Search results for

Russian troops are slowly leaving, while the locals have started thinking about re-building their shattered homes only to discover they depend on Moscow for much of the construction effort.

Beyond the damage to farms, homes, and roads, the floods in the West have also had profound effects on the natural environment. The high water has killed wildlife, downed trees, and disturbed the spawning of salmon. But as NPR's David Baron reports, ecologists say that the flooding is ultimately a good thing for the environment -- at least where it's occuring naturally.

Allison Pearson's novel I Don't Know How She Does It tracks the struggles of a fictional mom balancing the stress of work and home. Pearson speaks with NPR's Madeleine Brand.

The U.S. economy turned in a mixed performance in 2002. It grew at a respectable clip as consumers snapped up homes and new vehicles. But unemployment rose, and the stock market had another harrowing year. Now, the prospect of war with Iraq is a chief cause of uncertainty as the new year begins.

Commentator Katie Davis describes a New Year's tradition her friend Reggie participates in every year. A southern tradition requires that a man be the first person to cross the threshold of a home on January first. Reggie does the honors for his children's great grandmother.

Commentator Chris Rose follows the Bruce Springsteen tour across Texas, and at 42, relives some of the memories from his youth. He encounters other aging baby boomers, who grew up on "The Boss's" music. Leaving his wife and kids at home cost Rose a new kitchen.

Michele Norris and Lynn Neary tell us how a judge settled the case of the two fans who claimed ownership of Barry Bonds' record-setting No. 73 home run ball. They must sell the ball and split its value.

Commentator Marion Winik has discovered that baking bread reveals the secrets of life, such as the importance of staying home. She says you would be amazed at the wonderful things that happen when you stick around the house for five or six hours.

Noah talks with Ruben Mageno, owner of the Lazy "A" Ranch in Alpine, California, about how the ranch became home to more than a hundred horses, goats, sheep and other animals rescued from a wildfire. Mageno also describes the volunteer effort to save the animals, and the reunion of the animals with their owners.

Commentator Jonathan Kranz is grateful for the decision to save rather than demolish the Romanesque town hall in his home town of Winchester, Massachusetts. He rues the parallel trends of smaller, plainer public spaces and more grandiose private ones and what they say about our lives and communities.