World

Pages

Shots - Health News
4:56 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Need A Price For A Hip Operation? Good Luck With That

Credit Hugo90 / Flickr
If you bought this 1954 Buick when it was new, the price was just about as mysterious as it is today for hip replacement surgery.

Originally published on Thu February 14, 2013 9:44 am

Let's say your 62-year-old granny is feeling creaky. One of her hips has been giving her trouble, and her doctor tells her it's time to get it replaced with an implant.

There's a catch. Grandma isn't old enough for Medicare and she doesn't have health insurance. She does, however, have a stack of cash in the bank and is willing to pay for surgery right away.

So how much will it cost her?

Who knows. Seriously.

Read more
Religion
4:48 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Last Papal Resignation In 1415 Ended 'Western Schism'

Originally published on Tue February 12, 2013 5:01 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

It is a very rare thing that Pope Benedict has done in resigning, so rare, in fact, that you have to go back to the Middle Ages to find the most recent papal resignation. That resignation in 1415 ended what's known as the Great Western Schism, and that's what Father Thomas Worcester is going to fill us in on. He's a professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Father Worcester, welcome to the program.

FATHER THOMAS WORCESTER: Thank you very much.

Read more
Religion
4:48 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Simultaneous Popes Could Disrupt Catholic Church

Originally published on Mon February 11, 2013 6:28 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block. Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world today with his decision to step down at the end of this month. It is the first papal resignation since the 15th century. The Vatican says a new pope may be elected before Easter, but as NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports, it's not clear how the church will function with two living popes.

Read more
Remembrances
4:48 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

World War II Pilot Was Initially Embarrassed By Hero Status After Battle Of Midway

Originally published on Mon February 11, 2013 6:28 pm

Robert Siegel talks with Sylvia Saadati about her father, Jim Muri, a hero pilot at the Battle of Midway. Muri earlier this month at the age of 93.

This Is NPR
4:44 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Raise Your Paws: Vote For A Winner In The National Pet Radio Contest

Originally published on Fri February 15, 2013 8:59 am

During our week-long casting call for public radio-loving pets, we received dozens of great entries from our listeners as well as (some furry) fans tuning in around the country. And while there were lots of cute critters submitted, the seven photos in the slideshow below are the National Pet Radio Contest finalists, which were selected by a panel of NPR judges.

Vote Now: Take a look through the images below, and vote on your pick to win by Sunday, Feb. 17, at 11:59 PM (ET).

Read more
The Salt
4:30 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Pig Manure Reveals More Reason To Worry About Antibiotics

Credit Ng Han Guan / AP
Pigs at a farm in Beijing peer out at visitors. Half of all the pigs in the world live in China.

Originally published on Wed February 13, 2013 2:52 pm

There's a global campaign to force meat producers to rein in their use of antibiotics on pigs, chickens and cattle. European countries, especially Denmark and the Netherlands, have taken the lead. The U.S. is moving, haltingly, toward similar restrictions.

Read more
From Scratch
4:25 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Joan Ganz Cooney, Co-Founder Of Sesame Workshop

Jessica Harris speaks with television producer Joan Ganz Cooney, co-founder of Sesame Workshop. Cooney will describe the early days of educational programming and how she helped to revolutionize children's television. Later, Harris talks to Fred Swaniker, co-founder of African Leadership Academy.

Technology
4:11 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Video Game Violence: Why Do We Like It, And What's It Doing To Us?

Credit Activision
A typical scene from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, the latest in the series of wildly popular video games.

Originally published on Tue February 12, 2013 9:57 am

Violent video games have been a small part of the national conversation about gun violence in recent weeks. The big question: Does violence in games make people more violent in the real world?

The answer is unclear, but one thing is obvious: Violence sells games. The most popular video game franchise is Call of Duty, a war game where killing is the goal.

Read more
The Salt
3:32 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Sandwich Monday: Mountain Dew A.M.

Look, I know this isn't a sandwich. And it barely even qualifies under the Sandwich Draft Principle. But when we heard Taco Bell was selling something called Mountain Dew A.M. — Mountain Dew mixed with Orange Juice, as a breakfast drink — we felt duty-bound to drink it.

Eva: It's hard to tell if mixing Mountain Dew and Orange Juice together ruins the Mountain Dew, or the Orange Juice, or my entire day.

Read more
Religion
3:27 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

How To Pick A Pope (With Latin Subtitles)

Credit Alessandra Tarantino / AP
Black smoke rises from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on April 18, 2005. Black smoke signaled that the cardinals sequestered inside had failed to elect a new pope, after the death of Pope John Paul II.

Originally published on Tue February 12, 2013 9:27 am

For lovers of the lapsed language Latin, the selection of a new pope is an ecstasyfest.

The Roman Catholic Church is so steeped in centuries-old traditions, Pope Benedict XVI announced his surprise retirement on Monday the old-fashioned way — in Latin.

"Fratres carissimi," the Pope's retirement announcement began. Beloved brothers ...

Read more
The Two-Way
3:14 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

A Papal Resignation: Sifting Through Theology And The Effect On The Office

Credit Vicenzo Pinto / AFP/Getty Images
A Statue of St Peter outside St. Peter's basilica at the Vatican.

Originally published on Mon February 11, 2013 4:10 pm

As The National Catholic Reporter points out, one of the reasons Pope Benedict XVI's resignation is so surprising is because "most modern popes have felt resignation is unacceptable. As Paul VI said, paternity cannot be resigned."

Indeed, as Mark noted earlier, a papal resignation hasn't happened for nearly 600 years.

Read more
All Songs Considered
3:14 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Question Of The Week: Be Honest — Do You Care About The Grammys?

Credit Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
They definitely got this one right: Jay-Z, Frank Ocean and The-Dream accept the Grammy for best rap/sung collaboration.

The Grammy Awards are fun to complain about. That's fair. If you watched the telecast Sunday night, you probably care about music. People who care about music tend to have strong opinions about what's good and what's not. Strong opinions often lead to disappointment, especially since the pop-music sphere is increasingly consensus-free.

Read more
World Cafe
3:04 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Brian Eno On World Cafe

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Brian Eno.

Originally published on Mon February 11, 2013 4:03 pm

  • Listen To The Interview

British musician, composer and producer Brian Eno is commonly recognized as one of the most important innovators in ambient music. Though he now mainly composes using computers, Eno was one of the early pioneers of tape-loop music.

Read more
World Cafe
3:04 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Next: John Murry

Credit Dara Munnis / Courtesy of the artist
John Murry.

Originally published on Mon February 11, 2013 3:41 pm

John Murry's first album, The Graceless Age, makes its U.S. debut on March 5. An active musician since 2006, Murry moved from his hometown of Tupelo, Miss., to Oakland, Calif., a couple years ago to work alongside musician Bob Frank.

A descendent of Nobel Prize in Literature recipient William Faulkner, Murry visits his family's literary past and channels it into his music. His dark, deep rock 'n' roll is alluring, emotional and infectious.

Hear two tracks from The Graceless Age in this installment of World Café: Next.

Read more
Under The Label: Sustainable Seafood
2:38 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Is Sustainable-Labeled Seafood Really Sustainable?

Originally published on Wed February 13, 2013 1:19 pm

Part one of a three-part series by Daniel Zwerdling and Margot Williams.

Rebecca Weel pushes a baby stroller with her 18-month-old up to the seafood case at Whole Foods, near ground zero in New York. As she peers at shiny fillets of salmon, halibut and Chilean sea bass labeled "certified sustainable," Weel believes that if she purchases this seafood, she will help protect the world's oceans from overfishing.

Read more
The Salt
2:16 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Icelandic Herring Had A Tough Winter, But There's Still Herring Ice Cream

Originally published on Tue February 12, 2013 11:34 am

Icelandic herring have been having a very bad winter. But that may be just a blip in the fish's reinvention as a trendy Nordic nosh.

On Feb. 1, an estimated 22,000 tons of herring were found dead in West Iceland's Kolgrafafjordur fjord. Even more fish — as much as 30,000 tons — were found floating in the same shallow fjord last December.

According to Gudmundur Oskarsson, a senior scientist at Iceland's Marine Research Institute, this accounts for about one-eighth of the total population of Icelandic herring.

Read more
The Two-Way
2:07 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Vote On Names For Pluto's Little Moons; 'Nemo' Not Among Nominees

Credit NASA.gov
An artist's illustration, which Hubble Site says shows the Pluto system from the surface of one of its moons.

Most Two-Way readers who answered our question weren't big fans of calling this past weekend's blizzard by the name "Nemo."

So, many may be relieved to know that Nemo is not among the 12 choices on the SETI Institute's list of nominated names for Pluto's two smallest moons.

The list:

  • Acheron
  • Alecto
  • Cerberus
  • Erebus
Read more
Tiny Desk Concerts
2:03 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

The xx: Tiny Desk Concert

Credit Gabriella Demczuk / NPR
The xx performs a Tiny Desk Concert on Jan. 29, 2013.

Originally published on Tue February 12, 2013 7:42 am

It's easy to think of The xx as a fashionable band: Its members have a sleek all-in-black look, its typography and cover art is coolly and distinctively styled, and the group itself has been showered with validation, including Britain's 2010 Mercury Prize. But beneath all that tightly controlled image-making lays music that's raw and vulnerable; shy, worried tentativeness is wired into a sound that shimmers powerfully, but remains as fragile and delicate as a soap bubble.

Read more
Religion
2:00 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

After Pope's Surprise Resignation, A Flood Of Speculation

Originally published on Mon February 11, 2013 3:40 pm

Pope Benedict XVI, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, unexpectedly announced Monday that he will resign at the end of the month. With his resignation comes speculation about his tenure, potential successors and the future of the Catholic Church. Rocco Palmo, who runs the blog Whispers in the Loggia, explores the pope's legacy and what's ahead for the Catholic Church.

Middle East
2:00 pm
Mon February 11, 2013

Violence In Syria's Capital Escalates, Along With Refugee Crisis

Originally published on Thu February 21, 2013 9:40 am

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan, in Washington. The numbers from Syria can leave you numb: nearly 700,000 refugees now in neighboring countries, and the U.N. says their numbers grow by 5,000 every day, maybe two million internally displaced, 60,000 dead again according to the U.N., and that estimate came before the most recent intensification of combat in and around Damascus.

Read more

Pages