Nov 27th, 2008 · Quincy Jones went from performing and arranging to producing. As a record executive, he churned out chart toppers. Always restless, he moved to producing films and TV shows in the 1960s and '70s. Through the '80s and '90s there were more hits: The Color Purple, Michael Jackson's blockbusters and humanitarian work in Africa. At 75, he's still keeping up a blistering pace.
Nov 24th, 2008 · A group of world leaders, including Jimmy Carter and Kofi Annan tried to enter Zimbabwe over the weekend to assess the growing food and humanitarian crisis. They were barred, but reports coming from the country indicate the situation is "much worse than anything that we had imagined," Carter said.
Oct 31st, 2008 · In eastern Congo, a cease-fire declared two days ago by rebel Gen. Luarent Nkunda seems to be holding, but his fighters control access to the city of Goma. Humanitarian organizations have resumed operations in Goma and the surrounding countryside where many city dwellers fled during the fighting.
Oct 30th, 2008 · Zimbabwe remains in a state of political crisis. Several attempts have been made to resolve it through a power sharing agreement, but those efforts have failed. NPR's West Africa correspondent Ofeibea Quist-Arcton discusses the political tension in Zimbabwe and the potential threat of a humanitarian crisis if the situation is not resolved.
Oct 27th, 2008 · Though she jokes about being a has-been by the age of 17, Janis Ian has evolved as an artist and humanitarian and continues to make records today. Here, on her fifth and most recent visit to Mountain Stage, she performs a live set that includes her signature song, "At Seventeen."
Sep 29th, 2008 · Along with his acting career, Paul Newman made a name for himself as a philanthropist and humanitarian, traits that made him an appropriate choice to narrate Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait, in a performance at Carnegie Hall with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Sep 27th, 2008 · This week, the Curry Stone Design Prize was awarded to a South African architecture firm that figured out how to make a cheap house with a timber frame and a whole lot of sandbags. The houses are energy efficient and easily assembled, and could replace more hazardous structures in the shantytowns around Cape Town. South African architect Luyanda Mphahlwa talks with Scott Simon about his prize-winning design.
Sep 18th, 2008 · Joseph Arthur is a versatile and prolific rocker. In addition to playing music, his humanitarian efforts have helped bring art, music and more to children in Northern Uganda refugee camps. For all his sterling credentials, Arthur remains easygoing and casual in this session on WFUV.