LA Johnson/NPR NPR Ed Common Core Reading: The High Achievers APM The Common Core State Standards are changing reading instruction in many schools. And that means new challenges for lots of students, even traditional high achievers. From member station APM
The Philae lander beamed back images showing one of its three feet on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko . This photo is compiled from two images; a wider version will be released later Thursday. ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA hide caption itoggle caption ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA The Two-Way - News Blog Photo Shows Lander Sitting On Comet After Bounce-Landing Before the Philae lander came to rest on the surface of a comet Wednesday, it bounced — twice. The lander weighs far less on the comet than it did on Earth.
The Two-Way - News Blog Red Cross Employee Survey Finds Doubts About Leadership, Ethics The results of an internal survey of more than 14,000 employees found that 4 out of 10 employees have doubts about the charity's commitment to ethical conduct.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., chair of the Senate Energy Committee, spoke Wednesday about getting congressional approval for the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline. With her with is Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., a member of the committee. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption itoggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP The Two-Way - News Blog Congress Will Vote On Keystone XL Pipeline, With An Eye On Louisiana The two bills' sponsors — Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La. — are heading toward a runoff election next month.
The Two-Way - News Blog Amazon And Hachette Reach A Deal On E-Book Pricing The multiyear agreement, which will take effect in early 2015, ends a monthslong stalemate between the online retail giant and the publishing powerhouse.
This photo of Roy Middleton working underground at the Kentucky Darby mine now sits on the mantel in the Middleton home in Harlan County, Ky. He was killed after an explosion in 2006. Anna Boiko-Weyrauch/NPR/Original photo courtesy of Middleton family hide caption itoggle caption Anna Boiko-Weyrauch/NPR/Original photo courtesy of Middleton family Delinquent Mines Coal Mines Keep Operating Despite Injuries, Violations And Millions In Fines An NPR investigation found thousands of American mine owners fail to pay penalties for safety violations, even as they continue to manage dangerous — and sometimes deadly — operations.
NATO has reported a spike in Russian military activity at sea and in NATO and other Western European countries' airspace, as tensions mounted over Ukraine. Here, a Russian military long-range bomber aircraft flies in international airspace on Oct. 29. Royal Air Force/AP hide caption itoggle caption Royal Air Force/AP Parallels - World News Russia And The West: Close Encounters Of The Cold War Kind Russia and Western countries have had several close encounters in the air and at sea recently. Russia says these are just routine military exercises, but NATO and its Nordic partners are alarmed.
Kodak's multiracial Shirley card from 1996. Kodak via Lorna Roth hide caption itoggle caption Kodak via Lorna Roth Color Decoded: Stories That Span The Spectrum How Kodak's Shirley Cards Set Photography's Skin-Tone Standard Named for the original model — an employee of Kodak — the portraits were used by photo labs to calibrate printers. But until the 1970s, that model was always white.
Beacon Power President and CEO Barry Brits, at the company's plant in Hazle Township, Pa. He says a loan from the Department of Energy made it possible for his company to develop its flywheel energy storage technology. Jeff Brady/NPR hide caption itoggle caption Jeff Brady/NPR U.S. After Solyndra Loss, U.S. Energy Loan Program Turning A Profit The federal government lost hundreds of millions of dollars when solar panel maker Solyndra and car company Fisker went bankrupt. Now the loan program has made up for early losses and is in the black.
Book Reviews A New Collection, Well-Furnished With Munro's Best Family Furnishings collects 24 of short story master Alice Munro's best works. Reviewer Jane Ciabattari calls it a superb introduction to Munro, and a reminder that she's a writer to be cherished.
The world's tallest timber residential tower, 10 stories, in currently in Melbourne, Australia, though a 14-story Norwegian project may top it in 2015. Courtesy of Lend Lease hide caption itoggle caption Courtesy of Lend Lease Architecture For Greener Skyscrapers, Basic Building Materials Are Being Reinvented Ozy.com Can wood replace steel in a 70-story skyscraper? Architects and biochemists at Cambridge think so. Meanwhile at MIT, rethinking cement is cutting down carbon emissions. Partner content from
Medical workers will test the effectiveness of three new potential Ebola therapies at clinics run by the non-governmental organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). Zoom Dosso/AFP/Getty Images hide caption itoggle caption Zoom Dosso/AFP/Getty Images The Two-Way - News Blog 3 New Ebola Therapies Will Be Tested; Liberia Lifts Emergency Two of the therapies that medical teams plan to start testing next month involve antiviral drugs. In Liberia, the president has lifted a state of emergency. Listen Loading… 3:33 Download Playlist
Peter Thum visited a military base in Rwanda where destruction of small arms took place in 2009. Moises Saman/Courtesy of Fonderie 47 hide caption itoggle caption Moises Saman/Courtesy of Fonderie 47 Goats and Soda Disarming Beauty: Guns Make These Watches Tick A high-end jewelry company recycles the components of assault rifles into watches, rings and other luxury items. Each sale then funds the destruction of weapons in Africa.
Premature infants in a neonatal intensive care unit may be exposed to DEHP, a chemical in some PVC medical equipment. ERproductions Ltd/Blend Images/Corbis hide caption itoggle caption ERproductions Ltd/Blend Images/Corbis Shots - Health News Preemies May Be Exposed To High Levels Of Phthalates In The NICU Chemicals in medical equipment can be transferred to patients, and it's a particular concern with premature infants whose bodies and brains are immature.
Michelle MacLaren, seen here accepting an award as a producer on Breaking Bad, may direct the upcoming Wonder Woman movie. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption itoggle caption Kevin Winter/Getty Images Monkey See A Great Director — Who's Also A Woman — Might Direct 'Wonder Woman' Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones veteran Michelle MacLaren is reportedly a strong candidate to direct the upcoming Wonder Woman movie.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky walks to his office to meet with new GOP senators-elect at the Capitol on Wednesday. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption itoggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP Politics Mitch McConnell's Mission: Making The Senate Work Again The Kentucky Republican has wanted to be Senate majority leader since grade school. Now, as he starts his sixth term in office, he'll finally get his wish. Listen Loading… 4:42 Download Playlist
The Two-Way - News Blog Even Good Writers Have Bad Sex Sometimes The Bad Sex in Fiction Award honors awful sex scenes in literature, and this year's shortlist boasts plenty of names you might not expect, including a Booker winner and a perennial Nobel favorite.
Author Interviews Author Richard Ford Says 'Let Me Be Frank' About Aging And Dying The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer's new book centers on Frank Bascombe, a 68-year-old man dealing with his aging body, a dying friend and his ex-wife, who has Parkinson's.
Back in 1925, thousands of Ku Klux Klan members paraded past the U.S. Treasury building in Washington, D.C., as part of a big rally. Throughout its iterations, the KKK has tried to position itself as a respectable, mainstream civic organization. AP hide caption itoggle caption AP Code Switch Why The KKK Is Reaching Out Beyond White Folks Ku Klux Klan groups are diversifying their aims and marketing themselves to people of color. But these moves aren't new; the Klan has long tried to position itself as a mainstream civic organization.