Africa Newspapers

Interviews

• The Risks And Rewards Of Practicing Yoga
  Yoga can be extremely beneficial, but it also can be quite dangerous. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist William Broad examines the pleasures and pitfalls of the practice in his latest book, The Science of Yoga.
  
  
• Meryl Streep: The Fresh Air Interview
  Meryl Streep won a Golden Globe for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. She talks about preparing for that role, her other films and how her perceptions of herself have changed over the years.
  
  
• El-Arian On Economic Uncertainty
  PIMCO CEO Mohamed El-Erian says the economic future is still uncertain because of the euro zone crisis, China's slowing economy and worrisome U.S. structural components. He talks to NPR's Guy Raz about his Foreign Policy piece "The World On A Knife's Edge."
  
  
• Operator, Can You Help Me Call The Love Of My Life?
  Peter and Jacqueline Headen's courtship story is one of ups and downs — spanning one war, three countries and four decades. It all started in 1958, at a roller-skating rink on the Indian Head naval base in Maryland.
  
  
• Fresh Air Weekend: Baratunde, Stew, Leonard Cohen
  The comedian and digital director of The Onion talks about his new book How To Be Black. Also, Stew takes us inside his latest album Making It and Ken Tucker reviews a new album by Leonard Cohen.
  
  
• Clean-Tech Industry Facing Lean Times After Solyndra
  The once-booming clean-tech industry is facing hard times, in part because of cheaper natural gas, the effects of the financial crisis, China's growing solar industry and the Solyndra bankruptcy. Reporter Juliet Eilperin, who covers the industry's struggles in Wired's February issue, explains.
  
  
• The Producers Behind NBC's Musical 'Smash'
  Producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan take us inside the world of Smash, the new NBC musical drama about the people putting together a Broadway musical.
  
  
• Baratunde Thurston Explains 'How To Be Black'
  From the comedian and digital director of The Onion, a satirical self-help book for anyone who has a black friend, wants to be the next black president or speak for the black community.
  
  
• Ira Glass Interviews His Cousin, Composer Philip Glass
  It's no coincidence that composer Philip Glass and This American Life host Ira Glass have the same last name: They're second cousins. On today's Fresh Air, we replay excerpts from an onstage conversation between Ira and Philip in honor of the latter's 75th birthday.
  
  
• How SuperPACs Are 'Gaming' The 2012 Campaign
  Journalist Joe Hagan says the upcoming election will be "the ugliest campaign ever." He details how superPACs have changed the election game, bringing an unprecedented flood of outside money to fund opposition research and negative ads.
  
  
• Life's Common Things At Heart Of K'Jon's R&B Music
  Ahead of Tell Me More's Tuesday broadcast from Detroit, the program highlights one of the city's very own — singer and songwriter K'Jon. His 2009 song, 'On the Ocean,' set the record for the longest run on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. He speaks with host Michel Martin about his hometown, career and upcoming album.
  
  
• Stew: 'Making It' After A Tough Breakup
  Stew's new album Making It is, in part, about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend and songwriting partner, Heidi Rodewald. The two musicians, who continue to work together professionally, also collaborated on the 2008 Tony-winning musical Passing Strange.
  
  
• Bilingualism A Political Liability?
  John McWhorter, a contributing editor for The New Republic, wrote recently about past presidents, the current presidential candidates and the languages they speak. He explains why being bilingual may be considered a political liability today.
  
  
• On Amazon, An Uneasy Mix Of Plagiarism And Erotica
  Unlike traditional publishing companies, self-publishing programs like Amazon's Kindle Select lack the keen eyes of publishers, leaving room for copyright violations. It also leaves room for plagiarism. That's exactly what an author and publisher or erotica found to be the case with some best-selling ebooks in the genre.
  
  
• Fresh Air Weekend: Glocks, David Milch, The Smiths
  In his book Glock: The Rise of America's Gun, Paul Barrett traces how the sleek, high-capacity Austrian weapon found its way across the U.S. Also, TV writer David Milch talks about his new HBO series Luck. And rock historian Ed Ward looks back at The Smiths.