All Things Considered for November 15, 2007 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Duluth council begins budgetary bloodletting
The axe fell this week on a high speed train study, the public arts commission and public housing. City council members are trying to trim a city budget strained by health care expenses for retired employees.5:20 p.m.
Pawlenty, Doyle and other Midwest governors sign on to global warming pact
Governors from six Midwestern states have agreed to set up a carbon trading market, called cap and trade.5:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

Army Dismissals for Mental Health, Misconduct Rise
The Pentagon has released detailed statistics on the number of troops being discharged for mental-health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The numbers raise troubling questions about how the military is handling mental-health issues.
Black Gold Finances the Dreams for Abu Dhabi
The sheiks of the United Arab Emirates have grand plans to pour their vast oil wealth into making one of their premier cities, Abu Dhabi, a technological and cultural mecca.
Robots Infiltrate, Influence Cockroach Groups
To explore how cockroaches make group decisions, scientists created a robot that smells like a cockroach and follows some basic roach rules. And what they found is that just a few individuals can dramatically alter the behavior of the whole group.
'Barack Stars' Work to Win Iowa's Youth, Seniors
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards are in a three-way race in Iowa. For Obama to win there, his field organization is going to be crucial. The "Barack Stars" are trying to make a difference in the nation's first caucus state.
Immigration Among Iowa Voters' Top Concerns
Immigration is a "very important" issue to Iowa voters, right up there with the economy and the war. That may be due in part to the large influx of immigrants in recent years, mostly from Mexico and Central America, who work in the state's pork and poultry plants.
College Break, Caucuses Conflict in Iowa
The new, early date of the Iowa caucuses has thrown college campuses there for a loop. Jan. 3 is right smack in the middle of most universities' winter break, and some students are pushing their schools to keep dorms open so people can stay and participate in the caucuses.
Musharraf Forms Interim Government Till Elections
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has set up a caretaker government to run Pakistan until the January elections, and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto continues to reach out to other parties. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is due in Islamabad on Friday, but Musharraf isn't in the mood to take U.S. advice.
Letters: Mapping Muslims, Speeding, Oysters
Melissa Block and Michele Norris read from this week's e-mail from listeners. We hear an update on Los Angeles Police Department's plan to map Muslim neighborhoods, criticism of a racer who says he broke a cross-country speed record, and memories of dining on wild oysters.
Alaska Debates Its Dependency on Oil Industry
As the price of oil escalates, Alaskan politicians are in special session in Juneau, mired in a debate over raising the windfall profit tax on oil companies from 22 percent to 25 percent. Meantime, four state legislators face corruption charges for taking money from the oil industry.
Film Provides Kaleidoscopic Portrait of Bob Dylan
In the new movie I'm Not There, director Todd Haynes deploys six actors to portray the many lives of one man: Bob Dylan. Haynes talks about the unorthodox nature of the film and how he hopes it evokes Dylan's universe of the 1960s.