Search results for

Everyone suddenly wants to learn Mandarin Chinese. The problem is that there are few credentialed teachers. Now the Chinese government is making plans to develop teaching partnerships with U.S. public school districts.

The government's National Security Agency is building a giant database of all phone calls placed by Americans within the U.S., according to a report published in USA Today. The article says that the spy agency has been helped by major phone companies, including AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth.

John Ydstie talks with Amanda Congdon, the host of Rocketboom. It's an online newscast of the weird and wonderful. Congdon and Rocketboom have gained a cult following for its offbeat look at the news and the Internet.

A new proposal coming out of Baghdad would give amnesty to prisoners and insurgents. The 28-point initiative is an attempt by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to bring stability to Iraq. The offer, however, excludes terrorists and those who committed war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Commentator Ruth Levy Guyer reflects on the power of wind -- to spark life by spreading seeds, to cause disease by spreading pathogens, and to disturb the psyche. Guyer teaches courses in bioethics and infectious diseases at Haverford College.

The Bush administration says its program to monitor international financial records has a number of safeguards that prevent violation of privacy rights. But critics note that those safeguards are voluntary because this particular type of data tracking isn't covered by U.S. laws against government intrusion into private financial records.

Revelations that a Brussels-based company has been collecting international financial records to aid the CIA's anti-terrorism efforts have led to many questions about the cooperative, called SWIFT.

Sergeant Bilko cheated and conned officers and underlings alike -- and TV audiences loved him. The producer of a new DVD set of The Phil Silvers Show, aka "Segeant Bilko," explains what made the 1950s show so beloved.

The Sangam Trio melds the musical traditions of American jazz with East Indian influence. The group made its New York debut this past week. Two members of the trio — jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd and Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain, join host Debbie Elliott for a performance.

Defense attorneys for former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling make passionate closing arguments on their clients' behalf, ridiculing the prosecution's case. The jury gets the case today.