Commentary
3:05 pm
Fri January 6, 2012

On The GOP Trail, The Serendipity Of A Lost Wallet

It's Jan. 1.

I'm en route to Iowa to cover the caucuses. I'm a novice reporter and NPR editors trusted me to tag along.

At my layover in Minneapolis, I reach into my pocket to pay for a chai tea latte and — wait up — where's my wallet? I can't find my wallet. I double, triple, quadruple check.

I run back to the gate. "Ma'am, I think my wallet fell out of my coat in overhead. Seat 20B." She checks it out. Negative. It's not there.

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What's in a Song?
2:46 pm
Fri January 6, 2012

Group Singalongs Provide Comfort For A Livelihood Lost

Credit Hal Cannon
Barre Toelken (second from right) at one of his weekly singing sessions with his wife Miko (far right) and friends.

For the past several years, a group of friends has gathered every week in the living room of a suburban home in Logan, Utah, to sing long-forgotten songs. It's a fun way to spend the evening, but it's also therapy for a dear friend.

Until several years ago, Barre Toelken was a folklorist at Utah State University. He'd spent much of his life preserving sea shanties and other antique songs, but then he had a stroke and was forced to retire.

"I used to know 800 songs," Toelken says. "I had this stroke, and I had none of these songs left in my head. None of them were left."

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American Experience on KENW-TV

Television's most-watched history series, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE has been hailed as "peerless" (Wall Street Journal), "the most consistently enriching program on television" (Chicago Tribune) and "a beacon of intelligence and purpose" (Houston Chronicle). On air and online, the series brings to life the incredible characters and epic stories that have shaped America's past and present. Acclaimed by viewers and critics alike, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE documentaries have been honored with every major broadcast award, including 24 Emmy Awards, four duPont-Columbia Awards and 14 George Foster Peabody Awards.

The Two-Way
2:03 pm
Fri January 6, 2012

Snowy Owls, Rare In North America, Are Appearing All Over The U.S.

Originally published on Fri January 6, 2012 4:51 pm

Snowy owls are a rare sight in the United States. They usually live in the Arctic but every third or fourth winter some will venture south.

But this year, the AP reports, there is an abundance of the birds, which garnered almost mythical stature when they were featured in the Harry Potter films.

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Saddle up with American Experience for the launch of the Wild West collection, starting with “Billy the Kid” on Tuesday, January 10th. The program repeats on Monday, January 16th at 9:00 p.m.

The Wild West collection explores the controversy, myth and legend of some of the most iconic figures in American history.

 

Wrangle your interest online with this preview of  "Billy the Kid"

It's All Politics
1:27 pm
Fri January 6, 2012

Not Officially Republicans, 'Undeclared' Voters Could Sway N.H. Race

Credit JESSICA RINALDI / Reuters /Landov
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman shakes hands with voters following a business lunch campaign event in Portsmouth, N.H. on Jan. 5.

In Tuesday's primary, many of those showing up to vote will not be registered as Republicans. In New Hampshire, voters unaffiliated with either party can vote in the primary.

So-called "undeclared" voters outnumber both Republicans and Democrats in the Granite State, accounting for more than 40 percent of the electorate. That makes New Hampshire's independent vote a tempting, but elusive target.

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Economy
1:00 pm
Fri January 6, 2012

Report Posts Stronger-Than-Expected Employment

The December jobs report came in stronger than expected, with employers adding 200,000 new jobs to payrolls. The unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent.

Commentary
1:00 pm
Fri January 6, 2012

Week In Politics: Jobs; Recess Appointments; GOP Campaigns

Melissa Block speaks with our regular political commentators, E.J. Dionne, of the Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and David Brooks, of the New York Times. They discuss the jobs numbers, Obama's recess appointments and presidential campaign developments.

Sports
1:00 pm
Fri January 6, 2012

An Update On Football — And The Other Football

The NFL kicks off an exciting weekend of games Saturday when it starts its playoffs. Meanwhile, there's big news in the sport that most of the rest of the world calls football. Fox television is making a major play to air more soccer games in this country, including an English Premier League game before the Super Bowl. Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis talks with Robert Siegel about the news in both kinds of football.

Photography
1:00 pm
Fri January 6, 2012

Kodak Tries To Buy Time By Selling Patents

The end could soon be near for Kodak, and the iconic film manufacturer may have itself to blame.

Kodak, based in Rochester, N.Y., could be headed into bankruptcy over the next few weeks. The company has seen its profits plunge in recent years, largely because of the popularity of digital cameras.

Kodak is trying to move into new product lines like inkjet printers, but in the meantime it's attempting to raise cash by selling off some of the patents it's developed over the years.

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