-By Lauren Evans for NPR Opinion-
This weekend, I bought a newspaper.
Sure, I’ve bought them in the past. But this time, it was more than the simple business transaction it used to be. When I handed over my $1.50, I swelled with the same sense of noble do-gooding I feel when I donate money to save [...]

-Photos by Christopher Toothman-

Jazz pianist Omar Sosa, known for his Afro-Cuban rhythms, placed an effigy on the piano during his performance.

Childo Thomas (left), Sosa’s longtime collaborator from Mozambique, Tell Me More host Michel Martin and Omar Sosa pose after the performance.

Childo Thomas plays the kalimba, or thumb piano, is a modernized version of the [...]

-Photos by Christopher Toothman-

For some long distance runners, scaling back on mileage to ease the pressure on aging joints is an even tougher test of willpower than running a marathon. But doctors and coaches say there are plenty of good ways to stay fit and get the rush of running without pounding the pavement.
Retired Navy [...]

-Video by Christopher Toothman-
New toys due out later this year will use the power of the mind -– but these playthings are actually controlled by brain waves.
The goal of Uncle Milton’s “The Force Trainer” is to focus your thoughts in order to levitate a ball. There are no blinking lights or 3-D graphics -– just [...]

-by Christopher Toothman-
Cornelius Nyungura, known simply as Corneille, presents his unique sound to American audiences with his new album, The Birth of Cornelius.
The artist was born in Germany to Rwandan parents. Eventually, he says, he went home, only to face the genocide that claimed thousands of lives, including his parents. Corneille survived and later began [...]

–by Lauren Evans–
Christopher Walken is a legend. Few Oscar winners can spur a worldwide trend of “More Cowbell” T-shirts. Fewer still can parlay their ballroom dancing abilities into a YouTube sensation.
But these days, I love Christopher Walken for a whole new reason: He punctuates his “tweets.” He capitalizes. Within his 140-character limit, he achieves pithiness [...]

-by Christopher Toothman-
Before “We, the people,” there was a much less catchy intro — “To all to whom these Presents shall come.”
Those are the opening words to the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States of America, replaced by our current Constitution seven years later.
The original document is on full display for [...]

–By Lauren Evans–
Like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, Lent is a religious event that has appeal beyond dedicated churchgoers. Though Hallmark has yet to find a means of printing it into a greeting card, we nevertheless relish the opportunity to “give something up” for the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Initially intended as a [...]

-by Christopher Toothman-
Artist Zilly Rosen specializes in creating art out of a unique medium : pastries. Rosen, along with a team of five volunteers, spent several hours creating a portrait of Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln out of nearly 6,000 cupcakes at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 13, 2009.
When [...]

-by Christopher Toothman-
Lynwood Westray, now 82, spent 32 years as a butler in the White House and served under eight presidents going back to John F. Kennedy.
Even though he is now retired, Westray says he wouldn’t mind working for Obama.
“A lot of black folks, especially, were wondering if it was ever going to happen,” he [...]