Opinion

John Tull, 63, and Lucinda Marker, 57, survived a bout of the bubonic plague in 2002.

Living And Loving Through The Bubonic Plague

10:55am March 22, 2013

by NPR Staff

Lucinda Marker and her husband, John Tull, fell ill when fleas carrying the bacterial infection bit them in 2002. The plague is so rare in the U.S., they were suspected of being terrorists or bioterrorism victims.

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Helen Mirren and Al Pacino star in the new HBO film Phil Spector, which was written and directed by David Mamet.

Arts

You Can't Trust HBO's 'Phil Spector,' But You Can Enjoy It

2:37pm March 21, 2013

by David Bianculli

David Mamet, the writer and director of the new HBO movie Phil Spector starring Al Pacino and Helen Mirren, includes a disclaimer at the beginning of the film: While the movie might be based on the controversial music producer, "This is a work of fiction. It's not 'based on a true story.' "

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Longtime sports columnist Dave Kindred says college basketball has changed for the worst.

Sports

Op-Ed: March Aside, College Basketball Has Lost Its Madness

2:58pm March 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

Dave Kindred, a member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame, says that even though March Madness still generates a lot of buzz around the water cooler, the regular college basketball season has lost its epic stories and, therefore, its charm.

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Elisabeth Moss (right) and Thomas Wright star in Jane Campion's new series Top of the Lake.

Arts

Two New TV Dramas Look Below The Surface

1:56pm March 18, 2013

by David Bianculli

Jane Campion directs a new Sundance Channel miniseries, Top of the Lake, about a young New Zealand detective played by Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss. Meanwhile, producers from Lost and Friday Night Lights team up to create a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, called Bates Motel.

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Ginger & Rosa (starring Alice Englert and Elle Fanning) was directed by Sally Potter, who is perhaps best known for her 1992 film Orlando.

Arts

Three New Films Examine What It Means When Girls Act Out

5:37pm March 15, 2013

by David Edelstein

Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, Sally Potter's Ginger & Rosa and Cristian Mungiu's Beyond the Hills are wildly different films, yet they share a common impulse: to demonstrate indelibly how for girls, behaving outrageously is still a political act.

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Tim Harris (right) and his father, Keith, visited StoryCorps in their hometown of Albuquerque, N.M.

A 'Good Enough' Dad And His Special Son

10:53am March 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

Tim Harris had wanted to open a restaurant for as long as he could remember. In 2004, with help from his father, Tim, who has Down syndrome, opened Tim's Place in Albuquerque, N.M. He calls it the world's friendliest restaurant, and doles out hugs to customers six days a week.

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A marching band performs at halftime on the field during a high school football game.

Sports

School Bands Should Not Be Entertainment Adjunct For Sports

5:36pm March 13, 2013

by Frank Deford

For commentator Frank Deford, it seems unfair that students who pursue other extracurricular talents — like music — should be placed in a subsidiary position to their classmates who happen to play sports.

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Op-Ed: We Need More Aaron Swartz-Style Hacktivism

3:58pm March 11, 2013

When Internet activist Aaron Swartz committed suicide, he faced federal charges for illegally downloading and releasing articles from JSTOR, the digital library of academic journals. Northwestern University professor Peter Ludlow says Swartz was right to fight for public access to scholarship.

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Op-Ed: There's An App For Everything, And That's A Problem

2:58pm March 11, 2013

Technology companies are constantly developing new apps and tools to make our lives easier. In an op-ed for The New York Times Evgeny Morozov, author of To Save Everything, Click Here, argues that Silicon Valley's quest for perfectionism is problematic.

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The failed Snowquester reminds us, during a time of national debate, that experts can still be wrong.

Snowquester Fizzles, But We're Humbled Anyway

2:22pm March 09, 2013

by Scott Simon

After Snowquester fizzled, Scott Simon muses that snow forecasts falling so flat is a sound reminder, during a time of national debate, that experts can be wrong.

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