Roundup

'The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection' [5min]

At the height of his popularity, silent film star Harold Lloyd was a bigger box-office draw than either Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, but his films are rarely seen today. A new DVD collection of the actor's best performances, The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection, could revive his legacy as the funniest man of the silent-screen era.

Teaching Evolution Update [12min]

This week, Dover voters ousted school board members who adopted a policy requiring that intelligent design be presented as an alternative to evolution in biology class -- while across the country, the Kansas board of education approved new science standards that cast doubt on the theory of evolution. Guest: Nick Matzke, public information project specialist, National Center for Science Education.

The War in Iraq [5min]

Al Franken and Nation Reporter/Writer and author Christian Parenti discuss the war in Iraq and present and future implications of that country's 80-year history as a federation of three discrete ethnic regions.

Bull Run Regional Library [55min]

Our first of two broadcasts from Bull Run Regional Library in Manassas, Virginia.

Footprints [29min]

When archeologist Dave Roberts stumbled across a set of small indentations in a sandstone boulder on South Africa's remote West Coast, he knew they were ancient human footprints. What he did not anticipate, though, was the series of events that his discovery would set in motion. In a country where the social, political and cultural history is being rewritten, the footprints represent more than just scientific evidence of human evolution. From those with a vested interest in challenging that evid

Fire and Ice [29min]

The Eskimos in Alaska have a legend that they call "The year of no summer". One year, summer never came, winter just continued. No one could fish or hunt. And nothing could grow. The story is a creation myth. A few survivors were left to form what is now the Kauwerak tribe. Scientists are now looking at the legend as another piece of evidence for what they believe was a major climate shift in the Northern Hemisphere. Producer Dan Grossman takes on a journey to discover the truth behind

Current Status of US-India Relations [28min]

Karl Inderfurth, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for South Asian Affairs, and Walter Anderson, director of the South Asia Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University in Washington discuss the current status of US-India relations with guest host Ravi Khanna.

Wright's 'Pride and Prejudice' at the Austen Society [7min]

Director Joe Wright's screen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice opens today, but members of the Jane Austen Society have already gotten a sneak peek. Some of the group's members have openly criticized the movie, much to the chagrin of the film studio. NPR's Kim Masters reports.

Sue Prideaux on Edvard Munch, 5th of 5 [15min]

In the last years of his life, Munch finds himself first denigrated by the invading Nazis, and then hailed as a hero. Despite all protests, Munch's funeral arrangements are forcibly organised by the Third Reich. Sue Prideaux's Edvard Munch: Behind the Scream (Yale University Press) -- here abridged by dramatist Polly Coles and read by actor Louis Hillyer -- is the first full biography of Munch written in English.

Shannon stopover to be phased out by 2008 [2min]

Ireland's Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, has signed an agreement with the US Secretary of Transport, Norman Mineta, which will see the phasing out of the Shannon stopover by April 2008. The stopover will go under an open skies agreement between the EU and the US due to be finalised next week. The transition period will begin in November of next year; during that time the number of flights having to stop in Shannon will be reduced to one in four on any scheduled route. The minister made t

Anti-Americanism [5min]

Columnist Jonathan Freedland and Sir Martin Gilbert, author of Churchill and America, on the enduring theme of European anti-Americanism.

'Intelligent Design' Voted Out [4min]

Voters ousted from a Pennsylvania school board eight members who actively promoted teaching the anti-evolution "intelligent design" theory in schools. Madeleine Brand speaks with Ira Flatow, host of NPR's "Talk of the Nation Science Friday," about the battle over what public schools teach about the origin of the universe.

For 30 Years, a Political Battle Over Oil and ANWR [5min

In the early 1960s, large accumulations of oil were discovered in Alaska's coastal plain of what's now called the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). A decade later, that potential created the first of many stalemates over the Arctic refuge on Capitol Hill. In 1987, when Reagan was president, the Interior Department recommended that Congress allow drilling in the coastal plain of the Arctic refuge, reporting that the area represented the nation's best chance to boost domestic oil production

The Mysteries of the 'Mighty Fitz' [8min]

Michael Schumacher, author of Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, talks about the ship's history and its disappearance 30 years ago.

A Posthumous 'Soul of Nina Simone' [4min]

Jazz singer Nina Simone, once dubbed the"High Priestess of Soul," died two years ago. Now the RCA record label has released an anthology of her music, called The Soul of Nina Simone. Musician and writer David Was has a review.

Revisiting France's 1968 Riots [2min]

The current riots are the worst civil unrest France has seen since 1968. Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne report that the 1968 riots began with a series of student demonstrations in Paris.

Elizabeth Blackwell: World's First Female Doctor [8min]

Elizabeth Blackwell overcame numerous personal, financial, and professional hurdles to qualify and practice as a doctor in the mid 19th century. But despite being a female pioneer she took a dim view of feminism and actively prevented her adopted daughter from pursuing an independent life and career. This complex woman and the huge impact she had on the medical profession is discussed by Julia Boyd, author of The Excellent Doctor Blackwell: The Life of the First Woman Physician (Sutton).

Koran and Country: How Islam Got Political, 1st of 2: Iran [58min]

The growth of political Islam is one of the most important ideological events of the past century. Islam is a faith and code of conduct for over a billion people worldwide. But for some, Islam is also a political project. BBC Radio 4's "Analysis" programme charts the growth of this ideology -- and its stunning effects around the world, including Britain.

Kipling and France, 1st of 2: Rather a Motorious Letter [30min]

At Rudyard Kipling's former home in Sussex the garage still houses one of his last Rolls-Royces. The writers Julian Barnes and Hermione Lee investigate the way motoring shaped Kipling's view of England and France in his stories, poems and his detailed motoring journals. Rudyard Kipling's words are read by David Haig.

Sue Prideaux on Edvard Munch, 4th of 5 [15min]

Munch admits himself into a private clinic to try and deal with his chronic alcoholism. But he also realises that he needs to be tormented by demons in order to paint his best work. Sue Prideaux's Edvard Munch: Behind the Scream (Yale University Press) -- here abridged by dramatist Polly Coles and read by actor Louis Hillyer -- is the first full biography of Munch written in English.