A Posthumous Tribute To Guns From A Sniper Shot To Death

A killing on a Texas gun range in February captured the headlines. The victim was Chris Kyle, considered by many to be the most deadly sniper in American military history.

The man who admitted to killing him was a veteran as well — a young, disturbed man who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Privacy Past And Present: A Saga Of American Ambivalence

America's privacy concerns go back to the origins of the country itself.

You'd Better Sit Tight For This One

On-air challenge: Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts SI and the second word starts with T. For example, given "unadorned set of facts," you would say, "simple truth."

Last week's challenge: Name a movie in two words — five letters in each word. Both words start with vowels. Take one letter in the first word, move it two spaces later in the alphabet, and rearrange the result. You'll get the second word in the movie's title. What movie is it?

Answer: After Earth

The Beatles' Defining Moment (Hint: It's Not 'Sgt. Pepper')

Author Colin Fleming is an avowed Beatles superfan, but he has one deeply held opinion about the band that other fans might find heretical. In an essay in this month's issue of The Atlantic, Fleming argues that the Fab Four's most emblematic, "Beatle-esque" year was 1963, before they'd even made it big in the States. His evidence?

Former U.S. Ambassador Reflects On An 'Oblivious' America

Each week, Weekend Edition Sunday host Rachel Martin brings listeners an unexpected side of the news by talking with someone personally affected by the stories making headlines.

Ryan Crocker is a long-time U.S. diplomat who served as ambassador in six Muslim countries. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian award, from President George W. Bush.

Born into a military family, Crocker says he was drawn to the foreign service because he grew up overseas and spent time traveling in the Middle East.

'Children' Of Iran's Activists Inherit Love, Loss And Longing

In the late 1970s, activists in Iran had a brief moment of hope. The revolution had succeeded; the shah's repressive regime had been overthrown. But things quickly turned for the worse. The newly formed Islamic Republic threw vocal dissenters in prison, and in 1988, it quietly executed thousands of them.

My Father, The Pilot

My dad was a mild-mannered guy. Never bragged. Hated sports. Mom won the arguments. He was an avocado farmer near Santa Barbara, but being dad was his No. 1 job.

He read me bedtime stories, never missed a piano recital or a family dinner. And he played it safe: Dad's idea of adventure was driving his Ford Taurus to town without the wiper fluid filled to the top.

Hanson Offers A Bold New 'Anthem'

Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson achieved ubiquity in 1997 with "MMMBop," the mega-hit with the wordless, sing-along hook. But the brothers — aged 16, 14 and 11 at the time — had already been playing together for years. And they're still going.

Hanson's ninth studio album, Anthem, is out this week. Soon, the brothers will be marketing a beer, MMMHops (in honor of the band's 21st birthday). They've also started an effort to donate proceeds from their merchandise to aid relief in their home state of Oklahoma.

Pakistani Photographers Take A Personal Picture Of Home

Last year, National Geographic offered a photo camp for emerging Pakistani photographers to explore the tribal areas of their country.

Seventeen photographers spent six days around Islamabad learning to tell stories with photos.

And just this week, a selection of those photos were on display at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., in an exhibit called Pakistan Through Our Eyes.

A few of the photographers joined NPR's Jacki Lyden to discuss their experiences.

Water Wars: Who Controls The Flow?

So often, we take water for granted. We turn on the faucet and there it is. We assume it's our right in America to have water. And yet, water is a resource. It's not always where we need it, or there when we need it.

Rivers don't follow political boundaries — they flow through states and over international borders. And there are endless demands for water: for agriculture, drinking, plumbing, manufacturing, to name just a few. And then there's the ecosystem that depends on water getting downstream.

So what are our legal rights when it comes to water? And who decides?