Search results for

NPR's Bob Mondello has an appreciation of playwright August Wilson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning dramas, Fences and The Piano Lesson. Wilson died Sunday of liver cancer in Seattle. Mondello says that Wilson's dialogue was "musical" -- inspired by the blues and lyrical in its phrasing.

President Bush signed a sweeping energy bill into law Monday, and proponents say it should make the nation's electrical grid more reliable. But opponents contend the measure will make it easier for utility companies to play accounting games.

The anti-Vietnam War documentary Winter Soldier is having its first major theatrical release -- 34 years after it was made. It focuses on a three-day gathering in 1971 when Vietnam veterans, including former Marine pilot Rusty Sachs, told of the atrocities they had participated in or witnessed during the war.

Unocal's shareholders approve sale of the company to rival Chevron. The transaction was overshadowed by a failed bid for Unocal by a Chinese energy company.

The Kite Runner, the debut novel by Afghani-born physician and author Khaled Hosseini, has been on best-seller and book club lists for nearly a year. Writer Isabel Allende says the book — about a young man who returns to Afghanistan after a long absence — is "one of those unforgettable stories that stays with you for years."

The Department of Energy launches a campaign to promote energy conservation as the home-heating season approaches. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman says energy-saving steps can help consumers trim high heating costs this winter. Critics say the administration's emphasis on conservation is long overdue.

Last year UPS delivered over 3.5 billion packages, the equivalent of nearly 10,000 every minute. But the company is working hard to find customers who want UPS to do more than move boxes from one point to another.

Alan Cheuse reviews Margaret Atwood's new novel, The Penelopiad. It's a retelling of Homer's Odyssey from the point of view of the warrior hero's wife Penelope.

A draft constitution has been presented to Iraq's National Assembly. But there was no vote, and discussions on its contents are ongoing. The news came six minutes before the midnight deadline. Minority Sunni representatives have threatened to hold up final approval.

Two college students talks binge drinking on campus. James Poet is a fraternity president at San Diego State University. Meghan Traxel attends the University of Texas at Austin. She's a peer educator of the campus program, "Choices Lite."