Geo answer

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The answer to today’s Geo Quiz is Kabul, Afghanistan. It’s home to Skateistan, a group building a new skateboarding center for boys and girls in the Afghan capital. The World’s Aaron Schachter checked it out.

Global Hit: Zizek DJ

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Anchor Marco Werman revisits the sounds of the Zizek Deejay collective from Buenos Aires. The collective’s just released a new album. Zizek co-founder Grant Dull spins a few tracks for us.

Music Heard on Air for August 7, 2009

A List of Music Featured Between our reports for August 7, 2009

Global Political Cartoons: August 1 -7, 2009

This week’s cartoons reflect the shifting political ground under President Barack Obama. We see his approval ratings slip, more negative chatter about his ‘beers-at-the-White House’ as a teachable moment about race, and the seething debate over how to reform healthcare. But then the dramatic release of two American journalists from North Korea and cartoonists pick up their pencils and brushes to rehash former President Clinton’s reputation as a charmer.

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Pakistani Taliban leader reportedly killed

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There are growing indications that Pakistan’s most wanted man, Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud (above left), has been killed by a US missile. A Mehsud aide reportedly confirmed that he had died when a drone attacked the house where he was staying. The World’s Matthew Bell will have the latest later today. (AP Photo) >>>Click here listen to our four part series “Inside the Taliban.”

John Hughes RIP, sand dunes made of bacteria, and WE CARE’s solar suitcase

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This week’s podcast features a geek’s audio tribute to John Hughes, the late director of “Weird Science.” Also, we talk about a project to make thousand mile sand dunes with the help of bacteria. And we hear about the solar suitcase, a toolbox designed to greatly improve maternal care in the developing world.

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New rhetoric on Israeli settlements, an international libary of children’s books, and faux French in France

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In this week’s World in Words podcast, Israel’s government tries out some new words to describe its West Bank settlement program. We consider those, and take a look at previous rhetorical attempts to justify Israel’s expansion into Palestinian territory. Then, a conversation with the University of Arizona’s Kathy Short, who manages an ever-expanding collection of children’s books from around the world. Finally, an update on Brooklyn’s finest fake French band, Les Sans Culottes. After more than a decade together, the band is finally performing in France. Download MP3