Spc. Ben Purvis (center) helps train Afghan troops on how to use mortars in the eastern province of Kunar in June. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, points to several factors in the rise of "insider attacks" on American forces. He says relations between U.S. and Afghan troops are good overall.
Gunmen wearing Afghan police and army uniforms have killed 40 U.S. and NATO troops so far this year, and the top American commander in Afghanistan says there is no single reason — and no simple solution.
Taliban infiltrators, disputes between NATO and Afghan security forces, and even the timing of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, are all factors, according to Gen. John Allen.
"We think the reasons for these attacks are complex," says Allen, who spoke by video link from Kabul on Thursday. Ten of the American deaths have come in just the past two weeks.
Originally published on Thu August 23, 2012 8:09 pm
Many science-fiction storytellers worry about robots becoming self-aware and destroying us. The moment the artificial beings attain real intelligence, these tales posit, they'll realize we made them too smart and too strong for our own good, and they'll wonder why the superior beings should be relegated to working assembly lines and doing mundane repetitive tasks when they could be ruling the planet.
Of the roughly 80,000 Chinese children adopted in the United States since 1979, almost all are girls, abandoned at birth by their parents because of China's one-child policy, coupled with inheritance laws that favor boys.
Originally published on Thu August 23, 2012 7:55 pm
The Rocky Mountain Care Foundation was created in 1999 to provide charitable health care services and improve the overall quality of life for low-income people in Utah.
For example, we recently provided a Hoyer Lift to a quadriplegic woman to assist her in getting into and out of her wheelchair. And to make it easier on her caregiver, her tiny grandmother.
This summer, All Things Considered has asked listeners and guests to share a personal memory: the memory of one song discovered through their parents' record collection.
Originally published on Mon August 27, 2012 8:58 am
If you're going to take a walk on the wild side and get a tattoo, it could get even wilder than you planned.
Federal and state health investigators have identified five clusters of skin infections linked to tattoos.
Now it's true that infection risks from tattoos are not exactly new or unknown. In fact, tattoo parlors are licensed and regulated in many jurisdictions to minimize the risk of trouble for people getting "inked."
Grammy-winning Latin-music producer Aaron Levinson joins WXPN's David Dye for this, the 17th segment of World Cafe's Latin Roots series. Levinson, a Philadelphia native, started his music career at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. With a background as a musician and composer, he's a former governor of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Levinson has gone on to start his own record label, Range Recording Studios, and has produced and released more than a dozen albums along the way.
We're going to talk now about how Mitt Romney's energy plan lines up with the Obama administration's policies. To help do that, I'm joined by Steven Mufson, who covers energy for the Washington Post. Steven, welcome to the program.
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan campaigns with his mother, Betty Ryan Douglas, on Saturday in The Villages, Fla. The Mitt Romney campaign has created an ad from the event.
Originally published on Fri August 24, 2012 3:27 pm
Ask your average American about Florida, and you'll hear something like this: It's hot, it has Disney World, and lots of old people live there.
And since the weather and Mickey Mouse don't make good attack ads, both presidential campaigns are trying to scare the bejeezus out of Florida's senior population over Medicare.
Grocery auctions have been growing in popularity as a way to get a lot of food for not a lot of money.
Credit Matt Sindelar for NPR
Workers hold up five pound bags of frozen chicken nuggets before bidding opens. Grocery auctions have been growing in popularity since the recession as an outlet for food that's past its prime. Around 80 people attended this one at the Chesapeake Auction House in St. Leonard, Md.
Credit Matt Sindelar for NPR
The auctions usually last four hours, and many bidders stay the entire time. The food they bid on won't be sold in stores because it may be expired or have damaged packaging.
Credit Matt Sindelar for NPR
Betty Thomas types bids into the auction house's computer. Most of their grocery auctions bring in $10,000-15,000.
Credit Matt Sindelar for NPR
Many of the bidders bring large coolers to carry home their haul, which often includes frozen meat.
Credit Matt Sindelar for NPR
Kathy Cartwright of Accokeek, Md., is a regular at the grocery auctions. She says her family has stopped buying meat at the store, and relies on what they can get at the auction. Most of the meat is sold frozen.
Credit Matt Sindelar for NPR
The type of food at the grocery auction varies, but this one included frozen meat, chips, juice, laundry detergent and more. Auctioneer Larry Forman and his wife Kay (not pictured) have hosted the grocery auctions for 10 years.
Credit Matt Rourke / AP
Runner Tom Howard holds up the merchandise at a grocery auction in Dallas, Pa., in 2009. These auctions are becoming more popular as people look for deals on food that's past its prime.
