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In over 30 years of traveling, writer Eric Hansen has met some odd characters. He details some of his most memorable explorations in a new book of essays called The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer.

Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire witnessed the killing and chaos of the Hutu/Tutsi conflict in Rwanda. Scott Simon talks to Dallaire about his experience, which is chronicled in his book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda.

The transition from military veteran to successful chef seems more likely to occur on a TV sitcom than in real life. But that's the story of Phyllis Kendall, who traded her Air Force cap for a white chef's toque.

One of President Bush's top domestic priorities this year is health care. He frequently speaks about medical malpractice reform and is proposing a cap on non-economic damages. But some critics say those types of damages aren't the problem.

Pentagon top adviser and one of the chief architects of the war in Iraq, Douglas Feith, resigns. Feith, a staunch neo-conservative with close ties to Israel, is a controversial figure, especially for his role in the use of intelligence to justify the war in Iraq.

Linguist Christopher J. Moore has made a career of searching out some of the world's most "untranslatable" expressions — words from around the globe that defy an easy translation into English. Moore shares a few of his linguistic favorites from his new book In Other Words: A Language Lover's Guide to the Most Intriguing Words Around the World.

The 62nd annual Golden Globe Awards were held in Beverly Hills last night. Acting winners included Leonardo DiCaprio, Hilary Swank, Jamie Foxx and Annette Bening. Sideways and The Aviator won the top film awards. Clint Eastwood was named best director for Million Dollar Baby.

The winners of the most prestigious awards in children's literature have been announced. The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the best picture book, and the Newbery to the best children's book. Before the awards, were announced, one Illinois school held its own mock competition.

The recent death of H. David Dalquist, inventor of the bundt cake pan, has reminded many cooks of the beautiful, easy cakes that quietly fell from fashion. Essayist and food afficianado Bonny Wolf has fond memories of the days of the bundt cake.

Photos of Saturn's cloudy moon Titan reveal a pumpkin-orange surface, a pale-orange sky and a fascinating landscape etched with dark ditches and dark seas of unknown origin and composition. NPR's Richard Harris reports.