When NPR's Tamara Keith was 15 years old, she embarked on a letter-writing campaign that set her career in motion. Courtesy Keith Family hide caption

Acaraje are a regional food in Brazil made from fried balls of mashed-up beans, onions and salt. The balls are sliced in half, slathered with a spicy pepper sauce and cashew paste, and then topped with shrimp. Russell Lewis/NPR hide caption

Sprinters Mark Cavendish of Britain (second left) and Germany's Andre Greipel, (right) shake hands as Britain's Christopher Froome (second right) and Spain's Alberto Contador (left) wait for the start of the first stage of the Tour de France on Saturday. Christophe Ena/AP hide caption

Loretta Jackson gently stretches the hands of her sister, Shirlene English, to aid physical rehabilitation after Shirlene's brain aneurysm and stroke. Andrew Nixon/Capital Public Radio hide caption

Sure, you can play the triangle — but can you play it well? iStockphoto.com hide caption

Guitarist Marty Friedman was known as a shredder when he was with Megadeth, but says he needed more happy music in his life. Takaaki Henmi/Courtesy of the artist hide caption