All Things Considered

For Black Americans, Finding Work An Uphill Battle

NPR Staff — Sat, 25 May 2013 21:39:00 +0000

In the classic American story, opportunity is always in front of you. You finish school, find a job, buy a home and start a family; it's a rosy dreamscape.

But that world is one-dimensional. Income inequality is just about as American as baseball and apple pie. And though the economy has improved in the past few years, the unemployment rate for black Americans, now 13.2 percent, is about double that for white Americans.

Persistent unemployment and difficulty getting a job cumulatively impact the so-called wealth gap.

A Lost And Found 'Wonder': Pearl S. Buck's Final Novel

NPR Staff — Sat, 25 May 2013 21:39:00 +0000

The writer Pearl S. Buck emerged into literary stardom in 1931 when she published a book called The Good Earth. That story of family life in a Chinese village won the novelist international acclaim, the Pulitzer, and eventually, a Nobel Prize. Her upbringing in China as the American daughter of missionaries served as inspiration for that novel and many, many others; by her death in 1973, Buck had written more than 100 books, including 43 novels.

Last December, Buck's son Edgar Walsh — who now manages her literary estate — received an email with some unexpected news.

A Literary Tale of Chechnya, The Horror and Whimsy

NPR Staff — Sat, 25 May 2013 21:39:00 +0000

The debut novel from writer Anthony Marra happens to be set in a world that most of us only have conjectures about. In "A Constellation of Vital Phenomena," Marra transports readers to Chechnya, a war-torn Russian republic that has long sought independence.

The lyrical and heart-breaking novel begins in 2004 when eight-year-old Havaa watches Russian rebels abduct her father, accused of aiding Chechen rebels, in the middle of the night.

Week In News: Obama's Foreign Policy Pitch

editor — Sat, 25 May 2013 20:47:00 +0000

This past week, President Obama laid out the foreign policy objectives for the remainder of his time in office, a speech that included his wish to end not just the war in Afghanistan but the "war on terror." Weekends on All Things Considered host Jacki Lyden speaks with James Fallows, national correspondent with The Atlantic.

Is the Espionage Act Outdated?

editor — Sat, 25 May 2013 20:47:00 +0000

Weekends on All Things Considered host Jacki Lyden speaks with Benjamin Wittes of the Brookings Institution about the Espionage Act. This Word War I-era legislation has been used more frequently in recent times to prosecute government employees who leak information to the press, but the limits set by the act are poorly defined for our modern age.

Three-Minute Fiction Readings: 'Geometry' And 'Snowflake'

editor — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:08:00 +0000

NPR's Bob Mondello and Susan Stamberg read excerpts of two of the best submissions for Round 11 of our short story contest. They read Snowflake by Winona Wendth of Lancaster, Mass., and Geometry by Eugenie Montague of Los Angeles. You can read their full stories below and find other stories on our Three-Minute Fiction page or on Facebook.

Tornado Safe Rooms In Schools A Popular, But Costly Idea

Scott Harvey — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:03:00 +0000

In the days since a tornado ripped through Moore, Okla., talk of constructing safe rooms in public schools has become commonplace.

In southwest Missouri, officials have built a few of them already, and they are seeking funding to build more.

'A Sense Of Peace'

Karina O'Connell is preparing dinner tonight under the pavilion at Phelps Grove Park in Springfield, Mo., where she's eating with her 9-year-old twin sons, Samuel and John Patrick.

A mixture of curiosity and fear has the boys often going online to track big storms.

L.A. Blue Jeans Makers Fear Their Business Will Fade Away

Sonari Glinton — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:26:00 +0000

Los Angeles is the world leader in the most American of clothing items: bluejeans. High-end, hand-stitched, designer bluejeans that will you run well over $100 a pair.

But as the U.S.

History Makes Hiring Household Help A Complex Choice

Karen Grigsby Bates — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:26:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bHh8VAb_BQ

Toronto Mayor Dodges Accusations Of Crack Cocaine Use

editor — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:26:00 +0000

Melissa Block talks to Jeff Semple of the CBC about the video that appears to show Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine.