation that's often wrong. (7:30) CUTAWAY 1A 0:59 1B 3. CONGRESS -- Members of Congress came back to Washington this week after a three week hiatus. And Commentator Mickey Edwards wants know if the republican members will continue the fight for the GOP agenda. It was only two months ago that budget battles raged between the Congress and the White House. Mickey Edwards wonders if Republicans on the Hill will get back on track with their agenda: the balanced budget and taxes. He wonders what they will get accomplished in the next few months, especially now that the GOP Presdiential candidates have taken the spotlight and shifted focus of the Republican agenda.

Janet Heimlich reports from Austin that 35-year-old Roy Criner was released from a Texas prison today after serving ten years for a rape he didn't commit. DNA evidence that surfaced three years ago suggested that Criner was innocent and he'll receive a pardon from Governor George W. Bush as soon as the paperwork is completed. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declined to grant Criner a new trial three years ago, despite the fresh evidence, arguing that he still could have committed the crime.

This series explores Minnesota's native pollinators, including butterflies, bees, and birds. We explore the environmental issues contributing to decline of these species, how to solve those problems, and why there's reason for hope and optimism.

we begin a new series on climate change with a focus on forestry and carbon. Mark Jacobs is our producer.