Kids’ Book Club Takes ‘Tollbooth’ To Lands Beyond

Welcome to the second installment of NPR’s Back Seat Book Club! Every month, we invite kids to read a book along with us, and then send in their questions for the author. Our book club selection for November is a classic that’s celebrating a big anniversary. The Phantom Tollbooth — written by Norton Juster and [...]

India Eye Care Center Finds Middle Way To Capitalism

At an Aravind hospital in Madurai, a city on India’s southern tip, the waiting room is packed. A clinical assistant calls out the names of patients, and they’re escorted to examination rooms. This hospital alone screens around 2,000 patients a day — and tour guide Shawas Philip says this day is busier than usual. “We [...]

Report Says Syrian Forces Have Killed 256 Children

An independent commission has released a blistering human rights report that says Syria’s security forces have carried out widespread abuses against protesters, including murder and torture. The commission, appointed by the U.N.’s Human Rights Council, based its report on interviews with more than 220 witnesses or victims of abuse by Syrian security forces. The panel [...]

Modern Greeks Return To Ancient System Of Barter

It’s Sunday in Volos, a fishing village nestled in a large bay in central Greece, and fishermen display their daily catch, which this day includes codfish, sardines and octopus. Prices have been slashed, but customers are few. Fisherman Christos Xegandakis laughs bitterly. He says business is so bad, it’s time to start swapping goods. “Give [...]

As Kyoto Protocol Ends, An Uncertain Climate Future

As diplomats from around the world gather in Durban, South Africa for talks about climate change, a big question looms: What will become of the Kyoto climate treaty, which was negotiated with much fanfare in 1997. The treaty was supposed to be a first step toward much more ambitious actions on climate change, but it [...]

Is Bankruptcy ‘Business As Usual’ For Airlines?

As American Airlines struggled to keep up with its rivals in recent years, it could at least boast something that competitors could not: The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier had never gone bankrupt. Not anymore. On Tuesday, American’s parent, AMR Corp., filed for bankruptcy protection, citing $10 billion in loses over the past decade. In a [...]

Why Do Airlines Keep Going Bankrupt?

American Airlines is filing for bankruptcy protection. The airline is the last of the so-called legacy carriers, airlines that flew interstate routes before de-regulation of the industry, to reach this step. Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways all went through bankruptcy proceedings in the last 10 years. While all airlines have faced skyrocketing fuel costs [...]

Nestle To Investigate Child Labor On Its Cocoa Farms

Politicians and food executives have been talking about ending the problem of child labor in the West African cocoa industry for the last decade. After shocking revelations that hundreds of thousands of children were forced to harvest cacao beans under abusive conditions, companies pledged to address the practice as “fair trade” entered their lexicon. But [...]

Hard Times Inspire Ky. College Students To Action

Part of a monthlong series NPR’s Hard Times series features stories of economic hardship and also stories of hope. We asked for ideas from listeners, and Emily Nugent of Berea College in Kentucky responded, writing: “With a student body composed entirely of students from low socio-economic backgrounds, Berea students know about the challenges Americans are [...]

With Help, Teens Can Manage Epilepsy

When Etrudy Mitchell’s daughter had her first epileptic seizure at 16 months old, it started off looking like a run of the mill temper tantrum. “We thought that she was just wanting something that she couldn’t have,” Mitchell tells host Michel Martin on NPR’s Tell Me More. But within moments, the situation took a dramatic [...]