Hear some of the year's most memorable NPR stories and musical performances in these special podcasts.
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Iraq and the Homefront
Soldiers Say Army Ignores, Punishes Mental Anguish
The Army says it has extensive mental-health programs and services for soldiers returning from Iraq. But some stressed-out soldiers at Colorado's Ft. Carson say that instead of giving them help, officials are purging them from the ranks.
Alex Chadwick: 'Wondering About a War'
In this Veterans Day commentary, Alex Chadwick visits Arlington National Cemetery to witness the funeral of a Coast Guard veteran, where the sound and fury of the recent election comes second to honoring the "last, full measure" of a soldier's sacrifice.
Anatomy of a Shooting: A Civilian's Death in Iraq
On June 24, 2005, Iraqi journalist and doctor Yasser Salihee was struck by a bullet fired by Staff Sgt. Joe Romero of the 256th Combat Brigade Team, Louisiana National Guard. Those involved agree the shooting was a mistake, but that's about all they agree on.
Army Burn Center Sees Some of Worst War Wounds
When soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer severe burns, they are sent to the Brooke Army Medical Center. The staff strives to keep the patients alive -- and then to help them cope with their changed lives.
Letters to a Father Who Was Lost
Guffran is a 9-year-old Baghdad girl. Her father was killed five months ago in a carjacking. When he was alive, she enjoyed writing letters to him and leaving them around their house for him to find. She's still writing him letters.
Foreign Correspondence
Preserving Memory of Afghanistan's Giant Buddhas
When the Taliban were driven from power in 2001, they left behind a broken country and an infamous act of destruction: reducing to rubble two monumental Buddhas that had stood for 1,500 years. Now some people are proposing to rebuild at least one of the giant statues.
Shanghai Urban Development: The Future Is Now
In the first of a weeklong series on urban development in Shanghai, we look at the dramatically changing cityscape. Cranes erect skyscrapers at a dizzying rate, while Shanghai's center spreads to surrounding land.
The Gaddi People of Dharamsala
The nomadic Hindu tribe has dwelled in the shadows of the Himalayas in Northern India for countless generations. Before Tibetan refugees and Western tourists arrived, they were the dominant ethnic group -- but as development looms, their culture is changing.
Mexico's Drug Wars Leave Rising Death Toll
More than 1,500 people have died in narcotics-related killings in Mexico this year. Dozens of people have been beheaded and tortured as cartels across Mexico fight for the lucrative drug trafficking routes into the United States.
Pipeline Faces Delays, Complaints in Turkey
Turkey hosts the longest stretch of a new transnational pipeline that will carry oil from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean. Construction is nearly a year behind schedule and financial disagreements over the project may cause further delays.
Live Concerts
Memorable Music
NPR and select stations hosted dozens of live concerts in 2006, with stunning performances by some of the hottest acts on tour.
Unsolved Mysteries
The Boy Who Ran Like a Deer
Before a recent cross-country race in Bend, Ore., seventh-grader Kevin Cox found himself matched against tough competition: a deer. In a series of photos, Cox is shown running from the overly friendly animal. Cox tells Robert Siegel it was funny... but "a little scary," too.
An Explosive Pair: Take a Mentos and a Diet Coke...
What happens when you put a handful of Mentos candy into a bottle of diet soda? As many fans of Web video have found out, the results are pretty explosive. And there is actually a scientific explanation.
A Guy Named Otto and a Moose
Commentator Kevin Kling has a story about a true-life experience involving Bill Magie, a legend up in the north country.
Does Age Quash Our Spirit of Adventure?
Robert Sapolsky, a neuroscientist in his 40s, had a young assistant who played different music every day, from Sonic Youth to Minnie Pearl. That made Sapolsky crazy -- and curious about why his aging ears still crave music he loved in college. Is there an age when one passes from the novelty stage to utter predictability?
The Dog Who Loved to Suck on Toads
A dog may be man's best friend. But one dog, Lady, decided she needed more friends -- and she found plenty in the knot of toads living near the local pond. A suburban family's secret struggle with an uncommon addiction comes to light in this personal essay.
A Voluble Visit With Two Talking Apes
Bonobo chimpanzees Kanzi and Panbanisha understand thousands of words. With the help of a keypad, they use sentences, talk on the phone, and gossip. They are challenging the idea that language is unique to humans.
Characters
Christopher Hitchens, Literary Agent Provocateur
British writer Christopher Hitchens was once the literary lion of the left. But after Sept. 11, 2001, he surprised many with his robust support for the Bush administration's war on terrorism. It has cost Hitchens friends and allies, and left others wondering how it happened.
Larger-Than-Life Sheriff Rules Louisiana Parish
There's nobody quite like Harry Lee, the flamboyant and outspoken sheriff of Louisiana's Jefferson Parish. The Chinese-American lawman has a penchant for putting his foot in his mouth, but it only seems to increase his popularity.
Law Professor Beats the Odds in Detainee Case
One man has taken on President Bush's handling of detainees and won. Neal Katyal won the historic case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld at the Supreme Court. Katyal argued the court should intervene in the military tribunals set up by the president to try accused war criminals at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Artie Lange and the Art of Guy Comedy
Artie Lange's personal life -- namely, binge drinking and eating -- often provides fodder for his fellow cast members on the Howard Stern Show. The actor has appeared in such comedies as Old School and Elf. He stars in the new film Artie Lange's Beer League.
Not My Job: Isaac Mizrahi
Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi plays our game called "Things they probably do not discuss by the runway during fashion week." Three questions specifically chosen to confound a fashion designer.
The Examined Life
A Year to Live, A Year to Die
At 48, Stewart Selman learned he had a malignant brain tumor. Faced with a grave diagnosis, Selman offered to keep an audio diary of his final year, leaving a record for his family. It took time, his wife says, before she could hear it.
My Cancer: Funny Things You Think About
Commentary Leroy Sievers has spent a long career as a journalist covering war, genocide, and natural disasters. Now, after decades of observing other people's deaths, he is forced to contemplate the possibility of his own. He's fighting cancer.
Out of Hiding, Into the World: Thembi's AIDS Diary
Thembi Ngubane lives in one of South Africa's largest townships. She has a boyfriend and a close relationship with her mother and father. She is also living with AIDS. For a year, she recorded a diary that brings listeners into her home, among her family, to witness her daily struggles and triumphs.
Augusten Burroughs' Mother Speaks Out
In her poems, Margaret Robison describes her recovery from a stroke and the time she spent in a psychiatric hospital. But it's her son Augusten Burroughs' words in his memoir Running with Scissors that have defined her.
Jack Gilbert: Notes from a Poet's Well-Observed Life
When poet Jack Gilbert was young, he used to make lists of everything he wanted from his life. He is now past 80 years old, and has fulfilled many of the goals he set for himself, but he isn't letting go of life.
