All Things Considered for June 15, 2009 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Monday, June 15, 2009

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Minn. man plans to ski down world's second-highest peak
A Minnesota mountain climber is planning to become the first person to climb up -- and then ski down -- the world's second-highest peak.4:45 p.m.
Writer captures Pakistani history in a novel
When Ali Sethi set out to explore his homeland of Pakistan's history for a creative writing class, he discovered relatively little of its complex multi-lingual cultural history had been written down. He ended up writing "The Wish Maker" to capture that history, and is now being hailed as a new international literary voice.4:54 p.m.
Minnesota announces first H1N1 flu death
Minnesota reports the state's first H1N1 flu death, a child from the Twin Cities area.5:20 p.m.
Koochiching County says wetland laws hinder economic development
Nearly 80 percent of the land in Koochiching County is considered wetlands. Officials there say state and federal laws protecting the resource create big obstacles for economic development.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

The Trials Of Paying For Health Care In A Recession
With health care reform on President Obama's agenda, NPR visited Howard County, Md., a rich, progressive suburb of Baltimore. Patients, doctors and employers talk about how expensive health care is — and how hard it is to pay for in a recession.
Doctors Say Current System Impedes Medical Care
Doctors say the current health care system doesn't support good doctor-patient relationships. Too few people have health insurance, and too much time is spent on paperwork rather than listening to patients.
Musical Healing For A Region In Conflict
The Qadim Ensemble, a new consort out of San Francisco, has a diverse repertoire of Arabic, Hebrew, Armenian and Turkish music. The musicians are out to create musical unity in a region of the world better known for division and conflict. In the process, they provide a gentle introduction to a vast realm of largely unfamiliar music.
Parental Controls For Computer-Savvy Kids
Keeping track of what your kids do online used to be easy. Now, with so many new ways for them to interact with the wider, digital world, traditional parental controls have gotten less reliable. But there are plenty of new resources to help parents help their kids navigate the Web safely and responsibly.
NEA: Art Creation Up, Attendance Down
The National Endowment for the Arts released findings Monday from its Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. It found that more than 78 million Americans enthusiastically make art in their free time, but they are spending less time and money going to watch the professionals.
China's Gay Pride Week Mixes Celebration, Caution
Described as "one foot firmly inside the closet," China's largest ever gay pride festival shows both how far the country has come — and the limits that still exist on official tolerance of homosexuality. The authorities, citing a lack of proper permits, stopped several events.
Letters: Family Photo, Brubeck
Listeners respond with personal reflections about the family photograph that traveled across the world and an interview with jazz legend Dave Brubeck. Michele Norris and Robert Siegel read from listeners' e-mails.
WolframAlpha: Making Data Computable
WolframAlpha is like a search engine, but one that compiles and compares data about various subjects and presents the results in imaginative forms, such as charts. Stephen Wolfram, its creator, offers his insight.
IRS Proposes Tax On Work Cell Phone Use
The Internal Revenue Service is considering collecting taxes on personal calls made on work cell phones. Martin Vaughan, reporter for Dow Jones Newswire, who has been following the story, offers his insight.
Election Results Spark Massive Iran Protests
A massive protest Monday against the presidential election results in Iran turned violent. A huge crowd of supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi filled a major square in Tehran. News reports say one person was killed and several wounded in firing by a pro-government militia. Official results said Mousavi lost last Friday's election to the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.