Search results for

With a penchant for constantly reinventing his sound, Andrew Bird is an unusual combination of songwriter, violinist, guitarist, vocalist and professional whistler. On his new CD, The Mysterious Production of Eggs, he plays virtually every instrument.

Only 25 percent of the medium and heavy military trucks hauling fuel, supplies, etc. along Iraq's dangerous highways have armor protection. The military is working to remedy this using steel plates, but the weight of the plating can slow down trucks, making them an easier target. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

The soldier who asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about the shortage of armored Humvees is a national guardsman from Nashville. Tennessee residents talk about Army Spc. Thomas Wilson, and what people there think about his audacity. Hear NPR's John Ydstie.

A federal judge says the U.S. government must provide detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with a fair opportunity to challenge their incarceration. U.S. District Judge Joyce Hens Green says Defense Department hearings do not satisfy last year's Supreme Court ruling on the matter. The ruling is a setback for the government, but the detainees may face a long legal battle before they get what they want.

Daniel Serwer, vice president and director of Peace and Stability Operations for the U.S. Institute of Peace, explains the complex process of electing a 275-member national assembly for Iraq. The assembly's first job will be to write a constitution by Aug. 15, 2005.

Workers are preparing New York's Central Park for an ambitious art project. The artists Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude are planning to install 7,500 gates -- free-hanging colored panels -- along 23 miles of paths. But they will remain up for only 16 days.

Iraqi expatriates living in the United States are excited to finally cast ballots in their native land's election. But turnout is slow on the first day of voting.

Historian and theologian Arthur Green has long studied Jewish religion and culture. Author of many books, his latest is A Guide to the Zohar, an overview of modern studies of kabbalah's origins.

Bluesman Pinetop Perkins has endured much in his life, including physical injuries, to keep playing his music. Now the 91-year-old pianist has been nominated for a Grammy for his latest CD, Ladies Man. Hear Perkins and NPR's Scott Simon.

A new book, The Sinatra Treasures, celebrates the life of the legendary crooner with never-before-seen photographs, music and pull-out mementos from the Sinatra Family archives. NPR's Liane Hansen talks with Frank Sinatra, Jr. about his father.