Search results for

Every summer amateur astronomers around the country hold hundreds of "star parties," inviting the general public to gaze through telescopes at the night sky's wonders. At Stellafane, in rural Vermont, sky watchers have gathered since the 1920s. They'll be there again this weekend. So will Sky and Telescope magazine editor Kelly Beatty, who offers a commentary for Morning Edition.

For millions of Americans with special needs -- the disabled, the mentally ill, ex-offenders, youth leaving foster care -- a home is a vital first step toward a stable life. NPR News explores the subject in a yearlong special reporting project, Housing First. In Tuesday's report, NPR's Ina Jaffe profiles a California program that finds homes for youth who are "aging out" of foster care.

Last week, more than 4,000 fire bosses mobilized 15,000 firefighters in the Western United States. So far, there have been enough managers to cover all major fires. But there is increasing concern about the dwindling supply of trained and experienced supervisors to direct and assist teams of firefighters. NPR's Howard Berkes reports for Morning Edition.

Thomas Reese is a Jesuit scholar and editor-in-chief of America, the national Catholic weekly magazine. He's also the author of the book Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church. He'll discuss the pope's recent tour, the pontiff's health, possible successors and the divide between the church and its parishoners.

In 1991, a group of scientists entered Biosphere 2 for a two-year experiment that would test whether humans could survive in a closed environment. The experiment wasn't exactly a success. As NPR's Joe Palca reports, researchers are now trying to show that Biosphere 2 can serve another purpose -- as a laboratory to study Earth systems.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discovered the memoirs of Malvina Harlan, wife of a former justice, and was so taken by the manuscript that she pushed to have it published. In a two-part interview on Morning Edition, Ginsburg discusses the book -- and her life on the Supreme Court -- with NPR's Nina Totenberg.

Born a slave, Mary Bowser went on to be one of the Union's best assets in the Civil War. On Morning Edition, NPR's Vertamae Grosvenor has the story of the woman who spied for the North -- while working in the Confederate White House.

Actor, director and screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton. The 1996 film Sling Blade which he wrote, directed and starred in put him on the map and earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted screenplay. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 1998 film A Simple Plan. Last year he directed the film All the Pretty Horses. This past year, he starred in the Coen Brothers' The Man Who Wasn't There, Bandits with Bruce Willis and Monster's Ball. Before he got into acting, he was interested in a music career. Last fall he released Private Radio, a new CD on which he sings his own songs. This interview was originally broadcast Jan. 9, 2002.

Foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, Thomas Friedman. He's just won his third Pulitzer Prize, this time for his "clarity of vision, based on extensive reporting, in commenting on the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat." Friedman was awarded the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for his international reporting from Lebanon and the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting from Isreal. He's also the author of From Beirut to Jerusalem, and The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization.

A mock assault on downtown Macon, Ga., is the latest step in training for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The exercise is designed to show Marines the difficulties of negotiating urban terrain -- with a strong emphasis on anti-terrorism efforts. NPR's David Molpus reports on Morning Edition.