Search results for

Quil Lawrence reports on the Kurds living in northern Iraq. Because of UN air patrols, the Kurds are relatively independent of Iraqi control, and have a greater level of freedom and prosperity than many other people in Iraq.

Robert talks with Yale University History Professor Ron Butler, author of Becoming America: The Revolution Before 1776. Butler says even before the American Revolution, the colonies were really starting to develop the unique character of a modern nation. He contends that during the years 1680 to 1770, ordinary Americans were already becoming revolutionary, merely in how they went about their daily lives. Butler is the William Coe Professor of American Studies and History, and Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University.

Host Bob Edwards talks to two members of the House, Democrat Shelley Berkley of Nevada and Republican Jack Quinn of New York, about what they heard from constituents back home over the July 4th holiday. Congresswoman Berkley and Congressman Quinn both say that the high costs of gasoline, healthcare insurance, and prescription drugs were among their constituents' greatest concerns.

Host Bob Edwards talks with Clair Orr, chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education, about a resolution encouraging public schools to display the national motto, In God We Trust. The State Board is expected to pass this non-binding resolution tomorrow.

Alan Cheuse reviews the book that won Italy's 1998 Elsa Morante Prize for a first novel: What We Don't Know about Children, by thirty-year-old Simona Vinci. It has been translated by Minna Procter and is just now published in English. (2:30) (What We Don't Know About Children is published by K

Leda Hartman reports on the 32nd annual Hollerin'Contest that was held recently in Spivey's Corner, North Carolina. The contest started as a fund-raiser for the volunteer fire department but has taken on life of its own. Before beepers and cell phones, hollerin' was an important way for rural folks to stay in touch.

NPR's Ted Clark reports that President Clinton has announced a new Middle East summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barka and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The leaders will come to Washington to try to advance the stalled Middle East peace process. The announcement prompted another of Barak's coalition partners, Natan Shransky, to declare that he will resign from the government and take his small party out of the government.

The Washington Monument, which has been closed for renovations for the last three years, is ready to open to the public again. Yesterday the park service held a ceremony to announce the opening and explain what changes were made.

Composer and conductor Robert Kapilow talks about his new symphony, DC Citypiece, a musical tribute to the monuments in the nation's capital. In composing the work, Kapilow talked to hundreds of Washington residents about the personal significance of their favorite monuments. He says the word,monument means something to remind or warn.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports from Mexico City on the future of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. In wake of Sunday's defeat at the polls, many PRI supporters are trying to re-establish their party as a player in the new realm of Mexican politics. But others say the victory of the National Action Party's presidential candidate, Vicente Fox, could be the end of the PRI.

A note on the sale of the Website featuring a computer-generated newscaster named "Ananova." The British mobile phone company Orange bought the site from the UK's Press Association. The price for Ananova -- well over 100-million-dollars.

Apart from its better-known roles in bluegrass and Dixieland, the banjo was once a sought-after status symbol in late 19th-century America. Young ladies learned to play parlor music on the banjo; there were banjo societies and banjo virtuosi; and manufacturers fought wars over who could make the fanciest banjos. On top of that, this was primarily a northern phenomenon. It's chronicled in a new book, America's Instrument: The Banjo in the 19th Century, by Philip Gura and James Bollman. Paul Brown reports. (7:45) (America's Instrument: The Banjo in the 19th Century is published by University of North Carolina P