Steve Inskeep http://wjsu.org en Venezuelan Humorist Engages Kidnappers In Election Dialogue http://wjsu.org/post/venezuelan-humorist-engages-kidnappers-election-dialogue Earlier this week in Caracas, we were about to go to an interview when it had to be rescheduled. The man we were going to speak with was unavoidably detained — kidnapped, to be precise.<p>It took awhile after that for Laureano Marquez to free up his schedule and meet us in a coffee shop.<p>"I'm so sorry," he said when he finally arrived, as if it was his fault for being thrown into a car and driven off to the far reaches of town.<p>We'd been planning to talk with Marquez about Venezuela's presidential election this weekend, an election that opens a door on a changing Latin America. Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:53:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 13396 at http://wjsu.org Venezuelan Humorist Engages Kidnappers In Election Dialogue How Hugo Chavez's Policies Affected Ordinary Venezuelans http://wjsu.org/post/how-hugo-chavezs-policies-affected-ordinary-venezuelans In the days before elevators, there was no such thing as a penthouse on the top floor. The highest floors of a building had cheaper rents because the stairs were hard to climb.<p>Caracas, Venezuela, is organized roughly the same way, with many poor neighborhoods climbing up the sides of a mountain valley. Some of the poorest homes are among the most remote, accessible not by any road but by alleyways and long flights of stairs.<p>Up one of those flights of stairs, we found a woman whose life says a lot about Venezuela and by extension about Latin America. Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:45:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 13351 at http://wjsu.org How Hugo Chavez's Policies Affected Ordinary Venezuelans A Moment Of Silence To Remember Newtown Victims http://wjsu.org/post/moment-silence-remember-newtown-victims Transcript <p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>It is raining in Newtown, Connecticut, where people observed a moment of silence seven days to the minute after a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. NPR's Kirk Siegler is in Newtown; he's on the line. And Kirk, what do you see this morning?<p>KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE: Well, right now, Steve, the bells are still ringing, as you may be able to hear in the background here. It's a very moving scene. People have literally stopped. The town is at a standstill. All the traffic has stopped. Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:41:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 10103 at http://wjsu.org Under Fire, Egypt's Morsi To Meet With Judicial Officials http://wjsu.org/post/under-fire-egypts-morsi-meet-judicial-officials Transcript <p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.<p>Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi has granted himself almost absolute power, but has not been able to win anything like unanimous approval. The new president faces criticism for a decree stating he can do anything he thinks will advance Egypt's revolution, and that courts cannot review his decisions. Egyptians have taken to the streets in protest. Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:16:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 9357 at http://wjsu.org Notre Dame Beats USC, Moves To BCS Title Game http://wjsu.org/post/notre-dame-beats-usc-moves-bcs-title-game Transcript <p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.<p>College football's wild season was not so wild this past weekend. There were no major shifts at the top of the BCS rankings as there were the week before. That's mainly because Notre Dame beat the University of Southern California on Saturday and maintained its number one ranking.<p>And no, you are not caught in a time warp back to the last century when the Fighting Irish often ruled college football. This is indeed 2012. Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:16:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 9359 at http://wjsu.org