Opinion

Dear College Presidents: Break The NCAA's Vise Grip On Athletes

7:37am February 27, 2013

by Frank Deford

Student-athletes are really sucker-athletes under the organization's structure, says sports commentator Frank Deford. Will no college president speak the words that will break the organization's spell?

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Linguist Geoff Nunberg finds that in the film Lincoln, screenwriter Tony Kushner oscillates between old and modern meanings of "equality."

Arts

Historical Vocab: When We Get It Wrong, Does It Matter?

7:12pm February 26, 2013

by Geoff Nunberg

We're living in an age obsessed with authenticity, says linguist Geoff Nunberg, but we often choose to nitpick the wrong details. Whether it's Downton Abbey, Mad Men, Lincoln or Argo, Nunberg argues, a historical novel or screenplay should give us a translation, not a transcription.

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Tracy Johnson and her mother-in-law, Sandra Johnson.

National

In Loving Memory Of A Wife, Daughter And Fallen Soldier

4:20pm February 26, 2013

by NPR Staff

Tracy Johnson lost her wife to war, but she didn't lose her family.

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Adele performs the theme song to "Skyfall."

Arts

The Oscars Broadcast, Zooming Way Past Cheeky To Land Squarely On Crass

4:36pm February 25, 2013

by Linda Holmes

Seth MacFarlane hosted the 85th Academy Awards which Monkey See's Linda Holmes says was one of the worst hosting performances in Oscar history. Jokes about women just kept coming. His sexist jokes were in poor taste, sure, but if they'd been funny, nobody would have cared.

Economy

Op-Ed: It's Time To Raise The Minimum Wage

2:48pm February 25, 2013

In his State of the Union address, President Obama proposed a plan to boost federal minimum wage from 7.25 an hour, to 9 dollars. Columnist Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton, argues that plan is "a no-brainer."

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Rowena Gore-Simmons and her daughter, Kenya, now 16, at StoryCorps in Baltimore.

After Prison, A Second Chance To Be A Better Mother

10:42am February 22, 2013

by NPR Staff

Today, Rowena Gore-Simmons runs a center for formerly incarcerated women. But Rowena once served time herself, when her now-teenage daughter was 4. While she was in prison, Rowena dedicated herself to being a better mother when she got out.

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Cinereach aims to support films that tell stories from underrepresented perspectives. The Oscar-nominated Beasts of the Southern Wild was one of those films.

Arts

From Louisiana To Versailles, Funding 'Vital Stories, Artfully Told'

6:01pm February 21, 2013

by Neda Ulaby

With its mission to tell stories from underrepresented perspectives, Cinereach has supported more than 100 movies, including Beasts of the Southern Wild and The Queen of Versailles.

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Books
Arts

'The Dinner' Offers Food For Thought

6:11pm February 20, 2013

by Rosecrans Baldwin

The novel by Herman Koch is structured around a five-course meal shared by two couples. But it's not all fun and food. What's really going on at this meal is much more gruesome. Reviewer Rosecrans Baldwin says the novel offers a fresh, modern take on basic moral questions.

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Oscar Pistorius, seen here at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, made history as the first double leg amputee to race in the Summer Olympics. He now faces charges that he murdered his girlfriend.

Reminders Flood In: Athletes Are People, Not Heroes

4:08pm February 20, 2013

by Frank Deford

We often put athletes on a pedestal. But after the latest accusations of bad behavior — accusations that include a murder charge against Oscar Pistorius — it may be time to lower that pedestal several notches, says Frank Deford.

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Letters: Radio Moments, Defense Spending

2:07pm February 20, 2013

NPR's Neal Conan reads from listener comments on previous show topics, including life-changing radio moments and opinions on defense spending.

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