Hear some of the year's most memorable NPR stories and musical performances in these special podcasts.
Memorable Moments Podcast »
At War, At Home
Gaps in Mental Care Persist for Fort Carson Soldiers
An NPR investigation last December found that supervisors at Colorado's Fort Carson punished soldiers who suffered mental anguish. Leaders at the base now attend mandatory training on spotting troubled soldiers, but mental health experts say it may be doing as much harm as good.
Disabled Often Carry Out Afghan Suicide Missions
There have been at least 110 suicide attacks in Afghanistan this year. An Afghan doctor who conducts bombers' autopsies says that up to 80 percent of suicide bombers in Kabul are disabled.
Iraqi Dentist Learns of Torture, Death of Friend
Hassan Khaliday, a 24-year-old dentist struggling in war-torn Iraq, tells of the torture and decapitation of a close friend. His corpse was left in one of the markets. Khaliday says this is the reality of Baghdad; happiness is destroyed. He sought refuge in Jordan but was refused entry.
Wounded Soldier's Family Feels Forgotten by Army
Army Spc. Ron Hinkle barely survived an IED blast in Iraq that left him with brain damage. Bad advice from the Army has left him with mounting medical bills. Now he and his family may lose their Colorado ranch.
Army Medevac Unit Races Against 'Golden Hour'
The first hour after an attack is crucial for wounded soldiers. Injured troops who get medical help have a 95 percent chance of surviving. Eagle Dustoff, a medevac unit in Iraq, keeps its mission simple: Evacuate the wounded as quickly as possible.
Sight and Sound
Foreign Correspondence
China's Mother River Under Threat
The Yellow River has long reflected the glories and the problems of China's past. Today, rapid industrialization is taking its toll on the country's "mother river." In this five-part series, NPR travels along the river to see the threats and challenges that lie ahead.
Istanbul's Tarlabasi Under Constant Transformation
In what was once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, one of Istanbul's most notorious slums has sprung up. Tarlabasi is a densely populated maze of narrow streets that wend between crumbling Ottoman-era houses built on a hillside.
Iran's Ambitions Spark Fears in the Muslim World
Iran's leaders have seen their nation as the key regional power in the Middle East. But since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has been consistently unable to fulfill this ambition. NPR examines the country and its relationships with its neighbors.
Exploring the Sacred, Modern Along the Ganges
India's holy Ganges River travels 1,550 miles from the Himalayas and across the plains of north India before spilling into the Bay of Bengal. A five-part series explores life along the river: its extremes of ancient and modern, rural and urban, and rich and poor.
Ahead of First Lady's Visit, A School's Facelift
Laura Bush has just completed a tour of Africa, stopping at a school in Bamako, Mali. The U.S. Embassy there helped to spruce up the school before her arrival, making it more amenable to a photo-op.
Climate Connections
Episode 1: It's All About Carbon
To get to the heart of the global warming story, you've got to look past the polar bears and melting glaciers. Because the scientific explanation for climate change depends to a very large degree on the behavior of one very particular atom: carbon. In five animated episodes, Robert Krulwich explains why it's all about carbon.
Businesses See Green in Iceland's Volcano Power
Iceland's winters are long, dark and cold. But one of the country's favorite winter hobbies is to take a swim in outdoor heated pools or lounge in backyard hot tubs. Heat and electricity are cheap, clean and plentiful here — and Iceland wants other countries to take notice.
Japan Trades In Suits, Cuts Carbon Emissions
In an effort to meet a Kyoto Protocol pledge, Japan managed to cut about 1.4 million tons of CO2 emissions last year. The nation reduced summer air-conditioning use, overturning a decades-old "suit and tie" tradition along the way.
Climate Change Is Clear Atop Mauna Loa
In the late 1950s, scientist Charles David Keeling began research that would prove to be a key signpost of climate change. His meticulous monitoring of carbon-dioxide levels in the air at Hawaii's Mauna Loa Observatory is carried on by scientists today.
In Concert
Operatic Pop Singer Rufus Wainwright in Concert
Rufus Wainwright makes richly orchestrated, theatrical pop music inspired by the traditions of cabaret, musicals and opera. Hear Wainwright perform selections from his latest CD, Release the Stars, in a full concert recorded live from New York's Gramercy Theater.
Dave Brubeck: A Monterey Pioneer in Concert
Bay Area disc jockey Jimmy Lyons got Brubeck to play piano for the Monterey City Council more than 50 years ago to convince it to put on a festival. The Monterey Jazz Festival is in its 50th year, and Brubeck returns for his 14th appearance. Hear his complete concert.
Bjork and Konono No. 1 in Concert
Wildly imaginative, exuberant and always unpredictable, Björk has built an iconic career by consistently breaking new creative ground. Her latest CD, Volta, is a high-energy, tribal romp across cultures. Hear Björk in a full concert from New York's United Palace.
Live Music from the Film 'Once'
Playing under the name The Swell Season, Irish singer Glen Hansard and Czech newcomer Markéta Irglová sing affecting folk-rock songs with blissful harmonies. Hear the stars of the sleeper hit musical Once recorded live in concert from Washington, D.C.
Berlin Philharmonic, in Concert at Carnegie Hall
Invite the world's finest orchestra to play in the world's most famous concert hall, and the makings for a major musical event are in place. Hear the famed Berlin Philharmonic live at Carnegie Hall, playing music by Mahler, and an exciting U.S. premiere by Thomas Adčs.
Personalities
Talking to the Real Sacha Baron Cohen
English comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen's popular film Borat is now out on DVD. Cohen is best known for his characters Ali G (a journalist from England), Bruno (a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion reporter) and Borat (a reporter from Kazakhstan).
Visionary Inventor Cooks Up the Frito
The Kitchen Sisters explore the saga of a Texas corn chip and C.E. Doolin, the can-do visionary behind it. Doolin, who envisioned Fritos as a side dish, never imagined anyone would consume an entire king size bag.
Revisiting Tom DeBaggio, and Life with Alzheimer's
For more than seven years, All Things Considered has followed the story of one Alzheimer's patient, Tom DeBaggio. And it's apparent in a recent visit with Tom and his wife, Joyce, how sharply his health has declined.
Colbert Builds 'Report' with Viewers, Readers
Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report talks about his book I Am America (And So Can You!). Colbert targets race, religion, sports and the American family as well as more mundane topics like breakfast cereal and the Hollywood blacklist.
Farmworker to Surgeon: Immigrant Lives Dream
Twenty years ago, Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa hopped a border fence from Mexico into the U.S. and became a migrant farmworker. Today he is a neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University, and a researcher looking for a breakthrough in the treatment of brain cancer.
Literary Great Chinua Achebe on Prose and Politics
The acclaimed Nigerian writer talks about the premise of his debut novel Things Fall Apart, why he stopped writing for nearly 20 years and how his experiences with Nigeria's fractured political past still shape the way he envisions Africa's future.
Mailer Remembered as Controversial, Provocative
Norman Mailer's work combined sweeping cultural criticism, erudition and obscenity. He was deliberately provocative, says book critic Maureen Corrigan, and he wanted to be remembered as a novelist, though he made a strong impact as an essayist and journalist.
