World Books Review: The Hypnotic Monsieur Pain

Set against the background of the Spanish Civil War, Roberto Bolaño’s 1999 suspense novel is one of those rare page turners you won’t want to put down, even after you figure out that essential pieces to the puzzle are missing.

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Entire program – February 12, 2010

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Today on The World: A spike in the use of improvised explosive devices poses a new threat for US troops in Afghanistan; Also, a look ahead to two weeks of Winter Games in Vancouver; Plus, the perils of expressing love in a different language.

Haiti holds day of mourning

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Haiti has been holding a day of national mourning exactly one month after the earthquake struck, killing at least 217,000 people. Haiti’s President Rene Preval vowed that his country will live on. Other prayer services were held across the country, including one at the site of a mass grave outside the capital which is believed to hold tens of thousands of victims. Marco Werman talks with the BBC’s Nick Davis in Haiti. Download MP3 (Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)

• BBC coverage
• On The World: Haiti’s santitation problem
• BBC picture gallery from Haiti

Olympic luger dies after crash

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The death of a luge competitor who left the track at high speed has cast a shadow over the Winter Olympics in Canada ahead of the opening ceremony. Georgian Nodar Kumaritashvili’s sled flipped and he smashed into a steel pole at the Whistler Sliding Centre. The World’s Katy Clark has been following events. Download MP3 (Photo: Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)

• BBC coverage of the Vancouver Olympics
• Vancouver 2010 homepage

Ach, du liebe Zeit!

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Writer Jen Percy is dating a German-speaking man. She’s found that the language of love is not, as advertized, universal: expressing her love in German is fraught with linguistic confusion. Download MP3

• The World in Words
• Mark Twain’s ‘The Awful German Language’
• From the BBC: Cool German

Can genetically modified crops help feed the world?

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Last week India rejected what would have been the country’s first genetically modified food crop, a transgenic eggplant. What does this mean for the future of genetically modified crops in India and other parts of the world? And can such crops help feed the world’s hungry? Talk with biologist Lisa Weazel of Portland State University. She’s the author of Food Fray: Inside the Controversy of Genetically Modified Food, and our guest on the latest The World Science Forum. The discussion is live through February, 19th. Download MP3

• Visit The World’s Science forum
• BBC coverage

Bienvenue at the love café

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Some singles are getting a little tired of Internet dating sites, where people are not always as they present themselves. In France, many are looking for new ways to meet that special person – in person! One of them is to attend a Café de l’Amour, or “Love café”. They’re get-togethers in French cities where people go to hear a speaker talk about love and maybe meet that special someone. Reporter Genevieve Oger attended one. Download MP3

Canadian Olympic coverage includes aboriginal languages

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The Vancouver Games will be the first Olympics to offer play-by-play in several of Canada’s native languages. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Abel Charles, the Cree commentator for the Canada’s Aboriginal People’s Television Network.

Portugal says it’s not Greece

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As Greece struggles with its mounting debt, some other struggling European economies are trying to assure investors that they’re not the next Greece. One of those countries is Portugal. The World’s Gerry Hadden reports from Lisbon.

IEDs in Afghanistan

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Improvised explosive devices – or IEDs – are crude but deadly devices that have cost thousands of lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. US military commanders say they’re the primary threat facing troops there. Ben Gilbert has the first of several stories on IEDs in Afghanistan and the effort to counter them.

Geo Quiz / Geo Answer

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For today’s Geo Quiz we’re looking for the country that celebrates Losar or New Year’s Day on Sunday, February 14. The answer is Tibet. The day kicks off a festival that lasts several days…and it’s happening in Tibetan communities all over the world. Producer Tsering Yangzom visits a family in Malden, Massachusetts that’s preparing for Losar.

Close to the Edge

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A proper story about British progressive rock legends Yes must have a proper grandiose introduction. Let’s continue just a bit with this reverential musical moment.

Preview of Winter Olympics

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Canada becomes the center of the sporting world tonight with the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The World’s Katy Clark offers a preview of the Games, which run through February 28. Download MP3

• BBC coverage of the Vancouver Olympics
• Winter Olympics photo gallery
• Vancouver 2010 homepage
• On The World: The Numbers Behind the Olympics

Music Heard on Air for February 12, 2010

Tunes Spun On The World Between Our Reports For February 12, 2010. Artists featured are Ali Farka Toure, Ry Cooder, Jackie Mittoo, Bernard Kabanda, Reggie Msomi’s Hollywood Jazz Band, Gipsy Kings.

Tashi Delek!

Our Geo Quiz today begins with a New Year’s greeting.

“(Tibetan) …. choo!”

That’s 10-year old Tenzin Ngwang — speaking in the language of her parents’ homeland. We’re going to meet Ngwang and her family in just a moment.