Search results for

Beyond the glamour of Hollywood and the romance of the Golden Gate Bridge, there is another California -- and it's home to the greatest garden in the world. The 400-mile-long Central Valley supplies fully one-quarter of the food America eats. Now the region faces huge changes. NPR's John McChesney and Richard Gonzales begin a four-part series focusing on the future of California's Central Valley.

Film critic STEPHEN SCHIFF reviews "Get Shorty" the new film based on the novel by Elmore Leonard and starring John Travolta.

SYRIA - Hopes for an early breakthrough in the Israeli-Syrian Peace Talks have faded but slow movement forward continues. NPR's Ted Clark reports. -b- 16. CREDIT CARD SECURITY - NPR's John McChesney reports that Visa and Mastercard have agreed on a single technical standard that they say will allow for secure purchases over the Internet. The two credit card giants had been pursuing different systems with conflicting security specifications. Today's announcement means banks and consumers will not have to worry about choosing one system over the other.

2: REYNOLDS PRICE... writer, teacher, poet ... has turned his attention to the life of Jesus and the gospels. His latest book, "Three Gospels" (Scribner) is a translation of the gospels of Mark and John from the original Greek and includes a new gospel, "An Honest Account of a Memorable Life". In 1984 PRICE was diagnosed with spinal cancer, and became paralyzed from the waist down. His other books include, "The Promise of Rest", "A Whole New Life" and "The Collected Stories".

Forensic psychiatrist Dr. PARK DIETZ. He has served as an expert witness for the prosecution in the murder trials of John Hinkley, Joel Rifkin, Jeffrey Dahmer and others. In each case he presented evidence against the defense of insanity, saying that these men knew that they were committing terrible crimes. DIETZ also has a consulting firm, Threat Assessment, which focuses on workplace violence. He is a consultant to the HBO special "Murder 9 to 5," which examines murder at work.

- Daniel talks with John White, a professor of political science at Catholic University in Washington D.C....and Ruy Teixiera (ROO-e tuh-SHARE-uh) of the Economic Policy Institute, also in Washington. Today is the 25th anniversary of the 26th Amendment to the Consitution. It's the one that gave 18 year olds the right to vote. Both men say that the percentage of 18-20 year olds who acutally vote has dropped since the Amendment was approved in 1971.

President Clinton announced a program today that will track the origins of guns confiscated from teenaged criminals. The 17-city effort will collect serial numbers and other information on the guns and feed that into a computer system run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The network should improve law enforcement's chances of finding out who is selling guns to juveniles. NPR's John Nielsen reports that the President has high hopes for the program, but some analysts don't see it making much of a dent in crime.

Robert discusses the history of chicken with John Steele Gordon, a contributing editor for "American Heritage." Gordon wrote "The Chicken Story," an article in the September issue of American Heritage. Gordon says chicken was considered a luxurious meal as recently as 60 years ago and cost about 10 dollars a pound in today's terms. Industrialization brought chicken prices down. Now there are eight chickens for every person in the US.

Computer and software makers are cutting back on technical support. Two magazines surveyed readers recently...and both found complaints about technical support up sharply. The reason? Tech support is expensive to provide and it's hard to see how it will pay for itself. Also at issue is the freeloader problem: as the industry cuts back, no one wants to pick up everyone else's tab. NPR's John McChesney reports.

A sunken World War II-era tanker that may be loaded with more than 3 million gallons of oil was recently discovered on the edge of the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary. A spill from the tankers' rotting holds could do all kinds of damage. The Coast Guard says the best thing to do is leave the tanker alone. NPR's John Nielsen explains why. The tanker Montebello was sunk 55 years ago today by a Japanese submarine.

Convicted murderer John Salvi took his own life last week while in prison for the slaying of two women two years ago at clinics where abortions are performed. His parents want federal officials to investigate the circumstances of his death. A debate is now raging over treatment of mental illness in prisons, and whether Salvi should have been sentenced instead to a mental institution. NPR's Tovia Smith reports.

The federal government's reports on the state of housing in the US have been sharply divided between the record number of Americans who own homes... and the fast-increasing number who live in so-called "worst case housing." Those are the people who are stuck in squalid conditions, or whose housing costs such a large part of their income that one more rent increase will leave them on the streets. NPR's John Nielsen explores the crisis facing the working poor and government policy makers.

Last week, the Social Security Advisory Council offered three separate options for reforming the social security system. The 13-member panel could not agree on a single approach for shoring up the nation's main retirement program, so it split into three factions, each with its own proposal. In the first report of a three-part series, NPR's John Ydstie reports on the go-slow approach advocated by council-member, Robert Ball.

A major environmental lobbying group has broken ranks, issuing a report that calls the Endangered Species Act a failure. The Environmental Defense Fund says the law hasn't protected species on private land and that the law needs to be overhauled to extend its reach to these areas. But other groups don't want Congress to tinker with one of environmentalism's monumental achievements. And as NPR's John Nielsen reports, ranchers and farmers are also opposed to any changes.

State officials across the country heard talk of welfare reform two years ago, and realized how poorly equipped their states were to accept new welfare responsibilities. NPR's John Nielsen reports that governors and legislators instituted new programs to trim costs and now say they are ready to handle the burdens of reform. But some analysts warn that because a strong national economy is fueling much of the improvement, a recession could ruin the states' progress.

A special commission set up by Congress to study the accuracy of the consumer price index has concluded the C.P.I. overstates inflation by approximately 1.1%. The commission, headed up by former Bush Administration economic advisor, Michael Boskin, made several recommendations for correcting the upward bias...which costs the federal government billions of dollars every year because the C.P.I. is used to adjust benefit payments to millions of American retirees and veterans. NPR's John Ydstie reports.

Voters across the country elect a new Congress. All 435 House seats and 34 Senate posts are in play, as well as 36 state governors' races. Florida's much-maligned voting procedure is on display. Hear NPR's John Ydstie and Pam Fessler.

From a train station in Cincinnati, Ohio, President Bush addresses the nation, laying out his case against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and why he feels Iraq constitutes a unique threat to U.S. interests. Congress is expected to vote soon on a resolution authorizing force against Iraq. NPR's John Ydstie and Don Gonyea have a live report.

In South Dakota, Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson claims victory with just 500 votes more than his Republican challenger, Rep. John Thune. In Minnesota, former Vice President Walter Mondale concedes to Republican Norm Coleman. Hear NPR's David Welna.

In 1937, Bradford Washburn and partner Robert Bates climbed Mt. Lucania, a 17,000-foot peak in the Yukon Territory. They very nearly failed to return. The book Escape from Lucania chronicles the expedition. NPR's John Ydstie speaks with Washburn, 92, and author David Roberts.