Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• UMD professor tracks geological secrets in Antarctica
  John Goodge, a geologist at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, is part of a research team in Antarctica. Goodge and others are sampling rocks and glacial deposits to help build a better picture of the continent beneath the polar ice cap of Antarctica.4:48 p.m.
• What changed for you in 2010?
  An earthquake, an oil spill, an election and the weather dominated headlines in 2010. But MPR's Public Insight Network asked Minnesotans what changes most impacted them on an individual level this year.4:54 p.m.
• Dayton names heads of education, health depts., MPCA
  Gov.-elect Mark Dayton on Friday appointed three people to head the state's education, health and pollution-control agencies.5:15 p.m.
• High jobless rate persists, but signs of recovery in Brainerd
  Despite a high jobless rate, people in the Brainerd Lakes area see signs of an economic recovery, and reasons to be cautiously optimistic about 2011.5:23 p.m.
• Top 10 medical stories of 2010
  On this last day of 2010, MPR's Tom Crann sat down with Dr. Jon Hallberg to take a look back at the big medical stories of the year, including cholera in Haiti, health care reform legislation and a explosion of pertussis cases.5:42 p.m.
• Bookers pick the best local music of 2010
  The 'Best of' lists of local music critics are abundant this time of year, but MPR News asked the people who choose which acts to present at Minnesota venues what they thought was the best local music of 2010.5:50 p.m.
• The Dinner Party Download featuring Rainn Wilson
  What do the King of Albania, "Eat, Pray, Love" and TV star Rainn Wilson have in common? You'll be talking about all of them at your dinner parties this weekend, after listening to the Dinner Party Download.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• The Closing Bell: Will Optimism For Stocks Return?
  The stock market is ending 2010 on an up note, and investors are slowly growing more hopeful about the economy. But wild swings in the market over the past few years, coupled with high unemployment in the U.S. and a banking crisis in Europe, have left investors cautious.
• India's Poor Reel Under Microfinance Debt Burden
  Microfinance companies have been accused of predatory lending and collection practices so harsh that they drove some borrowers to suicide. One state government in India has enacted legislation that will, in effect, put the microlenders out of business.
• 'Oxford American' Digs Into Alabama's Music
  Every year, the Southern magazine the Oxford American publishes a music issue featuring rare recordings from a particular state. This year, they've chosen to focus on "the Heart Of Dixie."
• Mondello: For Movie Lovers, It Was A Very Good Year
  Who says moviemakers are out of ideas? Hollywood studios may not always score, but for at least the third year in a row, foreign directors, indie auteurs and documentarians have served up enough eye-opening films that NPR's critic had trouble narrowing his best-of list to anything near a Top 10.
• Year In Politics Reviewed
  President Obama's self-described "shellacking" and Republican House leader John Boehner's emotions getting the better of him were some of the more memorable moments of the year in politics. We hear these and a sampling of others.
• What's Ahead In The Year In Politics?
  The health care debate and President Obama's political fortunes dominated the year in politics. How will these and other issues play out in the coming year. E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Reihan Salam, a blogger at National Review and policy advisor at Economics 21, offer their insight.
• Bad Holiday Food: Tried Some Of That Lutefisk?
  We've heard about good holiday foods, now it's time for the bad: Listeners share their tales of unappetizing seasonal dishes, from Jello with mayonnaise to heavy candied fruit bread to that dried Scandinavian delicacy, lutefisk.
• In Ivory Coast, Political Impasse Continues
  The stand-off continues in Ivory Coast amid reports of mass graves and threats of more violence.
• Palestinians In Global Push For Statehood
  The U.S. is continuing diplomatic efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks but the prospects do not look good. The Palestinians are now bringing their fight for independence into the global arena.
• FP Editor Discusses Global Thinkers List
  Blake Hounshell, managing editor of Foreign Policy, edited the magazine's second annual 100 Global Thinkers List. Hounshell talks about three people from the list most Americans have never heard of, and what we might expect to see from them in the coming year.

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