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Author Interviews
3:49 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Alan Bennett Defies Expectations With 'Smut'

Originally published on Sat January 14, 2012 6:14 pm

Alan Bennett, author of The History Boys and The Madness of King George, among countless other books, plays and memoirs, is a grand old man of British letters.

"I'm getting on now, and I'm thought of in England as being rather cozy and genteel — certainly in the stories that I write," he tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz.

So Bennett decided to give his readers a little rattle with a new book of two short stories called Smut.

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Author Interviews
2:13 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

The Inquisition: Alive And Well After 800 Years

When we talk of inquisition it is usually prefaced with a definite article — as in, The Inquisition. But, as Vanity Fair editor Cullen Murphy points out in his new book, God's Jury, the Inquisition wasn't a single event but rather a decentralized, centuries-long process.

Murphy says the "inquisitorial impulse" is alive and well today — despite its humble origins with the Cathars in France, where it was initially designed to deal with Christian heretics.

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World
2:00 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

'Titanic' Chaos After Italian Cruise Ship Grounds

Transcript

GUY RAZ, HOST:

The captain of the Italian cruise ship which ran aground off the coast of Tuscany last night has been arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. The majority of the ship's 4,000 passengers reached land by lifeboat, but three people are confirmed dead. About 30 are reportedly injured and some 50 are still unaccounted for. It is still unclear what caused the ship to come so close to the rocky shore.

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Science
2:00 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Mega Mirror To Power Massive New Telescope

One upon a time, the largest glass telescope mirror was 100 inches in diameter. Today, scientists are casting a mirror 27 feet in diameter that will be part of one of the most powerful telescopes on Earth. NPR's Joe Palca speaks with weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz from the mirror laboratory, located under the football stadium at the University of Arizona.

Election 2012
2:00 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Social Conservatives Vote To Back Santorum

Evangelical conservatives met in Texas this weekend and decided to throw their support behind former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, but some fear the support is too little, too late. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich finished a distant second at the meeting. NPR's Joel Rose reports.

Analysis
2:00 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Week In News: Corporate Money And The Campaigns

The Citizens United Supreme Court decision has made for a sea change in American politics, but not the change most observers expected. Weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz and The Atlantic's James Fallows discuss how corporate money has kept more candidates in the presidential race.

Business
2:00 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Breaking Down Bain Capital

Private equity firms are under the microscope this week as a pro-Gingrich superPAC hounds GOP candidate Mitt Romney for his role as head of Bain Capital. Weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz talks with Dan Primack, senior editor of Fortune Magazine, about how these firms operate and the legitimacy of these attacks.

NPR Story
1:00 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Italian Cruise Ship Runs Aground

Originally published on Sat January 14, 2012 1:00 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News, I'm Scott Simon. An enormous cruise ship is lying on its side in the Mediterranean today. The Italian ship, Costa Concordia, ran aground off Italy's Tuscan coast, killing at least three people. Passengers described scenes reminiscent of the Titanic. Fabio Costa was working in a shop on the cruise liner when he felt a jolt.

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Fresh Air Weekend
8:41 am
Sat January 14, 2012

Fresh Air Weekend: Gary Oldman, Rin Tin Tin

Credit Murray Close / Warner Bros. Pictures
Oldman played Sirius Black to Daniel Radcliffe's Harry Potter in the blockbuster franchise.

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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Simon Says
8:15 am
Sat January 14, 2012

Zambia Official Talks the Talk, Jumps the Jump

Credit ITN News via YouTube
Zambia's tourism minister Given Lubinda bungee-jumped off of a bridge at Victoria Falls to invite tourists back.

Given Lubinda jumped off a bridge this week and popped up smiling.

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