Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Manga show displays girl power (and internationalism)
  Frenchy Lunning says her life changed when she discovered Japanese comic books. Now she's combining her personal and academic interests in an exhibit at MCAD. It's called "Shojo Manga! Girl Power! East and West."4:50 p.m.
• Pawlenty trims three budget bills before signing them
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty approved budget bills for health and welfare programs, economic development and state agency operations on Friday, after trimming spending provisions that weren't to his liking.5:24 p.m.
• Attorney general calls for end to fixed-payment gas plans
  Minnesota's two biggest providers of natural gas are under fire for programs that allowed customers to lock in prices for natural gas.5:50 p.m.
• A modest proposal: One metro paper instead of two
  With both Twin Cities daily newspapers in trouble, media analyst David Brauer suggests one strong newspaper might be better than two weak ones.5:54 p.m.
• Death gets personal
  They're kind of like a book group. But instead of discussing the latest bestsellers, these Twin Cities women talk about living wills and cremation, and the music selections they'd like at their funerals.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Sadr Attempts to Instill Order Among Followers
  After staying out of sight for six months, Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr finally re-appeared in public Friday in an attempt to rein in his followers and instill order to an organization in turmoil.
• U.S. Spy Agencies Warned of Iraqi Sects, Panel Says
  Forecasts by U.S. spy agencies about what to expect in post-war Iraq were mostly accurate, according to a new Senate Intelligence Committee report. But several Republican senators have warned against misinterpreting the pre-war intelligence. They are also concerned about a list of people who were sent the 2003 report.
• FAA Hopes New Software Can Ease Flight Delays
  In an effort to minimize flight delays, air-traffic controllers will soon offer pilots a choice of delaying departure or detouring around small areas of bad weather. The Federal Aviation Administration's plan relies on software that identifies bad weather.
• Family Road Trip: The Cheapest Way to Travel
  A family of four traveling from Washington, D.C., to Boston for a holiday weekend faces a range of options: air, train, bus and car. But which one is best? Robert Siegel measures the cost of traveling for two adults and two teens and learns that, despite higher prices at the pump, gassing up the car is still a bargain.
• Al Gore: 'The Assault on Reason' in America
  In a new book, Al Gore takes a harsh look at the media's fascination with flash over substance and a lack of courage among politicians of both parties.
• New Books Ask: Who Is Candidate Clinton?
  Two upcoming books focus on the leading Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton. One book is by Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein and the other by New York Times reporters Jeff Greth and Don Van Natta Jr.
• Protest Puts Smithsonian Images on Flickr Site
  Public.resource.org has taken more than 6,200 low-resolution photographs posted on the Smithsonian Web site and posted them on flickr.com as an act of protest over what public.resource head Carl Malamud calls the Smithsonian's unnecessary restrictions on use of the images and dubious claims of its ownership of them.
• New Deals Link U.S. to World-Class Soccer
  Soccer is bridging the Atlantic in new ways: American investors are buying British soccer teams; and in July, David Beckham will make his debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Stefan Fatsis, sportswriter for The Wall Street Journal, tells Michele Norris, the trend is keyed by opportunities for merchandise and marketing.
• Teenagers and Driving: A Deadly Equation
  Car crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers, killing more than 5,000 each year. The problem confounds parents, teachers and researchers, who haven't found effective methods to improve the grim statistics.
• Lack of Short-Term Memory Doesn't Stop New Grad
  Andrew Engel just graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with a bachelor's degree in health administration — despite having no short-term memory. Engel learned he had a brain tumor in 1995, when he was starting his freshman year in college. Treatment left him with no short-term memory.

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