2011 February | PRI's The World - Part 5

Archive for February, 2011

Libyan-American author on the unrest in Libya

By The World ⋅ February 22, 2011 ⋅ One comment ⋅ Transcript

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Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with American-born Libyan author Hisham Matar about Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s handling of the anti-government protests. Matar’s father is a Libyan political dissident who’s been behind bars in Libya since 1990. Download MP3

Manila seeks safer roads with women bus drivers

By The World ⋅ February 22, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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Traffic in the Phillippine capital, Manila, is a nightmare. Privatized buses get some of the blame for causing chaos. And some say the roads would be better with more female drivers, so city officials are giving it a try. Reporter Jason Strother has the story. Download MP3

A place called ‘Hell’

By The World ⋅ February 22, 2011 ⋅ One comment ⋅ Transcript

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For today’s Geo Quiz, we’re looking for ‘Hell’ on earth. Actually, it’s the Spanish word for hell, Infierno. It’s a community in South America. Some say it got that name because of the swarms of mosquitoes that descended on early rubber traders passing by on the Tambopata River. We want you to name the country this place called ‘Hell’ is in. Download MP3

PRI’s The World(02/22/2011: Muammar Gaddafi, Manila traffic, Cuba’s Creole Choir)

By The World ⋅ February 22, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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Demonstrations against Libyan leader Mohammar Ghadafy are being met with force by his government’s army;then in Manila, city officials try to sooth the traffic chaos on city streets by training women bus drivers; and Cuba’s Creole Choir finds success on the international music circuit. Download MP3

Music Heard on Air for February 22, 2011

By Ann Lopez ⋅ February 22, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

Tunes spun on The World between our reports for February 22, 2011. Artists featured are: Kaya Project, Zaman, Staff Benda Bilili, Moriba Koita, AfroCubism.

Baby Monkey Gangs Reveal Genetic Effects of Loneliness

By Elsa Youngsteadt ⋅ February 22, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

Loneliness isn’t just a state of mind. It also affects our bodies. A growing number of studies are showing that a feeling of loneliness is associated with heart problems, viral infections, and an increased risk of death. And those health problems, in turn, are associated with huge differences in gene activity. Some genes, like ones involved in inflammation, are more active in lonely people. Others, such as genes that code for antiviral defenses, are less active.

Conservation and the Spirit World

By Elsa Youngsteadt ⋅ February 22, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

The most intriguing session I attended at this year’s AAAS meeting was led by Stanford ecologist José Fragoso. In it, Fragoso described how he and his colleagues are working with indigenous groups in Guyana and Brazil to find out how cultural change affects the diversity of species in the surrounding forests and savannas.

China’s Jasmine crackdown

By Mary Kay Magistad ⋅ February 22, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments ⋅ Transcript

The Great Hall of the People, where the National People's Congress convenes.

Stravinsky had his Rite of Spring; China’s Communist Party has its own. As the first warm(er) breezes blow, Internet connections slow and sometimes fizzle out entirely. Spring in Beijing brings the annual 10-day meeting of the National People’s Congress, which this year starts on March 5th. China’s leaders, and more to the point China’s security apparatus, views this as a “sensitive time,” a time when public opinion must be kept “harmonious.” That is to say, criticism of the Party’s record or style of governance, is to be silenced.

The Bilingual Brain

By Rhitu Chatterjee ⋅ February 22, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

I have always considered myself a linguistic mutt. I grew up speaking Bengali (my mother tongue), Hindi (India’s national language), and English (a legacy of India’s colonial past). So I was thrilled to learn that the 2011 annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) had a session on bilingualism. It was titled “Crossing Borders in Language Science: What Bilinguals Are Telling Us About Mind and Brain.”

World Books Review: Adonis’s Selected Poems — A Giant of Arabic Verse

By World Books ⋅ February 22, 2011 ⋅ One comment ⋅ Transcript

Syrian poet Adonis has has been compared to both Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot in his modernist sensibility and influence — perhaps both in one person makes a better comparison.

Pressure on Libyan regime grows

By The World ⋅ February 21, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, is under growing pressure at home and abroad after his supporters reacted with violence overnight against anti-government protests in the capital, Tripoli. Witnesses say warplanes have fired on protesters in Tripoli. Human Rights Watch says more than 230 people have been killed since the unrest began last week. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Mohammed Yehia, editor of the BBC’s Arabic online. Download MP3
Live updates: Middle East and North Africa unrest

Mideastern repercussions in China

By The World ⋅ February 21, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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Almost no one thinks China will be the next Egypt or Bahrain but Beijing is taking no chances. More than 100 activists were taken away by police, confined to their homes, or reported missing this past weekend. Anchor Lisa Mullins talks with The World’s Mary Kay Magistad in Beijing about the repercussions for China from the current events in the Middle East. Download MP3
China’s security czar warns over ‘Jasmine Revolution’

Turkey as model democracy for Middle East

By The World ⋅ February 21, 2011 ⋅ One comment ⋅ Transcript

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Reporter Matthew Brunwasser looks at how democratic Turkey might serve as a role model for emerging democracies in the Middle East.
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Sri Lanka’s unifying cuisines

By The World ⋅ February 21, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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Even during the height of the Sri Lankan civil war, Sinhalese and Tamils were able to come together on a few things. One of those was food. Reporter Ike Sriskandarajah gives us a tour of Sri Lankan cuisine. Download MP3

Find out some mouth watering Sri Lankan recipes here.

Mathew Tembo and Rikki Ililonga

By The World ⋅ February 21, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

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Two CDs from Zambia are featured in today’s Global Hit. One is a re-issue of “Zam-Rock” recorded in the 1970s, the other is newer material recorded last year. DJ music critic Mannasseh Phiri tells us more. Download MP3
Music Video: Mathew Tembo’s song “Nandunge”