A Weird, Wonderful Ramble Through ‘Other Europe’

In 1846, when Jacub Szela first ascended as a Polish leader, he guided a ragtag mob of peasants and serfs in a fight against their landowners and gentry. Szela had been anointed “king of the peasants” for 24 hours by the ruling Austrian empire, and in that time he raised an army, running into taverns [...]

Margaret Mitchell’s ‘Gone With The Wind’ Turns 75

In June 1936, a blockbuster of a book was published; it gave the world a sense of the Old South, an unforgettable heroine and (in the movie version) the phrase “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind sold one million copies in its first six months, won the [...]

Isolation Proves Dangerous On ‘Rat Island’

Island. The very word connotes isolation — an isolation that has allowed pockets of animal species to evolve in safety over the course of thousands of years. But, as author William Stolzenburg writes in a new book, isolation can also be a weakness. In Rat Island: Predators in Paradise and the World’s Greatest Wildlife Rescue, [...]

Is GOP Resolve On Taxes Showing Cracks?

Most Senate Republicans voted two weeks ago to end a tax break for ethanol. Some see that vote as a chink in the armor of anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist and the no-new-taxes pledge he’s gotten almost every GOP lawmaker to take. Senate Democrats are still crowing about the day when more than two-thirds of their [...]

China’s Rise: Inward Looking Or Expansionist?

This month, NPR is examining the many ways China is expanding its reach in the world — through investment, infrastructure, military power and more. If you’re looking for lessons from history about the direction China might take in the future, an ominous place to come is to a beautiful, ancient stone bridge lined with stone [...]

Tripoli’s Lone Chinese Restaurant Still Delivers

Most foreigners fled Libya earlier this year when a popular uprising to oust Moammar Gadhafi turned into a brutal war. But in Tripoli, one Chinese family that runs a restaurant is trying to hang on. Few people come to al Maida Chinese restaurant, which once counted Gadhafi’s son, Seif al-Islam, among its customers. NATO airstrikes [...]

Chavez Reappears, But His Illness Remains A Mystery

Venezuela’s colorful and bombastic leader has reappeared after a long public absence. President Hugo Chavez, who frequently goes on air to accuse the U.S. of plotting against him, hadn’t been seen since June 10 when he underwent surgery in Cuba. But now, he’s surfaced in a video, spiritedly talking to Fidel Castro. “Socialism or death [...]

Banks Ordered To Lower Retailers’ Debit Fees

Starting in October, banks aren’t going to be able to charge as much as they used to when consumers pay by debit card. The Federal Reserve has issued a final rule on so-called “swipe fees” that are charged to merchants every time a debit card is used. Retailers have been complaining for years about the [...]

Mine Disaster Probe Finds Intimidation, False Papers

Choosing safety over production was a firing offense at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch coal mine, according to a federal investigation of last year’s deadly explosion there. Investigators reported Wednesday on the progress of their ongoing, 15-month-long probe. They provided new documentation of how low-level managers who made safety a priority were intimidated and, in [...]

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Health Care Law

The first appeals court to rule on President Obama’s health care overhaul has upheld the law. The Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit Court of Appeals said Wednesday that the health care mandate requiring everyone to have health insurance or pay a penalty does not violate the Constitution. Though other federal appeals courts are expected to rule on [...]