Over the last few years, singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter's life has been drastically transformed. In 2007, she suffered a life-threatening pulmonary embolism, her marriage ended soon after and, in the fall of 2011, her father died.
After those experiences, she tells NPR's Neal Conan, grief became a companion — but also a guide, a presence that dictated her outlook on life. The Grammy-winning artist channeled those emotions into her latest album, Ashes and Roses.
I have a quibble with the title of David Skinner's new book, The Story of Ain't. In fact, that pariah contraction plays only a supporting role in the story. The book is really an account of one of the oddest episodes in American cultural history, the brouhaha over the appearance of Merriam-Webster's Third International Dictionary in 1961.
Originally published on Wed October 3, 2012 11:19 am
For a short period, yesterday, the hunt was on in Pinellas County, Florida for a lady photographed riding a manatee.
The sheriff's department called a deadly serious press conference in which they asked the help of the public in identifying the perpetrator. The lady was wearing a white cap, red shorts and a black bikini top. Witnesses in the area, the sheriff said in a statement, took photographs and contacted police.
Women and their children wait for medication and instructions on how to use it at the clinic in Dareta, Nigeria. Treating children with high levels of lead is a painstaking process that works only if their environment at home is free from lead.
Women and their children wait for medication at the clinic in Dareta, Nigeria. Treating children with high levels of lead is a painstaking process that works only if their environment at home is free from lead.
Ivan Gayton directs the mission for Doctors Without Borders in Nigeria. The nonprofit set up clinics to treat children sickened by lead poisoning from illegal mining activities. Gayton says this may be one of the worst cases of environmental lead poisoning in recent history.
Gado Labbo holds her 5-year-old son, Yusuf, at the clinic in Dareta. In 2010, when Yusuf first entered the clinic, he had a blood lead level of 150 micrograms per deciliter — 30 times higher than what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers dangerous.
A health worker looks for signs of vision in the eyes of Yusuf Labbo. Severe lead poisoning has left the 5-year-old boy blind. He weighs just 22 pounds, can't speak or walk and spends most of his days clutched in his mother's arms.
Susan Lake, a nurse for Doctors Without Borders, goes over the list of pills for one of her patients at the clinic in Dareta. More than 400 kids have already died from lead poisoning, while thousands of others are stunted physically and mentally.
A local health official stands in the consultation room of a health clinic and hospital in Bagega, Nigeria. At first, miners in the region were processing lead-laden gold ore inside their homes. Doctors Without Borders persuaded most of them to move the processing to the outskirts of town.
Aishsa Yusufa stands against a pillar outside the Doctors Without Borders ward in Anka, Nigeria. The 4-year-old girl is enrolled in a program at the clinic to treat her for high levels of lead.
Across a swath of northern Nigeria, a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding, as lead from illegal gold mines sickens thousands of children.
More than 400 kids have died, and many more have been mentally stunted for life.
Doctors Without Borders, which has set up clinics to treat the children, is calling it one of the worst cases of environmental lead poisoning in recent history.
With jaws only 1 inch in length, the plant-eating Pegomastax ("thick jaw") was one of the smallest dinosaurs ever discovered. The photo above is of a close relative of the Pegomastax.
Originally published on Sun October 7, 2012 2:09 pm
What we learn about dinosaurs keeps surprising us. Today in the journal ZooKeys we get a peek into an odd, new kind of dinosaur that was lighter than a house cat and just as small but had a terrifying set of teeth and a short, birdlike beak.
The fossil used to re-create the creature was actually discovered in southern Africa in the 1960s, but it is described for the first time today by Paul Sereno, paleontologist and professor at the University of Chicago.
Originally published on Wed October 3, 2012 3:07 pm
It's harvest time in the heartland, but not just for apples and squash. In small, back-lot ponds on farms across the Midwest, a different crop has been growing all summer. They're substantial, slightly sweet and a revelation to the land-locked palate, not to mention worth top dollar. Yep, it's shrimp season in Ohio.
But don't ask for any Midwestern shrimp at your local fishmonger. There aren't enough yet to make it to the store.
T.J. Holmes has spent more than a decade in journalism, but now he's turning his sights to late night with a new show called Don't Sleep! The show began broadcasting on BET this week. Holmes sits down with host Michel Martin to discuss his career and hope to bring a fresh perspective to late night talk.
A Pennsylvania judge Tuesday blocked the state from moving forward with changes to its voter ID law until after the presidential election. This news comes just days after some suspicious voter registration activity in states like Florida, North Carolina and Nevada. Host Michel Martin discusses voter issues across the country with two reporters.
Smoke rises after artillery fire from nearby Syria hits the Turkish border town of Akcakale. Turkey said five of its citizens were killed and that it responded by firing on targets in northern Syria. The episode raised tensions on the already volatile border region.
Update at 3:15 p.m. Turkey Fires Back After Rocket From Syria
Turkey's military has fired on targets in northern Syria in response to a rocket that hit a Turkish village and killed several people Wednesday, the BBC and other news organizations are reporting.
The cross-border shooting could potentially mark a major escalation along the tense frontier.
In a statement, the Turkish government said that the border town of Akcakale came under fire on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in deaths and injuries.
