Morning Edition

Can This Man Bring Silicon Valley To Yangon?

Robert Smith — Fri, 24 May 2013 06:54:00 +0000

Like a proud father, Nay Aung opens up his MacBook Air to show me the Myanamar travel website he's built. But we wait 30 seconds for the site to load, and nothing happens.

"Today is a particularly bad day for Internet," he says. This is life in Myanmar today: Even an Internet entrepreneur can't always get online.

Military Moms: A Bond Borne From Shared Loss

NPR Staff — Fri, 24 May 2013 06:46:00 +0000

In 1991, Kentucky residents Sally Edwards and Lue Hutchinson had sons serving in the Gulf War. Sally Edwards' son, Jack, was a Marine captain. Lue's son, Tom Butts, was a staff sergeant in the Army. The two men never knew each other, but today, their mothers are best friends.

Both soldiers were killed in February of 1991. Jack was 34. "They were the cover for a medical mission.

Igor Stravinsky's 'Rite Of Spring' Counterrevolution

NPR Staff — Fri, 24 May 2013 06:03:00 +0000

As the 100th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring approaches, commentator Miles Hoffman reminds us that — as earthshaking as that infamous debut was — the composer soon branched out into a variety of musical styles that would surprise his fans and critics.

Hoffman says that, up until the infamous (and riotous) Rite of Spring debut — on May 29, 1913 — the public had never heard anything like it

Why You Have To Scratch That Itch

Rhitu Chatterjee — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:27:00 +0000

Everybody itches. Sometimes itch serves as a useful warning signal — there's a bug on your back! But sometimes itch arises for no apparent reason, and can be a torment.

Think of the itchy skin disorder eczema, or the constant itching caused by some cancers. "A very high percentage of people who're on dialysis for chronic kidney disease develop severe itch that's very difficult to manage," says Dr.

Octogenarian Rivals Race To Top Of Mount Everest

editor — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:25:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. Five years ago, at the age of 75, a Japanese mountaineer raced a 76-year-old Nepalese climber to the top of Mount Everest. Japan's Yuichiro Miura lost. This morning, in an epic rematch, the now 80-year-old Miura won, becoming the oldest person ever to reach the summit. But that record may not last. Next week, his Nepalese rival, at 81, plans to make the ascent again. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

New Jersey Officials Wrap Up 'Operation Swill'

editor — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:19:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning, I'm David Greene with a story of mistaken identity - at the bar. New Jersey officials have wrapped up an operation called Operation Swill that target bars who are trying to pull a fast one. They'll charge for good booze but actually pour the cheap stuff in your glass. They've caught 29 bars red-faced; 13 of those TGI Fridays. The operation involved confidential informants, gizmos to test out liquor, and more than 100 agents. I would say this was some top shelf police work.

You're listening to MORNING EDITION.

IRS Official's Silence Riles House Committee Members

Peter Overby — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:38:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The IRS has admitted to targeting conservative groups seeking tax exempt status. And yesterday at a House hearing the IRS director of exempt organizations said, quote: "I have not done anything wrong." She then declined to testify.

Obama Group's Climate Push Puts President Under Scrutiny

Ari Shapiro — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:06:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biUc0D6_UPA

Living In Two Worlds, But With Just One Language

Michele Norris — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:05:00 +0000

NPR continues its conversations about The Race Card Project, where NPR Host/Special Correspondent Michele Norris asks people to send in six-word stories about race and culture.

Sick Inmates Dying Behind Bars Despite Release Program

Carrie Johnson — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:05:00 +0000
Prison is a tough place, but Congress made an exception nearly 30 years ago, giving terminally ill inmates and prisoners with extraordinary family circumstances an early way out. It's called compassionate release.
But a recent investigation found that many federal inmates actually die while their requests drift through the system.
One of them was Clarence Allen Rice.
Rice operated a leasing company in Iowa for decades.

Scientific Tooth Fairies Investigate Neanderthal Breast-Feeding

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:47:00 +0000
When it comes to weaning, humans are weird.
Our closest relatives, chimpanzees and gorillas, breast-feed their offspring for several years. Some baby orangutans nurse until they are 7 years old.
But modern humans wean much earlier. In preindustrial societies, babies stop nursing after about two years. Which raises the question: How did we get that way?

Oklahoma's Gov. Fallin On Life-Saving, Recovery Efforts

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:29:00 +0000
Transcript
LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:
This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Linda Wertheimer.
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
And I'm David Greene. We now know the tornado that struck the city of Moore, Okla., on Monday was an EF5, with winds over 200 miles an hour. That designation is the strongest possible rating for a tornado. Federal, state and local teams are on the ground this morning, cleaning up debris and tending to survivors.

Drummer Waits For Gas, Uses Time Along Highway To Practice

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:29:00 +0000
Transcript
LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Linda Wertheimer. A drummer in Baltimore pulled off the interstate yesterday, out of gas. So he pulled his drum kit out of the trunk and sat up on the shoulder and played along with traffic. When a state trooper pulled up, drummer boy explained he was just biding his time until help arrived, practicing his chops. He got away without a ticket and with the gift of gas from the highway department. Rock on. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

'Morning Edition' Listeners Get Their Feathers In A Bunch

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:29:00 +0000
Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Good morning, I'm David Greene.
Well, our wings have been clipped by some listeners. Yesterday, we told you about how some scientists in Canada saw their research crops destroyed by geese. We used the term Canadian geese. Listeners like Frank Kohn said we got that wrong.
FRANK KOHN: They're not Canadian geese. They're Canada geese because they don't hold passports, as far as I know, and it's not a nationality. It's a species name.
GREENE: OK, we learned our lesson. It is still Canadian bacon though, right? You're listening to MORNING EDITION.

Parking Industry Tries To Make Your Life Easier

Kenny Malone — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:39:00 +0000
Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Finding a parking space, probably not at the top of the list of things you like to do. Well, experts in parking think they might be able to change that. One key, they say, is for developers to think about the parking experience when they're designing malls or apartment complexes, instead of just treating it as an afterthought.
This came up in Florida this week, at the International Parking Institute's annual conference. Reporter Kenny Malone, from member station WLRN, was there.
KENNY MALONE, BYLINE: Let's go ahead and address this head-on.