All Things Considered for February 17, 2011 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Q & A with reporter on Madison protests
Jason Stein, a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has been covering the ongoing protests in Madison and joined MPR's Tom Crann on All Things Considered.4:35 p.m.
Art Hounds
Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.4:45 p.m.
Forecaster expects Red River flood risk to stay high
The National Weather service says the spring flood risk has increased slightly along the Red River since last month's outlook. Forecasters are concerned a wet weather pattern will worsen conditions over the next few weeks.5:20 p.m.
Wealthy Minnesotans react to Gov. Dayton's tax plan
In his budget address this week, Gov. Mark Dayton asked the state's top earners to help erase a $6.2 billion deficit, but wealthiest five percent of Minnesotans have plenty to say about the governor's proposal to raise taxes on them, and only them.5:23 p.m.
Senate veteran reacts to Gov. Dayton's budget
Since the November 2010 election, we've been checking in with a freshman Republican and a veteran DFLer in the Minnesota Legislature to get their firsthand perspectives on the changed balance of power during this session. MPR's Tom Crann spoke this week with longtime Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, to get her take on the current budget debate.5:50 p.m.
Freshman Republican lawmaker discusses governor's budget
Freshman Republican Rep. Kurt Daudt has been sharing his experiences with MPR during the first weeks of his term of office. He spoke with MPR's Tom Crann this week about Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton's budget proposal.5:54 p.m.
Cube Critics talk movies
MPR's Movie Maven Stephanie Curtis and film buff Euan Kerr sit in cubicles across from each other in the MPR newsroom. When they banter back and forth, it's usually about movies, and it's usually quite interesting. This week's topics include the comedy "Cedar Rapids" and the Bollywood extravanganza "Kites."6:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

Air Safety On Autopilot? Problems Spur Investigation
Automation systems in modern aircraft are helping to make air travel safer, but those same systems can challenge and even confuse the pilots whom passengers rely on to get them to their destination safely.
Bahrain Defends Deadly Crackdown On Protests
In Bahrain, the military has sealed off parts of the capital after a pre-dawn raid by riot police on a crowd of demonstrators in a central square. At least four people were reported killed and scores wounded, some of them critically. Passions are running high in a country that prides itself on stability.
A Primer On Bahrain
Host Michele Norris speaks with Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center, for some context on Bahrain — its people and its history.
Toxic Avengers: Pollution Drove Fish Evolution
Tomcod fish found in rivers in New York and New Jersey evolved to handle dangerous chemicals that were dumped in the river between 1947 and 1976, a study finds. The fish aren't mutants, though — some had genetic resistance that allowed them to tolerate the PCBs and dioxins that entered the water.
Letters: Cold Case; Ken And Barbie; Bieber Fans
Listeners respond to our story on the unsolved murder of Frank Morris, an African-American shoe repairman who was burned to death inside his shop nearly 50 years ago in Louisiana; a Valentine's Day story about a Mattel Web campaign to help Ken win Barbie back; and a conversation about Justin Bieber fans and Esperanza Spalding. Hosts Michele Norris and Melissa Block read e-mails from our listeners.
Through Protests, One Man Helps Define Twitter
During the social-media-driven revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, many Americans discovered Twitter for the first time. Meanwhile, Sultan Al Qassimi tweeted minute-by-minute updates of the events.
Internet Freedom And U.S. State Department
Host Michele Norris speaks with Alec Ross, a senior adviser for innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. They discuss Internet freedom and why it's a top priority for the State Department.
Book Reviews: Crime Thrillers In Two Cities
Two new crime novels have been published, set in two different cities. The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino is set in Japan and is the story of murder, mathematics and rivalry. Damage by John Lescroart, set in San Francisco, is a tale of violence and revenge.
From Lieder To Latin: The New York Festival Of Song
The 23-year-old New York institution is known for its high-energy ensemble productions, with repertoire ranging from art song and opera to Broadway and the blues. Jeff Lunden speaks to its founders.
'Glee' Unseats Elvis On Billboard Hot 100
Elvis has had 108 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It's a record he held for decades, but this week, the cast of the TV show Glee took it away. They had six new singles on the Hot 100. This means that Glee now has more hot 100 singles than Michael Jackson, Elvis and the Beatles, too — 113 of them, to be exact.