Parallels
4:02 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

Iran's 'Zahra' Tells Alternate Tale Of Presidential Campaign

Iranians choose a new president next month, and one thing Iran's leaders are intent on avoiding is a repeat of the massive street protests that followed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial re-election in 2009.

The sponsors of those protests, known as the Green Movement, have been effectively silenced inside Iran, but not online. The heroine of a graphic novel about the violent suppression of dissent in 2009 is now launching a virtual campaign of her own.

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Memoir
3:34 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

A memoir about murder, surfing, and that complex relationship we have with our parents

Credit Sheryl Johnston Communications

Author and Western Michigan University alum Kelly Daniels will read from his memoir Cloudbreak California on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. at Michigan News Agency in Kalamazoo. Cloudbreak California begins with Daniels’ father who confesses to murdering a man and then disappears. Then the story follows Daniels as he travels to places like Mexico and Guatemala, living simply, meeting colorful characters, and searching for a story to write.

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Parallels
2:24 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

Pope Francis Puts The Poor Front And Center

Credit Andreas Solaro / AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis blesses a child Sunday after the Holy Mass at St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican.

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 2:50 pm

Over the past week, Pope Francis has launched a crescendo of attacks on the global financial system and what he calls a "cult of money" that does not help the poor.

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Around the Nation
2:14 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

Tiny Living: The Rise Of Small Spaces

As the populations in big cities increase and more people choose to live alone, a new trend of living in very small spaces has emerged. But the tiny living movement is not without controversy as growth of these multi-unit buildings puts pressure on established neighborhoods.

Around the Nation
2:10 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

The Future Of The Workers' Movement

As membership in private-sector labor unions has continued to nosedive, traditional labor groups have been forced to reevaluate — just as non-union worker groups have emerged. Guest host Jennifer Ludden talks to writer Josh Eidelson about what he calls 'alt-labor.'

Latin America
2:04 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

Life In Argentina's 'Little School' Prison Camp

During Argentina's so-called Dirty War, thousands were abducted and taken to secret prisons like a place known as "the little school," where many were tortured and killed. Guest host Jennifer Ludden talks to a former prisoner, Alicia Partnoy, about her disappearance and her time there.

Television
1:40 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

Brooks: "I'm An EGOT; I Don't Need Any More"

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 4:17 pm

Over the 60 years that Mel Brooks has been in the entertainment business, his name has become synonymous with comedy. He is the man who broke Broadway records for most Tony Award wins with The Producers (an adaptation of his own movie); who satirized Westerns and racism in Blazing Saddles; and who poked fun at monster movies with Young Frankenstein.

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NPR Story
1:01 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

Sarah Vaughan: A New Box Set Revels In Glorious Imperfections

Credit Raph Gatti / AFP/Getty Images
Sarah Vaughan performs during the International Jazz Festival of Nice in southeast France in July 1984.

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 1:49 pm

Singer Sarah Vaughan came up in the 1940s alongside bebop lions Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, starting out in Earl Hines' big band. Hines had hired her as his singer and deputy pianist, while Gillespie praised her fine ear for chords as she grasped the arcane refinements of bebop harmony.

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12:32 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

Michigan looks to expand education for inmates

Lead in text: 
Goal is to reduce recidivism, make inmates more employable after parole
New Haven - Quantrez Sawyer was a security officer in Detroit three years ago, but he wasn't earning enough to live outside his mother's house and support his three children. So he robbed a suburban McDonald's and is now serving a five-year sentence at the Macomb Correctional Facility.
Pop Culture
12:17 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

'Scandal' Creates Twitter Frenzy

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 12:21 pm

Social media was ablaze during the season finale of ABC's hit political thriller Scandal. Host Michel Martin asks Gene Demby, blogger for NPR's Code Switch team, what it is about the show that makes it ripe for Twitter chatter — especially among African Americans.

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