Roundup

VA: Summer Intern – Humanities Computing/History & New Media

The Center for History and New Media (CHNM) at George Mason University is seeking a creative, energetic, well-rounded, and well-organized college student for an 8-12 week paid summer internship in 2006 at a leading digital history center. We are particularly interested in someone with experience developing web-database applications (e.g. in MySQL and PHP). This is an especially good opportunity for someone with a combined interest in computing and history. Current enrollment as college undergrad

VA: Webmaster and Technical Coordinator

The Center for History and New Media (CHNM) at George Mason University (GMU) anticipates an opening in Summer 2006 for a Webmaster/ Technical Coordinator to maintain the CHNM server and oversee the CHNM computer lab. This is a permanent classified staff position that is particularly appropriate for someone with combined interest in technology and history. We are seeking an energetic, responsible, well-organized person who is equally able to work independently, as part of a team, and as a supervi

VA: Digital Historian

This is a one- to two-year position (depending on funding) at the rank of Research Assistant Professor at the Center for History and New Media (CHNM), which is closely affiliated with the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University. A PhD or advanced ABD in History or a closely related field is required. We are especially interested in people with some or all of the following credentials, but they are not required for the position: 1. experience in digital history or digital

VA: Web Developer

The Center for History and New Media (CHNM) at George Mason University anticipates an entry-level opening for a web and multimedia developer in Summer 2006. We require an energetic and well-organized person to work on a variety of innovative, web-based history projects. This is a grant-funded, one-to-two-year position that is particularly appropriate for someone with a combined interest in technology and history. Specific background and experience is less important than the ability to learn new

Motown Building Razed for Super Bowl Parking [4min]

A piece of Detroit music history is torn down to make way for parking for the upcoming Super Bowl. The Motown Center, which once housed the famous record label, had been abandoned for more than 30 years. When Motown left town, the company left behind a huge amount of memos and paperwork, often signed by Motown artists. In 2004, Randy Wilcox went inside the building and came away with some of those items. Wilcox posted many of the documents, along with pictures of the building, on his blog,

Nebraska's Only Black Lawmaker Reflects on 3 Decades in State Legislature [9min]

Nebraska State Sen. Ernie Chambers has spent more than three decades in the state legislature, where he is the only black lawmaker. The 68-year-old talks with Ed Gordon.

'The Skywalker' on Kobe Bryant's Basketball Record [4min]

Los Angeles Laker star Kobe Bryant set a team record this past Sunday by scoring 81 points in one game. The performance put Bryant into the record books for the second-highest score in a single game, right behind basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points in a game in 1962. Alex Chadwick talks to the man Bryant bumped out of the number-two spot -- sports legend David "The Skywalker" Thompson -- about the making of basketball history.

Presidential Signing Statements [5min]

Alex Chadwick talks with Dahlia Lithwick of the online magazine Slate about"signing statements" -- documents that the president attaches to laws he's signed to lay out his own interpretation of those laws. The issue of signing statements and presidential privilege became a major sticking point for Democrats during the confirmation hearings on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. President Bush regularly uses signing statements when enacting the bills into law.

The History of Political Succession [5min]

Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, explains the history of political succession.

Oral History Recalls the Reagan White House [36min]

Seventeen years after Ronald Reagan left office, the public will be able to get an inside look into his presidency. Key figures from the Reagan White House recently took part in an oral history project, shedding light on the political career of the country's 40th president and offering insights into his leadership style and personality. Guests: Stephen Knott, associate professor and overseer of the Ronald Reagan Oral History Project at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Vir

Mortality and the Gift of the Moment [9min]

Tired, cold and breathless, NPR sound engineer Bill McQuay continues his pilgrimage around a sacred mountain in China revered by Tibetan Buddhists, and finds a powerful force guiding his path -- an awareness of his own mortality. NPR continues the "Geography of Heaven" series -- a joint production of Radio Expeditions and the National Geographic Society -- with an odyssey to southern China.

What Is It about the Maghreb? [40min]

The North African countries of Morocco and Tunisia are both celebrating 50 years of independence from French colonial rule. They're two of the most pro-western states in the Arab world and both claim to be on the road to political democracy. Yet young Moroccans and Tunisians are prominent among those accused of involvement in Islamic terror groups in western Europe. Mark Whitaker investigates.

Dutch MP Who Worked with Theo Van Gogh Defies Muslim Pressure [30min]

When Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali-born Dutch MP, wrote Submission, a film attacking what she believes to be the Koran's endorsement of the subjugation of women, she knew it would cause controversy. She did not, however, envisage that it would lead to the murder of her collaborator, Theo Van Gogh, and a life under 24-hour armed guard for her. She talks to Fergal Keane about her journey from devout Muslim to one of Islam's most outspoken critics, and why she refuses to be silenced.

David Starkey on Martin Luther [15min]

Dr David Starkey argues that five major Christian figures distorted, even betrayed, the Christian faith as envisaged by Jesus. Defenders argue back. 3/5. Martin Luther.

What Mozart Did for Us [60min]

Charles Hazlewood tells the remarkable story of this 18th century musician and composer, and explores the themes that dominated his career, through the experiences of today's stars like Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, Aled Jones, Will Gregory of Goldfrapp, and Andy Partridge of XTC.

Stubborn Kind of Fella: Remembering Marvin Gaye 1st of 6 [30min]

In this six part series, fellow Motown colleague Smokey Robinson pays homage to the legend of soul, Marvin Gaye, and seeks to discover the real man behind the music.

End of an Era: Winchester Rifle Production to Stop [4min]

After more than a century, the classic Winchester rifle -- the "Gun that Won the West" -- is set to ride off into the sunset. This month, the European company that owns the Winchester plant in New Haven, Conn., said the gun will no longer be made in the United States. The iconic weapon just isn't as popular as it used to be. John Dankosky of member station WNPR reports.

'1996': Under the Watchful Eye of the Government [6min]

Ed Gordon talks with writer Gloria Naylor about her latest novel, 1996, a fictionalized memoir about Naylor's experience under government surveillance.

500th Anniversary of Vatican's Swiss Guard [4min]

Sylvia Poggiolli reports on the 500th anniversary of the Swiss Guard, the elite group of soldiers assigned to protect the Pope at the Vatican.

The Mountain Home of a Warrior God [9min]

NPR continues the "Geography of Heaven" series -- a joint production of Radio Expeditions and the National Geographic Society -- with an odyssey to southern China. NPR sound engineer Bill McQuay begins his journey to circle the sacred mountain of Kawakarpo with a visit to some of the holiest places in Tibetan Buddhism, where he learns of the religion's core values. "How can a warrior god and his mountain be the devotional fulcrum for non-violent Buddhist pilgrims?" asks McQua