Search results for

NPR's Larry Abramson reports on librarians' concerns that anti-terrorism laws will require them to violate their patrons' privacy. Librarians are holding workshops to learn about their responsibilities and options.

Some protests are motivated by war, or civil rights violations. Others are sparked by issues of somewhat less dire concern. But that doesn't necessarily lessen the emotion behind them. Witness Paulette Lsyshyn's effort to get the Gem canning jar company to reverse its decision to stop production of a certain size of lid. NPR's Lynn Neary talks with Paulette Lsyshyn of Leoville, Saskatchewan, Canada, about her countrywide petition.

His book The Ice Beneath You is based on his experiences as a young army private in Somalia in 1993, and his difficult return to civilian life. Hubert Selby Jr., the author of Last Exit to Brooklyn, said of Bauman's novel, "Beautifully crafted, structured, and simple... It is a pleasure to read the work of a real writer." Bauman is also a folksinger and songwriter with a CD, Roaddogs, Assasins & The Queen Of Ohio.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to University of Iowa film professor Rick Altman about filmmaker Edwin Porter. One hundred years ago today, Porter received the copyright on Life of an American Fireman, a film that's regarded, along with his other 1903 film The Great train Robbery, as the first to use the conceit of editing to compress time and space. Porter's pioneering work influenced all subsequent filmmakers. Altman says audiences quickly learned to follow the new way of telling stories. Editing saved the faltering movie industry, which up to Porter's work in 1903 mostly used single, uncut shots of real world events. Porter cut away from an action to show events happening at the same time elsewhere.

With U.S. troops closing in on his position in Tora Bora, Afghanistan in 2001, Osama bin Laden used a simple trick to escape. That's according to a report in the Washington Post, which says bin Laden passed the satellite phone the Americans were tracking to one of his guards. The guard then led U.S. troops one way while bin Laden went another. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Washington Post correspondent Peter Finn in Casablanca, Morocco.

NPR's Ivan Watson reports on Pakistani reaction to the new policy of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service that requires visitors from two dozen Muslim nations to register with the I.N.S. or risk being deported. Many Pakistanis voice outrage at the new policy, and Pakistan's foreign minister is urging Washington to exempt Pakistani citizens.

Mexico is asking the World Court at The Hague to stop the United States from executing 51 Mexican citizens. Mexico argues the United States has violated international rules by not informing Mexican detainees of their right to assistance from the Mexican consulate. The United States disagrees, and says Mexico is infringing on its justice system by questioning the use of capital punishment. NPR's Gerry Hadden reports.

NPR's Lynn Neary talks with Jody Steinauer, founder of Medical Students For Choice, an organization seeking to reform medical school curricula to include training in abortion. She says only 46 percent of medical schools provide abortion training, despite a requirement to do so to receive accreditation. Steinauer is currently doing a fellowship in OB/GYN and Internal Medicine at U.C.S.F. and San Francisco General Hospital.

A brief summary of some of the other important stories on today's program.

It's been a year since the priest abuse scandal broke in the Roman Catholic church, and for some of the hundreds of victims in the Boston area this has been one of the most painful of their lives. Others say that seeking justice and talking about what happened to them has marked the first steps toward healing. NPR's Tovia Smith spoke with some of these victims.