Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Scallen family weighs marriage amendment: In their own words
  Eileen Scallen worries that her siblings' loyalty to her may only go so far. She fears they won't understand her opposition to a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. Listen as each of them talks about their position.3:20 p.m.
• Cube Critics: Year-end films and Oscar hopefuls
  "Too many movies, not enough time." It's a common complaint from Stephanie Curtis the Movie Maven and arts reporter Euan Kerr, especially now, with the deluge of year-end blockbusters and Oscar hopefuls.3:54 p.m.
• Looking for dollars, Minnesota cities turn to sales tax
  As financial pressures bear down on local governments, an increasing number of cities are trying to turn to the local sales tax as a means of increasing their revenue. The state is looking for fondly on the idea than it used to.4:49 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Marines Say Afghanistan Forever Changed Their Lives
  NPR followed the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment in 2009, on the homefront and in battle in Afghanistan. Daron Diepenbruck and Josh Apsey were members of that battalion and are now back home. One left the military; the other stayed in. Both say the war changed them.
• For 'Downton' Fans, A New Season And A New Book
  Jessica Fellowes, author of a new book about the successful series Downton Abbey, talks about the story of the Crawleys and the world they inhabit.
• Heroes Of The Taj Hotel: Why They Risked Their Lives
  When a Mumbai hotel was besieged by terrorists in 2008, something extraordinary happened: Workers didn't flee. They stayed behind to help save guests at the risk of their own lives. What could possibly explain it? A new study attempts to answer that question.
• Week In Politics: Tax Break Extension
  Robert Siegel speaks with our regular political commentators, E.J. Dionne, of the Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and David Brooks, of the New York Times. They discuss the two-month extension for a tax break and unemployment benefits signed into law.
• Poked And Prodded For 65 Years, In The Name Of Science
  For 65 years, thousands of people have let themselves be weighed, measured, and tested. The result: The world's longest running study on human health. By far the most important finding is that early childhood experiences have a huge impact on health and well-being in adult life.
• Remembering Jacob Goldman
  Jacob Goldman, the creator of Xerox PARC, has died. He was 90. Robert Siegel and Lynn Neary have more.
• Fired Up: The Year's Best Science Fiction, Fantasy
  Science fiction and fantasy books aren't just getting more popular, they're interbreeding with other genres to produce wild new hybrid forms — swapping DNA with literary novels, commenting on current events, morphing into historical science fiction romances, and evolving into hard-boiled detective fantasy.
• Angelina Jolie Discusses Her New Movie
  Robert Siegel talks with Angelina Jolie about In the Land of Blood and Honey, her new film set during the Bosnian War in the 1990s. Jolie does not act in the movie, but she wrote and directed it.
• Bomb Attacks In Damascus Kill At Least 40
  Two bomb blasts in the Syrian capital of Damascus Friday left at least 40 dead and many more wounded. State-controlled media say suicide bombers from al-Qaida targeted government installations. It was the first attack of its kind since the Syrian uprising began in March.
• U.S. Offers Reward For Information On Al-Suri
  Robert Siegel speaks to Juan Zarate, a senior adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, about the $10 million reward the State Department is offering for information on the whereabouts of Yasin al-Suri. The government says al-Suri is a financier for al-Qaida operating out of Iran.

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