This story:
http://n.pr/p156H7
on NPR is worth a read, about Italian scientists who thought that an earthquake wouldn't occur, said so, and are now on trial for manslaughter, which, in Italy, can attract a twelve year prison sentence.
For those of you who think NPR is boring:
There have recently been pieces on:
The meaning of Bohemian Rhapsody.
and how Lazy Sunday (recall: seeing Chronicles of Narnia on the Upper West Side, and the debate about which Internet mapping system is the best) rose to fame.
There was a story on NPR this morning about Maglites and how they are still made in the United States.
Besides the fact that they are virtually indestructible, it's also nice that I can support American industry when I buy flashlights.
See:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130197557
I was surprised this morning to hear Ants Marching on Weekend Edition. Turns out, DMB recently came out with a new album. You can see the story and listen to audio from it here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129182690
Thomas pointed me to this blog entry which quotes a speech given by Ernie Harwell, who died today.
Update: NPR also did a story on him.
In keeping with the intellectual property theme, I heard this discussion of fair use on NPR yesterday.
Today I went out in the blizzard in Silver Spring, Maryland. I could see, by going outside, how pioneers on the prairies could get lost in the blizzard and not be able to find the town. Without roads and buildings to frame my reference, I could have gotten disoriented, because I could not see more than a block (and a short block at that). I had a warm building to retreat to, and didn't have to try to pitch a tent in this weather, or try to start a campfire (which would have probably been impossible).
National Public Radio apparently had the same idea I did. NPR read some quotes from literature, including one by Laura Ingalls Wilder (best known for Little House on the Prairie/Little House in the Big Woods) from her book The Long Winter.
In searching NPR, I also came across this article which talks about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her life after the events portrayed in the Little House books. If you read her books, it is an interesting read.
I saw this recipe awhile ago on NPR's website. I've cooked it twice and it's tasted pretty good. I've altered the recipe a bit, though. I used lemon juice from a bottle, used frozen spinach, used garlic powder instead of minced garlic and omitted the ginger -- ginger is expensive.
Although it is after March Madness, I wanted to post about this story on NPR the other day about how aggressively the NCAA and its attorneys pursue trademark infringement relating to March Madness. Unfortunately, it looks like you'll have to listen to the audio to get the whole thing. From my conversations with someone who knows a lot more about trademark law than I do, I can understand why they are so aggressive about it.
Last Thursday, there was a piece on NPR's All Things Considered about people who are preserving "old-timey" music. The CDs available for purchase on the group's website are pretty pricey, but the audio on the story's page on NPR is free.
There was an interesting piece on NPR yesterday which was a musical analysis of Buddy Can You Spare A Dime -- a depression era song. Even though my musical knowledge is pretty limited, I was able to get a lot of what the analyst was talking about.
I also didn't know that the lyricist for this song also wrote Over the Rainbow of Wizard of Oz fame.
NPR had a good commentary by someone on why people did not evacuate during Hurricane Ike. While I don't really agree with their reasoning on not evacuating, the essay is, nonetheless, very good (in particular the last paragraph). I think it's more powerful listening to it than reading it.
