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Current News from NPR

'Recovery Summer' Ends With Economic Pothole
September 3, 2010 | NPR · This was supposed to be the season the economy heated up, thanks to a wave of public works projects funded by the government's stimulus program. But summer is coming to an end and the recovery has not taken root. Forecasters are expecting another gloomy employment report on Friday.
 
Health Law Myths: Outside The Realm Of Reality
September 3, 2010 | NPR · Are you really going to have to have a computer chip implanted in your head as part of the new health law? Will the law allow President Obama to create his own private army? While there are outrageous rumors circulating about the health law, some claims are grounded in truth.
 
Bidding Farewell To The Congo's 'Mother And Father'
September 3, 2010 | NPR · As a long Congo River barge journey ends, so, too, does a unique glimpse into the heart of a poor but potentially rich nation grappling with conflict. Despite the hardship, the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo draw great inspiration from the inescapable and mighty river.
 
Study: Cash For Clunkers Was A Wash
September 3, 2010 | NPR · The program didn't bring any new buyers into the market, a study found. But it encouraged people who would have bought a car anyway to make their purchase a few months sooner.
 
Consumers Still Gear Up, Camp Out In Recession
September 3, 2010 | CPR · Sales in the outdoor gear industry are up more than 8 percent this year, topping retail sales overall. The industry's strength may be due to its consumers' high incomes, but the recession also has more people heading out into the wilderness.
 

Art & Life from NPR

'The American': A Domestic Bond, Drawn In Miniature
September 3, 2010 | NPR · George Clooney's latest outing showcases a more internal performance -- as an assassin whose personal life threatens to further complicate an already hard-to-manage career. Kenneth Turan says Anton Corbijn's drama is impeccably composed and beautifully shot -- if a little lacking on the emotional urgency front.
 
'Public Enemy' Wraps Up A Criminally Good Saga
September 2, 2010 | NPR · Neither director Jean-Francois Richet's style nor star Vincent Cassel's swagger falters in Public Enemy Number One, the exhilarating follow-up to Mesrine: Killer Instinct. With its shootouts, prison breaks and wild flights of ego, the saga's second half was sure to be watchable. It's also smart, funny and incisive -- about the criminal and his era. (Recommended)
 
A Family Torn Asunder Takes The 'Last Train Home'
September 2, 2010 | NPR · Frequently moving and quietly enlightening, the documentary Last Train Home is about love and exploitation, sacrifice and endurance. Director Lixin Fan follows a single Chinese family from 2006 through the financial downturn of 2008. The parents work at garment factories in Guangzhou city; their teenage children live in an impoverished village and see their parents only once a year.
 
'Noodle Shop': A Coen Brothers Tale Goes East
September 2, 2010 | NPR · Director Zhang Yimou takes on the Coen brothers, remaking Blood Simple and setting it in the 17th-century "Chinese outback." Adultery, bloody mishaps and Chinese superstition are just the appetizers in this colorful film.
 
'Machete': Out Of The 'Grindhouse,' Trailer First
September 2, 2010 | NPR · Robert Rodriguez directs Machete, featuring a character first introduced in a fake trailer that played during his 2007 exploitation flick Grindhouse..
 

February 19, 2009

Citizen Report: For the Love of the Library

Freelance writer Mary Grace Becker found a certain isolation in working from home. So, once a week, she heads to the library…a place, she says, where she can sense the energy around her, see families, and be a part of something. In this week’s “Citizen Report,” Becker describes the energy of a place known for its quiet.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

(The “Citizen Report” is a collaboration between the Colorado Springs Gazette and KRCC. More information is available at the YourHub link at ColoradoSprings.com.)

Podcast: Download

Filed under: Andrea Chalfin,Arts & Culture,Citizen Report,Commentary,Mary Grace Becker — Andrea Chalfin, News Dir. @ 8:53 am
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  1. Thank you so much for your insightful and spot on description of the Briargate Branch. As one of the original staff to open the Briargate Branch I’ve seen first hand the tremendous growth (and occasional chaos) that happens here. It’s a very fun, exciting and sometimes trying place to work, but for the employees, it’s the only place we want to be.

    Comment by Debbie K — February 20, 2009 @ 11:20 am

  2. Thank you Mary Grace for taking the time to voice your well spoken appreciation of our library services. Ben Franklin, the founder of free public libraries in the US, would be so glad to hear that his ideals for open access to information continue and have expanded into a place of enrichment for the whole community – young and old. We are a well used community resource so at the tired end of a very busy day, this is just what we need to hear.

    Comment by Lynne Proctor — February 20, 2009 @ 11:38 am

  3. [...] Freelance writer Mary Grace Becker has written a piece about the Briargate Branch for Citizen Report, a partnership between The Colorado Springs Gazette and KRCC. She writes about her trip “to the library, the birthplace of inspiration for readers and writers and needy community dwellers everywhere.” The personal, eloquent account of her visit can be read by clicking here. She also read her words for broadcast on KRCC, which can be heard by clicking here. [...]

    Pingback by What’s New at PPLD! » Local writer features Briargate Branch — February 20, 2009 @ 4:16 pm

  4. Inspired, poetic, profound, and absolutely true! What better expression for what makes us human than to describe the institution which ties our thoughts together throughout the ages. And you make the parallel to this “humaness” perfectly in your vivid presentation of the chaotic calmness that the library experience seems to instill in all of us. Excellent piece!

    Comment by Anon — February 22, 2009 @ 9:58 pm

  5. I just listened to Mary Grace Becker’s report on the library. What a lovely story-teller she is! She has a beautiful voice, as she speaks metaphorically of the inspiration she receives @ her library branch. Thank you, Mary Grace. I understand the sentiment well from my own E Library. And, the views are breath-taking as well.

    Comment by Karen Leffler — March 6, 2009 @ 12:31 pm

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