NPR : Weekend Edition Sunday

Syria Conflict Could Escalate In Many Directions

December 9, 2012
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The conflict in Syria has deteriorated further into violence and the U.S. government says there is some evidence that the Assad regime may escalate the conflict by using chemical weapons in its fight against rebel forces. Weekend Edition Sunday host Rachel Martin speaks with Ambassador Frederic Hof about how the conflict might play out in the coming days. Hof is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and recently served as special advisor for transition in Syria in the State Department.

Arts & Culture

NPR

Book News: J.K. Rowling Tells 'Harry Potter' Backstories

Quidditch was invented "in a small hotel in Manchester after a row with my then boyfriend," writes the Harry Potter creator. Other book news: Ireland puts an entire short story on a postage stamp; Daniel Handler on Midwestern literature; and the best books coming out this week.

Food

NPR

Giant Renaissance Food People Descend Upon New York

Giuseppe Arcimboldo was a 16th-century artist who liked to play with his food, transforming it into the building blocks of many of his fantastical portraits. Artist Philip Haas has taken those portraits out of museums, reinterpreting them as colossal statues that interact with the natural environment.

Politics

NPR

Is There Really A Second-Term Curse?

Whether it's President Richard Nixon's resignation or President Bill Clinton's impeachment, presidents tend to have a tough time during the back half of an eight-year presidency.

Technology

NPR

Young Kenyans Build Mobile Apps For Local Use

College students and recent graduates crammed the top floor of a tech hub in Nairobi for a competition built around the theme "Solutions for the Next Billion Mobile Users." Africa has more than 600 million mobile phone users (approximately 11 percent of the global total) – and the number is growing.

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