A Family That Teaches Together Talks Shop

When classes begin at Leith Walk elementary school in Baltimore, Md., Monday, teacher Robin Weems will meet her new first-grade students. And she won’t be alone: Her husband, a retired Marine, is her classroom assistant. And just across the hall from the Weems’ first-grade class is their son Jason’s classroom, where he teaches kindergarten. Recently, [...]

Patent Wars Could Dull Tech’s Cutting Edge

Some call it an international patent arms race: Tech companies like Apple, Samsung, Nokia and Google are launching lawsuits over competing patent claims related to smartphones and tablets. As NPR’s Laura Sydell tells Morning Edition co-host Renee Montagne, companies are mounting takeovers aimed at gaining control of thousands of patents. Google recently spent $12.5 billion [...]

Woman Reaches K2′s Summit, And A Place In History

At more than 28,000 feet, K2 is the second-highest mountain in the world. And when Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner reached its summit this week, she became the first woman to climb all 14 of the world’s tallest peaks without using any supplementary oxygen. Morning Edition guest host David Greene caught up with Kaltenbrunner, of Austria, at K2′s [...]

Western Sanctions May Put Slow Squeeze On Syria

The Syrian economy has so far weathered the mass protests and widespread violence that have rocked most every major city. But in a move that could increase the pressure, the European Union is considering a ban on imported Syrian oil, similar to sanctions the U.S. imposed earlier this month. Western governments say the Syrian regime’s [...]

Female Golfing Phenom Seeks Titles, Recognition

The world’s top women golfers are battling it out in Mirabel, Quebec, this week at the Canadian Women’s Open. In the field is a powerful, yet little-known player: world No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan. Tseng has been powering and smiling her way around golf courses — and making history. At the relatively tender age [...]

Drought Puts Texas Ranchers, And Cattle, At Risk

In the cattle town of Emory in East Texas, the worst drought in state history is threatening a way of life. Scorching temperatures and no rain have forced many ranchers to sell off their stock. Normally before being brought to market, cattle are penned in a rancher’s best pasture to be fattened. The heavier the [...]

Big-Box Stores’ Hurricane Prep Starts Early

Forecasters don’t expect Hurricane Irene to make landfall until Saturday. But for nearly a week now, big-box retailers like Walmart and Home Depot have been getting ready. They’ve deployed hundreds of trucks carrying everything from plywood to Pop-Tarts to stores in the storm’s path. It’s all possible because these retailers have turned hurricane preparation into [...]

As Economy Teeters, All Eyes On Bernanke

Nervous investors will be listening Friday to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s remarks in Jackson Hole, Wyo., for clues to additional steps the Fed might take to shore up the sagging economy. For the past three decades, central bankers, and the people who watch them, have been gathering each summer in the Rocky Mountain resort [...]

Walking Away From A Mixed Race Family?

Susan Straight’s most recent novel Take One Candle Light a Room is the final book in Tell Me More’s Summer Blend Book Club series. The main character Fantine grew up in a tiny rural community of mixed-race families in California. She becomes a jet-setting travel writer who creates a life far away from the drugs [...]

College Freshmen Learn From ‘Henrietta Lacks’

In recent years, a growing number of colleges have begun assigning “common reads,” books that all first year students read over the summer, and then discuss during their first week of school. Author Rebecca Skloot’s book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is one of the most talked about books of 2010. It has since [...]