Transcript

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Coming up, it's Lightning Fill in the Blank, but first it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme. If you'd like to play on air, call or leave a message at 1-888-Wait-Wait, that's 1-888-924-8924. You can click the contact us link on our website waitwait.npr.org.

There you can find out about attending our weekly live shows here at the Chase Bank Auditorium in Chicago and our shows in Rockford, Illinois at the beautiful Coronado Theater there on April 4th. Hi, you're on WAIT WAIT...DON'T TELL ME!

Our panelists tell three stories about attempts to improve your commute.

Transcript

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

We want to remind everybody about the upcoming WAIT WAIT...DON'T TELL ME! cinema event, happening on May 2nd. You could witness the magic of WAIT WAIT live in a movie theater near you. Finally, an opportunity to enjoy this same radio show among a crowd of strangers, while paying $8 for a box of Milk Duds.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Right now, panel, time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Paula, in some alarming news, al Qaeda is now drawing inspiration for their attacks from what?

SUSAN SHANNON, HOST: This week on Indian Times the Sequoyah National Research Center is a unique facility dedicated to the collection, preservation and dissemination of Native American expression in all forms…so what does that mean?  Director Dr. Dan Littlefield says a librarian’s decision to clear out a collection of Native American newspapers inadvertently led to this unique archive in Arkansas.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Some legislators say political will has faded for a plan meant to curb Oklahoma's exceptionally high prison population.

Last session the Legislature and governor approved a ``justice reinvestment initiative'' to decrease jail time for nonviolent offenders and keep tabs on prisoners after they're released. But the program hasn't been put into practice, and Gov. Mary Fallin rejected federal money for implementation training last month.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Republican Sen. Tom Coburn says the U.S. Department of Transportation should consider areas other than control towers to meet federal budget cuts.

About 200 contract control towers staffed by non-federal employees would be closed under the cuts.

Coburn said Thursday that the FAA faces a loss of about $600 million due to the cuts.

Noma, the Danish eatery that has won fans with its innovative approach to Nordic cuisine, and won Restaurant magazine's "World's Best Restaurant" title the past three years, is getting some unwelcome press, after dozens of people who ate at the Copenhagen restaurant fell sick.

Update: Monday, March 11

We live knowing that everything dies. Like the sun, it's a fact of life. And like the sun, we tend not to look right at it. Unless you've experienced a recent death, it's probably not something you discuss. But a new movement is trying to change that, with a serving of tea and cake.

The fear of death haunts us like nothing else. And it makes sense. All other fears — such as public speaking, centipedes and heights — pale in comparison. So we don't really talk about it.