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Disney officials say they felt compelled to liven up the experience of waiting in typically long lines at their theme parks because people today expect to be constantly entertained. They blame the popularity of smart phones and video games, which they say have made us more impatient.
The stock market is ending 2010 on an up note, and investors are slowly growing more hopeful about the economy. But wild swings in the market over the past few years, coupled with high unemployment in the U.S. and a banking crisis in Europe, have left investors cautious.
Microfinance companies have been accused of predatory lending and collection practices so harsh that they drove some borrowers to suicide. One state government in India has enacted legislation that will, in effect, put the microlenders out of business.
Every year, the Southern magazine the Oxford American publishes a music issue featuring rare recordings from a particular state. This year, they've chosen to focus on "the Heart Of Dixie."
The U.S. is continuing diplomatic efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks but the prospects do not look good. The Palestinians are now bringing their fight for independence into the global arena.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will not pardon Billy the Kid and listeners respond to the story on "The Year in Mean."
In her latest film "Frankie and Alice," actress Halle Berry plays a '70s era go-go dancer with multiple personality disorder -- one of which is a child and the other bigoted southern belle. The actress discusses the role and her career.
A century-old New Year's Day tradition in Philadelphia is starting to get hip. The Mummers Parade has always been a day when mostly working-class men don elaborate dresses and dance down Broad Street with parasols. It has historically been an enclave of families with deep labor-union ties. But now young artists are adopting the tradition as a creative vehicle.
The stand-off continues in Ivory Coast amid reports of mass graves and threats of more violence.
Hockey fans are looking forward to the fourth annual outdoor NHL Winter Classic on New Year's Day in Pittsburgh. But it looks like it could rain. Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis discusses the game and what the weather has in store.
We've heard about good holiday foods, now it's time for the bad: Listeners share their tales of unappetizing seasonal dishes, from Jello with mayonnaise to heavy candied fruit bread to that dried Scandinavian delicacy, lutefisk.
Blake Hounshell, managing editor of Foreign Policy, edited the magazine's second annual 100 Global Thinkers List. Hounshell talks about three people from the list most Americans have never heard of, and what we might expect to see from them in the coming year.
The health care debate and President Obama's political fortunes dominated the year in politics. How will these and other issues play out in the coming year. E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Reihan Salam, a blogger at National Review and policy advisor at Economics 21, offer their insight.
President Obama's self-described "shellacking" and Republican House leader John Boehner's emotions getting the better of him were some of the more memorable moments of the year in politics. We hear these and a sampling of others.
Aaron Neville has been making records for 50 years. His newest recording, I Know I've Been Changed, is a selection of gospel favorites from his childhood.
The electric guitarist never got to see his hero, John Coltrane, play the saxophone. But McLaughlin was so moved by Coltrane's 1965 masterpiece A Love Supreme that, nearly a half-century later, it's central to his own new album, To the One.
Most everyone would agree that 2010 is old news, which means it's time to start rolling out the best music of 2011. Here, NPR Music editor Stephen Thompson talks about forthcoming albums by R.E.M., Iron and Wine, James Blake, Adele and Wye Oak.
When NPR Music's interns were asked to help choose NPR's 50 Favorite Albums of 2010, they were stoked. When nearly all of their picks were dismissed, they were left with nothing but their rejected records to console them. This isn't just a year-end list; it's the redemption of their musical taste.
There may be more mythology about pouring, drinking and storing Champagne than there is about any other fermented grape juice. Chemist Richard Zare and food writer Harold McGee set the record straight on the proper protocol for enjoying sparkling wines this New Year's Eve.
In his new book, Present at the Creation, Amir D. Aczel tells the story of the European Organization for Nuclear Research's Large Hadron Collider. With the multibillion-euro collider, researchers hope to recreate the conditions that existed just after the Big Bang.
In his new book Fraser's Penguins, writer Fen Montaigne describes the effect climate change is having on Antarctica's penguins. Montaigne, ecologist Bill Fraser and Science Friday blogger Kayla Iacovino (currently in Antarctica) recount their experiences on the continent.
Leaf-cutter ants rely on their razor-sharp mandibles to snip leaves to pieces. But over time, their mandibles dull. Physicist Robert Schofield of the University of Oregon looked at what happens when the aging ants struggle with their snipping. He found they take on a new job.
From the Gulf oil spill and the earthquake in Haiti to the creation of synthetic life and the Icelandic volcano eruption, a lot of science stories made headlines in 2010. Science writers Ron Cowen, Robin Lloyd, Andrew Revkin and Paul Raeburn join Ira Flatow to discuss the year's top stories in science.
In this week's Political Chat roundtable, host Michel Martin looks back on the year that was, in politics. She reviews the highlights of 2010 in the form of a "political awards show" with Mary Kate Cary, columnist and blogger for the US News and World Report and Cynthia Tucker, columnist and blogger with the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Tomorrow marks the end of the week-long holiday, Kwanzaa. Started in 1966 as a way for African Americans to celebrate their cultural heritage, Kwanzaa uses the East African language, Swahili, to name its days. In a recent online column, linguist and commentator John McWhorter argues that Swahili should be dropped from Kwanzaa. He tells host Michel Martin why.
In this week's Barbershop, host Michel Martin revisits some of the biggest stories that made waves in 2010 -- from NPR's much-talked-about firing of news analyst and FOX News contributor Juan Williams to NFL star Michael Vick's aggressive comeback. Martin reflects with author Jimi Izrael, Sports Illustrated reporter Pablo Torre, Republican strategist Marcus Skelton and civil rights attorney Arsalan Iftikhar.
In a special end-of-year edition of the weekly BackTalk segment, Tell Me More's "digital media guy" Lee Hill and host Michel Martin catch up with some of the program's more memorable guests from stories featured in 2010. Hear updates on their individual journeys to overcome a year of challenges and loss, having been affected by the Gulf oil spill, joblessness and the struggle to re-enter society after being incarcerated for sexual assault.
Few topics are off-limits for the brash comedian: She has joked about her many face lifts, her husband's suicide, her bankruptcy and the sacrifices she made as a female performer. The documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work follows the comedian as she fights to still make people laugh.
Comedian Sarah Silverman is known for delivering closely observed social commentary in a disarming, politically incorrect style. She tells stories about her childhood and her career in a new memoir, The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee.
We bid farewell to an unwitting feminist hero thought to be the model for an iconic poster from World War Two. The poster showed a woman in a red bandana, flexing her bicep. It wasn't until the 80s that Geraldine Doyle recognized her face. In 1942, a photographer had come to metal factory where she was working.
It'll be harder to flash a certain kind of cash in Las Vegas in the New Year. The Bellagio casino is discontinuing its $25,000 chip. A gunman robbed the casino of $1.5 million in chips earlier this month, and is still at large. Casino executives hope to make it harder for the thief to cash them in.
With a nod to the Tea Party, the Republicans taking over the House of Representatives next week will read the Constitution aloud, in its entirety. It's something that has never been done in the chamber's 221-year history. Many in the Tea Party feel Congress has strayed far from the country's founding principles.
Renee Montagne looks back at the performance of the stock market and the economy in 2010 with Wall Street Journal editor David Wessel.
Steven Rattner, a banker who advised the Obama administration on the auto bailout, will pay a $10 million penalty as a way to settle allegations by New York authorities. Rattner had been accused of trading favors for business with the state's pension fund.
As the year ends, there are small signs that the economy is mending. But one country could change that: Spain. Economists and European leaders are worried that debt problems in Spain could have major implications for the entire global financial system.
Snow is piling up in record amounts in the western part of the U.S. That's good news for the snow-dependent ski industry, which like most travel and tourism industries, has limped its way through the economic downturn. The Christmas-New Year's holiday is the make or break time for most ski resorts and hotels.
Remember Y2K? That's beginning to seem like a long time ago, now. Morning Edition takes some time to remember how much has happened since the turn of the century. Listen for a decade of history in this audio montage.
The 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be available for sale in California starting Saturday. The state is implementing new federal energy efficiency standards a year before other states.
College football bowl season is in full swing, as schools will play 35 games in 24 days, culminating in the national championship game on Jan. 10. There have already been some tight games, and some odd moments — like the runaway falcon.
How to counter and curb growing Islamist militancy and banditry in the Sahel — the vast, poorly policed zone that straddles the African nations of Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Algeria — is a priority for governments in West Africa, Washington and beyond.
Turkey is stepping up its role in Iraq, vying with Iran as a regional power. These powerful neighbors use investments and building projects to ensure long-term influence. Northern Iraq is the staging ground for Turkey's bid, as competition heats up ahead of the U.S. withdrawal of troops.
Morning Edition offers a musical tribute to the artists we lost in 2010.
A North Korean restaurant in Dubai provides a taste of Pyongyang for those who may never get there, and hard currency for the regime. It's tiny compared with the venerable original in Pyongyang, but the noodles are a hit -- and the waitresses sing.
Where in the United States would you have to go to see the country's first sunrise of 2011? Turns out the answer is, "It's complicated."
On Jan. 1, Oprah Winfrey launches the Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN, the first television channel entirely dedicated to a personal brand. Will her loyal audience follow?
They consumed our Facebook and Twitter streams! Hijacked our RSS feeds and blog readers! Loopty-looped on all the cable news channels! But it turns out, they were much ado about nothing.
In northwest Pakistan's war-torn Swat Valley, a member of the former royal family is creating jobs and dignity for widows on both sides of the conflict. A princess has founded a vocational center to teach women how to make traditional textiles -- and earn a living.
Blurring the borders separating classical, rock, jazz and more, an assortment of young, smart musicians feels equally at home playing in trendy nightclubs or swanky concert halls.
In the early 1960s, thousands of Cuban parents put their children on airplanes bound for America. And as they fled Fidel Castro's regime, the kids were often met in the United States by George Guarch. Fifty years later, his daughter speaks with a man her father helped.
Craft distillers are catering to drinkers who have a taste for the regional and the unique. They're still just a fraction of the market, but more small-batch spirits are showing up on liquor-store shelves, next to pints of Jack Daniel's and Everclear.
If you just want the headline, here it is: The economy is doing way better than expected and way worse than it should be.
In recent years, the number of people killed on American roads has fallen by more than 20 percent. Two likely reasons? Safer cars and a slower economy, according to a University of Michigan study. But deaths related to inattentive driving and motorcycle fatalities are up.
Who says moviemakers are out of ideas? Hollywood studios may not always score, but for at least the third year in a row, foreign directors, indie auteurs and documentarians have served up enough eye-opening films that NPR's critic had trouble narrowing his best-of list to anything near a Top 10.
Six of today's hitmakers on whether a classic song can transcend the era in which it was made.
Geraldine Hoff Doyle died Sunday at the age of 86. A photo of her played a role in the famous "We Can Do It!" illustrations of "Rosie."
This is the time of year when many are thinking about giving money to charity. Most of the organizations Americans choose to support are honest outfits. But then there are the horror stories.
Jean Toomer received much acclaim for his portrait of African-American life in the early 20th century in his 1923 book Cane. The Harlem Renaissance author wrote vivid vignettes in a series of poems and short stories in the book. Next week, the book will be re-released with a new introduction written by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates and Emory University scholar Rudolph Byrd. In the 70-page introduction, the two scholars write that Toomer, a light-skinned black man of mixed heritage, chose to live much of his life as a black man passing as white. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Byrd about the life of Toomer.
This week, All Things Considered has been hearing about some of the challenges that loom ahead in the coming year in U.S. foreign relations. Today, the rising role of Brazil. This weekend, the South American giant will inaugurate a new president, Dilma Roussef, the chosen successor of the wildly popular Lula da Silva. For more on the relationship between the U.S. and Brazil, NPR's Robert Siegel speaks to Larry Rohter, a reporter for the New York Times and the author of the recent book Brazil on the Rise.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has suspended the life sentences of the Scott sisters, who were convicted of armed robbery in 1994. Gladys Scott's release is contingent on giving a kidney to her sister, Jamie, who requires daily dialysis. For more, NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Chris Joyner, formerly of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
President Obama has named six people to executive jobs, circumventing the Senate confirmation process. Notable among them is James Cole, whose nomination as deputy attorney general has been pending in the Senate since May.
Using his power to make appointments when the Senate is in recess, President Obama has appointed four new ambassadors -- to Syria, Turkey, Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic. The four nominees have been waiting an average of five months for Senate confirmation; Robert Stephen Ford, named ambassador to Syria, had been waiting since February. His nomination was blocked by Republicans who didn't want to "reward" Syria as it provides support to Hezbollah and Hamas.
Beginning in 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will require food labels on 40 of the most common cuts of raw beef and poultry. Everything from hamburger to chicken patties would include information about calories, cholesterol and fat. For more, NPR's Audie Cornish speaks to Steve Kay, editor and publisher of the trade publication Cattle Buyers Weekly.
The relationship between Apple's CEO Steve Jobs and head designer Jonathan Ive has resulted in some of the most important products of the new century.
All Things Considered has been conducting exit interviews with some members of Congress who'll be leaving when the new House and Senate are sworn in next week. Today, host Robert Siegel speaks to Sen. George Voinovich, an Ohio Republican, who served two terms in the Senate after having been governor of Ohio and mayor of Cleveland.
Go to France, Britain, Ireland or Portugal -- you'll find the same sentiment on the streets of all these debt-ridden European nations: Europe's financial crisis was caused by rich and greedy bankers and politicians, yet it's the poor who're picking up the tab -- people like Mariana Silva. Silva is paid 400 euros for the 40 hours she slogs away each week in a kitchen in a poor neighborhood of Lisbon. Tax hikes and public spending cuts have driven her over the edge. She and her two kids are being kicked out of their home after defaulting on the mortgage. The power and the water have been cut off. For food, she relies on the help of the local priest and concerned members of the public.
A $400,000 earmark funds an organization that helps connect soldiers and their families at Fort Drum with private-practice doctors. The service was necessary because Fort Drum lacks its own hospital, but it has also helped bolster the region's health care assets as a whole.
On our fifth annual obituary show, we remember those who may not have made the front pages when they died but whose lives still made an impact. NPR's Neal Conan, Joanne Silberner and Sonari Glinton are among those who share their remembrances.
Pianist Shai Wosner has been performing to critical acclaim for years, but has just made his debut recording. Music critic Tom Manoff has been looking forward to the CD, having recently heard Wosner in recital.
America ends the decade with its first black president, and census numbers have revealed that the country isn't so black-and-white anymore. Hispanics and Asians are increasing in numbers compared to an aging white population. Historian Douglas Brinkley reflects on what's shaking up the status quo.
In 2010, education funds have been cut as tuition has risen, and youth unemployment levels neared 20%. Signs of economic progress are on the horizon, but many young people will have important decisions to make about where to live, what to do and where to study that can't be put on hold any longer.
From snarky remarks about Bristol Palin's dancing to blaming the people of Haiti for their earthquake, the meanness meter went pretty high in 2010.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is usually associated with the battlefield. But it's also turning up in civilian first responders -- search-and-rescue personnel, paramedics and firefighters. Now those communities are trying to destigmatize the disorder and get help to those in need.
Boston Globe film critic Wesley Morris reviews some of the better films that you might have missed this year, with host Michel Martin. The list includes "Mother and Child" starring Annette Benning, Naomi Watts and Samuel-L-Jackson as well as "Machete," an action flick with political undertones, starring Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba and Robert De Niro.
Some major East Coast cities are still struggling to recover from snowstorms that battered the region on Sunday and Monday. In New York, many streets remain unplowed and angry residents have criticized Mayor Michael Bloomberg for the city's slow response. Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker has, meanwhile, been praised nationally for his personal handling of the blizzard. Host Michel Martin speaks with NPR Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving about the politics of snow.
Renown jazz musician and educator Billy Taylor died on Tuesday at the age of 89. The pianist and composer was regarded as an ambassador for jazz and made Washington's Kennedy Center of the nation's premier concert venues for the genre. Host Michel Martin recalls his life's work with jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater and Washington Post writer and editor, Marc Fisher.
Bowl season in college football has begun and sports fans can enjoy 35 Bowls to be played through Jan tenth. But all eyes will be on the national championship game between University of Oregon and Auburn University. Sports Editor for the Nation Magazine, Dave Zirin, tells Michel Martin what to expect.
Snowstorms and the response to them have had political implications for city mayors in the past. In 1979, Chicago Mayor Michael Bilandic was voted out of office amid public outrage at his handling of a massive blizzard. Host Michel Martin speaks with Bilandic's successor, former Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne, about lessons learned from the historic storm.
Host Michel Martin reviews the best books of 2010 with Salon.com book critic Laura Miller. Miller's list of favorites includes the true story of an African-American woman whose cells are immortalized by scientists as well as a book about living under constant surveillance in North Korea. The novel Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans also makes the list.
The pop-dance-electronic group's founder tells Terry Gross why he stopped complaining about other bands and decided to start making his own music instead. LCD Soundsystem's latest album is called This Is Happening.
Jay-Z is one of the most successful hip-hop artists of all time. On Fresh Air, he discusses growing up in Brooklyn surrounded by drugs and violence, and the stories behind many of his famous songs.
A political fissure is threatening possible open conflict between Iran's two top officials. Recent actions by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appear to be part of a wider plan to enhance the powers of his own presidency, at the expense of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Israeli officials have stepped up efforts to stem the flow of African asylum seekers and migrant workers into Israel. The measures include a $270 million fence along the border with Egypt, a new detention center, a crackdown on employers and repatriation of Africans already in Israel.
Some school kids in South Korea had an unusual substitute this week. The teacher, Engkey, is a robot. A pilot program has deployed about 30 robots that teach English as they scoot around reading books and singing songs.
One California business is celebrating a particularly successful holiday food drive: The Granny Purps medical marijuana dispensary in California gave patients a free marijuana cigarette for every four cans of food they donated. The maximum was three cigarettes a day. The dispensary collected 11,000 pounds of donations this holiday season.
Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav was found guilty of rape and other sexual offenses Thursday. The case is the most serious ever brought against a high-ranking Israeli official. Katsav has denied the charges.
Dr. Billy Taylor -- jazz pianist, educator and regular voice on NPR for many years -- died Tuesday night after a heart attack. Taylor served as artistic adviser at the Kennedy Center. He was 89.
Buying billboard space at New York City's Times Square is kind of like paying for a Super Bowl ad. It's very expensive, but you know millions of people will see what you're selling -- especially in December, when New York is packed with tourists.
The U.K.-based style of dance music has branched into two genres, and fans of one are rarely fond of the other.
The NFL has fined Vikings quarterback Brett Favre $50,000 for failing to fully cooperate with an investigation into whether he sent inappropriate messages and photos to a female employee of the New York Jets. Favre played for the Jets in 2008.
The year 2010 was chock-full of interesting science. But with more than 700,000 scientific papers published, picking the top stories of the year is a daunting task.
Federal prosecutors have charged a seventh person for conspiracy and securities fraud in a widening investigation. Winifred Jiau is a consultant for what's known as an expert-network firm. Those firms are the focus of the investigation. Prosecutors say the companies are illegally funneling inside information about technology companies to big investors.