Search results for

Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai died today. He was 76 years old. Amichai was born in Germany and moved to Israel when he was 12 years old. He served in four wars and wove the themes of war into his poetry. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin read one of Amichai's poems when he received the Nobel Peace Prize. We have Amichai reading that poem and two others in translation when he came to NPR in 1995.

NPR's Bob Mondello reviews the film Dancer in the Dark, made by Danish director Lars Von Trier. Von Treir was cofounder of the "Dogme '95" movement, which advocated removing artifice from film. Bob says this is a real departure from that -- it couldn't be more artificial. And it's dividing audiences.

Actress and model Isabella Rossellini talks about her famous parents, actress Ingrid Bergman and filmmaker Roberto Rossellini, and her own career. She stars in the new film Left Luggage with Maximillian Schell. It opens this weekend. She has acted in numerous TV shows, and her film credits include Blue Velvet, The Impostors, and Big Night. She is also the spokesmodel for Lancome cosmetics.

Film critic Henry Sheehan has a review of the re-release of the horror classic The Exorcist. Some new scenes have been added.

TV critic David Bianculli takes a look at this year's Olympic coverage.

Melinda talks to Weekend Edition sports commentator Ron Rappaport about Olympic athlete Marion Jones.

Most events at the Olympics are timed to one-hundredth of a second, some even down to one-thousandth of a second. Robert talks with Tom Westenburg about how they determine athletes' finishing times so precisely. Westenburg is an electrical engineer in the Sports Science Division of the U.S. Olympic Committee. He is working with the Organizing Committee for the 2002 winter games.

NPR's Phillip Davis reports that civil rights groups in Florida are trying to free a Muslim academic who is seeking admission to the United States. He has been held in jail by the Immigration and Naturalization Service for the past three years. The INS claims the man has links a Middle-eastern terrorist group, but refuses to reveal evidence, saying to do so would threaten national security. Civil rights groups say his constitutional right to confront his accuser is being violated.

Journalist Burkhard Bilger. His new book about clandestine Southern traditions is Noodling For Flatheads: Moonshine, Monster Catfish, and Other Southern Comforts (Scribner) His article Enter the Chicken which originally appeared in Harper's Magazine about cockfighting in Louisana, is in the new book. (REBROADCAST from 3

Former Los Alamos nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee was released from prison this week. Fifty-eight of fifty-nine charges were dropped. NPR's Guy Raz spoke with scientists in the Los Alamos area who wonder if investigators for the Justice Department misunderstood Lee's actions from the start.

Puzzle master Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home. (This week's winner is Toby Gottfried from Santa Ana, California. He listens to Weekend Edition on member stations KPCC, Pasadena and KCRW, Santa Monica.)

Christine Arrasmith from member station KPLU reports on clean-up efforts at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Eastern Washington state. The Hanford site contains one of the world's largest backlogs of radioactive waste, dating back to World War Two. This spring, the Department of Energy fired the firm contracted to do the job, which is supposed to be completed by 2028. Officials say that deadline will be tough to meet.