One of the more interesting discussions I have with my friends during dinners, and stuff, are related to what each of us have heard on NPR. It appears that there this is one other thing that we have in common with each other. It's always interesting to find out what they listened to, and if the same story was heard, what their take on that particular story was.
Anyway, yesterday I was driving home from the office (leaving a little earlier as I still wasn't feeling the best), and was listening to The World. What is great about this show, apart from the Geo Quiz, is the variety of stories that they produce – and yesterday was no exception.
This is a rifle that has been converted into a guitar. Can you believe that? This story focused on a peace activist in Colombia that got the idea of turning weapons (ie. guns) into musical instruments as he stood next to a soldier while playing his guitar (to find out why he was doing this, listen to the article). Anyway, his idea has been transformed into reality by a local craftsman, and guitars are being made out of weapons that have been donated by the United Nations, and other govermental agencies (apparantly the AK47 gives more room for sound controls). One order has come from the Dalai Lama himself. What a phenomenal idea, and what a message.
Another story featured on The World, was about Mark Hunter, a Scot who runs tartanpodcast, which features bands and music from Scottish performers. My first reaction to the story was, will anyone understand this guy (he has a very strong accent). My second was, what a great sound some of these bands have. I'm currently listening to a band called Gum (their website has the nifty URL, www.choosegum.com), and they have a great sound – even when recorded in Mark's living room.
Finally, as I've posted before, I've recently discovered Soduko (or Sudoku), and yesterday's Geo Quiz was about this.
Today's Geo Quiz — requires just a little reasoning and logic. We're searching for a city in Tuscany. It's ground zero for an unusual competition. Some of the world's top Sudoku puzzle solvers have gathered there to match wits. There are no special formulas or math needed to solve the 3 X 3 grid, Sudoku number puzzles. Just intense concentration.
Like I said, I (heart) NPR.
FYI — NPR has nothing to do with the “The World”. The program is produced by Public Radio International (“PRI”), WGBH, and the BBC World Service.
Richard / Allentown, PA
Yes, it’s true that The World is not a poduction of NPR, but it is bought to the public through NPR (specifically KERA here in the DFW area). I rarely find a show on the NPR feeds we get that I don’t enjoy – just quality stuff!