Long winter for Olympic village businesses

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The Winter Olympics are just 18 days away. They’re being held in Vancouver and the mountain resort of Whistler. As the World’s Jason Margolis reports, business is tough in Whistler in the run-up to the Games.

Geo Quiz

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Where will our Geo Quiz take us today?

Geo answer

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Today’s Geo Answer.

Winter Olympics

We travel back in Olympic history for today’s Geo Quiz. We’re looking for the name of the resort where the Winter Olympics took place 50 years ago.

Music Heard on Air for January 25, 2010

Tunes Spun On The Word Between Our Reports for January 25, 2010. Artists featured are Philip Glass, Nguyen Le, Kila, Ali Farka Toure, Ry Cooder, Hamid Ekawel, Hassan Erajji.

Tech Podcast 274: Mapping Haiti, Google and China

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This week’s podcast features more news on different tech efforts to help relief workers in Haiti. We look at Open Street Map, and Project EPIC’s “Tweak the Tweet.” We also delve into Clinton’s speech on Internet freedom, and get two in-depth views of Google’s recent announcements about China. Also, let us not forget the power of radio in Haiti.

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BBC launches radio service in Haitian Creole

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The earthquake in Haiti has left much of the population needing access to vital information. Here you can read about the BBC’s newest language section, BBC Haitian Creole, a radio service designed to provide exactly that. Listen to the show’s intro above… Download MP3

• BBC starts Creole broadcasts

World Books Review: Perils of the Pansexual

This novel about a young woman who wakes up to find that her big toe has become a penis was a major bestseller in Japan, and it’s easy to see why. The book is titillating, disturbing without being disgusting, and reads like a self-help guide on the subjects of sex and love.

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• Bill Marx’s Arts Fuse blog

Entire program – January 22, 2010

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Today on The World: Thousands of earthquake survivors in Haiti still don’t have the aid they need; Also how competition among aid agencies affects the relief effort; And later — a new organ donor law in Israel says if you don’t sign up to give, you might not get.

How to help Haitians quicker

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Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are attempting to leave the capital, Port au Prince, devastated by last week’s earthquake. Aid officials have started to put up tent cities on the outskirts for up to 400,000 people, to try to halt the spread of disease. The aid effort in Haiti has been frustratingly slow by some accounts. The World’s Matthew Bell looks into how aid agencies might do better. Download MP3 (Photo:Olivier Laban Mattei/AFP/Getty Images)

• BBC coverage
• The Guardian: aid agencies accused of ‘jostling for position’
• In pictures: Haiti receives aid and treatment

Online mapping helps Haiti relief efforts

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When the earthquake struck Haiti last week, aid workers and geographers alike realized that there were no good maps of the country. A group of volunteers quickly sprang into action. Open Street Maps has been putting together a real-time view of what Haiti looks like on the ground. Aid organizations and rescue teams are actively using their maps to direct and coordinate relief efforts. The World’s Clark Boyd reports. Download MP3

• Haiti Open Street Map
• Ushahidi for Haiti
• Google Person Finder: Haiti Earthquake
• iPhone app for Haiti Disaster Relief

Controversial strategies for reducing organ shortages

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There’s a worldwide shortage of organs for transplantations.To tackle that shortage, many countries are experimenting with various strategies. Some Americans are pushing a controversial solution – legalizing the buying and selling of organs. But, can such a system meet the global demand for organs? And is it fair to the people who sell their organs? Come join the conversation with Dr. Mustafa Al-Miousawi, a Kuwaiti transplant surgeon and the past president of the Middle East Society for Transplantation. Download MP3

• Join the conversation: World Science Forum
• World Science podcast

China criticizes US over Internet freedom

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China has denounced US criticism of its Internet controls, saying it could harm ties between the two countries. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Thursday for China to lift restrictions on the Internet. Marco Werman talks with Rebecca MacKinnon who is writing a book on the Internet in China. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• Full text of Clinton’s speech
• Video: Clips from Clinton’s speech
• On The World: Cyrus Farivar’s report on Clinton’s speech

Confucius versus Avatar

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James Cameron’s sci-fi spectacular ‘Avatar’ is hugely popular in China, but the government has been pulling it out of various theaters to replace it with the new epic about the life of Confucius, the ancient Chinese philosopher, starring Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat. Mary Kay Magistad went to the movies to find out what people in China make of this. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• Confucius movie trailer

Israel’s organ donation law

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The World’s Aaron Schacter reports on a new law in Israel that aims to encourage organ donation by giving donors preferential treatment should THEY ever need a new organ.