5:56am

Sat May 19, 2012
Europe

In Turkey, Debating A Women's Right To Bear Arms

Originally published on Sat May 19, 2012 11:09 pm

In Turkey, hundreds of women die each year at the hands of a husband or family member, in a society that critics say too often ignores violence against women. After years of frustration, one organization has shaken up the debate with a controversial proposal: arming women and training them to defend themselves.

Looking back, Yagmur Askin thinks perhaps she should have paid more attention on her wedding day, when her husband's family welcomed her by saying, "You enter this house in a bridal gown, and you'll leave it in a coffin."

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5:55am

Sat May 19, 2012
Politics

Are 8 Heads Better Than One At Fixing Europe's Debt?

Originally published on Sat May 19, 2012 12:20 pm

Credit Getty Images

Camp David, in the Maryland hills outside Washington, D.C., is usually a place for the president and his family to get away from work, a wooded refuge with a swimming pool, tennis courts and a putting green.

This weekend, though, President Obama is bringing work with him to the camp — along with the leaders from most of the countries with the world's largest economies.

The Group of Eight is meeting in the rustic setting, but the agenda will be all business.

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5:43am

Sat May 19, 2012
Fresh Air Weekend

Fresh Air Weekend: Audra McDonald, 'Weight Of The Nation'

Originally published on Sat May 19, 2012 5:49 pm

Credit Michael Wilson / Courtesy of Nonesuch Records

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors, and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

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1:58am

Sat May 19, 2012
The Two-Way

In Historic Space Mission, Launch Is Only The First Test

Originally published on Sat May 19, 2012 1:43 pm

Credit Roberto Gonzalez / Getty Images

Moments after ignition, a privately funded spacecraft aborted its liftoff, delaying its mission to the International Space Station.

SpaceX's unmanned rocket had a one-second window to take off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Saturday morning, and the failed launch means the next opportunity won't be until early Tuesday morning.

The founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, had been tweeting from the company's California headquarters leading up to the scheduled launch time of 4:55 a.m. ET.

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6:34pm

Fri May 18, 2012
Remembrances

Baritone Fischer-Diskau Was One Of Opera's Greatest

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 11:51 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And we briefly note the passing of one of the world's great opera singers: German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau died today. He was 86. From his first recital in Berlin in 1947 until his retirement in 1992, Fischer-Dieskau is in demand at opera houses and concert halls the world over. He was especially known for his interpretations of Schubert songs, like this one from the song cycle "Winterreise" or "Winter Journey."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WINTERREISE")

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6:20pm

Fri May 18, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

Hepatitis C Cases In Rural Wisconsin Underscore Drug Link

Credit iStockphoto.com

Yes, hepatitis C is big among baby boomers. And the feds are moving toward a recommendation that all of them get tested at least once for the infection.

But new hepatitis C cases are cropping up in young people, too, and some of them live in out-of-the-way places that haven't been hotbeds for the illness.

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6:19pm

Fri May 18, 2012
The Two-Way

Fungus, Fruit Flies, Old Age: It's The End Times For NPR's AntCam

Originally published on Sat May 19, 2012 12:17 am

Credit iStockphoto.com

Back in 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon, there were no guarantees. There were no guarantees that they'd make it there and there were no guarantees that they could make it back home.

President Richard Nixon and his speech writer William Safire knew that. So, imagining a situation in which the American astronauts were doomed in an alien land, Safire drew up a plan to mark their inevitable demise in a dignified way.

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6:08pm

Fri May 18, 2012
13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Let The Real Space Age Begin

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 7:14 pm

Credit John Raoux / AP

It was almost one year ago that the space shuttle Atlantis rose into the sky on a pillar of flame for the last time. The shuttle program ended forever with that mission. American astronauts were left to hitch rides on Russian space capsules, and American kids were left with no tangible direction forward for their dreams of a high-tech, space-happy future.

Tomorrow morning, the unmanned Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral so that supplies can reach the space station.

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5:07pm

Fri May 18, 2012
The Salt

U.S. Craft Beer Brewers Thrive, Despite Small Share Of The Market

Originally published on Tue May 22, 2012 11:35 am

Credit Bill Chappell / NPR

It's a good time to brew beer in America. According to beer expert Julia Herz, U.S. brewing isn't just on the upswing, it's on top. "We're now the No. 1 destination for beer, based on diversity and amount of beers," she says.

But if you want to see the strength of America's beer industry, you may want to look past beverage giants like Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors. According to the Brewers Association, nearly 2,000 American brewers operated during 2011 — the most since the 1880s.

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4:51pm

Fri May 18, 2012
Middle East

In Change, Palestinians Now Seek High-Profile Visits

Originally published on Sun May 20, 2012 8:46 am

Credit AFP/Getty Images

For decades, Muslims around the world have been unofficially boycotting Islam's third holiest site, the Al-Aqsa mosque Jerusalem.

Many Muslims believe that visiting legitimizes Israel's claim to the site, which also sits atop the holiest place in Judaism. The Palestinians, meanwhile, are seeking a state with a capital in east Jerusalem, where the mosque is located.

But Palestinian religious authorities at Al-Aqsa and Palestinian officials are now calling on Muslims to visit the shrine, a change that is creating controversy within the Palestinian community.

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