Muji Chronotebook

The new non-linear datebook.

A Jack Cheng commenter says "you can call Muji Times Square (212)382-2300 and they’ll ship it to you. The notebook itself costs $4.95."

SNL

In case you've missed any of the Saturday Night Live skits that have cause the purported "Tina Few Effect," you can catch them for free (and legally) at hulu.com.

Oh, and you can watch the presidential debates there, too.

Frontline

PBS's Frontline has produced an excellent program called "The Choice 2008" which goes into detail about both McCain and Obama.

Bail-out?

The financial crisis seemed to be a ticking bomb that was set to blow at 12am this morning. What does it mean that a resolution has not been met? What are the other options?

Hey, I can't answer these questions, but here are articles about the proposed rescue plan written by people smarter than me:

Economist
Newsweek
Forbes
BusinessWeek
The Wall Street Journal makes you log in, so I'm not linking to them.

Please share if you have any cool online sources for bail-out news/plans.

Indiana Debates

It is hard to NOT be up-to-date on the presidential race, but the race for governor of Indiana is also taking place. The Indiana Debate Commission has the debates online for you to view.
If you have another site that has good local information, please share it!

Men and Women are different

In case you missed this story last week, women are more prone to sports injuries than men:

Tim Hewett, of the Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, says that just after boys go through puberty, they tend to get a big power burst.

"They get much bigger gluteal muscles," he says, "and much bigger hamstring muscles."

But with girls, there's not as much of an overall power spurt. Growth during this stage, for girls, is concentrated in only a few muscles.

"Women tend to be very front dominant," Hewett says. "They use their quadriceps, the big thick muscles in the front of the legs."

This means that women's bodies don't fully activate the muscles on the back side, namely the hamstrings and the glutes.

On the soccer field or basketball court, Hewett says, this is a problem. First, the imbalance of muscle use — something Hewett calls a "muscle turn-on pattern" — ends up putting stress on the ACL.

The ACL is a major ligament that runs through the center of the knee, linking the upper leg bone with the lower one. Tearing an ACL, which female athletes are up to six times more likely to do than men, is brutal. It's an injury that can keep players out of their sports for an entire season.

The Bush Doctrine

Just in case you didn't know what it was either, this is how Wikipedia defines it:

The Bush Doctrine is a phrase used to describe various principles of United States president George W. Bush, created in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. There are many and varied elements to the phrase. It is sometimes described as the policy that the United States has the right to treat countries that harbor or give aid to terrorist groups as terrorists themselves, which was used to justify the invasion of Afghanistan.

Later it came to include additional elements, including the controversial policy of preventive war, which held that the United States should depose foreign regimes that represented a supposed threat to the security of the United States, even if that threat was not immediate (used to justify the invasion of Iraq), a policy of supporting democracy around the world, especially in the Middle East, as a strategy for combating the spread of terrorism, and a willingness to pursue U.S. military interests in a unilateral way. Some of these policies were codified in a National Security Council text entitled the National Security Strategy of the United States published on September 20, 2002. This represented a dramatic shift from the United States’ Cold War policies of deterrence and containment, under the Truman Doctrine, and a departure from post-Cold War philosophies such as the Powell Doctrine and the Clinton Doctrine.

Obama on SNL

US Magazine reports that the Democratic presidential nominee will be on this Saturday's season opener of Saturday Night Live.

Don't you love Terry Gross, Thomas Friedman, NPR ... and WVPE

This is an unsolicited (I promise) email from WVPE listener Melissa Kinsey:

I hope you had the chance to hear Terry Gross on Fresh Air today ... she interviewed Thomas Friedman about his new book, "Hot, Flat, and Crowded". Can't wait to read it. Friedman wrote "The World is Flat" - which has become a staple when teaching college business courses. His down to earth writing style can even make economics & statistics interesting. (!) This time he has taken on the need for an American Green Revolution.

The interview addresses MANY of the challenging topics our SBRT organizational team talk about all the time - such as:
- working around the preconceived notion that global warming is warm & fuzzy & nothing to be concerned about
- the lack of credibility given to "green" issues ... "tree hugging / birky wearing / etc ...
- the challenges of working with legislators & how to we begin to make a difference
- examples of current legislation to be aware of - tax incentives both for & against green energy development

It's a great interview. As usual - Terry asks all the right questions.

If you didn't hear it today - they will probably post the transcript by tomorrow.

Melissa.

The audio from the story is here.

Here's a sample of what Friedman writes ...

The core argument is very simple: America has a problem and the world has a problem. America's problem is that it has lost its way in recent yearspartly because of 9/11 and partly because of the bad habits that we have let build up over the last three decades, bad habits that have weakened our society's ability and willingness to take on big challenges. The world also has a problem: It is getting hot, flat, and crowded. That is, global warming, the stunning rise of middle classes all over the world, and rapid population growth have converged in a way that could make our planet dangerously unstable. In particular, the convergence of hot, flat, and crowded is tightening energy supplies, intensifying the extinction of plants and animals, deepening energy poverty, strengthening petrodictatorship, and accelerating climate change. How we address these interwoven global trends will determine a lot about the quality of life on earth in the twenty-first century.

I am convinced that the best way for America to solve its big problem the best way for America to get its "groove" back is for us to take the lead in solving the world's big problem. In a world that is getting hot, flat, and crowded, the task of creating the tools, systems, energy sources, and ethics that will allow the planet to grow in cleaner, more sustainable ways is going to be the biggest challenge of our lifetime. But this challenge is actually an opportunity for America. If we take it on, it will revive America at home, reconnect America abroad, and retool America for tomorrow. America is always at its most powerful and most influential when it is combining innovation and inspiration, wealth-building and dignity-building, the quest for big profits and the tackling of big problems. When we do just one, we are less than the sum of our parts.

Conservative Feminism?

I caught an interesting segment on yesterday called Sarah Palin: New Face fo Feminism?

"Stanford University historian Estelle Freedman, author of No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women, and host Jacki Lyden discuss whether a conservative such as Palin can be called a feminist in 2008."

What do you think a feminist and can a feminist be conservative?

The Merriam-Webster definition of feminism is: the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.

So a feminist believes in equal rights regardless of gender. Therefore a feminist can be a man or woman, believe in government funding for social programs...or not. He or she can be pro-gun, anti-abortion, or for school prayer.

However, top many people the word "feminist" conjures up a very specific image and description. How would YOU describe a feminist?

Whoa, baby!

How is the media handling the Palin pregnancy? It seems to be sensationalized in the celebrity/tabloid magazines like People and Us Magazine, but NPR isn't going into depth about it. What have you noticed?

My personal view can best be expressed through a friend's words: Gov. Palin needs to explain her staunch support of abstinence-only sex education in light of her 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy. Your thoughts?

Politics and Religion

If you didn't catch the Diane Rehm Show on Tuesday, you should check it out. Her guests represented various viewpoints on the subject.

It just so happens that the Pew Research Center released a study on More Americans Question Religion's Role In Politics yesterday. The survey found that "a narrow majority of the public saying that churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters and not express their views on day-to-day social and political matters."

During the Tuesday DR Show, a listener called in with a very interesting comment. He said that Americans were more afraid of Atheists than Muslims. One of Rehm's guests confirmed that.

A 2005 study by Pew reports that, indeed, Americans are wary of Atheists.
Jews: 77% of those surveyed expressed overwhelmingly favorable opinions of Jews
Catholics: 73% favorable
Evangelical Christians: 57% favorable
Muslim-Americans: 57% favorable
Atheists: 35% express favorable opinions of atheists; 50% have a negative opinion of atheists.

A woman's place is in the kitchen. Still?

A friend sent me a link to this online series called Target Women. This short bit shows commercials of mothers fullfilling their duty of cooking for their family.

Bike Riding

I caught this story in yesterday's South Bend Tribune. I had no idea they had electric mopeds.

Scooter crazy: Motorists save by leaving car at home, riding on two wheels

Religiosity?

Alex Chadwick asked about Senator McCain's "religiosity" on today's Day to Day. That is a new vocabulary word for me.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
re·li·gi·os·i·ty
/rɪˌlɪdʒiˈɒsɪti/
–noun
1. the quality of being religious; piety; devoutness.
2. affected or excessive devotion to religion.
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME religiosite religious + -itās -ity]

Paris Hilton's Response to McCain

Yahoo News has some behind the scenes info on Paris Hilton's video response to McCain's Anti-Obama ad.

Ira Glass instructional video

Lifehacker has Ira Glass on Getting Creative Work Done. In instructional video about the crative process.

LaPorte, Indiana book

Jason Bitner's new collection of found portrait photographs from the Midwest's Frank Pease. LaPorte, Indiana is a major cultural excavation and an opening into these lives, into this town, and into the heart of our nation.

The book is here.

Some photos are here.

Driveway moment in the Niles Star

Marcia Steffens, associate editor of the Niles Daily Star and editor of the Cassopolis Vigilant and the Edwardsburg Argus, wrote a lovely column in last Wednesday's paper about listening to "This I Believe" on WVPE.

You can read it here.

The "This I Believe" segment is here.

Notre Dame prof on Fresh Air

From the Fresh Air website:

Stock and bond funds in 401(k) accounts took a hit this past quarter, and many are worried about their retirement funds. Economist Teresa Ghilarducci addresses financial concerns about retirement and offers her own solution to the pension problem.

Ghilarducci is a professor of economic policy analysis at Notre Dame, where she specializes in pension benefits. She is also the director of the Higgins Labor Research Center and a Wurf fellow at the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School.

Her latest book, When I'm Sixty-four: The Plot Against Pensions and the Plan to Save Them, proposes that pensions should be managed by the federal government rather than Wall Street.

Living with Less

This is a green challenge that Oprah suggested. I know I don't miss paper towels, but no iPod?
Adapted from Oprah.com:
· Eat at home every meal. No more eating out, no more takeout. And you have to eat your leftovers.
· Give up the bottled water habit.
· No more disposable plates, cups, napkins or paper towels. Try cloth—you might like it!
· Give up your iPods and video games, and your computers only get turned on for homework. TV is limited to one hour per night—one TV only.
· In winter set your thermostat at 69 degrees. Make that 78 degrees in summer.
· Wash only clothes that are TRULY dirty.
· When you leave a room, lights out. Ditto for fans. When you're done using an appliance, unplug it. Don't forget your computer and cell phone chargers too.
· Limit showers to eight minutes.
· No clothes shopping.
· No buying anything other than food for seven days.

Darwin on Almanac

From today's The Writer's Almanac:

It was on this day in 1858 that a paper by Charles Darwin about his theory of evolution was first presented to a public audience. Darwin had actually come up with the theory 20 years before that, in 1837. Back then, he drafted a 35-page sketch of his ideas and arranged with his wife to publish the sketch after his death. Then, for the next 20 years, he told almost no one about the theory. He practically went into hiding, moving to a small town and living like a monk, with specific times each day for walking, napping, reading, and backgammon. He was so reclusive that he even had the road lowered outside his house, to prevent passersby from looking in the window.

Part of his reluctance to share his theory of evolution was that he was not known as a biologist, and he assumed that no one would take such a radical theory seriously from such an amateur. In fact, for most of his early career, he was known as a geologist. He only made his name as a biologist in the early 1850s when he wrote an influential study of the sexual behavior of barnacles.

He was still reluctant to publish his ideas, though, because he didn't want to create a controversy by offending anyone's religious beliefs. Atheism was a crime punishable by prison at the time, and Darwin feared that people would object to the idea that God hadn't created each creature individually. When he finally told one of his friends about his theory of evolution, he said it was like confessing a murder.

But then, in 1851, his oldest and favorite daughter, Annie, died of typhoid, and suddenly Darwin began to worry about the future of all his children. He was terrified that they would all have health problems and that they might not be able to provide for themselves. So, to help assure his children's well-being, Darwin began writing a book about evolution, which he hoped would become a scientific classic. He had kept notes on his theory for 20 years, but he began to run new experiments to test his ideas. He experimented with seeds in seawater, to prove that they could survive ocean crossings, and he raised pigeons to observe the traits they inherited from their parents.

Almost the same day he received that news, his household was struck by an epidemic of scarlet fever. His children and several nursery maids came down with the disease. Most everyone recovered, but Darwin's youngest son, Charles, died. And so it was that Charles Darwin wasn't even in attendance when his theory of evolution was first presented to a public audience on this day in 1858. He was at home, grieving the death of his son. But his theory would go on to become the basis of all modern biology.

NPR Poll

What are your favorite albums of 2008 so far? NPR's All Songs Considered wants to know.

100 New Movie Classics

Entertainment Weekly has a created a list of classic films created after 1983.
1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
3. Titanic (1997)
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
5. Toy Story (1995)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1991)
7. Hannah and her Sisters (1996)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
9. Die Hard (1988)
10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
11. This is Spinal Tap (1984)
12. The Matrix (1999)
13. Goodfellas (1990)
14. Crumb (1995)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
19. Casino Royale (2006)
20. The Lion King (1994)
21. Schindler's List (1993)
22. Rushmore (1998)
23. Memento (2001)
24. A Room With a View (1986)
25. Shrek (2001)
26. Hoop Dreams (1994)
27. Aliens (1986)
28. Wings of Desire (1988)
29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
30. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
32. Fight Club (1999)
33. The Breakfast Club (1985)
34. Fargo (1996)
35. The Incredibles (2004)
36. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
37. Pretty Woman (1990)
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
39. The Sixth Sense (1999)
40. Speed (1994)
41. Dazed and Confused (1993)
42. Clueless (1995)
43. Gladiator (2000)
44. The Player (1992)
45. Rain Man (1988)
46. Children of Men (2006)
47. Men in Black (1997)
48. Scarface (1983)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
50. The Piano (1993)
51. There Will Be Blood (2007)
52. The Naked Gun (1988)
53. The Truman Show (1998)
54. Fatal Attraction (1987)
55. Risky Business (1983)
56. The Lives of Others (2007)
57. There's Something About Mary (1998)
58. Ghostbusters (1984)
59. L.A. Confidential (1997)
60. Scream (1996)
61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
62. Sex, Lies, and videotapes (1989)
63. Big (1998)
64. No Country For Old Men (2007)
65. Dirty Dancing (1987)
66. Natural Born Killers (1994)
67. Donnie Brasco (1997)
68. Witness (1985)
69. All About My Mother (1999)
70. Broadcast News (1987)
71. Unforgiven (1992)
72. Thelma and Louise (1991)
73. Office Space (1999)
74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
75. Out of Africa (1995)
76. The Departed (2006)
77. Sid and Nancy (1986)
78. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
79. Waiting for Guffman (1997)
80. Michael Clayton (2007)
81. Moonstruck (1987)
82. Lost in Translation (2003)
83. Evil Dead 2 (1987)
84. Sideways (2004)
85. The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
86. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2002)
87. Swingers (1996)
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
89. Breaking the Waves (1996)
90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
91. Back to the Future (1985)
92. Menace II Society (1993)
93. Ed Wood (1994)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
95. In the Mood For Love (2001)
96. Far From Heaven (2002)
97. Glory (1989)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
99. The Blair With Project (1999)
100. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

I've seen all but ten.

Must Listen

If you missed any of Diane Rehm's interview with James Hansen, climate scientist and director of NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, you have to listen to it here.

In it, Dr. Hansen talks about his comments that the global warming trend is mainly the result of human-produced greenhouse gases were edited by the White House.

Here is an except from Hansen's GISS research:
Since 1978, global warming has become even more apparent. Over the last 30 years, Hansen's analysis reveals that Earth warmed another 0.5°C, for a total warming of 0.9°C since 1880.

"To questions about whether this warming is natural or just a fluctuation, the answer has become clear: the world is getting warmer," Hansen stated. "This fact agrees so well with what we calculate with our global climate model that I am confident we are looking at warming that is mainly due to increasing human-made greenhouse gases."

In the bottle

The Marketplace Morning Report had a story about a town's fight to keep groundwater local. Which reminded of other stories of how bottled water affects the environment. National Geographic has a great story about it: Tapped Out: The True Cost of Bottled Water.

David Sedaris misses US

"I miss canned clams. You can't get those in France. Grits and canned clams. And I miss National Public Radio. Ira [Glass] usually sends me CDs of This American Life."

See the rest of his "10 Questions" at Time Magazine.

TV Blackout

Entertainment Weekly has a special report that is a must-read, in my opinion: Diversity in Entertainment: Why Is TV So White? The print magazine includes some graphs that compare the racial breakdown of America and how it is not being represented on television.

Indexed

Indexed is a great blog that you need to check out. New York Magazine graphed it. There is a book. And you can buy the T-shirt.

Fuming RVs

NPR is reporting on the toxic condition of FEMA trailers: Fumes Chase Family Out of FEMA Trailers

Check out the local angle by WVPE's Michael Linville: Kevin Brown of the RV Industry Association talks about the current state of the RV market.

Packing

In honor of Memorial Day weekend, here is a link to a All Things Considered story about packing: How to Pack Everything You Own in One Bag. It includes diagrams!

Historial Gas Prices

I heard a story on Morning Edition (I think it was ME) that our current gas prices aren't much higher than the gas prices in 1920, when adjusted for inflation.

I found a chart that shows the price of gas in the U.S. from 1979 to today. WTRG Economics has a more thorough history of oil prices. I can't account for the accuracy of either site, though. If you find a better source, please let me know.

Terry Gross on sale

The Fresh Air host's book All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians, and Artists is now $4.99 at Amazon.com.

Pop Candy mentions NPR

Pop Candy is a great pop culture blog at usatoday.com.

"Jamie Tarabay shares a cool story of how she helped stay sane while reporting from Baghdad: by watching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

China story not to be missed

If you didn't hear Melissa Block's story Couple Frantic to Find Loved Ones in Rubble on Wednesday or catch the listeners' responses to it, I would highly recommend listening online.

If you did get a chance to hear it, what do you think? It was the first news story that's ever made me cry.

Fuel economy: Save money on gas

Consumer Reports' tests show how to get the best gas mileage

Laundry List

Hopefully, you all had a lovely Mother's Day yesterday. My family celebrated by seeing Iron Man. I was surprised to see so many comedies and adventure films out at the theater, but then realized we are beginning the summer blockbuster season. I love "junk food" movies like Speed Racer and Indiana Jones, but if you are looking for a little more fiber in your diet, consider these flicks on DVD...

Fast Food Nation: This is the film interpretation of Eric Schlosser's best-selling expose. Like it's cousin Super Size Me it looks at food choice as a political statement. After viewing, you might want to listen to NPR's Cut the Nutri-Hype. Eat Real Food. An interview with Michael Pollan about his book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.

Into the Wild: Sean Penn's romanticized look at the real life Chris McCandless. Here is a review of the film from All Things Considered.

Bobby: Emilio Esteve's attempt at a Robert Altman mosaic about the assassination Robert F. Kennedy is a little heavy-handed. It is NOT a great film. However, one can't help but draw eery comparisons between the followers of RFK and Barack OBama.

Who Killed the Electric Car? Who isn't worried about rising gas prices? Click here to listen to Denver Drivers Learn How to Boost Fuel Economy.

Pushing Drugs on Public Radio

Stealth Marketers

A few weeks ago, devoted listeners of National Public Radio member stations* were treated to an episode of the award-winning radio series The Infinite Mind called "Prozac Nation: Revisited." The segment featured four prestigious medical experts discussing the controversial link between antidepressants and suicide. In their considered opinions, all four said that worries about the drugs have been overblown.

Read the Slate story here.

Tired this morning?

How late did you stay up waiting to here the poll results?

When WVPE's Morning Edition host Michael Linville came into the studio this morning, All Things Considered host Tony Krabill was still here.

Columbine revisited

Unfortunately, a local Penn High School student was preparing to commit mass murder. It's good that he was caught in the planning stages.

I think we can learn from what others are doing around the world to put more focus on prevention by being sensitive to children's needs.

Indiana Gubernatorial Race

Indiana democrats have more then presidential candidates to think about. In addition to the coverage on WVPE (thanks to our source at Indiana Public Broadcasting), Howey Politics is also a source that was used on All Things Considered.

Besides WVPE, where do you turn for local political news? Let's pool our resources.

Gas station woes

Of course, it hurts our pocketbook to see gas prices rise above $3.50 a gallon, but according to this quote from Time magazine,
"The farther you get from the wellhead, the greater the misery. There's a lot of stations across the country that are literally on the brink of bankruptcy."
-- TOM KLOZA of the Oil Price Information Service in Wall, N.J., on the impact of the rising price of gasoline on service stations

Environmentally Ethical Eating

For those of you who thought all you had to do was eat local and organic:

• Sustainable Fish from Fresh Air
• In Defense of Food from Morning Edition
• "You can do more for the environment by not eating meat than by not driving a car." from Climate Connections

Democratic Delgates

What happens if Clinton takes Pennsylvania? How might Indiana influence the race? Slate has a great delegate calculator to play with.

Primarily Concerned

All Things Considered is doing a story on the Indiana Primary. Where will you be May 6th?

Teenage Skeptic Takes on Climate Scientists

This is a Climate Connections profile that aired on Morning Edition today. Sixteen-year-old Kristen Byrnes's Web site, "Ponder the Maunder," has made her a celebrity among climate skeptics.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maunder

Main Entry: maun·der
Pronunciation: \ˈmȯn-dər, ˈmän-\
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s): maun·dered; maun·der·ing \-d(ə-)riŋ\
Etymology: probably imitative
Date: 1621

1: chiefly British : grumble
2: to wander slowly and idly
3: to speak indistinctly or disconnectedly
— maun·der·er \-dər-ər\ noun

Local Questions

I just heard another local caller on The Diane Rehm Show. It seems a common occurence to hear somone from Michiana making a great comment or asking a question. Have you ever called in to a WVPE program? If so, what was your experience?

Speak up!

It's Membership Campaign time, friends. Yes, your favorite time of year when you get to listen to the behind-the-scenes voices at WVPE ask for your pledge of support. Campaigns are the most effective way we have found to make listers become members of WVPE who make up about 45% of the budget at the station.

Each individual generally thinks his/her pitch is the best on the air: the most charming, make the best argument, the most persuasive, the most entertaining, etc. Well, we'd like to hear from you! Give us the good and the bad. What do you think about the on-air staff during campaign?

By the way, I am usually on from 4-7pm. :)

Do white people believe there is no more racism?

Sen. Barack Obama's speech in response to press about Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermons has brought talk about race back to our airwaves. On today's Talk of the Nation, a bi-racial caller named Roy remarked that white people want to talk about race intellectually whereas black people are more emotional and passionate when discussing the subject.

How do you talk about race or hear race talked about?

Personally, I relate to the Stuff White People Like blog I wrote about #14: Having Black Friends. In a weird way it's like having proof that one doesn't care about race. Which, of course, doesn't really add up.

Weekend Updates

How 'Bout Them Dawgs?
Unlike the rest of the season, my alma mater's team is doing rather well.

Is it really the banks that are hurting?
Bear Sterns is purchased by JPMorgan Chase for $2 a share.

Wiretap Premieres on WVPE tonight
Jazzworks has been cancelled and This American Life contributor Jonathan Goldstein is filling it's slot. Check out Wiretap on the web.

One in four teen girls has an STD

This is the kind of sex we should be talking about. Here is an interesting tidbit from the study:
Only about half of the girls in the study acknowledged having sex. Some teens define sex as only intercourse, yet other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some diseases.

While we're on the subject, the University of Notre Dame is allowing The Vagina Monologues to be performed on campus. In an except from his recent press release, Bishop John D'Arcy says, "Father Jenkins has informed me that, while he thinks that this play is a bad play, he believes that permitting its performance under certain conditions, namely, in an academic building without fundraising and with a panel discussion afterwards in which the Catholic perspective is represented, is consistent with the identity of a Catholic university."

Spitzzzzzz...

I am so tired of listening to very intelligent people talk about a political sex scandal. Have we not had enough of this? A discussion on morality in politics is worth having, in my opinion, but I don't know that we really want to look that closely at politicians' sex lives.

What is your opinion?

Coming up this week

These are snippets from NPR on what is coming up on the air this week:

ATC:
Robert Siegel Interviews Bill Gates
Wednesday, March 12, NPR's Robert Siegel interviews Bill Gates, philanthropist and chairman of Microsoft. They explore work issues including the H-1B visa program and what Gates sees as a threat to American competitiveness -- that the U.S. isn't grooming the domestic workforce to fill high-skill jobs.

This I Believe - The Benefits of Telling the Truth
Listener Martha Leathe believes that when we're truthful with children, they're honest with us.

Web Exclusives:
Anne Enright Offers a Bleak Tale in 'The Gathering'
Irish author Anne Enright heads for the familiar terrain of the dysfunctional family in The Gathering. Last fall, the novel was awarded Britain's highest literary honor, the Man Booker Prize.

Kernels of Truth About Cornmeal
Years ago, a recipe for Indian pudding introduced 9-year-old Kevin Weeks to the wonders of cornmeal. Take a look at a few delicious recipes incorporating cornmeal.

Will Split Decision Shift Texas to Obama?
NPR's senior Washington editor put into perspective the combined caucus and primary results in Texas.

News:
Shuttle Endeavour Makes Rare Night Launch
Endeavour's departure marked the second successful launch of a shuttle in just over a month's time.

Calls for Spitzer's Resignation as Details Emerge
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's political career was near collapse Tuesday after the first-term Democrat's name surfaced in a probe into a prostitution ring.

Arts & Culture:

Pretty, Plastic Barbie: Forever What We Make Her
She's not the centerpiece of a classic film, nor the protagonist of a great novel. The 49-year-old icon has, to a certain extent, become what people make of her.


This was NOT in the NPR email, but did you know Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor played Professor Hill in his high school production of The Music Man? Boy do I love Wikipedia!

More Anne Rice

USA Today has an article about Anne and Christopher Rice. It explores a little of the religion that was referenced on Talk of the Nation last week.

Bauhaus regroups

Bauhaus is an English goth group named after the German art movement. I was sick, so I missed the Day to Day's review of the first Bauhaus studio album in 25 years. If you missed it too, check this out.

Anne Rice and the Religious Right

I'm quite familiar with Interview with the Vampire Anne Rice, but hearing her mentioned on the Talk of the Nation segment The Religious Right Hits Soul-Searching Times. The guest former deputy director of the White House Office on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives David Kuo discusses his Washington Post op-ed It's Not Your Father's Religious Right.

Kuo predicts the new evangelicals will be:

• more progressive -- but not liberal
• not Democratic -- yet
• more spiritually cautious and politically shrewd

Kuo uses Rice's book Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana as a good resource for those who want to understand evangelicals more. The novel is a follow-up to Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. Wikipedia tells us:

In 1996, after spending most of her adult life as a self-described atheist, Rice returned to her Roman Catholic faith, which she had not practiced since she was 15. In October 2004, as she reaffirmed her Catholic faith, Rice announced in a Newsweek article that she would "write only for the Lord."

Now THAT explains why the author of The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty and Cry to Heaven has changed her tone.

celebrity op-ed

In case you care, this is what Angelina Jolie thinks about the Iraq war.

The Simpsons

Did anyone catch The Simpsons last night? I tuned in too late to catch Terry Gross, but saw her name in the credits. The episode is titled "The DeBarted" and was an homage to The Departed.

Barack Obama Refuses 'Boxers or Briefs' Question

Leave it to US Magazine to ask the really important questions. Read Barack's answers.

Facebook

Yes, we're hip. We're on the cutting edge. WVPE now has a Facebook group. It's in the baby stages, but that doesn't mean you can't join!

Stuff White People Like

If you missed it, Talk of the Nation featured a hot new blog called Stuff White People Like.

Since I didn't see a concise list, I made one.

#1 Coffee
#2 Religions that their parents don’t belong to
#3 Film Festivals
#4 Assists
#5 Farmers Markets
#6 Organic Food
#7 Diversity
#8 Barack Obama
#9 Making you feel bad about not going outside
#10 Wes Anderson movies
#11 Asian Girls
#12 Non-Profit Organizations
#13 Tea
#14 Having Black Friends
#15 Yoga
#16 “Gifted” Children
#17 Hating their parents
#18 Awareness
#19 Traveling
#20 Being an expert on YOUR culture
#21 Writer’s Workshops
#22 Having Two Last Names
#23 Microbreweries
#24 Wine
#25 David Sedaris
#26 Manhattan (now Brooklyn too!)
#27 Marathons
#28 Not Having a TV
#29 80s Night
#30 Wrigley Field
#31 Snowboarding
#32 Vegan/Vegetarianism
#33 Marijuana
#34 Architecture
#35 The Daily Show/Colbert Report
#36 Breakfast Places
#37 Renovations
#38 Arrested Development
#39 Netflix
#40 Apple Products
#41 Indie Music
#42 Sushi
#43 Plays
#44 Public Radio
#45 Asian Fusion Food
#46 The Sunday New York Times
#48 Whole Foods and Grocery Co-ops
#49 Vintage
#50 Irony
#51 Living by the water
#52 Sarah Silverman
#53 Dogs
#54 Kitchen Gadgets
#55 Apologies
#56 Lawyers
#57 Juno
#58 Japan
#59 Natural Medicine
#60 Toyota Prius
#61 Bicycles
#62 Knowing what’s best for poor people
#63 Expensive Sandwiches
#64 Recycling
#65 Co-Ed Sports
#66 Divorce
#67 Standing Still at Concerts
#68 Michel Gondry
#69 Mos Def
#70 Difficult Breakups
#71 Being the only white person around
#72 Study Abroad
#73 Gentrification
#74 Oscar Parties
#75 Threatening to Move to Canada
#76 Bottles of Water

How white are you? 48 out of 76 entries describe me.

Lane Bryant honors those lost

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Lane Bryant has announced the establishment of The Lane Bryant Tinley Park Memorial Fund to honor the lives and memories of the five women who lost their lives on February 2, 2008 in Tinley Park. The Memorial Fund is being administered through Harris Bank, and is intended to provide financial assistance to the immediate families of the victims.

Read the rest of the story here.

Detective Munch

I knew Richard Blezer's character appeared on a few different Law and Order series, but I didn't realize he went into Arrested Development and X-Files territory. If you missed his interview on Morning Edition, like I did, check it out here.

Choo-choo!

Especially in this period of high gas prices and small global footprints, I generally travel by South Shore when I make my regular pilgrimages to Chicago. There have been plans to update the line and shorten the trip for 'Benders, but it looks like things might take a little longer. Check out the full story.

Re-Oscars

The star-studded red-carpet event of the year (in my eyes) happens this Sunday. That's right, the strike is over and the Oscars will be on like Donkey Kong (which reminds me, you should see the documentary The King of Kong). Certainly, we don't always agree with the Academy's choice for winners. Time has an article revisiting the 1998 Oscars. Should Titanic have won eleven?

Stacked deck

Sometimes when I'm in the middle of an intellectual conversation about current events, I step outside myself and think, "Really, Kelly, you actually know this information?" Before I became a devout WVPE listener (yes, this was before I became a WVPE employee), I would just smile and nod when people were getting into detailed discussion about today's news. I can always go on about what's happening to the newest tragic Hollywood starlet, but politics was never a strong point. Now, as I entertain myself listening to 88.1, I'm also getting an education.

Here's an example: Last night at the eucher table, I was sharing information from Terry Gross' interview with NYT reporter David Kirkpatrick about the McCain's runningmate quandry and how Huckabee's race may be influencing it. (It's quite interesting, you should listen.) Boy, did I feel like a smartie.

When's the last time you've said "I heard on WVPE...."?

Six Word Memoir

This is a busy blog day...

Write your own six-word memoir! This was a very cool TOTN segment. The ones on the TOTN site are so juicy, I can't pick my favorite. SO, I've written my own:

Renaissance feminist not lacking in confidence.

What is yours? We wanna know!

The strike is almost over, right?

I am one of those film lovers praying that the Writes Guild of America strike ends quickly and in the writers' favor. And before the Oscars on February 24. I've seen an obscene amount of movies released in 2007 (87 to be exact) and I love watching to see if my favorites are going to take home the golden guy.

There has been plenty of buzz about the recent talks between the producers and the writers predicting that the show will go on. Without an agreement, the writers won't support the Oscars and actors won't cross picket lines. Basically, we'll end up with a lame press conference like the Golden Globes.

Joss Whedon, the writer/producer/director behind all things Buffy, has written an inspiring letter to his fellow strikers. Unfortunately for red-carpet followers like me, he denounces the importance of one awards show. Yeah, yeah, yeah, what he says is good and all, but I still have my fingers crossed and my at-home ballet ready.

FEMA Flood Relief

This morning Michael Linville reported that the St. Joe River is nearly four feet above flood stage in South Bend and about a foot and a half above flood stage in Elkhart, with the river expected to crest in both areas tomorrow or early Saturday. The Elkhart River in Goshen already crested three and a half feet above flood stage yesterday.

The Red Cross has set up local shelters for resident's displaced by flooding. The Goshen shelter is at Goshen City Church at 203 North 5th Street. In Elkhart the shelter is at the Red Cross building at 721 Riverview Drive.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is touring Elkhart County today. Funds may be available for residents who have suffered sever damage from the January 7th storms. Assistance requests can be made online at www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 between 8 a.m and 6 p.m. today.

Middle Monday

There was an upset at the Superbowl last night. If you missed it, here is a recap.




If you are more interested in the commercials. You can find the top five here.



The South Bend Tribune is looking for community members to talk about politics between now and the campaign. Send an e-mail highlighting your political views and a little about your life to Tribune Staff Writer Ed Ronco at eronco@sbtinfo.com.

One of the women killed at a Chicago-area Lane Bryant was from South Bend. Read an updated story here.