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Wednesday, March 06, 2013

The Two-Way

Guys, Your Colorblindness Might Be Messing With Kenya's Elections

Kenyan election observers and voters in the mixed slum of Kiambiu — where the first fires started in Nairobi after the disputed presidential election of 2007 — vote in this year's elections. Could something as innocent as the color of the ballots and ballot boxes be contributing to voting "irregularities"?

March 6, 2013 Kenya's presidential election has yielded hundreds of thousands of spoiled ballots — and raised the possibility of a contentious and costly runoff election in April. Amid allegations of vote-rigging, there are others who say there may be a more innocent reason for so many rejected ballots.

Summary

Friday, March 01, 2013

All Tech Considered

A Kenyan Teen's Discovery: Let There Be Lights To Save Lions

Richard Turere speaks at the TED2013 conference in Long Beach, Calif. With a simple invention, the Kenyan teen figured out a way to keep cows and their predators safe.

March 1, 2013 Richard Turere, 13, put his father's cows in a pen at night. That's when the trouble would start. Lions would jump in the shed and kill the farm animals. One night he was walking around with a flashlight and discovered the lions were scared of a moving light. A light went on inside him and an idea was born.

Summary

Thursday, February 21, 2013

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Convergent Evolution: Hyenas Offer Clues To The Human Past

Spotted hyena cubs socialize at their communal den in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

February 21, 2013 Spotted hyenas live in groups that may exceed 100, working together to hunt and raise their young. They're incredibly successful social carnivores. New research suggests they may also hold clues to understanding the human evolutionary past.

Summary

Thursday, December 13, 2012

The Two-Way

From A Life Of Crime To Designing Jewelry, All In A Nairobi Slum

Zakale Creations is a jewelry-designing operation that employs 30 young people who were previously involved in crime. The Nairobi-based operation is the brainchild of John Mucheru, himself a former mugger.

December 13, 2012 Zakale Creations is a jewelry-designing operation that employs 30 young people — former thieves and prostitutes. The Nairobi-based operation is the brainchild of John Mucheru, himself a former mugger.

Summary

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Shots - Health News

How Cellphones Helped Researchers Track Malaria In Kenya

More than 90 percent of Kenyans use mobile phones, giving scientists a powerful tool to track how diseases spread.

October 11, 2012 By tracking nearly 15 million cellphones in Kenya, scientists mapped out how malaria spreads through the Texas-sized country. The findings pinpoint areas where efforts to control malaria would be the most effective. One day, the data may help guide alert systems for phones that remind travelers to use bed nets.

Summary

Sunday, August 12, 2012

The Salt

On The Road To Olympic Gold, Kenyan Marathoners Fuel Up On Carbs

Every day at 9 a.m. sharp in Iten, Kenya, 200 or so runners train on the dirt roads surrounding the town.

August 12, 2012 Kenya's winning marathoners mainly fill up on high-carb vegetarian dishes like ugali, a cornmeal mush, and githeri, boiled corn and kidney beans. It's a bland diet, but it seems to help them excel at middle- and long-distance running.

Summary

Thursday, March 08, 2012

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Desert Trackways: 7-Million-Year-Old Clues To Elephant Social Complexity

A family of elephants in Kenya's Maasai Mara game reserve.

March 8, 2012 Discovery of fossilized footprints in the Arabian desert tells us that elephants have lived in complex families for 7 million years. Elephants have adapted to changing conditions for millenia, but can they withstand the stresses we humans inflict today?

Summary

Monday, September 12, 2011

The Two-Way

Cigarette May Have Ignited Pipeline, Killing Scores In Kenya

September 12, 2011 Hundreds of people reportedly were trying to collect fuel from a broken tank. A cigarette tossed into an open sewer may have triggered the blast.

Summary

Friday, January 28, 2011

The Two-Way

Elephant Underpass Connects Cousins In Kenya

Africa's first dedicated elephant underpass, in use near the slopes of Mt. Kenya.

January 28, 2011 Two distinct elephant populations near Mount Kenya have been united with the opening of Africa's first dedicated elephant underpass.The elephants can now safely cross under a major regional highway.

Summary

Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Two-Way

Kenya's Rampant Corruption Takes A Hit In New Cases

October 28, 2010 Kenya’s foreign minister has been forced to step down over a questionable land deal — the second sign this week that investigators are taking aim at Kenya’s notorious corruption problem.

Summary

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

All Tech Considered

Kenyan Software Developer Wins Big Prize At Nokia Summit

September 15, 2010 A software company in Nairobi is using the cell phone as central business tool, lowering the barrier of entry for small businesses in Africa.

Summary

Monday, January 14, 2008

Blog Of The Nation

Talking About Tribes

January 14, 2008 As we hear more about the violence in Kenya, what does "tribal tension" mean, and what roles do tribes play in politics, culture, and everyday life?

Summary

ListenPlaylist

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Blog Of The Nation

Kenya in Trouble

January 8, 2008 Violence continues to wrack Kenya...

Summary

ListenPlaylist

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