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NPR: Story of the Day Funny, moving, exceptional, or just offbeat -- the NPR story people will be talking about tomorrow. The best of Morning Edition, All Things Considered and other award-winning NPR programs. Login to Add this to your Playlist Format : Unknown PodcastDirectory.com's listings of the NPR: Story of the Day Podcasts
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As Focus Shifts To Jobs, The Uninsured Seek Solutions Updated: 2010-02-10 06:05:51 Description: The national debate over health care appears to be taking a back seat to jobs creation — but the problem persists for people who have jobs but no health insurance. A recently developed health alliance in New Orleans aims to be at least part of ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Digital Tears: Breakups And Social Networks Updated: 2010-02-09 06:08:32 Description: Separations are hard enough. But then there's the question of what to do when it comes to the social networking ties you share with your former significant other. To break or not to break? It's a question many people are grappling with as they examin...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'How's That Hopey, Changey Stuff?' Palin Asks Updated: 2010-02-08 06:12:44 Description: Conservative activists in Nashville this week for the first-ever National Tea Party Convention gave a hero's welcome to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who closed the event with a speech Saturday night. Palin praised the Tea Party movement and deliv...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Blue Whales Croon A New Tune Updated: 2010-02-07 06:08:19 Description: Blue whales are updating their playlist, according to new research on the huge mammals. One scientist says it's because they've got more reason to sing....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Celebrating 40 Years Of 'Soul Train' Updated: 2010-02-05 06:03:11 Description: For years, millions of kids across the country knew that if it was Saturday morning, it was time for Soul Train. It gave white kids who didn't know or live near anyone black an opportunity to see young black culture up close. For black kids who didn'...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Guns, Tumors And The Limits Of The Human Eye Updated: 2010-02-04 06:06:18 Description: What do an airport baggage screener and a radiologist looking for breast cancer have in common? Both suffer from the limitations of the human eye. A new study finds that when we're searching for rare things, like tumors and guns, they're a lot hard...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Conservative Blogger Faces Criticism Over Protege Updated: 2010-02-03 06:02:07 Description: Andrew Breitbart cut his teeth with Matt Drudge on the Drudge Report and Arianna Huffington when he helped her launch The Huffington Post. Now with his own Web site, Breitbart.com, he's criticizing mainstream media over their coverage of James O'Keef...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Why Does Time Fly By As You Get Older? Updated: 2010-02-02 06:08:09 Description: Each New Year's, Christmas and birthday seems to come round faster every year. But why is it that we feel time goes by faster as we get older? Scientists dissect one of life's intriguing mysteries....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Virginia Islamic School's Expansion Met Protests Updated: 2010-02-01 06:07:35 Description: A Northern Virginia community had to decide whether to let a Saudi-funded Islamic school expand to serve more kids. The debate turned to the curriculum at the Islamic Saudi Academy and draws attention to the still-tenuous relationships between Muslim...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Technology Works To Provide Early Quake Warning Updated: 2010-01-30 06:05:19 Description: Scientists can't predict exactly when an earthquake will hit, but they are developing ways to give people up to a minute of warning before the shaking starts. New equipment can send out seismic information 5 seconds faster....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD If You Could Vote, Who Would Win A Grammy? Updated: 2010-01-29 08:13:21 Description: Sunday's Grammy telecast comes at a time when the music industry's major labels are threatened with extinction. Grammy producers would love to duplicate the success of American Idol, on which viewers have a hand in crowning the next pop superstar. Bu...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD California Budget Woes Hurt University System Updated: 2010-01-28 08:13:47 Description: The University of California is widely heralded as the best public higher education system in the country. Its 10 campuses attract talented faculty and promising students, who pay a fraction of what they'd pay to attend a private university. Now, sta...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Ohio Town Weathers Recession Updated: 2010-01-27 06:05:58 Description: Robert Siegel pays a return visit to the city of Chillicothe, Ohio, where he spent some time October 2008, shortly after the economic crisis began. We find out how the city as a whole and some individuals he met are doing now....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Economists' Rap Battle Gains Cred From Ke$ha's Nod Updated: 2010-01-26 08:13:48 Description: An economist and TV producer hired a comedy duo to perform a rap song they wrote that pits the ideas of John Maynard Keynes against those of lesser known theorist F.A. Hayek. The resulting 6 1/2-minute music video tells the story of Keynes and Hayek ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Face Of A Famous Skull Found On Flickr Updated: 2010-01-25 06:08:22 Description: In 1848, Phineas Gage became a medical miracle when a 3 1/2-foot tamping iron blew through his head. His survival became the stuff of medical legend, but photos of him were lost to history — until now....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Senate Chaplain: Religious Leader For Secular Flock Updated: 2010-01-24 06:10:35 Description: Barry Black is the first Seventh-day Adventist and the first African American to hold the post of Senate chaplain. He's also the man who sits squarely at the intersection of church and state at the U.S. Capitol....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Los Angeles Gang Tour Puts A Twist On Drive-Bys Updated: 2010-01-23 06:08:07 Description: Tourists in Los Angeles can now purchase a window into the world of gangs. For $65, LA Gang Tours will provide transportation to some of the city's most notorious gang destinations, lunch and a graffiti demonstration....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Bail Burden Keeps U.S. Jails Stuffed With Inmates Updated: 2010-01-22 06:07:08 Description: Two-thirds of the inmates in U.S. jails are petty, nonviolent offenders who are there for only one reason: They can't afford their bail. Sometimes, it's as little as $50. Some will wait behind bars for as long as a year before their cases make it to ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Voodoo Brings Solace To Grieving Haitians Updated: 2010-01-21 06:02:46 Description: While most Haitians say they are Catholic, many practice a faith mixed with Voodoo's tenets of spirit worship and reincarnation. The practice of Voodoo is typically underground, but since last week's earthquake, Haitians are flocking to Voodoo priest...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD U.S. Military Begins Massive Haiti Aid Push Updated: 2010-01-20 06:08:39 Description: U.S. forces spread out in the earthquake-ravaged Haitian capital Tuesday as part of a massive humanitarian relief effort. Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne took control of the crumpled national palace one week after the deadly quake....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Can Collectors Have Their Art And Lend It, Too? Updated: 2010-01-19 15:26:11 Description: American museums owe the vast majority of their collections to gifts from private donors — but getting people to part with their treasures is no small feat. Some collectors want to retain ownership over their art even while exhibiting it in ma...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Are We Overlooking The Black Power Behind Obama? Updated: 2010-01-18 06:09:25 Description: The national narrative about Barack Obama's rise to the presidency often takes root in Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. But one author says not enough attention is being paid to the other main line of succession in African-American leadership —...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD At Large: Teen Bandit. Even Larger: His Legend. Updated: 2010-01-17 06:08:49 Description: Colton Harris-Moore has been on the run for 20 months and is being touted as a modern-day Jesse James. Police say the young outlaw is an amateur criminal — but a master escape artist. He's likely one of the only criminals with 16,000 members on...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Patti Smith Remembers Life With Mapplethorpe Updated: 2010-01-16 06:02:46 Description: The iconic rock singer has written a book called Just Kids about her friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The two met when they were young artists just starting out in New York in the late 1960s....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Scientists: Male Chromosome Is Still Evolving Updated: 2010-01-15 06:00:10 Description: Scientists have confirmed that men are still evolving — or at least the male chromosome is. Y chromosome is what makes men men. A few years ago, scientists began wondering whether it was in trouble. When they compared it to the X chromosome, wh...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Obesity Rates Level Off, But Health Concerns Remain Updated: 2010-01-14 08:13:18 Description: Two studies this week suggest that Americans may finally be responding to public health messages warning against problems that result from obesity. Still, with two-thirds of American adults overweight or obese, the problem hasn't gone away....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Study: Neanderthals Wore Jewelry And Makeup Updated: 2010-01-13 06:03:43 Description: Scientists working in Spain say they've found evidence of sophisticated Neanderthal inventions — jewelry and makeup. Ornamentation is viewed as evidence of "symbolic" thinking, a trait most often thought of as belonging only to modern humans....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD For Some, Lasik Brings More Problems Than Solutions Updated: 2010-01-12 06:09:24 Description: An increasing number of patients say they have experienced significant complications after Lasik. Problems like dry eye, glare and double vision have impaired their ability to function and significantly affected their quality of life. The FDA has de...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Brian Williams: Why Jon Stewart Is Good For News Updated: 2010-01-11 06:17:35 Description: Many journalists have come to think of the comedian (above) as a kind of external standards-and-practices cop — and one whose nightstick leaves painfully embarrassing welts, says NBC anchor Brian Williams. He explains why no journalist wants to...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Obama's Base Cools As It Watches Him Compromise Updated: 2010-01-09 06:08:01 Description: The president's liberal base is divided over health care, Afghanistan and Guantanamo. Can he fire up Democrats in time for November's elections?...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In New Book, N. Korea Seen Through Defectors' Eyes Updated: 2010-01-07 08:13:36 Description: Barbara Demick's book Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea opens with a nighttime satellite image of northeast Asia that shows North Korea, which has little electricity, cloaked in darkness. She says the image conveys much about the way Nor...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In Texas House Speaker, GOP Sees A Star Updated: 2010-01-06 08:14:50 Description: When Republicans go looking for leaders, Texas has long been one of their first stops. One of the newest stars there is Joe Straus, who is just finishing his first year as speaker of the Texas House. But whether he will appeal to a party pushed furth...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Fishermen Reeling Over Red Snapper Fishing Ban Updated: 2010-01-05 06:04:30 Description: A federal ban on fishing for red snapper, one of the most prized saltwater fish, is set to take effect Jan. 4 — part of an effort to bring back the species in the Atlantic Ocean. But coastal fishing towns that rely on business from anglers say ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Going Organic Helps A Small Dairy Stay Afloat Updated: 2010-01-04 06:01:16 Description: Up before dawn seven days week, Tim Maikshilo and Kristen Dellert still couldn't turn a profit off their conventional northern Vermont dairy farm. But after a couple of years with an empty barn, they gave it another go — this time, as part of a...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Literary Larceny: A Book Thief Meets His Match Updated: 2010-01-02 06:09:02 Description: In 2003, rare-book dealer and bibliodetective Ken Sanders tracked and caught a con artist with designs on first editions of some of the most cherished books in the world. Author Allison Bartlett tells the story in a new book called The Man Who Loved ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Past Decade A Roller Coaster Ride On Wall Street Updated: 2010-01-01 06:07:13 Description: War, recession and a speculative bubble burst made the decade tumultuous for investors....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD WWII Pacifists Exposed Mental Ward Horrors Updated: 2009-12-31 08:13:32 Description: During World War II, several thousand conscientious objectors who refused to go to war were instead assigned to work in state mental hospitals. Many of the institutions were filthy, run-down and staffed with abusive workers. Charlie Lord worked at on...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In A New Biography, Monk Minus The Myth Updated: 2009-12-30 06:02:49 Description: Robin D.G. Kelley spent 14 years on a new book, which some are calling the definitive work on a jazz legend. In Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, he portrays the great pianist as a trained musician, a psychiatric case and a...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Undocumented Teen's School, Work Options Limited Updated: 2009-12-29 06:04:16 Description: High school graduation marked a dead end for 18-year-old tenor sax player Sam, whose parents brought him to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 5. They overstayed their visas, and now he's dealing with the consequences of his undocumented status....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 4-Year-Old Girl Faces Long Odds In Search For Donor Updated: 2009-12-28 06:04:37 Description: In September, 4-year-old Maya Chamberlin was diagnosed with a rare blood disease known as HLH. Her chances of survival depend on finding a suitable bone marrow donor. But the Chamberlin family's search for a match is more difficult because Maya is o...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Wounded Vet Takes Pain Of War To Comedy Club Updated: 2009-12-27 06:08:35 Description: On Friday nights, Iraq War veteran Bobby Henline can be found at open mic night at the River Center Comedy Club in San Antonio. He knows that before anyone can laugh at him, he must first make them comfortable with just looking at his burned skin and...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Walking Away From The House She Can Afford Updated: 2009-12-26 06:07:39 Description: Many homeowners who are tens thousands of dollars underwater on their mortgages — meaning they owe more than the value of their homes — have decided it's just not worth it. Some, like Heather Baker, can even afford their payments, but they're wal...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Beyond Country: Not Your Father's Nashville Updated: 2009-12-25 06:02:22 Description: The sound of success coming from Nashville has become much less predictable — by necessity. After a tumultuous decade, Music City isn't just leaning on country music, if Kings of Leon, Paramore and Jack White are any indication....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Obama Defends Health Bill Against Attacks From Left Updated: 2009-12-24 06:03:27 Description: In an interview with NPR, the president said that those from the left of his party who criticize the bill are ignoring the "real human reality that this will help millions of people."...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Make Time Fly And You'll Have More Fun Updated: 2009-12-23 06:02:46 Description: Everyone knows that "time flies when you’re having fun," but a new study suggests that the reverse is also true. Researchers tricked people into thinking that either time was flying … or dragging. Those who thought time had "flown by" rated their...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Abuse Probe May Have Pushed Navy Sailor To Suicide Updated: 2009-12-22 06:01:00 Description: In early 2007, U.S. Navy sailor Jennifer Valdivia killed herself while she was under investigation for her role in brutal hazing at a base in Bahrain. Interviews and newly obtained documents suggest that Valdivia, who was also a victim of the abuse, ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD After 35 Years In Prison, Redemption In Michigan Updated: 2009-12-21 06:03:01 Description: In 1986, NPR's Jacki Lyden interviewed inmates in the only maximum-security federal prison in the U.S. described as "Level 6." The offenders there were considered the nation's most dangerous. Last spring, one of the men Lyden had interviewed gave her...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD There's A Fly In My Urinal Updated: 2009-12-20 06:06:25 Description: As gentlemen may have noticed, flies are turning up in urinals with increased frequency. Not real ones, but lifelike images carefully positioned in the porcelain bowl. It seems the very presence of this insect drastically reduces what's politely call...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD U.S. Buses Undocumented Immigrants To 'Nowhere' Updated: 2009-12-19 06:03:46 Description: To discourage undocumented immigrants from re-entering the U.S., the Border Patrol is busing those it captures in Arizona to a remote border crossing in Texas, where they are sent back to Mexico. Officials call the program a success, but locals on bo...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Oklahoma Abortion Law 'Invasive,' Critics Say Updated: 2009-12-18 06:07:40 Description: A new Oklahoma law requires any woman seeking an abortion to first answer dozens of personal questions — information that would be posted on a state Web site. Abortion rights advocates, who are challenging the law in court, say it would have a ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Laid-Off Furniture Workers Try To Leap To Google Updated: 2009-12-17 06:08:49 Description: Two million manufacturing jobs have disappeared in the recession. Lenoir, N.C., was once known as the "Furniture Capitol of the South." But a handful of former furniture factory workers are trying to retrain for high-tech careers with the new company...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Battling Cancer With T-Shirts And Laughter Updated: 2009-12-16 06:08:24 Description: Linda Hill's experience with multiple cancers led her to create a niche line of T-shirts. She and her family have created many aphorisms — or cancer zingers — that are embroidered on shirts. The one-liners help patients cope with breast, ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In 'Race,' David Alan Grier Confronts Painful Issues Updated: 2009-12-15 06:07:59 Description: A new Broadway play from writer David Mamet has audience members shifting in their seats. It's about the prickly and painful issues that arise out of a legal case in which a wealthy white man is accused of raping a black woman. Actor David Alan Grier...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD States Release Inmates Early To Cut Prison Costs Updated: 2009-12-14 06:01:20 Description: Illinois plans to release up to 1,000 nonviolent offenders before they've served their full sentences in an effort to cut ballooning prison costs. Corrections officials say a careful screening process and post-release treatment and monitoring program...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Hero Pilot 'Sully' Sullenberger Tries To Stay Grounded Updated: 2009-12-13 06:08:39 Description: Pilot Chesley Sullenberger's wild ride started this year when he landed a US Airways jet plop-solid perfect onto the icy surface of the Hudson River on Jan. 15, saving all 155 passengers on board. He's a hero to the nation, but Sullenberger says his ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Willard Reflects On Second City At 50 Updated: 2009-12-12 06:04:11 Description: The Second City this month celebrates 50 years of making improvisational comedy, and Fred Willard, a Second City alumnus, joins NPR's Michele Norris to talk about the famed comedy club. The key to improv, he says, is to just do it....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Rebuilding An Instrument By Leonardo's Design Updated: 2009-12-11 06:07:36 Description: With all the high-tech attractions in Times Square, holiday tourists are flocking to an instrument that was designed 500 years ago. Curators used the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci to figure out how to build it. Among the toughest things to re-create:...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Tea Party Activists Harness Anger To Push Message Updated: 2009-12-10 06:09:47 Description: Ten months after the Tea Party movement formed, organizers are trying to figure out how best to capture the angry energy that has fueled their protests. In Dallas, the local party is trying to locate like-minded, fiscally conservative people, educate...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Undertaker Hopes To Revive Kansas Town Updated: 2009-12-09 06:03:49 Description: Many small towns across rural America continue to see population declines. But the tiny town of Preston, Kan., is getting help from an unlikely source: An Arizona mortician who has set up shop there and hopes to draw business from a 50-mile radius....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD What's Next From Apple? Bloggers Hunt For Clues Updated: 2009-12-08 06:08:15 Description: There's a whole set of bloggers who write about Apple products — especially what could be coming. One talks regularly to industry sources and combs through the company's patent filings, lawsuits and job postings. Marketing experts say the atten...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Nontraditional Teachers May Be In Mich.'s Future Updated: 2009-12-07 06:04:46 Description: If you're a teacher in Michigan, odds are you attended a teaching college. That's because the state requires nearly all teachers to get traditional training. But the promise of federal funds is pressuring Michigan to loosen its rules and hire teacher...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Safely Home, Marines Grieve For Their Fallen Updated: 2009-12-06 06:05:47 Description: Just two weeks after the the 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment — known as "America's Battalion" — returned home from Afghanistan, family and friends joined them at Camp Lejeune, N.C., to honor 13 members who will never return....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Pastor Offers Sex Offenders A 'Miracle': A New Start Updated: 2009-12-05 06:06:32 Description: In rural Palm Beach County, Fla., pastor Dick Witherow ministers to a community he calls "modern-day lepers": convicted sex offenders. Witherow believes people can change. So while strict zoning laws elsewhere have left offenders homeless, his Miracl...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Hamster Toy Has Holiday Shoppers Hot On Its Tail Updated: 2009-12-04 06:04:52 Description: A tiny robotic hamster, known as the Zhu Zhu, is this season's hot new toy. But neither the manufacturer nor retailers were prepared for the craze. Now, the Zhu Zhu Pets hamster is almost impossible to find on retail shelves — and it's selling ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'Road Rage' Case Highlights Cyclist Vs. Driver Tension Updated: 2009-12-03 06:07:08 Description: Bicycling magazine called it "the road rage incident heard 'round the cycling world." A driver in Los Angeles was recently convicted of using his car as a weapon against two cyclists, who were injured. And the case is focusing attention on the often ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD California Officials Target Big Marijuana Growers Updated: 2009-12-02 06:01:24 Description: Since medical marijuana was legalized in California, the illegal side of the business has also exploded. The state is spending millions of dollars to search for and wipe out as much illegal marijuana as they can find. One special agent says the state...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Phasing Out Pennies In A Bid For Change Updated: 2009-11-30 06:03:46 Description: There been a long-running debate about the future of America's one-cent coin, and at least one store owner in Berkeley, Calif., has decided to take a personal stand. Alko Office Supply refuses to take any pennies....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Rectangles Vs. Triangles: The Great Sandwich Debate Updated: 2009-11-29 06:09:40 Description: You've got a lot of decisions to make as you build that leftover turkey sandwich. One decision you'll probably make with ease is whether to cut the sandwich into triangles or rectangles. If you go for the diagonal slice, you're in good company. Chef...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Sense Of Touch Can Help Hearing, Study Says Updated: 2009-11-28 06:07:21 Description: Sensations on the skin can help people understand speech, according to a study in the journal Nature. The study builds on decades of research showing that the brain often uses visual information to augment hearing — making people "whole-body pe...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Potter's Wood-Fired Kiln Sparks Friendships Updated: 2009-11-27 06:00:22 Description: Twice a year, potter Naysan McIlhargey and as many as 40 of his friends spend hours firing the plates, bowls, cups, pitchers and vases he makes....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Wholesale Market Highlights Real-Life Economics Updated: 2009-11-26 06:10:03 Description: Hunts Point in Bronx, N.Y., is the largest wholesale food market in the country. The action there happens late at night. The ebb and flow at the market, who's buying when, and at what price, are a real-life economics lesson compressed into a single n...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Safe Driving For Seniors: Officials Get Creative Updated: 2009-11-25 06:04:05 Description: A University of Florida study predicts that within 15 years, 1 in 4 drivers in the U.S. will be age 65 and older. As they get older, seniors may be less safe on the roads, so state and university officials and the AARP are putting together programs t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Who's Gaming Now? Seniors Turn To Wii Bowling Updated: 2009-11-24 06:06:44 Description: The introduction of the Nintendo Wii and its sports and fitness games has greatly expanded the appeal of video games — especially among senior citizens. From California to New York, dozens of teams and more than 1,000 bowlers are in the throes ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Gigantic Cruise Ship Buoys Company's Hopes Updated: 2009-11-23 06:09:15 Description: We're headed into the year's biggest travel week, and there's not much bigger than what's sitting in the port of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., right now. It's called the Oasis of the Seas, and it's the largest cruise ship ever built — five times the s...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Army Family's Choice: Kids' Care Or Deployment? Updated: 2009-11-22 06:08:18 Description: Repeated deployments of troops to Iraq and Afghanistan are taking an increasing toll on military families, especially those with young children. But for Ken and Kristie Halander, it came down to a difficult choice: another long deployment to Iraq for...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In Massillon, High School Football Is 'Who We Are' Updated: 2009-11-21 06:08:31 Description: The Ohio school has a 20,000-seat stadium, a $3 million indoor practice facility and a live tiger for a mascot. Massillon teams have won 22 state championships and they're in the running for another one. It's football "sunup to sundown," the head coa...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Do Long Island Police Ignore Hate Crimes? Updated: 2009-11-20 06:01:24 Description: With the Latino population booming in Suffolk County, N.Y., so is anti-immigrant sentiment. Illegal immigrants see a rise in the kind of violence that took Rosario Lucero's son, but often won't report it for fear of the police and deportation. Now ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Parking Garages: A Multilevel History Updated: 2009-11-19 06:01:47 Description: "House of Cars," an exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., traces the origins and design challenges of the places we store our cars. While it's unclear who created the first parking garage, the exhibit highlights some little-kno...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Story Specialists: Doctors Who Write Updated: 2009-11-18 06:05:18 Description: The history of literature is filled with authors who also performed surgery or scribbled prescriptions. Lynn Neary speaks with two doctors who are also fiction writers — Abraham Verghese and Terrence Holt — about the link between medicine...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Why This Wisconsin City Is The Best Place To Die Updated: 2009-11-17 06:05:30 Description: Joe Hauser lives in La Crosse, Wis., where nearly all older adults have signed a directive outlining their end-of life plans. Hauser's kidneys are failing and he doesn't want to live on a machine, but he's keeping his options open. Talking about end-...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Hawaii Is Diverse, But Far From A Racial Paradise Updated: 2009-11-16 06:08:33 Description: The state is known for its "Aloha Spirit" — a diverse mix of friendly people living on an island paradise. The rainbow of cultures its residents brag about is no exaggeration, but some say that beneath the veneer of geniality are deep-seated et...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Can New Yorkers Be Impartial In Terrorism Case? Updated: 2009-11-15 06:02:22 Description: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspects in the Sept. 11 attacks are to be transferred from Guantanamo Bay to New York for prosecution. The city may be prepared to tackle the security and logistics of the trial, but emotions will present a chal...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Obama's Half-Brother Recasts Story Of Their Father Updated: 2009-11-14 06:02:41 Description: One person who plans to meet with President Obama during his trip to China is his half-brother, Mark Obama Ndesandjo, who lives in China. Ndesandjo has recently released a semi-autobiographical novel, revealing the abusive nature of their father....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD What's Behind Lou Dobbs' Leaving CNN? Updated: 2009-11-13 06:05:17 Description: The CNN anchor quit Wednesday after months of tensions with executives, saying he would seek new ways to advocate his opinions. Dobbs evolved as a hard-liner on illegal immigration after the Sept. 11 attacks. His often inflammatory views conflicted w...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Portrait Emerges Of Hasan As Troubled Man Updated: 2009-11-12 06:08:11 Description: Neighbors of Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan say they are shocked about his alleged role as the Fort Hood gunman. But psychologists and experts say Hasan shared several traits with other mass killers, such as social isolation and trouble finding a...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 40 Years Of Lessons On 'Sesame Street' Updated: 2009-11-11 06:02:08 Description: As the classic children's television program celebrates its 40th anniversary, the producers of Sesame Street talk about how the show has changed....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD High Court Weighs Life Terms For Minors Updated: 2009-11-10 06:07:27 Description: Is it unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment to send a juvenile away to prison for life, without the possibility of parole, for a non-homicide crime? The Supreme Court on Monday will examine two cases, including that of Joe Sullivan, who was...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD House Health Care Vote Makes History Updated: 2009-11-09 06:07:20 Description: The House of Representatives passed a bill to overhaul the nation's health care system Saturday night. The vote was close, 220-215, and it only included a single Republican. To pass the bill, Democrats also had to allow a controversial amendment bann...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Rough Road For Military Families With Special Needs Updated: 2009-11-08 06:09:43 Description: Deployments are usually hard on families. Spouses must become single parents for months on end, managing households with little outside help. These challenges become even more daunting for families with special needs children....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Gore Urges Obama To Take Lead On Climate Change Updated: 2009-11-07 08:13:12 Description: In his new book, Al Gore argues that consumers have "all the tools we need" to solve climate change. But unless the United States takes a leadership role, "it would be impossible to resolve this crisis," he tells NPR....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Differing Views On What U.S. Should Do Next Updated: 2009-11-06 06:06:59 Description: Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is calling for a counterinsurgency strategy based on more U.S. troops and more training of afghan troops. Max Boot, of the Council on Foreign Relations, backs this strategy. But Vice Pre...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Gay-Marriage Advocates Weigh Next Move Updated: 2009-11-05 06:02:35 Description: Same-sex marriage supporters are vowing to continue their fight after a loss at the polls in Maine on Tuesday. Voters there passed a measure blocking gay marriage, dealing a major blow to the cause of same-sex marriage around the nation....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Magic And Bird: A Rivalry Gives Way To Friendship Updated: 2009-11-04 06:05:27 Description: In the 1980s, the "golden era" of the NBA, basketball superstars Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson had an intense rivalry that elevated the entire league. But after years of hating each other, they developed a close friendship, chronicled in a ne...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Marco Rubio: Conservatives' New Man in Florida? Updated: 2009-11-03 08:13:12 Description: A former Florida state House speaker, Rubio is challenging former Gov. Charlie Crist for the Republican nomination in next year's Senate race. Rubio is confident and gifted on the stump, but some local GOP officials worry his message is too extreme t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Facing Identity Conflicts, Black Students Fall Behind Updated: 2009-11-02 06:07:31 Description: Why do middle-class black and Latino teens often have lower test scores and college attendance rates than their white peers? Some researchers suggest media stereotypes might be to blame; others point to a peer culture of underachievement....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD New Cubs Owner Feels Fans' Pain, Promises Relief Updated: 2009-11-01 05:03:27 Description: There's an old joke: How do you become a millionaire? Have $1 billion — then buy the Chicago Cubs. Well, Tom Ricketts did buy the storied franchise and its famous ballpark, Wrigley Field, spending almost $900 million. And it's a team that hasn'...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Cases Show Disparity Of California's 3 Strikes Law Updated: 2009-10-31 05:03:17 Description: Not everyone who has been put away for 25 years to life under California's three strikes law has committed a violent crime, including two people convicted of stealing. Both challenged the law — and while one was released, the other wasn't as lu...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Democrats Unveil Health Care Bill Updated: 2009-10-30 14:03:48 Description: House Democrats bowed toward their more conservative members with their new health care overhaul bill, which was unveiled Thursday. Throughout the negotiations, Republicans remained firmly on the sidelines, leaving Democrats to cobble together a bill...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Two Torn Families Show Flip Side Of 3 Strikes Law Updated: 2009-10-29 05:03:46 Description: California voters passed the nation's strictest three strikes law in 1994. The "third strike" carries a mandatory 25 years to life. Mike Reynolds, whose daughter was murdered in 1992, brought the ballot initiative and has fought to uphold it since. B...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Former NBA Coach Switches Gears At Charter School Updated: 2009-10-28 05:04:49 Description: Joe Carbone is the gym teacher at a small New York Charter School called The Equity Project, based in Manhattan's Washington Heights. The former NBA strength coach has given up the big league to teach gym at the innovative charter school where the ki...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Planners Contemplate Phoenix's Post-Boom Future Updated: 2009-10-27 05:06:59 Description: The vast majority of the Phoenix metropolitan area — 90 percent — was built after 1950. It's been a pell-mell push for growth. But like many places, that growth came to a screeching halt during the recession. Planners now wonder whether t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Recession Squeezes Mexican Workers In U.S. Updated: 2009-10-26 05:03:11 Description: The vast majority of undocumented Mexican workers in the U.S. are staying put. They are working less and hoping that an economic recovery restores jobs. Besides, they say, the recession back home in Mexico is even worse. Immigrant economic ties are s...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD At Great Lakes, Tom Hanks Gets Back To His Roots Updated: 2009-10-25 05:03:20 Description: The star of The Da Vinci Code and Toy Story visits the Cleveland theater where he got his professional start to speak with host Scott Simon about his early years in theater — and the ups and downs of working in the movies....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Brain Battered By Football Updated: 2009-10-24 05:01:47 Description: The years of hard hits have left former NFL player George Visger with severe memory loss. His doctors warn his brain problems could get worse quickly. While he struggles with his short-term memory, his days as a star high school lineman are vivid and...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Accidents Of History Created U.S. Health System Updated: 2009-10-23 07:13:12 Description: Since the 1960s, Americans have looked at employer-based health insurance as though it were the natural order of things. But economic historians say there was never any central logic at work in building that system....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD On Rural Navajo Reservation, Jobs Are Still Scarce Updated: 2009-10-22 05:08:05 Description: Many rural tribes of the nation's 500 Indian tribes are struggling despite $3 billion in stimulus money earmarked for Indian country. The money hasn't started flowing, and even when it does, it won't have a huge impact, according to a Harvard economi...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Bionic Eye Opens New World Of Sight For Blind Updated: 2009-10-21 05:03:07 Description: Implanting an electronic retina can help restore some vision to people who've been blinded by retinal diseases, scientists reported Tuesday at the Neuroscience 2009 conference. Other researchers partially restored sight by growing new retina cells fr...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Ore.'s Fly-Fishing Governor Aims To Hook Green Jobs Updated: 2009-10-20 05:02:18 Description: Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, a Democrat who is in his second and final term, has two passions: fly fishing, and bringing the renewable energy jobs of tomorrow to his state, where unemployment currently hovers near 12 percent....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Silenced By Violence, Texas Club Nurtured Misfit Music Updated: 2009-10-19 05:03:11 Description: When you think of San Antonio, you might be inclined to "Remember the Alamo." But there's a lesser-known city landmark, a cinderblock building that was once Taco Land, the loudly beating heart of San Antonio's underground music scene....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Thrill Ride Lies Under A Montana Main Street Updated: 2009-10-18 05:03:11 Description: Main Street in Lewistown looks like a postcard with its barber shop, soda fountain and old movie theater. But below the street runs Spring Creek — the scene of a rite of passage for many of the town's residents....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Not Spam: Monty Python Reunites For Night Updated: 2009-10-17 05:09:07 Description: The surviving members of the legendary Monty Python comedy group gathered Thursday night in New York to attend the opening of the documentary, Monty Python Almost The Truth (The Lawyers' Cut)....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Study: When Soda Fizzes, Your Tongue Tastes It Updated: 2009-10-16 05:00:34 Description: Every time you crack open a soda, your taste buds may help you get the full experience of the carbonated beverage. A new study shows that your tongue's sour-sensing cells may be partly responsible for the sensation of carbonation's fizz....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Government Keeps Close Eye On Swine Flu Vaccine Updated: 2009-10-15 05:05:27 Description: Public health officials are confident that the new H1N1 vaccine is safe. Still, as with any vaccine, they have systems in place to monitor vaccine recipients in order to spot any potential problems....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Mission To Save Real Jewish Delis, A Dying Breed Updated: 2009-10-14 05:05:12 Description: Save the Deli author David Sax aims to preserve and celebrate the Jewish delicatessen. He has traveled across North America in search of the best examples of that endangered culinary species — and says there are certain rules patrons should fol...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD How The Modern Patient Drives Up Health Costs Updated: 2009-10-13 07:13:13 Description: Between television and the Internet, patients today are exposed to a myriad of health information. But more isn't always better. Patients' frequent requests for drugs and procedures are part of what's driving up the costs of health care....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Fort Carson Quietly Mourns War Deaths Updated: 2009-10-12 05:03:22 Description: Eight soldiers, all from a Fort Carson, Colo., unit, died on Oct. 3 when their outpost in Afghanistan was attacked. People at the base and in nearby Colorado Springs are remembering those who were lost, but after suffering 279 deaths in Iraq and Afgh...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Needle Exchanges Face A Fight In Congress Updated: 2009-10-11 05:04:45 Description: The Centers for Disease Control says needle exchanges can help fight HIV. But these programs are under fire on Capitol Hill from critics who say they put children at risk....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Miami Condo Market Heating Up Again Updated: 2009-10-10 05:08:20 Description: Last year, the Miami condo market was just about dead. Thousands of new units were being delivered, but buyers were nowhere to be found. Now investors, many of them foreigners attracted by drastically lower prices, are again looking to get a piece of...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Telltale Wombs Of Lewiston, Maine Updated: 2009-10-09 05:06:14 Description: In the mid-1970s, a health researcher discovered an unusually high rate of hysterectomies in a small town in Maine. If the rate continued, nearly 70 percent of Lewiston women, like Carol Bradford (above), who had a hysterectomy, would be without the...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Meet 'Glee' Star Jane Lynch, TV's New Queen Of Mean Updated: 2009-10-08 05:02:56 Description: The actress has made a career of memorable character parts, from a folk-singing porn star to an outspoken gay lawyer. Now she's got a juicy marquee role as the hilariously hard-charging villain in Fox's new hit comedyGlee. Melissa Block talks to Lync...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Myrtle Beach Helmet Law Stirs Anger Updated: 2009-10-07 05:09:53 Description: The city used to be a haven for tens of thousands of motorcyclists before a law was passed requiring all riders to wear helmets. The law has cut down on rallies, but it has also led to a lawsuit before the state Supreme Court....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD For One Senior, Medicaid Provides Model Care Updated: 2009-10-06 05:08:21 Description: When Gracie Scarrow, 94, was diagnosed with congestive heart failure she didn't have the money to pay for the care she needed. She turned to Medicaid — which covers the long-term care in a nursing home — and she couldn't be happier....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Prayer Effort Seeks 'Right Thinking' From Liberals Updated: 2009-10-05 05:03:21 Description: A Christian conservative group, fearing a liberal drift in the country's leadership, has put 11 prominent politicians and activists on an "Adopt a Liberal" roster. They're asking God to help their targets change their stances on a variety of social i...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Using Music To Mentor Venezuela's Poorest Youth Updated: 2009-10-04 05:03:10 Description: Through music education, many children from Caracas' worst slums learn to overcome adversity and go on to become professional musicians. Conductor Gustavo Dudamel, an alumnus of El Sistema, is now music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In Health Care Ads, Drug Firms Change Their Tune Updated: 2009-10-03 05:01:41 Description: Today's TV advertisements on health care are reminiscent, in some ways, of those that aired 16 years ago around President Clinton's overhaul effort. Even the Harry and Louise ads have returned. But now, the TV couple backs an overhaul — as do t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Seniors Worry As Medicare Advantage Is Threatened Updated: 2009-10-02 05:02:03 Description: About 25 percent of senior citizens are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, where they can choose a privately run health plan with extra benefits. But some health bills aim to scale back its growth, and seniors worry their coverage might get the ax in th...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Swine Flu Sweeps Through Austin, Hitting The Young Updated: 2009-10-01 05:06:17 Description: Twenty-six states are experiencing high H1N1 virus activity — most in the lower half of the nation, according to the CDC. In Austin, Texas, hundreds are seeking treatment; most of them are young and resilient enough to get through it. One medic...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Is Obama In An 'Afghan Box'? Updated: 2009-09-30 11:11:11 Description: During the presidential campaign, candidate Obama cited the war in Afghanistan as a "good war" — in contrast to the U.S. effort in Iraq. But as violence in Afghanistan escalates while support for the war deteriorates, can President Obama afford...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Holding On To Health Insurance That Works Updated: 2009-09-29 07:13:13 Description: For some Americans, insurance is what it's supposed to be: coverage when you need it. Dave Koenig, 49, has a job with good benefits. Still, he thinks some aspects of the insurance industry should be changed to protect patients from losing coverage....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Spider Wranglers Weave One-Of-A-Kind Tapestry Updated: 2009-09-28 05:03:38 Description: The American Museum of Natural History in New York unveiled something never before seen: an 11-by-4-foot tapestry made completely of spider silk. The tapestry took four years to make, with the help of more than 1 million spiders....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Swinging Chicken Ritual Divides Orthodox Jews Updated: 2009-09-27 05:03:41 Description: In the days before Yom Kippur, which begins on Sunday evening, many Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn, N.Y., will wave chickens over their heads and say the prayer of Kapparot (or Kapparos, depending on heritage). But the more than 1,000-year-old atonement r...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Chicago Tries Heavy-Hitters To Boost Olympic Bid Updated: 2009-09-26 05:08:50 Description: With one week to go until the International Olympic Committee selects the host city for the 2016 games, Chicago is hoping star power in the form of Oprah Winfrey and one of the Obamas will boost its bid. But how would hosting the Olympics really bene...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Wall Streeters Weigh Life After 'Giant Pool Of Money' Updated: 2009-09-25 05:03:34 Description: Glen Pizzolorusso and Jim Finkel each made a fortune in the mortgage industry. Then the bubble burst. The global economic crisis forced them to reconsider what they believed about life and the investment world they lived in. One is spending time in s...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD U.S. Navy Sailors Say They Were Hazed, Abused Updated: 2009-09-24 05:02:13 Description: Six sailors from a canine unit in the U.S. Navy interviewed by Youth Radio told stories of hazing and abuse a few years ago. The Navy investigated the abuse and found evidence to support accusations of physical assault on sailors and prostitutes on b...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD French Police Clear Calais Refugee Camp Updated: 2009-09-23 05:08:48 Description: French police cleared Tuesday a squalid refugee camp known as "the jungle," which for 10 years has been a festering immigration sore between Britain and France. Iraqi, Afghan and Sudanese migrants, who are desperate to reach Britain and try to hide i...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD U.S.-Mexico Border Crossing Grows More Dangerous Updated: 2009-09-22 05:05:44 Description: Over the past decade, easier places to cross into the U.S. have been closed, so people are being pushed into isolated areas. Now, even though the number of illegal crossings has dropped substantially, the number of deaths remains a constant 200 a yea...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Jay-Z: A Master Of Occult Wisdom? Updated: 2009-09-21 05:03:43 Description: Well, not exactly. But Mitch Horowitz, author of American Occult, says that the rap star is also a shrewd observer of certain secret societies. He analyzes occult imagery in the video for Jay-Z's new single, "Run This Town."...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Even T. Rex Started Small Updated: 2009-09-20 05:00:51 Description: An ancestor of the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex shares its big head, deep jaws, tiny arms, long legs and lanky feet — but it's 1/90th the size. Even pint-sized, it was a predatory powerhouse....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Mayor's Dilemma: Can Houston Grow And Be Green? Updated: 2009-09-19 05:05:22 Description: As a city in motion, Houston constantly evolves. And it uses enormous amounts of energy. Mayor Bill White has made it his goal to help Houston evolve again — into a more energy-efficient city. But his obstacles include a cultural shift....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'Eyetooth' Helps Restore Woman's Sight Updated: 2009-09-18 05:05:46 Description: By putting a lens in a portion of a blind woman's tooth — then placing the tooth in her eye — a Florida eye surgeon has given a 60-year-old patient with a scarred cornea a new chance to see....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Secret Of The Masons: It's Not So Secret Updated: 2009-09-17 05:02:57 Description: Best-selling author Dan Brown's latest novel, The Lost Symbol, draws on the lore and mystique of the Freemasons. Once the object of fear and suspicion, the group is now a social organization with spiritual leanings....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Marine's Family Awaits Word From The War Zone Updated: 2009-09-16 07:13:13 Description: Lance Cpl. Josh Apsey is serving in southern Afghanistan with the Marines of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment — known as "America's Battalion." Back home, his parents wait for any word from him. They must rely on old-fashioned letters and the oc...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Consensus On Fixing Financial System Erodes Updated: 2009-09-15 05:09:50 Description: When the financial crisis erupted last September, politicians, regulators and scholars from the left and right said it was so severe that something drastic needed to be done to prevent another meltdown. But now as a depression has been averted, conse...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Marine 'Trust Game' Has Deadly Consequences Updated: 2009-09-14 05:03:10 Description: Last week at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Marine Cpl. Mathew Nelson was sentenced to eight years for killing a fellow Marine in what's known as a "trust game." But it's not the first military fatality from this dangerous diversion....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Beware The Attack Bird: Vineyards Turn To Falcons Updated: 2009-09-13 05:03:12 Description: It's harvest time for California's winemakers, and no one knows that better than starlings. The grape-loving birds can eat their way through a vineyard pretty quickly. Over the years, winegrowers have tried a number of methods to scare the birds away...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Post-Sept. 11, Colleges Take On Law Enforcement Role Updated: 2009-09-12 05:08:35 Description: Since the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. colleges have assumed new responsibilities for reporting information about foreign students. Some school officials feel a tension between a university's mission of openness and Homeland Security's mission of keeping o...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Furloughs May Not Save As Much As States Hope Updated: 2009-09-11 05:09:36 Description: Nineteen states have imposed or are considering unpaid time off for government workers as a cost-saving measure. But with the drop in income, workers are spending less, which harms the local economy and costs the state in lost taxes....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Geithner Still Pushing For Major Financial Reforms Updated: 2009-09-10 07:13:12 Description: The economy might finally be turning around, but the Treasury secretary says it would be a "terrible mistake" to let the financial system go back to where it was at the peak of the boom....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Rethinking 'Retarded': Should It Leave The Lexicon? Updated: 2009-09-09 05:01:01 Description: People are starting to think twice about using the word "retarded" as a casual put-down. The word is no longer used in medical and social service circles, and activists are campaigning against television shows and movies that use the so-called r-word...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Magnet No More: Florida's Population Shrinks Updated: 2009-09-05 05:03:50 Description: After beckoning retirees, sun worshippers and developers alike for the past century, Florida saw its population shrink last year for the first time in decades. That has come as a shock in a state that has long relied on growth to power its economy....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Recession Diary: From Mom's Home To Their Own Updated: 2009-09-06 05:03:41 Description: Back in May, recession-related money troubles led Caitlin Shetterly and her husband, Dan Davis, to leave Los Angeles with their 3-month-old baby, drive across the country and move in with Shetterly's mother in Maine. As they adjust to their new situa...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD KitchenAid Mixers Still Proudly American Updated: 2009-09-08 05:03:10 Description: While the economy continues to shed jobs, one iconic American appliance is still being manufactured in Greenville, Ohio: the KitchenAid stand mixer. The factory employs about 700 people who run three shifts to create the tool of the trade of cooking....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Fixing Health Care By Altering Patient Behavior Updated: 2009-09-03 05:09:24 Description: Economists have long said health care, as a market, is a strange animal. One reason is that patients don't act like regular consumers....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD California Edges Ahead In High-Speed-Train 'Race' Updated: 2009-09-04 05:05:16 Description: California's ambitious 800-mile high-speed-rail network is 13 years in the works, making it a leading contender in the race to win federal funding. But some critics question the need for the project, which could cost close to $45 billion....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD First-Term N.Y. Lawmakers Attend State Fair Updated: 2009-09-02 05:08:45 Description: First-term New York Democrats Rep. Dan Maffei and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand made their rounds at the New York State Fair. Freshmen lawmakers have been feeling the heat this summer, as they try to sell their health care ideas to constituents....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Football, Grief And Resolve At Iowa High School Updated: 2009-08-29 05:00:52 Description: Tiny Aplington-Parkersburg High in Parkersburg, Iowa, plays its first game Friday since the slaying of its beloved coach, Ed Thomas, allegedly by a former player. The coach was a pillar of the community, and was instrumental in rebuilding efforts aft...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Surviving The Storm: Voices From Katrina Updated: 2009-08-30 05:03:11 Description: Hurricane Katrina blitzed the Gulf Coast four years ago Saturday. Ever since then, researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi have been collecting the stories of those who survived the storm — and its aftermath....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Robert Frank's Elevator Girl Sees Herself Years Later Updated: 2009-08-31 05:03:11 Description: "I stood in front of this particular photograph for probably a full five minutes, not knowing why I was staring at it," she says. "And then it really dawned on me that the girl in the picture was me."...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD States Make Pitches For High-Speed-Rail Money Updated: 2009-09-01 05:04:19 Description: As the Obama administration prepares to start doling out $8 billion in funding for high-speed-train projects, proposals have flooded in from around the country. Forty states and the District of Columbia have already requested more than $100 billion f...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Big Dreams For Small Wind Turbines Updated: 2009-08-28 05:07:58 Description: As huge wind farms get up and running to generate electricity on mountaintops and in fields, another market for wind energy is also emerging, known as "small wind." These turbines provide clean power to single homes and businesses, but are they econo...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Promises Unkept: Disappointments In Digital TV Updated: 2009-08-26 05:09:29 Description: Because of the digital transition, TV stations can now offer four or more different channels. But critics say that offerings are a far cry from what broadcasters could be doing with the new channels....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Kennedy's Lasting Devotion To Health Care For All Updated: 2009-08-27 07:13:12 Description: The late Edward Kennedy was a liberal powerhouse for changing the nation's health care system. Though he died before he was able to realize his goal of providing health insurance for every American, he pushed through many health care bills in his le...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Orchids: 'Inflatable Love Dolls Of The Floral Kingdom' Updated: 2009-08-23 05:03:11 Description: You might know something about the birds and the bees, but did you know the bees have been having a fling with the orchids? Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food, has written about the scandalous affair and says orchids "practice some very wei...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD For Early Man, It Wasn't Easier Being Green Updated: 2009-08-24 05:03:11 Description: Researchers are rethinking the notion that hunter-gatherers lived in harmony with their environment. Archaeologist Torben Rick says indigenous people altered America's coastlines, thousands of years ago, to make their lives more comfortable....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Descendant Of White House Slave Shares Legacy Updated: 2009-08-25 05:05:50 Description: In 1814, Paul Jennings, a slave in President James Madison's White House, helped rescue George Washington's portrait from the White House before it was burned down by the British. Hugh Alexander, his great-great grandson, calls the legacy "awe-inspir...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Independent Farmers Feel Squeezed By Milk Cartel Updated: 2009-08-21 05:06:38 Description: With the price of raw milk at historic lows, dairy farms are going under across the United States. As the crisis deepens, many blame two dairy giants that they say are trying to monopolize the industry, to the detriment of independent farmers and con...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Last California Auto Plant Awaits Its Fate Updated: 2009-08-22 05:01:40 Description: Toyota reportedly is on the verge of closing a plant it had jointly run with now-bankrupt GM in Fremont, Calif. The plant has turned out thousands of vehicles and supported about 5,000 factory jobs over the past two decades....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Search For Green Power On And Off Of The Grid Updated: 2009-08-19 05:05:33 Description: Hundreds of utilities around the U.S. — and a growing number of companies — are offering customers a chance to buy green power. Businesses use them to promote their environmental consciousness. But where does the power come from?...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lawmakers Strive To Avoid Heated Town Halls Updated: 2009-08-20 05:01:48 Description: Lawmakers this summer are discussing the move to overhaul the nation's health care system. But as criticism of the plan, and of them, becomes heated, many members of Congress are working hard to avoid getting caught in front of an angry town hall mee...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Kill Grandma? Debunking A Health Bill Scare Tactic Updated: 2009-08-13 05:03:17 Description: Some analysts say false claims that the health bill encourages seniors to end their lives early were purposely spread to undermine the bill. In fact, the bill would pay health care providers to discuss a patient's health care wishes....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Gene May Determine How Much Sleep You Need Updated: 2009-08-14 05:02:16 Description: How much sleep you need might just be written in your genes, according to a new a study. Researchers have discovered a genetic mutation that appears to allow some people to get by on less sleep than others....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Richard Montoya: 25 Years Of Laughing About Race Updated: 2009-08-15 05:05:21 Description: In the mid-1980s in California, at a time when few people wanted to talk about race, Richard Montoya was laughing about it. His thought-provoking performances with the group Culture Clash over the past 25 years have cracked up audiences, and changed ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD If It Rolls In Philly, It Better Not Be On The Phone Updated: 2009-08-16 05:03:11 Description: This fall, Philadelphia's skateboarders, bicyclists and inline skaters will have to either pocket their cell phones or use hands-free devices, making the city the first in the nation to extend the measure to include non-motorists. While that might be...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD To Avoid Bird Strikes, Just Tell The Birds To Move Updated: 2009-08-17 05:03:33 Description: When US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing in the Hudson River in January after hitting geese, it turned the spotlight on so-called bird strikes — a longstanding problem of aircraft colliding with birds in flight. Airports try a lot ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Not Enough Money Or Time To Defend Detroit's Poor Updated: 2009-08-18 05:07:03 Description: In Detroit, the public defender system that guarantees poor defendants a voice in court is in crisis. Public defenders struggling with low pay and unmanageable caseloads say they can't provide proper representation....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Tri-State Water Fight Spurs Questions On Growth Updated: 2009-08-08 05:06:00 Description: A federal judge recently ruled that Georgia doesn't have the right to take drinking water from the Lake Lanier reservoir, but that is where 3.5 million Atlanta residents get their water. Now, some wonder whether the area can continue to grow without ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Mike Seeger Cleared Paths, Showed Us The Way Updated: 2009-08-09 05:03:11 Description: Folk music's Mike Seeger was an adventurer who wanted nothing more than to share his discoveries. He found overlooked musical treasures, polished them off a little and wondered at them. He sought out undiscovered or disappeared musicians in Virginia,...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Spreading Lionfish Invasion Threatens Bahamas Updated: 2009-08-10 05:03:34 Description: In 1992, Hurricane Andrew smashed an aquarium tank in Florida. About a half-dozen spiny, venomous lionfish washed into the Atlantic Ocean, spawning an invasion that could kill off local industry along with the native fish....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Debate Over Plastic Bags Heats Up In Seattle Updated: 2009-08-11 05:00:42 Description: In an effort to reduce plastic and paper waste, Seattle's City Council imposed a 20-cent-per-bag charge last year. But the American Chemistry Council helped fund a petition drive that forced the issue to a citywide ballot that is coming up on Aug. 18...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Can Corals Survive In A Warming World? Updated: 2009-08-12 13:49:09 Description: The world could lose all its coral reefs within the next century. As the Earth heats up, warming ocean waters could be deadly to these fragile ecosystems. On the Caribbean island of Bonaire, scientists are trying to figure out how to help coral reefs...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD U.S., Afghan Lives Increasingly Lost To Roadside Bombs Updated: 2009-08-03 05:04:57 Description: U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan and local civilians now share a grim common enemy: death by roadside bomb. The deadly bombs have become a favorite tool of the Taliban, who are shifting away from ambushes and frontal assaults....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Call Of The Wild: How Ranger Became 'Yosemite Bob' Updated: 2009-08-04 05:04:25 Description: Bob Roney first fell in love with Yosemite National Park as a senior in high school. More than 40 years later, he uses technology — like Twitter and a tape recorder — to document the wonders that have kept him enchanted with the place....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lawmakers Face Hostile Groups At Town Halls Updated: 2009-08-05 05:01:28 Description: As lawmakers begin their August recess, small groups of protesters are taking over town hall meetings on health care and other issues. The resulting scenes are showing up on YouTube....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD E-Cigarettes: The New Frontier In War On Smoking Updated: 2009-08-06 05:08:02 Description: Federal regulators are cracking down on the latest smoking trend: electronic cigarettes. Despite warnings from the Food and Drug Administration that the battery-powered tubes that deliver a nicotine vapor are illegal because they haven't been cleared...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Shaky Economics Of 'Cash For Clunkers' Updated: 2009-08-07 05:00:40 Description: A government program enticing people to trade in old cars for new ones has proved wildly popular, except with economists. They say the benefits of "cash for clunkers" may not outweigh the costs, in terms of finances or the environment....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Jellyfish May Help Keep Planet Cool Updated: 2009-07-31 13:13:12 Description: Researchers believe that some small marine creatures may help curb global climate change. A new study suggests that jellyfish and creatures like them play an important role in circulating ocean waters, mixing nutrients, and helping to reduce CO2 leve...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD At School, Lower Expectations Of Dominican Kids Updated: 2009-08-01 05:03:18 Description: Parents and teachers often expect less of students who are the children of Dominican immigrants. This causes their grades and ambitions to suffer....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Comedy Writing: How To Be Funny Updated: 2009-08-02 05:03:38 Description: When it comes to writing comedy, every syllable counts. Host Scott Simon talks to Mike Sacks, author of And Here's the Kicker: Conversations With 21 Top Humor Writers On Their Craft, and writer and director Harold Ramis about the art of being funny....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Starbucks Goes Into Stealth Mode Updated: 2009-07-26 05:03:11 Description: This week, Starbucks opened a remodeled café, and a key ingredient was missing. Not Caffe Verona Blend or Iced Grande Lattes, but the name — a name that may now be better known in the U.S. than any car company. Host Scott Simon talks with ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Drinks After Hemingway's Own Heart Updated: 2009-07-27 05:06:22 Description: If Hemingway were throwing a celebration for his 110th birthday, it's a sure bet that the festivities would include a hefty dose of spirits. Phil Greene of the Museum of the American Cocktail meets us at a watering hole in downtown Washington, D.C., ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Rural Medical Camp Tackles Health Care Gaps Updated: 2009-07-28 05:03:43 Description: About 2,700 people lined up outside the county fairgrounds in Wise, Va., to receive free vision, dental and medical treatment at a volunteer-run medical camp. Some arrived three days early to make sure they wouldn't be turned away....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Housing Market Shows Some Signs Of Recovery Updated: 2009-07-29 05:05:00 Description: The housing crisis helped propel the country into the worst recession in decades. Now there are some tentative signs that the real estate market may be improving. Some leading housing analysts say the market may be nearing a bottom in certain areas....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Mayan Calendar Spurs End-Of-The-World Debate Updated: 2009-07-30 05:05:31 Description: The Mayan calendar ends on Dec. 21, 2012, spelling doomsday predictions. While astronomers say this is nonsense, others believe there will be a shift in world consciousness from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. Religious scholars say this ha...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Bridge Still Home For Miami Sex Offenders Updated: 2009-07-22 05:03:11 Description: A colony of sex offenders living under a Miami bridge has been steadily growing since state corrections officers began ordering offenders there a few years ago. Now, state judges are being asked to mediate a dispute over the encampment....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Who Has Access To Max Baucus? Updated: 2009-07-23 05:01:48 Description: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus has the clout to determine winners and losers in the health-care debate. Several former staffers are now industry lobbyists with a unique brand of access to the man at the debate's center. In Washington, a...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Dig Finds A Thriving Cultural Mecca In Indianapolis Updated: 2009-07-24 05:03:47 Description: New evidence suggests that an African-American neighborhood bulldozed decades ago to make way for a university wasn't as blighted as the city's popular history portrays. The area was once home to Madam C.J. Walker, the nation's first self-made female...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Boston Teacher Pushes English-Language Learners Updated: 2009-07-25 05:03:10 Description: Francisco Ruiz, who runs a program for non-English speakers at The English High School in Boston, refuses to give up on his students even though the dropout rate is 50 percent. Ruiz says that's because the students don't feel like they fit in. But he...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Two Military Daughters Start Sisterhood For Teens Updated: 2009-07-21 05:06:05 Description: Two teenage girls from California are trying to organize a statewide get-together for daughters of troops who have gone to war. Moranda Hern and Kaylei Deakin have put up videos on YouTube and appealed for help from the National Guard in Sacramento....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Military Chefs Battle On Pentagon's Cooking Show Updated: 2009-07-18 05:03:39 Description: Every week, you can catch some of the military's best chefs on The Grill Sergeants, the Pentagon Channel's cooking show. Brad Turner, the original "Grill Sergeant," is shooting new episodes focused on cuisine from different countries....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD From The Archives: Cronkite, Live Via Satellite Updated: 2009-07-19 05:03:29 Description: The death of legendary CBS news anchorman Walter Cronkite on Friday sent us scurrying for the archives — and we found a series of reports that he and producer John McDonough did for All Things Considered. We hear part of one of them — Cro...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Single Wing Starts Quest For Mystery Bird Updated: 2009-07-20 05:03:10 Description: Birdwatching might not seem the kind of hobby to attract the Indiana Jones type, but Gerry Nicholls is what you might call an extreme bird watcher. This year he and his friends set out on an international chase for a creature that has never been offi...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Entrepreneurs Remain Optimistic Despite Recession Updated: 2009-07-15 05:03:11 Description: The No. 1 problem entrepreneurs face is getting enough money to fund their ideas. Attracting capital during the worst recession in decades is even tougher. So, entrepreneurs with big ideas are increasingly turning to the entity that's still spending:...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Skeletons Of The Auto Industry Linger Across U.S. Updated: 2009-07-16 05:03:36 Description: In all, 21 Chrysler and General Motors plants will be closed permanently or idled over the next few years. In addition to the loss of thousands of jobs, the closures can mean a substantial drop in tax revenue for affected communities. Some cities con...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD An Industry Icon's Quest For The Signature Cigar Updated: 2009-07-17 05:03:38 Description: Cigar icon Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is back in business at age 57, hoping to pass on his family's cigar-making tradition. Among a new wave of independent cigar makers, Perez-Carrillo is starting a new company in Miami with his son and daughter....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Texas Tea Takes New Meaning At 'Parties' Updated: 2009-07-06 05:03:28 Description: Tens of thousands of people gathered at hundreds of rallies across the country on Saturday to celebrate Independence Day, but also to protest federal government spending and taxes. The rallies were called "tea (aka "taxed-enough already") parties" an...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Alzheimer's Patients Struggle Without Insurance Updated: 2009-07-07 05:08:50 Description: Alzheimer's is thought of as a disease of the elderly, but hundreds of thousands of cases are in men and women under 65. Because the disease makes it difficult to work, these people often lose their jobs — and their health insurance....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Back From Iraq ... With A Traumatic Brain Injury Updated: 2009-07-11 05:03:10 Description: One in five soldiers reports coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with mild traumatic brain injury, often from roadside bombs and Humvee wrecks. Although symptoms are hard to identify, Army doctors are finding more cases because of baseline testing ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Horseshoe Crabs Pile Up For Night Of Whoopee Updated: 2009-07-12 05:03:33 Description: On the Delaware Bay shore, there's a swinging party that's been taking place for millions of years. Some aren't there to take part in the orgy, however. Human volunteers in headlamps and waders come to tally up the amorous crabs and make sure the par...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Searching For The Soul Of L.A. Through Kitsch Updated: 2009-07-14 05:04:05 Description: The self-professed historian Charles Phoenix gives tours of places locals often overlook in Los Angeles. And he says he finds beauty in just about everything — even an income tax office shaped like a tamale....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Taxing Imports, One At A Time Updated: 2009-06-26 05:06:11 Description: Every time a car or a T-shirt or an apple comes into the U.S., it's taxed. But determining how much is quite complicated. Import specialists, like Bret Ewing in Seattle, use an old, enormous book to figure it out....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In Jackson's Birthplace, Shock At Icon's Death Updated: 2009-06-27 05:07:05 Description: The last few decades have not been easy on the city of Gary, Ind., just outside of Chicago. Crime and high unemployment plague the manufacturing city of less than 100-thousand. But even through the difficult times, Gary residents remained proud to li...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD On The Appalachian, Some Hike Off The Recession Updated: 2009-06-28 05:03:11 Description: Whether recently laid off or just without any job prospects, some people have traded their resumes and interview suits for sleeping bags and hiking boots. They're on the Appalachian Trail for the next four months — and they hope that by the ti...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Poetry From Iran, One Tweet At A Time Updated: 2009-06-29 05:03:39 Description: Persians are known for their poetry. So it is not surprising that following Iran's disputed elections, many Iranians have tweeted poetically. Meet 26-year-old Parham Baghestani, whose tweets range from the mundane to the spiritual....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD High Court Rules For White Firefighters Updated: 2009-06-30 05:05:54 Description: The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the New Haven, Conn., fire department violated the law when it dumped the results of a firefighters promotion exam. Most of the applicants who placed high enough to qualify for promotions were white....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Doctors Say Costs, Not Care, Have Become Focus Updated: 2009-07-01 05:03:11 Description: As health care costs have soared, many physicians have struggled to manage the business end of health care and provide quality care for their patients. Two doctors, each with more than 30 years of experience, talk with NPR about the changes they've ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Young Doctors Weigh In On Health Care Updated: 2009-07-02 19:00:42 Description: Two young doctors, just finishing up their residencies, discuss the decisions behind their career choices. Nicole Loeding is going into primary care, while Brian Southern, after becoming disillusioned with primary care, has chosen pulmonary critical ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Maestro Maazel On Life After N.Y. Philharmonic Updated: 2009-07-03 05:07:54 Description: After conducting the world's most famous orchestra for seven years, Lorin Maazel gave his last performance June 27. Now, at 79, Maazel has launched a two-week festival on a Virginia farm, and he also intends to teach aspiring conductors. Maazel tells...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Trials Of Paying For Health Care In A Recession Updated: 2009-06-16 05:04:05 Description: With health care reform on President Obama's agenda, NPR visited Howard County, Md., a rich, progressive suburb of Baltimore. Patients, doctors and employers talk about how expensive health care is — and how hard it is to pay for in a recession...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In New Model, County Offers Low-Cost Health Care Updated: 2009-06-17 05:07:43 Description: A new program in Howard County, Md., aims to provide the uninsured access to health care. Despite impressive incentives, only 200 of the county's 10,000 uninsured have fully enrolled. Program Director Peter Beilenson says he is learning valuable les...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Sotomayor Shaped By Her 'Nuyorican' Roots Updated: 2009-06-18 05:08:58 Description: Growing up in a largely Hispanic neighborhood in the Bronx, Sonia Sotomayor has said, she never saw herself as a minority. But the culture shock of being one of the first Latinas to attend Princeton helped forge her commitment to community service an...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Battling Despair: One Mother's Search For A Job Updated: 2009-06-19 05:03:22 Description: Despite diligently applying for work every day for eight months, Sylvia Martinez still hasn't landed a job. The mother of three struggles to cope with her financial difficulties and the emotional stress — sometimes despair — of being jobl...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Costs Of Health Care: Finding Ways To Save Updated: 2009-06-20 05:01:35 Description: In Howard County, Md., health care providers are seeking ways to save costs. Howard County General Hospital's CEO says getting people to go to primary doctors instead of the emergency room is one way. Other doctors say costs can be saved through elec...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Amid Fears Of New Restrictions, Gun Sales Surge Updated: 2009-06-21 05:03:28 Description: The recession has put the brakes on all sorts of industries, but the upward spike in gun sales that began about the time President Obama was elected continues. The FBI reports a strong surge in applications for background checks — the best avai...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Conservatives Push For Rival U.S. Anglican Church Updated: 2009-06-22 05:04:28 Description: Conservative Anglican leaders arrive in Bedford, Texas, this weekend to discuss creating a new Anglican province in the United States. Conservatives split off from the U.S. Episcopal Church, aligning themselves with bishops in other countries, after ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Ohio's Burning River In Better Health 40 Years Later Updated: 2009-06-23 05:01:53 Description: Forty years ago, Ohio's Cuyahoga River, which had been compared to "an open septic tank," caught fire. Cuyahoga became a rallying cry for environmentalists and sparked the creation of the EPA and the Clean Water Act. Now the river teems with fish and...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Conservatives Have 'Originalism'; Liberals Have ... ? Updated: 2009-06-24 05:01:17 Description: Conservative Supreme Court nominees espouse originalism, the theory that the Constitution's meaning remains static. With Sotomayor's nomination, liberals are looking for a way to sell their own view that interpretation must reflect the changing norms...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD One Question To Obama, One Heck Of A Backlash Updated: 2009-06-25 05:08:22 Description: When President Obama called on Huffington Post blogger Nico Pitney during Tuesday's news conference, he set off criticism from mainstream news organizations. There have been charges that the question was a plant or, at the least, a departure from pro...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD All Aren't Happy With Health Insurance For All Updated: 2009-06-01 05:03:11 Description: Requiring all Americans to have health insurance is one of the proposals now being considered in Washington, D.C. Massachusetts already requires its residents to be insured, but people aren't always able to afford a policy, even when the state helps ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD President Obama Outlines Mideast Vision Updated: 2009-06-02 05:03:11 Description: President Obama leaves Tuesday for a weeklong overseas trip that takes him to the Middle East, France and Germany. In Cairo, Obama will give his much-anticipated speech on relations between the United States and the Muslim world. Obama outlines his v...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Recession Offers Hard Lessons In Paying For College Updated: 2009-06-03 05:03:20 Description: Last year, Marlo Johnson and Emmanuel Garcia graduated from high school with big dreams and no money. Emmanuel scraped together enough funds to pay for college. Marlo wasn't so lucky, but a year of earning minimum wage has reinforced why that college...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Buying The Farm: A Good Bet For Rural Retirees Updated: 2009-06-04 05:03:31 Description: People who have invested in Midwest farmland in this recession, instead of 401(k)s, may have made a wise choice, according to one economist. Dan and Lorna Wilson of Paullina, Iowa, are counting on their 640 acres to fund their retirement....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Rural Layoffs: Losing A Grip On Retirement Updated: 2009-06-05 05:03:28 Description: As manufacturing plants leave rural towns, many workers close to retirement are left with diminished retirement savings and few options for new work. Randy Badman, 60, of DeWitt, Neb., was laid off three times in four years — and isn't sure how...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Regulating AIG: Who Fell Asleep On The Job? Updated: 2009-06-06 05:04:57 Description: The Office of Thrift Supervision oversaw institutions that turned into some of the biggest failures of the economic crisis, from Washington Mutual to AIG. Like other regulators, the OTS courts its eventual clients, who pay the agency for making sure ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Residents Pitch In To Keep Calif. Town Afloat Updated: 2009-05-26 05:09:24 Description: Small towns all over the country are feeling the recession's pinch and Gilroy, Calif., is no different. The town faces a cut of at least $2 million in tax revenues and a deficit of $4.7 million. But residents are volunteering to help with police pat...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'Shanghai Girls' Details A Chinese-American Odyssey Updated: 2009-05-27 05:03:52 Description: Lisa See describes the lives of Chinese girls who move to Los Angeles during the World War II era in her new novel, Shanghai Girls. As Chinese immigrants, See's characters endure a shifting political climate once they make it to California....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD How Benny Goodman Won Over America Updated: 2009-05-28 05:03:11 Description: By 1926, at age 16, Goodman was already a jazz virtuoso. But when he finally hit the big time, ushering in the swing era in the mid-1930s, his arrival converged with a burst of modernity throughout the U.S....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Roxana Saberi On Her Imprisonment In Iran Updated: 2009-05-29 05:04:56 Description: In her first in-depth interview, Roxana Saberi, who spent four months in an Iranian prison, talks about the events leading to her arrest, why she gave a false confession to the Iranian authorities that she was a spy, and what ultimately kept her goin...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD DC Youth Orchestra: Success On A Shoestring Updated: 2009-05-30 05:03:59 Description: They rehearse in a ramshackle Washington, D.C., high school. But the young musicians in the DC Youth Orchestra say they're inspired by their teachers and the music they play. Hear how the cash-strapped music program inspires kids from all around the ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Undercover At An Evangelical University Updated: 2009-05-31 05:05:56 Description: Brown University student Kevin Roose passed himself off as an evangelical Christian to blend in with students at Liberty University — the school founded by the late Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Donors Turn To Giving Circles As Economy Drops Updated: 2009-05-15 05:00:34 Description: Charitable donations have been declining, along with the economy. But one type of giving appears to be on the rise: giving circles. Many people are forming these groups to pool their funds so they can have a greater impact on a charitable cause....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Reporter's Life Inside The Mortgage Meltdown Updated: 2009-05-16 05:03:11 Description: Several books have been published about the subprime crackup, the housing bubble and the financial meltdown, but Busted: Life Inside the Great Mortgage Meltdown by reporter Edmund Andrews is special. That's because as he was writing about the issue, ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Recession Diary: The Long And Winding Road Home Updated: 2009-05-17 05:04:57 Description: Back in March, Caitlin Shetterly and her husband, Daniel Davis, had a 2-month-old son, an empty bank account and an apartment in Los Angeles they could no longer afford. The couple decided to pack up and head home to Maine to move in with Shetterly's...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Restaurant Of The Future: A Living Lab Updated: 2009-05-18 05:03:26 Description: In the Netherlands, the Restaurant of the Future, co-owned by Wageningen University, uses video cameras and scales to keep close tabs on diners' behavior. To eat there, you have to sign a research waiver....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Secret Advantage Of Being Short Updated: 2009-05-19 05:03:33 Description: Imagine if someone touches your toe and your nose at the same time. You feel those touches simultaneously; but really the signal from your nose reaches your brain before the signal from your toe. This is part of the reason why one neuroscientist th...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Are Spiritual Encounters All In Your Head? Updated: 2009-05-20 05:08:52 Description: Scientists suspect Moses and other religious figures were epileptic. But that doesn't mean they didn't really hear God. One researcher has created the "God helmet," which uses sensors to reproduce mystical experience by manipulating brain chemistry....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Sex Offenders Forced To Live Under Miami Bridge Updated: 2009-05-21 05:02:20 Description: Sex offenders with few resources who want to stay in Miami have just one option: an encampment of tents and shacks under a causeway. What began as a stopgap solution to a city ordinance limiting where offenders can live has become de facto public pol...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Can Positive Thoughts Help Heal Another Person? Updated: 2009-05-22 05:05:35 Description: The idea that positive thoughts and prayer can affect your health has been taught at medical schools for years. But can your thoughts affect another person physically? A few renegade scientists are conducting studies between loved ones to find that o...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Real Men Wear Pink Boxers Updated: 2009-05-24 05:03:12 Description: Army Spc. Zachary Boyd needn't worry about being photographed out of uniform during a firefight in Afghanistan. "Any soldier who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink boxers and flip-flops has a special kind of courage," Defense Secretary Robe...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In Civil War, Woman Fought Like A Man For Freedom Updated: 2009-05-25 05:03:11 Description: Disguised as a man, Jennie Hodgers marched thousands of miles and fought dozens of battles as a Union soldier during the Civil War. Living in drag gave Hodgers access to a life — with better pay and the right to vote — unavailable to wome...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Stimulus Funds To Make Kansas City Safer, Greener Updated: 2009-05-09 05:06:51 Description: Missouri Rep. Emanuel Clever envisions channeling at least $50 million from the federal government into the "Green Impact Zone," a particularly violent and blighted part of the city's urban core. His plan includes weatherizing houses, buying new buse...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Solved: The Mystery Of The Missing Artist Updated: 2009-05-10 05:03:26 Description: Seventy-five years ago, a young explorer named Everett Ruess rode off alone into the Utah wilderness, never to return. Now, a team of geneticists and forensic anthropologists has finally uncovered his fate....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Moms Become Breadwinners As Job Losses Hit Men Updated: 2009-05-11 05:04:52 Description: Legions of women will have little time to mark Mother's Day this year. They will be busy working weekend jobs as they step up to being their families' primary wage earners....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Military Psychologist Says Harsh Tactics Justified Updated: 2009-05-05 05:04:28 Description: The military's role is to look out for the best interest of the United States, says former military psychologist Bruce Lefever — even when that means using controversial techniques to obtain information. Military psychologists' true ethical ob...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Game Not Over Yet For Housewares Chain Updated: 2009-05-06 05:03:11 Description: Retailer Mark Giarrusso wants to reorganize his family-owned chain. But the landlord is trying to get him to liquidate. Just six months ago, Giarrusso couldn't fathom closing even a single store. Now, there are days he can't imagine staying open ano...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Record High Army Suicides Prompt Action Updated: 2009-05-07 05:03:10 Description: A U.S. soldier is now more likely than a civilian to take his own life, and the situation is getting worse, not better. To combat suicides, the Army is taking new steps, such as using an interactive video game in which soldiers role play with an imag...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Elizabeth Edwards On 'Facing Life's Adversities' Updated: 2009-05-08 05:03:22 Description: Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, has survived campaigns, cancer, the death of a child and her husband's infidelity. In her new book, Resilience, Edwards discusses the adversities she has faced — ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD New Grid May Be Needed, But So Is Smarter Use Updated: 2009-05-02 05:07:50 Description: Plans are under way to beef up the nation's electricity transmission grid. At the same time, conservationists are trying to reduce the vast amount of power wasted in homes and offices. If we used energy more efficiently, would we need to spend billio...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Portraits Capture Life In Dissecting Class Updated: 2009-05-03 05:03:33 Description: Visual explorations of how the human body works have had us riveted since before Leonardo da Vinci sketched the famous Vitruvian man sometime around 1487. That fascination is the focus of what may be one of the most gruesome coffee table books ever....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Animal Researchers Unite After Extremists' Attacks Updated: 2009-04-26 05:03:42 Description: Over the last few years, UCLA researchers have received death threats, had their cars firebombed and had their homes vandalized by activists seeking to stop animal testing. This week, one UCLA professor said enough is enough....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Congress Tackles Credit Card Debt Updated: 2009-04-27 05:03:45 Description: This week, Congress will vote on a Credit Card Holders' Bill of Rights — and last week, President Obama met with the heads of card companies, signaling his support for the bill. Host Jacki Lyden checks in with some of these credit card holders...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Obama Seeks Delicate Balance Between Two Wars Updated: 2009-04-28 05:05:53 Description: President Obama ordered strategy reviews to help chart the way forward in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But changeable military and political conditions in the countries threaten Obama's strategy to shift emphasis from the war in Iraq and instead...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Smart Meter Saves Big Bucks For Pa. Family Updated: 2009-04-29 05:07:40 Description: By installing a smart meter on her Pennsylvania home, Tammy Yeakel and her family are able to save nearly 20 percent on their electric bill each month. They can track their energy consumption in real time on a Web site provided by her power company, ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Grid May Be Smart, But Will It Also Be Green? Updated: 2009-04-30 05:10:05 Description: The push is on to make the nation's aging electricity grid smarter, so it can handle our growing demand for electricity. Many assume that a smart grid will also be a green grid — delivering clean electricity and helping to address climate chang...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Parrots Join Humans On The Dance Floor Updated: 2009-05-01 05:01:25 Description: So you think you can dance? Maybe. But Snowball, a Backstreet Boys-loving cockatoo, certainly can, scientists say. Parrots are perhaps one of only three kinds of animal species that can truly move to a beat....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Five Days In The Clutches Of Pirates Updated: 2009-04-18 05:04:40 Description: As the captain of the Maersk Alabama returns to the United States for a hero's welcome, we look back on five days he was held captive by pirates. ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Test May Determine Smokers' Lung Cancer Risk Updated: 2009-04-20 05:03:26 Description: A new urine test appears to determine which smokers are most likely to get lung cancer. It looks for a chemical created as the body metabolizes tobacco. Those with higher levels of the chemical have a higher risk of lung cancer....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD What If Marijuana Were Legal? Possible Outcomes Updated: 2009-04-21 05:04:58 Description: NPR came up with a hypothetical scenario and asked experts to respond: Marijuana has been legal in the U.S. for two years. Legally, it is treated similar to alcohol: It is taxed and regulated, and users must be 21 or older. Under these parameters, wh...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Historic St. Louis Schools Face Uncertain Future Updated: 2009-04-22 05:00:36 Description: As the St. Louis school district cuts back, it is putting for sale landmark school buildings designed by architect William Ittner. His emphasis on open spaces, big windows and high ceilings influenced school designers around the country....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Smog Deaths In 1948 Led To Clean Air Laws Updated: 2009-04-23 05:07:45 Description: On Oct. 27, 1948, the people of Donora, Pa., awoke to a thick yellow blanket of smog. They soon learned that 20 people were dead and half the town was sick. A museum has opened to commemorate an event that many say was the genesis of clean air laws....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD How Now, Wench? Talking Like Shakespeare Updated: 2009-04-24 05:03:35 Description: Chicago Mayor Richard Daley declareth Thursday "Talk Like Shakespeare" day in honor of the 445th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth. And folks in the Windy City are learning to speaketh the Shakespearean lingo....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Pill For Alcoholism May Also Dampen Urge To Steal Updated: 2009-04-11 05:03:38 Description: For people with kleptomania, stealing can provide an intense high or rush. But a new study says that a pill long used to treat alcoholism may also take the thrill out of stealing. It may help people with kleptomania overcome what can feel like an un...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Stained Glass Artist Lets The Light Through At Last Updated: 2009-04-12 05:03:12 Description: Rowan LeCompte's wit and wonder have been on display in the stained glass windows of the Washington National Cathedral for more than half a century. Now, he's working on a final design — one that will bring light to one of the darkest works of ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Matzo Ball Matriarch of American Jewish Food Updated: 2009-04-13 05:03:10 Description: The Settlement Cook Book is largely forgotten today. But in its time, Lizzie Black Kander's book exposed Jewish homemakers transplanted from Eastern Europe to the American way of cooking — and living....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Catherine's Choice: To Plan A Death With Dignity Updated: 2009-04-14 05:03:11 Description: NPR Health Correspondent Dick Knox tells of the story of his friend and neighbor, Catherine Royce, who died recently — by choice. Catherine suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease, and as she became sicker, she decided to plan a deliberate death. ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Trees May Dry Up With Global Warming Updated: 2009-04-15 05:08:25 Description: Warming global temperatures could cause massive tree die-offs. That's the gloomy conclusion of a new study by scientists at the University of Arizona. They've discovered that trees exposed to temperatures warmer than those in their native environment...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Tax Day Tea Parties Updated: 2009-04-16 05:04:53 Description: In a CNBC meltdown about the stimulus bill, Rick Santelli proposed a modern-day tea party to protest unjust taxes. Santelli and his network have since disavowed the idea, but Fox News has taken up the cause. Hundreds of protests are going on Wednesd...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Chaucer's Cheek Returns To Britain Updated: 2009-04-17 05:03:10 Description: Modern Britain is no less diverse than in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and sometimes even bawdier. The walk along the modern-day route from London to Canterbury reveals characters who embrace the earthy sexuality from Chaucer's day, along with more st...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Recession And Pets: Hard Times For Snoopy Updated: 2009-04-07 05:05:31 Description: When a family loses its home, a pet can lose its family. As the recession deepens, more pets are being turned over to shelters. A local Humane Society official says more animals are getting put down "because there just aren't enough homes."...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Huge Indoor Dog Park Pampers Your Pooch Updated: 2009-04-08 05:03:26 Description: Kelly and Cody Acree raised $10 million and opened a 50,000-square-foot indoor dog park in Dallas, complete with a supply store, grooming and day care. When it opened last week, more than 300 dogs arrived. Dog handlers patrol the park; no pit bulls a...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD TARP Inspector Gears Up To Oversee Bailout Updated: 2009-04-09 05:04:48 Description: The $700 billion TARP program comes with its own internal police force tasked with ensuring that taxpayer money to bail out Wall Street is spent properly. Neil Barofsky, a former federal prosecutor, heads the new office, which is up and running, but ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Tying Together Coats, Ships And Pita Bread Updated: 2009-04-10 05:10:33 Description: People talk about "the global economy," but many connections are hard to see. "Planet Money" establishes the ties between clothing buyers in England, a shipping company in Copenhagen and a bakery in Egypt. ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Dealer, Customers Ponder Future Of GM Updated: 2009-04-01 05:03:11 Description: John Medved feels a direct connection to what happens to General Motors — eight of his Colorado dealerships sell GM products. Meanwhile, customers shopping for cars have mixed feelings about the administration's role in deciding the future of t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In Rural Wisconsin, German Reigned For Decades Updated: 2009-04-02 05:05:03 Description: In the contentious debate over immigration, critics often assert that immigrants and their children are not learning English as quickly as previous waves of newcomers did. In one Wisconsin town, German flourished as a dominant language and culture al...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Social Experiment: Communes In Cul-De-Sacs Updated: 2009-04-03 05:04:30 Description: Stephanie Smith, who launched the project "Wanna Start A Commune?" has created a model to show how communities that live in cul-de-sacs can share resources and save money. But these communes are integrated into society, not separate from them, as in ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Employers May Face More Immigration Scrutiny Updated: 2009-04-04 05:05:04 Description: The Obama administration's approach to immigration enforcement is still a bit of a mystery. Department of Homeland Security guidelines for how field agents should deal with illegal immigrants in the workforce are secret. But a recent raid in Washingt...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Forget 'Blue Velvet,' Rossellini Tries 'Green Porno' Updated: 2009-04-05 05:03:31 Description: That's not a starfish, it's a movie star. The latest project from the actress is not exactly what you'd expect from the icon of Blue Velvet. It's a series of short Web films about the sex lives of sea creatures and backyard bugs....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Before I Get Old: 'The 27s' Made Early Exits Updated: 2009-04-06 05:03:10 Description: Joplin, Hendrix, Cobain: The list of rockers who departed this world at the age of 27 is long — and eerie. Author Eric Segalstad explores this phenomenon in his new book, The 27s....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD At The U.N., 'Battlestar' Troops Talk Ethics Of War Updated: 2009-03-21 05:03:11 Description: The acclaimed sci-fi drama grappled often with issues that plague real-world leaders. As the show neared its end, cast and producers gathered to ask how fiction can offer wisdom on profoundly tough choices....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Tangled Up In School: Teaching Dylan In Boston Updated: 2009-03-22 05:01:56 Description: Classes in Bob Dylan are big at Boston University. Kevin Barents teaches students about poetry using Dylan albums such as John Wesley Harding, which is written in what Barents calls "perfect iambic pentameter."...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD ERs Report Rise In Binge Drinking By Teens Updated: 2009-03-24 09:53:29 Description: New research out of the University of California found a 30 percent spike in ER visits from teens with alcohol-related injuries. Emergency rooms across the country say they're seeing the same trend....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Life Stands Still On New Orleans' Honeysuckle Lane Updated: 2009-03-24 14:19:09 Description: Honeysuckle Lane in New Orleans East was a veritable ghost town after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The area is slowly rebuilding, but as homeowner John Brown says, it still lacks a hospital, nearby schools and stores. Residents say they're still "w...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD New Orleans' Mayor Says Investors Will Come Updated: 2009-03-25 05:05:33 Description: Mayor Ray Nagin tells NPR that levees are "still not where they need to be," which has hurt the city's recovery. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently started work on a canal sometimes called the "hurricane highway" to protect the city from flood...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Recession Tests Citizens' Patience With Obama Updated: 2009-03-26 05:04:52 Description: President Obama says bringing the country out of recession will take "many months and many different solutions." But some Americans may be losing patience with Obama as he struggles to improve the economy....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Anatomy Of A Bank Takeover Updated: 2009-03-27 05:00:29 Description: When a bank fails, agents from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. slip into town and quietly assume control. Staffers at Washington's Bank of Clark County describe the top-secret mission as amazingly swift and precise....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Stimulus Money To Launch Texas Health Clinic Updated: 2009-03-29 05:07:18 Description: The Los Barrios Unidos Community Health Center will receive a $1.3 million grant as part of the massive federal stimulus package. The money will open the first and only community health clinic in Grand Prairie, Texas, a town near Dallas....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Critics: Texas Agency Favors Builders Over Buyers Updated: 2009-03-30 05:03:30 Description: Texas homebuilders are rallying to save a state commission created to handle buyers' complaints. Homebuyers say the process is stacked in the builders' favor — and two state reports agree. Now state lawmakers are considering whether to abolish ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Out Of Work And Need Support? Try A Local Church Updated: 2009-03-31 05:03:11 Description: Support groups for the unemployed are cropping up at churches nationwide. At Hope Community Church in Raleigh, N.C., a support group for the unemployed meets to share job leads and resume tips. They also pray and try to support each other spiritually...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Wary Of Wall Street? Invest In A Dairy Farm Updated: 2009-03-13 05:03:11 Description: Organic farmer Dante Hesse needs to raise about $700,000 to upgrade his dairy. When Hesse couldn't get a loan through usual channels, he turned to his customers for help. Though he's got no collateral or co-signers, some say they're ready to invest....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Housing Chief Plans To Shore Up HUD's Foundation Updated: 2009-03-14 05:03:28 Description: The Department of Housing and Urban Development's new secretary, Shaun Donovan, says he needs to prove that his agency, long blasted as mismanaged, can deliver on promises. That's key now that HUD is tasked with implementing the $75 billion housing r...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD IRS Chief: Agency Works With Taxpayers In Trouble Updated: 2009-03-07 06:06:38 Description: As Americans struggle with the economic downturn, the IRS says it is trying to be more flexible this tax-filing season with those who are in financial trouble. IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman says the agency can be lenient in hardship cases....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Optimism Boosts Florida Housing Market Updated: 2009-03-08 06:06:04 Description: Construction and real estate play big roles in the Florida economy. The area around Cape Coral is known as "ground zero" of the housing crisis. Last year, it led the nation in foreclosures. But there are signs of hope as sales increase and the housi...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Ex-Prisoner Sues California Over Years In Solitary Updated: 2009-03-09 05:03:26 Description: Ernesto Lira spent years in solitary confinement after California authorities declared he was associated with a violent prison gang. Now he's suing California in a case that's bringing the state's pre-emptive methods of dealing with suspected gang me...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Schools Already Making Plans With Stimulus Money Updated: 2009-03-10 05:00:36 Description: The more than $100 billion allocated for education in the administration's stimulus package will take some time to trickle down to local school districts, but planning is already under way in some areas for how to spend the money....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'Sexting': A Disturbing New Teen Trend? Updated: 2009-03-12 05:05:09 Description: One in five teens reportedly texts nude or partially nude photos to another teen. In at least four states, "sexting" kids are facing charges of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a minor. Many other states are grappling with how to handle t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Scientists Close To Universal Vaccine For Flu Updated: 2009-02-23 06:03:33 Description: Every year, scientists have to predict what strains of flu will be prevalent and then build a vaccine around them. And sometimes those predictions are wrong. But now, researchers may have found an Achilles' heel common to many flu viruses, even the v...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Who's Hiring These Days? The FDIC Updated: 2009-02-25 06:03:29 Description: The FDIC is bringing on hundreds of employees to help cope with increasing bank failures. When a bank collapses, agency employees quietly show up and take over. Some will secure the vaults. Some will audit files. All are told to keep quiet about it....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD American Express' $300 Deal Shows Industry Trend Updated: 2009-02-26 06:03:29 Description: American Express announced Monday it's offering $300 to a limited number of cardholders who agree to close their accounts. Consumers Union attorney Gail Hillebrand says the deal is a trend among credit card companies looking to protect themselves fro...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Wall Street Banker Turns Toxic Asset Sleuth Updated: 2009-02-27 11:04:22 Description: Wit Solberg is a sort of "toxic asset detective." After a career on Wall Street — where he was part of the industry that helped create toxic assets — Solberg now works in Kansas City, helping small banks unravel the investments they have ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Bailing Out Banks, One Toxic Asset At A Time Updated: 2009-02-28 06:07:43 Description: Raj Bhatia and Albert Behin are convinced they can make money buying up mortgages that no one else seems to want. The former hedge fund manager and mortgage broker want toxic assets — the stuff that's killing banks' balance sheets....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Welcome To The Twitterverse Updated: 2009-03-01 06:03:10 Description: NPR's social media strategist, Andy Carvin, spends most of his time working behind the scenes, but once a month or so, he finds his way on air to talk about Internet culture. For Weekend Edition, he found himself talking about technology — and ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD QWERTY Love: Typewriters Endure In A Digital Age Updated: 2009-03-03 06:03:27 Description: Before the advent of cell phones and texting, typing was done with all 10 fingers — not just two thumbs. Those were the days of clackety machines of communication called typewriters. Those days aren't totally gone. In the heart of California's ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Banks Refusing To Take Back Foreclosed Properties Updated: 2009-03-04 06:03:22 Description: Let's say you made mistakes, borrowed more than you should have — or maybe you lost your job — and now have to walk away from your house. In some parts of the country, simply walking away isn't so simple — especially if the bank doe...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD After 66 Years, Veteran Reunited With Dog Tag Updated: 2009-03-05 06:00:50 Description: In 1943, Joseph Farish was based at Camp Kilmer, N.J. Before leaving to fight in World War II, he traveled to New York City and lost his dog tags. Last week, Sydney Rector, 19, and her boyfriend, Stevin Tyska, spotted one of the tags in a tunnel in M...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Arrests Revive Debate Over Assisted Suicide Updated: 2009-03-06 06:03:41 Description: Prosecutors in Georgia recently charged four members of a group called the Final Exit Network with assisting in suicides. Investigators say they could be involved in as many as 300 deaths. The group's president, Jerry Dincin, who was not charged, say...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'Americans': The Book That Changed Photography Updated: 2009-02-15 06:03:27 Description: In 1959, Robert Frank's The Americans dramatically altered how photographers looked through viewfinders and how Americans saw themselves....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Stimulus Money Meets Mixed Reactions From States Updated: 2009-02-16 06:03:11 Description: Around the country, the lights in governors' offices have been burning late as staff members digest the details of the new federal stimulus package Congress passed on Friday. Some governors are concerned the federal spending might not be the help the...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Brewery Business Hopping Despite Tanking Economy Updated: 2009-02-11 06:03:29 Description: Beer sales in the U.S. are going strong despite the lagging economy. Both small breweries and large breweries alike are struggling to keep up with demand as consumers are drinking at home more....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Six-Word Memoirs: The Valentine's Day Edition Updated: 2009-02-12 06:03:29 Description: Can you sum up your love life in exactly six words? Hundreds of famous and not-so-famous authors rose to the challenge for Smith magazine's Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Darwin's Earthworm Experiments Broke New Ground Updated: 2009-02-13 06:03:29 Description: While Charles Darwin is most remembered for his revolutionary theory of evolution, he also studied earthworms. He proposed the theory that earthworms, then considered pests, actually processed soil, making it more fertile....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Valentine's Cupcakes From Nigella Lawson Updated: 2009-02-14 06:03:12 Description: As Valentine's Day approaches, one person who doesn't get mushy about it is food writer Nigella Lawson. Still, she jumps at the chance to make her own cupcakes. "I think that adults have some sort of yearning for childish things, childish foods," Law...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Fruit Fly Scientists Swatted Down Over 'Cheap Date' Updated: 2009-02-10 06:03:26 Description: One of the privileges of being a scientist is that when you discover something new, you get to name it anything you want. So scientists have labeled fruit fly genes things like "Cheap Date," "I'm Not Dead Yet" and "Sonic Hedgehog." But human patients...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Treasury Debates What To Spend, Whom To Save Updated: 2009-02-06 06:06:06 Description: A small group is meeting at the Treasury Department — largely in secret — to rewrite the rules of how the government will save the banking system. It is deciding how to spend more than $300 billion — the remainder of the $700 billi...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Young Bosses Push Elders To Embrace Technology Updated: 2009-02-08 06:03:11 Description: As baby boomers delay retirement, they are finding themselves with bosses who are younger — and more tech-savvy — than they are. For many older workers, that means learning to live with a BlackBerry, Facebook and other high-tech tools....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Darwin, Britain's Hero, Is Still Controversial In U.S. Updated: 2009-02-09 06:03:32 Description: Science long ago proclaimed Darwin's theory of evolution a winner. And in honor of his 200th birthday, England is issuing commemorative stamps, coins — even quilts — in honor of its hero. But in parts of the U.S., Darwin's theories remai...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'Dusty': PBS Vet Takes Kids' TV Out Of The Box Updated: 2009-01-31 06:03:29 Description: In 2005, PBS decided not to air an episode of a children's show because it featured a family with gay parents. Now a real-life kids'-TV writer has built a stage play around the story behind the episode that didn't air....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Harvey Pekar Makes His Opera Debut Updated: 2009-02-01 06:03:26 Description: Leave Me Alone is a new jazz opera by writer and social commentator Harvey Pekar and saxophonist and composer Dan Plonsey about the future of cutting-edge music and marital discord. The entire opera will be webcast live on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Can Stimulus Funding Help Promote Wellness? Updated: 2009-02-02 06:06:48 Description: The stimulus bill would support programs to promote healthier lifestyles. But an ongoing debate is taking place as to whether these programs would actually save money in the long run....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Abuse Scandal Plagues Hasidic Jews In Brooklyn Updated: 2009-02-03 06:03:11 Description: Two men have come forward with allegations that they were abused by leaders of their Hasidic community in Brooklyn when they were children. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect, known for devout religious beliefs and insular culture, says it has investigat...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Joe Torre On Life With The Yankees Updated: 2009-02-04 06:05:21 Description: The former New York Yankees manager tells NPR about his time running the team, his views on steroids, and his relationships with key players like Alex Rodriguez. Torre, who now manages the Los Angeles Dodgers, has a new book out called The Yankee Yea...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Blagojevich At The Movies: A Hero In His Own Epic Updated: 2009-01-28 06:03:25 Description: The Illinois governor has taken to using movie quotes to make the case that he's being railroaded in the ongoing corruption case brought against him back in December. Bob Mondello takes stock of the footage....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD For Tips On Riding Financial Waves, Ask Fishermen Updated: 2009-01-29 06:03:29 Description: Americans suffering in the anemic economy could take a lesson from fishermen, who have learned how to manage ebbs and flows. They cooperate with their competitors, diversify their businesses and depend on their communities. Above all, they stay optim...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Obama Gives Keynes His First Real-World Test Updated: 2009-01-30 06:03:27 Description: British economist John Maynard Keynes believed government spending could pull an economy out of recession. After deficits ballooned in the 1970s, his ideas were widely discredited. Now, with the Obama administration's $825 billion stimulus plan, Keyn...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Ice Climber Tackles Iowa Silos Updated: 2009-01-25 06:03:10 Description: When you think of locations for extreme winter sports, Iowa doesn't usually spring to mind. For the past 10 years, Don Briggs has been trying to change that. He's been icing the sides of grain silos and scaling them just as you would Mount Everest ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Eternal Flame: Zippo Set To Reach Milestone Updated: 2009-01-26 06:03:11 Description: The windproof Zippo lighter's familiar click and blue flame have been an American mainstay. As the company prepares to make its 500 millionth lighter, it is still guaranteeing them for life — and repairing them in Bradford, Pa., where the compa...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'No Cussing' Founder: Mind Your Dang Language Updated: 2009-01-27 06:03:11 Description: A 15-year-old launched a club to encourage his friends to stop cussing around him. He's now spawned a 30,000-member global movement and has made media appearances and written a book. His fame and ideas, though, have made him a target of bullying and...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD National Zoo Desperately Seeks Bamboo Updated: 2009-01-22 06:03:13 Description: Most homeowners who battle bamboo in their yards know it to be a tenacious and exasperating opponent. Some species of the giant grass can grow 2 feet in a day. Now, the National Zoo is turning to Washington, D.C.-area residents for help feeding its t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Saving Folk History, One Recording At A Time Updated: 2009-01-23 06:05:00 Description: A small group of musicians is trying to preserve American folk music. These players aren't professional archivists or producers; their old, rare cassette and reel-to-reel tapes are scattered across the country. Members of the Field Recorders' Collect...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'Friday Night Lights': One Final Shot At Glory? Updated: 2009-01-24 06:03:30 Description: Though hailed by critics, NBC's Friday Night Lights has struggled to find an audience. Can a unique deal with DirecTV turn the game around? As the third season airs on NBC, fans hold out hope....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In One State, There's Little Celebration Over Obama Updated: 2009-01-18 06:06:51 Description: Many people in Wyoming are anticipating Inauguration Day with a mix of curiosity and dread. Only 33 percent of voters in the Cowboy State went for Barack Obama. No state voted less Democratic. Even so, many say they'll still give him the respect any ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'We Are One' Concert Kicks Off Inaugural Festivities Updated: 2009-01-19 06:03:11 Description: The first official inaugural event: a free concert at the Lincoln Memorial, with a cast of megawatt singers, rockers and actors. NPR's Debbie Elliott joins host Rebecca Roberts to talk about the scene at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Unemployed Without Benefits: A Couple's Struggle Updated: 2009-01-15 06:03:31 Description: Barbara and Gary Ratner, who live in Atlanta, aren't eligible for unemployment assistance, so they're seeking creative ways to make ends meet. The couple — in their 60s — have drawn $10,000 out of retirement and are considering dropping t...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Gifts For The Gods: Food For The Chinese New Year Updated: 2009-01-17 06:03:25 Description: A tradition for the Chinese New Year is to leave out food for the kitchen god to ensure a prosperous year. Food writer Grace Young talks about the reasons for putting food on the altar —and some of the recipes her family cooks up, like fried ga...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In Bush's Wake, A New Political Landscape Updated: 2009-01-14 06:06:49 Description: In a few days, George W. Bush's presidency will come to a close. He leaves the political landscape considerably altered in his wake: The path to the White House is now a grass-roots one, and a once-strong GOP coalition is now shattered....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Missions Leave No Soldier Behind In Afghanistan Updated: 2009-01-10 06:05:45 Description: No American soldiers are listed as missing in action in Afghanistan, thanks in part to the emphasis on helicopter rescue and recovery missions. One recent nighttime mission to recover a dead soldier required precision flying and harrowing rescue mane...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Joan Rivers Talks About Nips, Tucks And New Book Updated: 2009-01-11 06:03:38 Description: Joan Rivers' plastic-surgery adventures are as well-known as her penchant for joking about them. And her new book, Men Are Stupid... And They Like Big Boobs: A Woman's Guide to Beauty Through Plastic Surgery, doesn't hold back any details....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Day That Defined A Presidency: Sept. 11, 2001 Updated: 2009-01-12 06:06:07 Description: The White House went on war footing after Sept. 11, expanding executive authority and establishing a rationale for pre-emptive war. Framing every policy in terms of the attacks became the theme of the Bush era....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Interactive Games Make Museums A Place To Play Updated: 2009-01-13 06:04:47 Description: On a recent evening, 100 museum professionals gathered in Washington, D.C., to hear a lecture — not about funding, or curatorial responsibility — but about games. Museum directors are hoping alternate reality games will get visitors of al...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Iowa Family Pitches In To Make Profit Off Livestock Updated: 2009-01-03 06:03:27 Description: Each year, the Griffieons net about $5,000 from the cattle, hogs, chickens and turkeys they raise on their farm. Craig Griffieon tends to the cattle, while his wife, LaVon, and daughter Autumn sell the meat. Autumn says she gets attached to the anima...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD NASA's Mars Rovers Still Making Tracks Updated: 2009-01-04 06:08:28 Description: Five years ago, NASA's roving robot called Spirit landed safely on Mars, followed by the rover Opportunity three weeks later. Expected to explore for about three months, the rovers are still exploring the Red Planet today....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Predictions For 2009 From 'The Onion' Updated: 2009-01-05 06:03:10 Description: Not much happened in 2008, says Onion editor Joe Randazzo, but one event did prove popular enough that his satirical news publication predicts we'll see it reprised this year....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'Time' Photographer Captures Obama Moments Updated: 2009-01-06 06:04:14 Description: President-elect Obama and his wife, Michelle, sent their daughters off to the first day at their new school Monday morning in Washington, D.C. One of the people capturing the intimate moment was Time magazine photographer Callie Shell, who has been s...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Burris Gets The Senate Boot, Vows To Take Seat Updated: 2009-01-07 06:07:55 Description: Roland Burris came to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to take his seat as the junior senator from Illinois, but the Democratic leadership in the Senate kept him out. Despite getting shunned, Burris says the law is on his side....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD This Winter, More Cause For Broadway Discontent Updated: 2009-01-08 06:04:03 Description: The recession has hit Broadway hard: Nine shows, including Young Frankenstein, closed this week, and four more have posted notices. Jeff Lunden talks to a veteran producer and a young investor to see how bad the outlook is....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Auto Models Rev Up To Sell At Detroit Auto Show Updated: 2009-01-09 06:07:40 Description: Auto models have been showing off cars for decades, but now they play a much bigger role in selling vehicles, according to Margery Krevsky, who runs an auto modeling talent agency. They may be needed this year more than ever with the industry in the ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Reclaiming Detroit Means Reinventing A City Updated: 2008-12-29 06:05:25 Description: These days, stories about Detroit paint the American auto mecca as a city that's lost its way. But for the remaining residents of the shrinking city, it's also an urban frontier of the imagination....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Study: Tolerance Can Lower Gay Kids' Suicide Risk Updated: 2008-12-30 06:02:05 Description: Gay young adults have one of the highest rates of suicide attempts, and kids who are rejected by their parents have the most problems. New research says when a parent is neutral about a son or daughter being gay, or even only mildly critical, that go...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Loaves And The Fishes (And The Ducks) Updated: 2008-12-31 06:03:32 Description: As long as anyone can remember, locals and tourists have tossed bread to the carp and ducks at the Linesville Spillway in northwest Pennsylvania. The fish are so thick that mallard ducks, also in search of a free meal, literally hop, skip and jump on...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 2008: Spitzer, Chillicothe, Zion And Pierre Updated: 2009-01-01 06:03:27 Description: As the year draws to an end, we revisit some of the major news stories we reported on and the people — and penguins — we met to find out what's happening now....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Coping With An Autistic Brother: A Teenager's Take Updated: 2009-01-02 06:08:29 Description: Each year, about one child in every 150 is diagnosed with autism. Eleven-year-old Andrew Skillings has Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism. Andrew's older sister, Marissa, talks about how she copes with her brother's meltdowns — and how ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Filmmaker Reflects On 'Waltz With Bashir' Reception Updated: 2008-12-27 06:03:38 Description: Although Ari Folman's father warned him not to create the animated film about Israeli involvement in a massacre during the 1982 Lebanon war, the filmmaker did so anyway, in part to dissuade teenagers from going to war. To Folman's surprise, it was em...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Israeli Airstrikes Target Hamas In Gaza Strip Updated: 2008-12-28 06:03:30 Description: A day-long Israeli bombardment of Hamas police and security compounds across the Gaza Strip has left more than two hundred Palestinians dead and several hundred wounded. It was the single bloodiest day of fighting in Gaza in years. NPR's Eric Weste...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Activists Clamor For Organic Farm At White House Updated: 2008-12-25 06:03:25 Description: Barack Obama will have his hands full when he takes office in January, and some groups want to make sure his belly is full, too — full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Several campaigns are petitioning the next president to feed his family with ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Injured Veteran Reunites With Bomb Dog And Medic Updated: 2008-12-15 06:00:42 Description: Jamie Mangan suffered catastrophic injuries when her Humvee ran over an IED near Kirkuk, Iraq. She still suffers from the effects of brain injuries, but she gets support from Rex, the bomb-sniffing German Shepard she thought had died in the blast, an...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Holiday Technology Guide: What's Affordable Updated: 2008-12-16 06:08:28 Description: Despite the dour state of the economy, there are still plenty of technology gifts that may not be fancy, but may be useful and affordable. Omar Gallaga, technology reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, talks about how to stretch those tech doll...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Researchers Find New Evidence Of Dark Energy Updated: 2008-12-17 06:06:50 Description: Studying the growth of galaxy clusters has led researchers to new clues about the possible existence of dark energy. Though some say it could be that scientists just don't fully understand gravity yet....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD First U.S. Face Transplant Performed In Cleveland Updated: 2008-12-18 06:08:19 Description: A near-total face transplant has been conducted at the Cleveland Clinic. The procedure is the first of its kind in the U.S., following partial face transplants performed in France and China....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Jason Crigler: Hope And Recovery Updated: 2008-12-19 06:05:51 Description: The guitarist's new CD, The Music of Jason Crigler, deserves attention because of the variety of style and performance, and the natural fit you often hear between singer and song. But the story behind this recording, which was nine years in the makin...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD How To Make A Dream Gingerbread Home Updated: 2008-12-20 06:03:12 Description: Cookbook author Dorie Greenspan offers tips on how to make a gingerbread house, cottage or McMansion. Although Greenspan suggests spreading the work out over a few days, she and Michele Norris recently constructed one in a day....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Master Bricklayer Preserves His Craft Updated: 2008-12-21 06:03:11 Description: Melvin Moore, 75, teaches beginner "brickies" this age-old craft. His masonry work can be seen at the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress and buildings at nearly all the major universities in Washington, D.C....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Vet's Recovery Takes Family's Dedication Updated: 2008-12-22 06:03:26 Description: Army Staff Sgt. Robert Henline suffered severe burns over 38 percent of his body when his truck hit a roadside bomb. His recovery has been difficult, but he and his family keep looking forward to the "next positive thing."...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD For 'Fight Club' Director, A Side Step Into Romance Updated: 2008-12-23 06:03:18 Description: The director of the brutal Fight Club and the serial-killer thriller Seven has teamed up with Brad Pitt again — but this time the movie they've made is a swooning big-screen romance....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Blind Man Sees With Subconscious Eye Updated: 2008-12-24 06:03:27 Description: A man left clinically blind by a stroke was able to perfectly navigate an obstacle course. Yet he had no idea he was doing it. This remarkable case of "blind sight" is providing new clues to the mind's subconscious eye....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 100-Year-Old Gears Up For Obama's Inauguration Updated: 2008-12-05 06:02:37 Description: Lillian Allen, who turned 100 in April, says she never expected to see a black man sworn in as president in her lifetime. The Pittsburgh native who volunteered for the Obama campaign plans to travel to Washington, D.C., for the historic inauguration....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD General: Why Afghanistan Needs More U.S. Troops Updated: 2008-12-06 06:08:37 Description: Gen. David McKiernan, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, tells NPR that defeating the threat in Afghanistan is of "vital national security interest." He says fighting the insurgency will take a long time and the ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Tom Jones Still Sings To The Back Rows Updated: 2008-12-07 06:03:26 Description: For more than 40 years, Tom Jones has been strutting his stuff across the stage. Now, at 68, he's got a new album called 24 Hours, his first U.S. studio disc in more than 15 years. It combines big-band sounds with catchy beats, occasionally suggestiv...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Iraq Veteran Suffers Wounds That Can't Be Seen Updated: 2008-12-08 06:03:25 Description: For thousands of young men and women coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the price exacted by war is obvious. Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, John Blaufus' injuries didn't appear until he tried to resume the life he had before the w...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Balancing Form, Function In Museum Architecture Updated: 2008-12-09 06:01:40 Description: Two American museums designed by one world-famous architect have evoked two very different reactions from visitors and critics alike. Laura Sydell investigates the tensions between form and function in the latest installment of NPR's series on 21st-c...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Mexico's 1968 Massacre: What Really Happened? Updated: 2008-12-02 06:17:21 Description: In 1968, students in Mexico City challenged the country's government. On Oct. 2, troops opened fire on a crowd of student demonstrators. Forty years later, the exact death toll remains a mystery. But official documents suggest that military snipers m...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Companies Say 'Bah, Humbug!' To Holiday Parties Updated: 2008-12-04 06:10:13 Description: Scores of U.S. businesses plan to forgo their annual bash as a response to the slumping economy. One business consultant says the decline in parties doesn't bode well for the futures of the companies cutting back....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Museum Of American History: A Gem Gets Polished Updated: 2008-11-21 06:03:54 Description: Washington's National Mall will regain a star attraction Friday, when the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History reopens after a two-year renovation. It took $85 million and a horde of curators, builders, architects and advisers to reframe...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Thanksgiving Treat: Special Cranberry Relish Updated: 2008-11-22 06:23:18 Description: Every year as Thanksgiving approaches, friends ask NPR's Susan Stamberg for her mother-in-law's recipe for cranberry relish. The side dish combines the sweet tartness of cranberries with soothing sour cream — and gets a kick from a little horse...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Maps Give Glimpse Of How The World Really Looks Updated: 2008-11-23 06:03:33 Description: Mark Newman, co-author of The Atlas of the Real World: Mapping the Way We Live, says there are more things to understand about the world than how many acres there are in a country. The new book redraws the world in ways other than by land mass....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Border Security Challenges Next Administration Updated: 2008-11-24 06:03:23 Description: Nearly 700 miles of barriers are under construction along the U.S.-Mexico border as a part of a three-pronged strategy to beef up border security. It's up to the next head of Homeland Security to assess whether the strategy is working....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD When Is Social Networking Kosher In The Office? Updated: 2008-11-25 06:05:39 Description: Millions of people use Twitter to post short updates about what they're doing, what they're reading and whom they're talking to. Now there's a new tool similar to Twitter that can help keep work e-mail inboxes clean. It's called Yammer....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Ex-Skinhead And His Victim Form Unlikely Alliance Updated: 2008-11-26 06:08:06 Description: For nearly three decades Tim Zaal thought he had kicked a gay man to death during his rage-filled youth. Then one day, he found himself face to face with the man he thought he had killed. After some extreme awkwardness, they decided to use their stor...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Back In Vogue: The Retro Way To Pay For Presents Updated: 2008-11-27 06:00:30 Description: This season, stores like TJ Maxx and Sears are offering customers the option to buy on layaway — make a deposit, and the store keeps the goods until the price is paid in full. Layaway had been discontinued decades ago, but it's making a comebac...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Indigenous Echoes In A Thanksgiving Feast Updated: 2008-11-28 06:03:39 Description: Though historians aren't entirely sure what was served at the first Thanksgiving meal in 1621, chefs at the National Museum of the American Indian have developed a menu reflecting tribal culinary traditions....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Career In Radio And Listening For The Edits Updated: 2008-11-29 06:08:08 Description: As part of StoryCorps' National Day of Listening project, Susan Stamberg and Noah Adams talk about how radio has changed them and the art of listening. The project encourages people to sit down with a loved one on Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving,...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Jon Scieszka, A Seriously Funny 'Knucklehead' Updated: 2008-11-30 06:08:12 Description: Children's author Jon Scieszka has written two dozen fantastical books, including The Stinky Cheese Man and the Time Warp Trio series, but his most recent work is an autobiography geared toward children....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD How Obama Mapped Out His Path To Power Updated: 2008-11-06 06:01:57 Description: President-elect Barack Obama has followed an extraordinary path that lifted him from the category of "flash in the pan" first-term senator to the Oval Office in less than four years. His well-organized campaign always seemed to know how to respond to...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Brit Hume To Step Down As Fox News Anchor Updated: 2008-11-07 06:05:56 Description: The longtime journalist plans to leave the nightly news anchor chair later this year to become a part-time pundit. Hume says he wants to devote more time to golf, grandchildren and Bible study — and that he's tired of the partisan sniping in Wa...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Municipalities Squeezed In Bond Market Updated: 2008-11-08 06:02:06 Description: When the normally quiet bond market went haywire, cities and towns across America found themselves stuck with rising payments and projects in jeopardy. But why?...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Black Masculinity: Dueling Images Of Power Updated: 2008-11-09 06:02:37 Description: Byron Hurt, the producer of the Web documentary Barack and Curtis, talks about the changing face of black masculinity in the U.S. since Barack Obama's rise to power....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Gun Sales Rise On Fear Of Democratic President Updated: 2008-11-10 06:03:12 Description: Gun shops around the country have been reporting record sales in the past month. Many of the sales are due to anxiety that a new Democratic administration may impose tougher gun laws....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD How To Track Music, Scan Bar Codes On A Cell Phone Updated: 2008-11-11 06:03:25 Description: Tech expert Omar Gallaga of the Austin American-Statesman talks about some of the newest cell phone applications. One allows you to scan bar codes on products like books to comparison shop. Another will identify music you're listening to if you're in...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Favors, Inconsistencies Taint Angola Murder Case Updated: 2008-10-29 05:03:17 Description: Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox spent 36 years in solitary confinement in a Louisiana prison for the murder of a corrections officer. Decades later, questions are surfacing about how the wife of the lead investigator ended up as the forewoman on th...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD On The Mississippi, Two Views Of The Candidates Updated: 2008-10-30 05:03:25 Description: In Missouri, polls show presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama are neck and neck. Two voters — a deckhand on a small passenger ferry and a fuel truck driver who takes the ferry — have vastly different takes on the election....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Missouri Farming Couple Worries About The Future Updated: 2008-10-31 05:03:12 Description: Bryan and Christina Truemper live on the "brink of poverty" with their two young children in Frohna, Mo. They don't have health care and worry about the country falling into a depression. But they also say a new presidency could make a difference....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Studs Terkel, Oral Historian And Radio Legend, 96 Updated: 2008-11-01 05:09:48 Description: Terkel, who came of age during the Great Depression, often said America suffered from what he called a national Alzheimer's disease. His oral histories and radio interviews with everyday Americans helped document the nation's past....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Growing Pains Come To Harlem Updated: 2008-11-02 05:03:28 Description: New York City's famed black neighborhood wrestles with what the current round of gentrification means for its identity. Some residents are concerned that what once made Harlem special will soon be lost through new economic growth....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Court Weighs Reach Of Drug Warning Labels Updated: 2008-11-04 06:07:47 Description: In a case involving drug labels and the Food and Drug Administration, the court considers whether lawsuits against drug makers can be limited when consumers are harmed....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Gut Bacteria May Cause And Fight Disease, Obesity Updated: 2008-11-05 06:00:50 Description: These genes aren't from your parents, but the genetic code of the bacteria in your gut can determine your health — and affect conditions like type 1 diabetes and obesity....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Chicago High School Raises Crops, Career Hopes Updated: 2008-10-26 05:03:11 Description: Students at Chicago's High School for Agricultural Sciences learn from farming livestock and crops, but they also train for several other careers. Ag High's curriculum includes subjects such as English, history and science, along with classes literal...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD In S.D., Native Americans Face Voting Roadblocks Updated: 2008-10-27 05:03:11 Description: Early voting in the United States is giving voters easier access to the polls. But if you're a Native American on the Rosebud or Pine Ridge reservations in South Dakota, early voting is not so easy. Most South Dakotans have the option to vote early i...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Doubts Arise About 1972 Angola Prison Murder Updated: 2008-10-28 05:03:23 Description: In 1972, a popular young correctional officer was stabbed to death at Angola prison. Two inmates were quickly convicted of the crime and placed in solitary confinement for nearly four decades. Now, all these years later, the murder seems even more el...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Debating 'Drill, Baby, Drill' At Site Of '69 Spill Updated: 2008-10-23 05:04:07 Description: Since 1969, when Santa Barbara's coast was the site of a devastating oil spill, the county has been staunchly opposed to more offshore drilling. But with the recent removal of a federal ban, some in the area seem to be having a change of heart....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD How McCain Shed Pariah Status Among Evangelicals Updated: 2008-10-24 05:06:45 Description: John McCain's relationship with evangelicals became strained during his 2000 presidential bid. But he has boosted his standing by selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate and by making appearances at places such as Southern California's Saddleback C...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Air Bag Fraud: Underreported 'Life And Death Scam' Updated: 2008-10-13 05:03:11 Description: A Weekend Edition investigation shows that some unscrupulous auto repair shops and used-car dealers have victimized consumers by stealing or not replacing air bags. Get tips for spotting air bag fraud and see what one victim found inside her car....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A Never-Ending Battle Over Farming With Chemicals Updated: 2008-10-14 05:03:25 Description: The Griffieons, who run a 1,150-acre farm in Iowa, disagree about whether to use chemicals on their corn and soybeans. They reserve a 10-acre plot for experiments with organic farming, but the crop yield wasn't as hearty as those sprayed with pestici...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Arranged Marriage: Trapped Between Two Cultures Updated: 2008-10-15 05:03:35 Description: Many young Muslims in the U.S. clash with their parents over the issue of arranged marriages. Tensions involve family traditions and the yearning for independence....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD ACORN Has Long Been In Republicans' Cross Hairs Updated: 2008-10-16 05:03:20 Description: Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, the Republican National Committee and others have accused ACORN of widespread voter registration fraud. It's the latest, and most bitter, battle in a long conflict between conservatives and the grassroots gro...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Chocolate Milkshakes On The Brain Updated: 2008-10-17 05:03:11 Description: Scientists say they've discovered one reason overweight people eat more than they need to — and find it so hard to stop. Their findings, reported in the journal Science, stem from some high-tech brain scans, fancy genetic tests — and choc...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Queen Latifah Buzzes About 'Secret Life Of Bees' Updated: 2008-10-18 05:09:05 Description: The Golden Globe-winning actress talks about racism, her fear of bees and playing the oldest sister in The Secret Life of Bees. The new film is adapted from Sue Monk Kidd's best-selling novel....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Terrence Howard Talks Tunes, Family, Science Updated: 2008-10-19 05:03:27 Description: Two weeks ago, Terrence Howard's mother died. In the wake of her death, he is considering his family, his music and his career. He says it was not until two weeks ago that he became a grown man....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama Updated: 2008-10-20 05:03:11 Description: Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama on NBC's "Meet The Press" Sunday morning....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD McCain Shakes Off Powell's Endorsement Of Obama Updated: 2008-10-21 05:03:34 Description: Republican presidential hopeful John McCain was campaigning Sunday in the swing state of Ohio. He cast himself as the guardian of middle-class workers and small-business owners. McCain also said he was not surprised that former Secretary of State Col...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Facing The Downturn On A New York Farm Updated: 2008-10-22 05:03:11 Description: Doug and Kathy Rutz live on a farm near Binghamton, N.Y. The credit crisis has them wondering if they will be able to get loans to put their children through college....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Le Carre Tackles Terror In 'A Most Wanted Man' Updated: 2008-10-08 05:03:23 Description: John le Carre, a one-time British intelligence officer, has been writing spy stories for more than 40 years. In his latest novel, he explores the complexities of the war on terror....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Jellyfish Protein Researchers Win Chemistry Nobel Updated: 2008-10-09 05:03:26 Description: Two Americans and a Japanese researcher have won the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work creating a method of unveiling the previously invisible machinery inside living cells, using a protein that glows in the dark....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Artist Macaulay Decodes Body In 'Way We Work' Updated: 2008-10-07 05:03:11 Description: Best-selling author and illustrator David Macaulay takes a head-to-toe trip in The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body. He says illustrating how we work was so difficult, he almost gave up....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD A New Contender For Earth's Oldest Rock Updated: 2008-09-26 05:04:33 Description: It's hard to find rocks from the earliest days of the planet because the Earth's surface is constantly changing. But exposed bedrock on the eastern shore of the Hudson Bay in Quebec may be 4.3 billion years old....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Week America's Economy Almost Died Updated: 2008-09-27 05:06:10 Description: When short-term credit markets seized up last week, many economists and regulators say America faced a terrifying abyss. The nation risked becoming a place where no banks would lend and no customers could buy, where no one could get paid and commerce...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Fact-Checking The Candidates' Debate Updated: 2008-09-28 05:04:27 Description: During their debate Friday night, Barack Obama and John McCain clashed on the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and on the U.S. role in the world. A flare-up over Iran was the most contentious part of the debate. Were the candidates' statements ab...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Thomas Jefferson's Love Affair -- With Wine Updated: 2008-09-29 05:04:03 Description: Past fortified doors and beyond tourists' eyes, researchers are digging deep in the cellars of Monticello. It turns out the nation's third president may also have been America's first wine connoisseur....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Prosecutor To Probe Firings Of U.S. Attorneys Updated: 2008-09-30 05:01:06 Description: Attorney General Michael Mukasey has appointed federal prosecutor Nora Dannehy to pursue possible criminal charges against Republicans who were involved in the firings of U.S. attorneys. The move was recommended by a Justice Department report on the ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Unlike Stocks, Credit Market Fails To Rebound Updated: 2008-10-01 05:09:41 Description: The stock market bounced back Tuesday, regaining nearly 500 of the 777 points it lost Monday. While the volatility in the stock market has gotten a lot of attention, many economists are much more concerned about what's happening in the credit markets...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Political Songs: Beyond 'Obama Girl' Updated: 2008-10-02 05:03:38 Description: There's another debate taking place in this campaign: Its rhetoric is musical, and it's happening where presidential politics and homemade music collide. This goes beyond the Obama Girl and the McCain McCutie, into the realm of homemade and heartfelt...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Julianne Moore: Seeing Past Surfaces In 'Blindness' Updated: 2008-10-03 05:00:47 Description: Julianne Moore plays a seeing woman in a sightless world in Blindness, the film adaptation of Jose Saramago's apocalyptic novel. She describes working with director Fernando Meirelles on the eerie film about an epidemic of "White Sickness."...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Where Wall St. And Main St. Collide -- Literally Updated: 2008-10-05 17:25:42 Description: Politicians can't stop talking about the impact of a metonymical Wall Street on a metaphorical Main Street. But what about the spots across the country where the two streets actually intersect?...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Political Humor's Hysterical History Updated: 2008-10-06 05:03:28 Description: Satire has played a part in politics for hundreds of years, but how is it different in the YouTube era? Is it all in good fun, or is there something being lost in all the laughter?...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Tim Russert, 'Meet the Press' Host, Dead at 58 Updated: 2008-06-14 05:03:11 Description: NBC newsman Tim Russert died suddenly today of an apparent heart attack. Russert, who was 58, had hosted Meet the Press since 1991. He was known as a dogged interviewer and a well-sourced Washington insider. Under his leadership, the show became an e...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Can 'Blue Zones' Help Turn Back the Biological Clock? Updated: 2008-06-09 13:23:08 Description: Author Dan Buettner's new book The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest identifies parts of the world where pockets of people tend to live longer than the rest of us....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD iPhone Updated with New Features, Lower Price Updated: 2008-06-10 05:03:14 Description: Apple CEO Steve Jobs has announced the next generation of the popular iPhone. The new version, due in stores July 11, runs on the fast 3G network. The 3G iPhone costs less money and has other few new features. The new iPhone starts at $199 — fa...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'David vs. Goliath': City Takes On BAE Systems Updated: 2008-06-11 07:13:25 Description: A small suburb of Detroit takes on BAE Systems, alleging the giant British defense contractor funneled payments to a member of the Saudi royal family. The case, involving the city's pension fund, has players ranging from Tony Blair to a substitute te...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Trees Do Their Best Work with Thermostats at 70 Updated: 2008-06-12 05:04:47 Description: Scientists have uncovered a jaw-dropping fact: Trees around the world employ a range of tricks to keep their leaf temperature at 70 degrees when they soak up the sun and produce wood and sugar. It's as true for a tree growing in the tropics as for a ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Bicycle Activists Take to the Freeways in L.A. Updated: 2008-06-13 05:06:35 Description: Cyclists in Los Angeles have to deal with traffic, smog and a scarcity of bike lanes. Now one group of activists has created a new kind of protest — riding their bikes on the interstate at rush hour. The Crimanimalz say they're out to prove a p...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Bred for Edge, Greatest Racers May Have Handicaps Updated: 2008-06-05 05:03:58 Description: Big Brown may accomplish what no horse has done for 30 years — win racing's Triple Crown. But Big Brown's path to the Belmont Stakes has been marred with questions. Some vets say racehorses are breaking down more often because they're being br...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Whither the Necktie? The End of One Natty Era Updated: 2008-06-06 05:03:38 Description: Tie sales have been dropping for years, and now the trade group that represents American tie makers is shutting down, according to JA Apparel CEO Marty Staff, who considers the tie's uncertain future....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Rowling's Harvard Speech Doesn't Entrance All Updated: 2008-06-07 05:03:36 Description: J.K. Rowling gave the commencement address at Harvard on Thursday. While some graduates were giddy to hear from the Harry Potter author, others grumbled. They noted that Harvard is known for inviting heavy hitters, like Bill Gates, to address student...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Mother of Three Returns to Weight Lifting, Olympics Updated: 2008-06-08 05:03:11 Description: Melanie Roach has been chasing an Olympic dream for more than a decade. A self-described "girly girl," Roach hardly looks like she can lift twice her body weight. But lifting may be the easiest part of her day — one of Roach's children is autis...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Summer Books to Feed Your Literary Addiction Updated: 2008-06-04 05:04:26 Description: Alan Cheuse confesses his literary addiction — and offers reading suggestions for other book junkies....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Mr. Spock: The 'Mystery of Masculinity' Embodied Updated: 2008-06-02 05:01:58 Description: When Gene Roddenberry was putting Star Trek together, NBC execs had some advice: "Lose the Martian." We all know how that turned out: Mr. Spock (a Vulcan) ranks among the most fascinating characters in TV history....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Nod to Obama Costs Lawyer Kmiec in Church Updated: 2008-06-03 07:14:05 Description: Conservative lawyer Douglas Kmiec was denied communion recently at a mass connected with a gathering of Catholic business people. The priest denounced Kmiec's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama, then refused to give Kmiec communion. ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Perfect Pitch: The Drama of Collegiate A Capella Updated: 2008-06-01 05:01:14 Description: Scott Simon talks with Mickey Rapkin about his new book, "Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory," which weaves together the drama of three groups trying to claim glory without instruments....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Chimp that Learned Sign Language Updated: 2008-05-29 05:02:39 Description: Project Nim was a research study conducted in the 1970s meant to find out if a chimpanzee could learn to sign. The study's chimp –- named Nim Chimpsky -– lived in a Manhattan brownstone with a family who could teach him sign language....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD McClellan: Bush Embraced Political 'Game' Too Often Updated: 2008-05-30 07:13:17 Description: Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan insists his scathing memoir is not the work of a disgruntled ex-employee — as some of his old colleagues have argued — but an effort to tell the truth to help clean up Washington....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Authorities Hunt for Graves at Manson Hideout Updated: 2008-05-21 05:08:18 Description: Authorities are searching for bodies at a Death Valley, Calif., ranch where Charles Manson hid after killing seven people in the summer of 1969. A dog named Buster, trained to find cadavers, helped spark the search....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Nanotubes, Like Asbestos, Could Threaten Health Updated: 2008-05-22 05:04:41 Description: Tiny tubes made of carbon atoms have promised to revolutionize industry. But a new study in mice suggests that one kind of nanotube produces biological changes like those caused by asbestos....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Slugging to Work: Anonymous Ride-Sharing Updated: 2008-05-23 05:03:40 Description: If you've ever sat in rush-hour traffic, gazing longingly at the cars rushing by in the high-occupancy vehicle lanes, try doing something your parents warned you never to do: Hop in a car with a complete stranger behind the wheel....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Booksellers' Selections for Summer Afternoons Updated: 2008-05-24 05:03:11 Description: What better way to spend a summer afternoon than curled up with a good book? NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg asks three independent booksellers for their picks for lazy days and warm nights....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Mel Brooks Blazes Wacky Trail Updated: 2008-05-25 05:03:40 Description: Actor, director, producer and comedian Mel Brooks talks about his new Broadway musical Young Frankenstein, the movie and potential stage production of Blazing Saddles, and his long and successful career....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD The Dude: A Little Lebowski, Alive in All of Us Updated: 2008-05-26 05:03:37 Description: His given name is Jeffrey Lebowski — but the stoner hero of The Big Lebowski prefers to be called the Dude. As Guy Raz discovers, he's part fiction, part reality. But there's a little Dude in each of us....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Mosquito War: New Chemicals May Beat DEET Updated: 2008-05-27 05:03:10 Description: A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found several chemicals that may be more effective mosquito repellents than DEET. The gold standard for discouraging mosquitoes, it wasn't known until recently how DEET affects th...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Some Muslims in U.S. Quietly Engage in Polygamy Updated: 2008-05-28 07:13:20 Description: Although polygamy is illegal in the U.S., some Muslim men in America have quietly married multiple wives. No one knows for sure how many Muslims in the U.S. live in polygamous families, but estimates range from 50,000 to 100,000 people....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Search for Victims Turns Up a Quake Survivor Updated: 2008-05-17 05:07:50 Description: Four days after a powerful earthquake struck China's Sichuan province, survivors are still being located, freed from rubble by rescue teams. Days after the quake, a search party found and rescued a survivor in a devastated village in Sichuan. But get...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Captain Fatty Lives the High Life on the High Seas Updated: 2008-05-19 05:03:11 Description: For 48 years, Captain Fatty Goodlander has lived aboard a sailboat exploring the world's high seas. This summer, he will send regular dispatches from his 38-foot cutter as he sails through Southeast Asia....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Who's the Brain Behind 'Aztec' Crystal Skulls? Updated: 2008-05-20 05:02:15 Description: Dozens of crystal skulls exist around the world, but none has proved to be a genuine Aztec artifact. Scientists remain puzzled: Where did they come from?...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD On Reality TV, Less Sleep Means More Drama Updated: 2008-05-15 05:03:31 Description: Research shows that sleep deprivation makes people emotionally volatile and temperamental — a fact that hasn't escaped the notice of some reality TV producers, who deny contestants sleep in an effort to kick up televised drama....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Bible Theme Park Faces Opposition in Tennessee Updated: 2008-05-16 05:05:10 Description: Developer Armon Bar-Tur has proposed a $200 million Bible theme park on 280 acres in Rutherford County, Tenn. Not everyone is convinced it will benefit the county....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD FBI Raids Office of Special Counsel Updated: 2008-05-07 05:00:20 Description: FBI agents on Tuesday raided the Office of the Special Counsel, the agency that investigates whistleblower and discrimination complaints by federal employees. The FBI is examining allegations of political misconduct by agency employees....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Two Families Grapple with Sons' Gender Preferences Updated: 2008-05-08 07:13:21 Description: Thousands of miles apart, two families noticed their toddler sons gravitated toward toys, colors and clothes generally associated with girls. Each family eventually decided to go with radically different approaches to their child's identity issues, a...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Parents Consider Treatment to Delay Son's Puberty Updated: 2008-05-09 05:07:30 Description: After years of struggling with their son's gender identity issues, Robert and Danielle decided to seek treatment. One option they are looking into would buy Armand, now Violet, more time to decide whether he wants to physically become a female. But i...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD How to Pack Everything You Own in One Bag Updated: 2008-05-10 05:03:36 Description: Now that many airlines are charging for a second checked bag, one packing expert reveals tricks travelers can use to pack everything they need in one checked bag. He says the key is to draw up a list and bundle wrap clothes....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Circus Family Is Ready for a Safety Net Updated: 2008-05-11 05:03:36 Description: After spending 10 years traveling the world in a 1962 double-decker bus that maxes out at 33 mph, the Sprockets Circus family is ready for the next attraction: a home. The trip taught its members some valuable lessons about their fellow man....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Saving Endangered Species One Mouthful at a Time Updated: 2008-05-12 05:03:34 Description: Conservation scientist Gary Nabhan says the best way to recover some of America's at-risk species is to eat them. He documents lost and threatened foods in his new book, Renewing America's Food Traditions....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Shattered School Shows Power of Chinese Quake Updated: 2008-05-13 05:03:52 Description: Among the victims of a powerful earthquake near Chengdu, China, are hundreds of young students who are feared dead after being trapped in the rubble of their middle school. ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Science, Symbolism Mix in Army Mortuary Training Updated: 2008-05-14 05:02:08 Description: At Fort Lee in Virginia, soldiers train to become 92Ms — mortuary affairs specialists. They will go on to help recover, identify and prepare the remains of fallen soldiers. The 92Ms use the language of medical examiners, and they also make sure...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD 'Baltimore Sun' Series Profiles Con Woman Updated: 2008-05-04 05:03:14 Description: Justin Fenton discusses his three-part series in The Baltimore Sun on the unbelievable criminal life of Cindy McKay. Among her crimes, McKay faked her own death and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a seminary....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Tornado's Gifts: Greensburg Rebuilds, Revitalizes Updated: 2008-05-05 05:03:11 Description: A year after one of the most powerful tornados on record obliterated Greensburg, Kan., wind turbines, dozens of houses and some of the world's most environmentally friendly buildings have sprouted where the storm left only splintered rubble....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Dallas Man Exonerated After 27 Years in Prison Updated: 2008-05-06 05:10:24 Description: James Lee Woodard walked out of a Texas prison last week after almost three decades behind bars. The state now agrees that Woodard was wrongfully convicted in 1981 of killing a girl he had been dating. Woodard is the 17th man from Dallas to be cleare...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Injured GI's Care Reflects Army's Uneven Progress Updated: 2008-05-03 05:03:12 Description: Following the controversy over shoddy care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other hospitals, the Army has changed the way it treats injured soldiers like Sgt. Scott Metcalf. Still, problems such as shortages of trained staff remain....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Some Patients Say Life After Lasik Not Perfect Updated: 2008-05-02 05:03:32 Description: About 5 percent of patients are unhappy with the results of their Lasik procedure. Some cite lack of information about possible results to be key. The FDA is beginning a Lasik study and wants to hear from those who are dissatisfied....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Lucy's Laugh Enlivens the Solar System Updated: 2008-04-22 05:06:23 Description: We make a lot of noise here on Earth with our TV and radio broadcasts, and some of that sound escapes into space. But how far will our signals travel? Can Lucille Ball's laugh be heard across the universe?...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Talula's: The Toughest Reservation in the U.S.? Updated: 2008-04-23 05:08:28 Description: When foodies hear the phrase "tough reservation," they might think of the French Laundry in Napa or Le Cirque in New York, both known for their six-month waiting lists. They're a snap compared with Talula's Table in the historic Pennsylvania town of ...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Show-Stopping Aria Encored at the Met Updated: 2008-04-24 05:03:18 Description: There is an unofficial moratorium on taking encores at New York's Metropolitan Opera. But tenor Juan Diego Florez broke the 14-year old ban Monday night, singing 18 high C's back to back....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Doctors Get a Crash Course in Healthful Cooking Updated: 2008-04-25 07:13:19 Description: Chefs at the Culinary Institute of America have teamed up with Harvard's medical school to show Americans how to make healthful food instead of quickie meals of pizza or taquitos. And they're starting with physicians....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Pierre Sheds Wet Suit for Real Penguin Suit Updated: 2008-04-26 05:08:26 Description: After beginning to go bald in 2006, a penguin in San Francisco was fitted with a wet suit — and started to re-grow his feathers. Pam Schaller, a senior aquatic biologist at the California Academy of Sciences, shares Pierre's remarkable story....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Judi Dench, Living Quietly in 'Cranford' Updated: 2008-04-27 05:03:10 Description: The actress, whose career has spanned splashy Bond blockbusters and Sondheim on stage, plays a shy, sweet English spinster in the Masterpiece TV series based on Elizabeth Gaskell's tales....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Learning from the Virtual You Updated: 2008-04-28 05:03:10 Description: How you appear in the virtual world could affect your behavior in real life, according to researchers at Stanford University. We examine how people interact psychologically with their virtual-reality selves....more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD One Family, Two Views on How to Run Iowa Farm Updated: 2008-04-29 05:03:11 Description: The Griffieons have owned a farm for five generations and are training their three children to take it over. But the couple has differing views on whether or not to sell genetically modified products and treat their produce with herbicides and pestic...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Minty E. Coli and Other Bioengineering Feats Updated: 2008-04-30 05:09:12 Description: Scientists all over the world are matter-of-factly amending, changing and rearranging living creatures for all kinds of reasons, some silly, some profound. Take the case of the MIT team that made the icky-smelling bacteria E. coli and gave it a winte...more... LISTEN NOW | VIEW CACHE | DOWNLOAD Indiana Town: From Racist Past to Primary Present Updated: 2008-05-01 05:04:56 Description: The Democratic presidential campaigns are crisscrossing Indiana, stopping in Republican strongholds such as Martinsville. In this town with a troubled racial history, voters share their views on the match-up between a white woman and a black man....more... LISTEN NOW | |||||
