All Things Considered

LA Based Playwright Tackles Race Politics
"Speak Spanish To Me" is a love story tangled in racial politics at Arizona State University. As KJZZ's Marcos Najera reports from Los Angeles, playwright Bernardo Solano had to take a closer look at his own marriage before bringing his personal tale to the Arizona stage.
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Topics from the Most Recent Show

• Deadly Storms Tear Through Nation's Heartland
  Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes ravaged parts of Missouri, Oklahoma and Georgia on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, killing more than 20 people. KCUR's Frank Morris gives an update from Picher, a small town in northeast Oklahoma, which was devastated by one of the weekend's storms.
• Narnia Adapted for the Screen in 'Prince Caspian'
  <em>The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian</em> is the latest film adaptation of C.S. Lewis' fantasy series. Director Andrew Adamson talks with host Andrea Seabrook about the challenges of translating the beloved <em>Narnia</em> series onto the screen.
• A Blitz of Summer Blockbusters
  Movie theaters don't seem fazed by the fact that there is more than one month to go before the official start of summer &mdash; more than 20 new films opened this weekend. Film critic Bob Mondello talks with host Andrea Seabrook about <em>What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas, Speed Racer, Surfwise, Before the Rains, Poultrygeist,</em> and more.
• Saving Endangered Species One Mouthful at a Time
  Conservation scientist Gary Nabhan says the best way to recover some of America's at-risk species is to eat them. He documents lost and threatened foods in his new book, <em>Renewing America's Food Traditions.</em>
• Warming Waters Threaten 'Unicorns of the Sea'
  Researchers studying the impact of climate change on arctic creatures say that the Narwhal &mdash; the long-tusked whale that gave rise to the myth of the unicorn &mdash; could be in danger. Narwhals hunt in ice-covered areas and may be among the first animals to feel the heat of warming arctic waters.
• Chilean Volcano Erupts, Forces Evacuations
  The Chaiten volcano in the remote Patagonia region of southern Chile has been dormant for 2,000 years. But for more than a week, lava, ash and huge plumes of smoke have spewed from the volcano. Thousands of people in surrounding towns are being forced to leave their homes and livestock behind.
• Pro-European Candidates Win Serbian Elections
  Pro-European candidates have eked out a victory in Serbia's parliamentary elections. Dejan Anastasijevic, a journalist for the Serbian newsmagazine <em>Vreme,</em> talks with host Andrea Seabrook about the hard-fought contest against the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party.
• Parting Words
  Host Andrea Seabrook reads her parting words.
• Commission Calls for MLK Statue's Redesign
  The sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. intended for a memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is too "confrontational," according to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The commission's approval is necessary for any monument or memorial in the capital. The commission says the sculpture needs to be reworked.
• Tenuous Cease-Fire Takes Hold in Sadr City
  A truce is in place in Baghdad's Sadr City, where more than 1,000 people have been killed in fighting that has waged for the last six weeks. NPR's Ivan Watson talks about the pause in the violence and his visit to the main checkpoint between the Shiite slum and the rest of Baghdad.
• Missing Moms in the Movies
  It's Mother's Day and moms are in the spotlight, so we'll take a moment to reflect on a few movies where maternal figures are noticeably absent. Both Bambi and Nemo lose their mothers early, and in <em>Star Wars</em> it took prequels to find out who Luke's mother was.
• Turning Into Your Mother Isn't So Bad After All
  When commentator Lori Gottlieb became a mother, she dreaded the idea of turning into her own mom. But after attempting the touchy-feely approach to parenting she read about in books, Gottlieb realized that being like her mom might not be such a bad thing.
• Vote Held in Face of Disaster in Myanmar
  The aftermath of the cyclone is still a morbid reality for millions in Myanmar, but the lax government-sponsored relief efforts haven't deterred the reigning junta. It went ahead with plans for a referendum on Saturday.
• Oregon Events Reflect Candidates' Campaigns
  The Democratic presidential candidates are in Oregon on Saturday, ahead of that state's primary on May 20.
• Burmese Refugees in Indiana Feel Powerless
  Ft. Wayne, Ind., is home to one of the largest communities of Burmese refugees in the United States. They are among those offering prayers to the cyclone victims in Myanmar.