All Things Considered on KCCU

In Istanbul, A Byzantine-Era Fleet Surfaces Again

Credit Gokce Saracoglu for NPR

Archaeologists call an excavation site on Istanbul's southern shore the world's largest shipwreck collection. The area, unearthed during construction of a railway station, was once a Byzantine-era port that harbored cargo and military vessels, and received goods from around the Mediterranean.

Credit Mustafa Ozer / AFP/Getty Images

Archaeologists in Istanbul work on the remnants of a Byzantine-era ship in June 2006.

Credit Mustafa Ozer / AFP/Getty Images

The archaeological finds include millions of shards of pottery.

By Peter Kenyon

Originally published on Mon December 3, 2012 7:24 pm

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In Istanbul, major public transit projects are back under way after years of paralysis. The problem wasn't a lack of financing, but the layer upon layer of ancient artifacts that turned up every time the earthmovers started their work.

The excavation began eight years ago on projects intended to ease Istanbul's notoriously clogged traffic.

The job included building a tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait and linking it to a rail and subway network. When the dig was stopped several years ago, eyes rolled and shoulders shrugged.

2:22 pm

Fri November 30, 2012

That's So Random: The Evolution Of An Odd Word

Credit Paramount/The Kobal Collection

The use of the word random as slang found its way into Amy Heckerling's 1995 hit film, Clueless, starring Alicia Silverstone.

By Neda Ulaby

Originally published on Fri November 30, 2012 5:44 pm

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Random is a fighting word for young Spencer Thompson. The comedian posted a video to a Facebook page entitled I Hate When People Misuse the Word Random.

"The word random is the most misused word of our generation — by far," he proclaims to a tittering audience of 20-somethings. "Like, girls will say, 'Oh, God, I met this random on the way home.' First of all, it's not a noun."

9:48 am

Fri November 30, 2012

Tanzania's Albinos Face Constant Threat Of Attack

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Credit Jacquelyn Martin for NPR

Angel Salvatory, 17, buys cloth at a market in Kabanga village in Tanzania. Albinos living in a nearby protection center are allowed to go to the local market as long as they travel in a group for their own safety.

Credit Jacquelyn Martin for NPR

Mwatatu Musa, 45, was abandoned by her husband and now lives in a one room hut in Kakonko, Tanzania. As a young woman she was raped by men, who she thinks victimized her because she has albinism.

Credit Jacquelyn Martin for NPR

Maajabu Boaz, 20, who has albinism, plays checkers with local men where he feels safe in Nengo Village, Kibondo, Tanzania. Boaz has a reputation of carrying knives for self-protection.

By John Burnett

Originally published on Fri November 30, 2012 5:44 pm

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Life is hard for albinos throughout Africa, but especially in the East African nation of Tanzania. At best, they face raw prejudice; at worst, they are hunted for their flesh, the results of superstitious beliefs.

Albino killings have been reported in a dozen African countries from South Africa to Kenya, but they are worse in Tanzania than anywhere else.

4:43 pm

Thu November 29, 2012

In Wake Of Recession, Immigrant Births Plunge

Credit iStockphoto.com

A new report finds the U.S. birth rate has dropped to its lowest level on record. It's fallen twice as much among the foreign-born.

By Jennifer Ludden

Originally published on Thu November 29, 2012 5:45 pm

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A new report finds the U.S. birth rate has dropped to its lowest level on record, led by a dramatic decline in births among immigrant women. The trend has been visible at La Clinica del Pueblo, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., that holds a weekly neonatal clinic.

4:25 pm

Thu November 29, 2012

A Bet Or A Prediction? Intrade's Purpose Is Debated

Credit NPR/Intrade screen grab

Ireland-based Intrade lets users bet money on all manner of predictions — like if a particular film will win an Oscar. The site is ceasing operations in the U.S.

By Yuki Noguchi

Originally published on Thu November 29, 2012 5:02 pm

The popular website Intrade allows its users to bet on the odds of almost anything — like whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will get ousted by a certain date, or whether the movie Argo will win best picture at the Oscars.

This week, Ireland-based Intrade announced that U.S. users will have to unwind their bets and shut down their accounts by the end of the year. That's after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued Intrade for operating an unregistered exchange.

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Mon-Fri 4 to 6 p.m. and Weekends at 4 and 5 p.m.

Robert Siegel, Melissa Block, Michele Norris
Clinton Wieden and Mitch Watson

On May 3, 1971, at 5 p.m., All Things Considered debuted on 90 public radio stations.

In the 40 years since, almost everything about the program has changed, from the hosts, producers, editors and reporters to the length of the program, the equipment used and even the audience.

However there is one thing that remains the same: each show consists of the biggest stories of the day, thoughtful commentaries, insightful features on the quirky and the mainstream in arts and life, music and entertainment, all brought alive through sound.

All Things Considered is the most listened-to, afternoon drive-time, news radio program in the country. Every weekday the two-hour show is hosted by Robert Siegel, Michele Norris and Melissa Block. In 1977, ATC expanded to seven days a week with a one-hour show on Saturdays and Sundays, currently hosted by Guy Raz. During 2012, while Michele is focusing on other reporting assignments, Weekend Edition Sunday host Audie Cornish will fill in for her in the host chair.

Local Host(s):

Clinton Wieden, Mitch Watson

Genre:

News/Talk

Composer ID:

5182890ae1c8782104877dd9|518288ffe1c8782104877dcb

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2:28 pm

Fri November 30, 2012