Search results for

Nelson Mandela had a bewildered look and was largely unresponsive when President Jacob Zuma stopped by earlier this week. After the visit was televised, some South Africans began criticizing the president, saying the images were disrespectful to the iconic figure.

Psychologists have used the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and other tragedies to track the arc of recovery from incidents like the marathon bombing. Such tragedies make many people think about their own vulnerability.

It's been said that to properly understand a magician, you have to get right on stage and watch how the act is done. NPR's Bob Mondello had that chance once with card whiz Ricky Jay — subject of the new film Deceptive Practice — and has a few words about how the showman works.

In historic moves, Colorado and Washington state voted to legalize recreational use of marijuana on Tuesday. Its sale will be regulated and taxed, with some of the money going for drug education.

With the election over, attention in Washington has turned to the nation's debt and deficit challenges — most immediately $600 billion worth of expiring tax breaks and automatic spending cuts. Both the president and congressional leaders are signaling a willingness to work together to avoid a fiscal disaster.

In Mexico City's most prominent tree-lined park, you can find statues to such international heroes as Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King and now Heydar Aliyev. He's the Soviet-era autocrat of Azerbaijan. Its government paid for the park's latest statue and restoration of a nearby plaza. The gilded gift has upset many in the capital and is causing headaches for Mexico City's outgoing mayor.

The Magnificent Century, which explores the Ottoman Empire in all its 16th-century glory, is a big hit in Turkey. But the country's prime minister, an Islamist, is angry that the program focuses on palace intrigue involving the sultan and his harem.

In Afghanistan, governors are not elected, they are selected — and more often than not due to family or political connections. But in an attempt to curb graft, the country has just sworn in a batch of governors — including the first female district governor — selected through a new merit-based program.

Unlike airlines, hospitals don't offer perks or first class upgrades to people who frequently visit the emergency room. In fact, patients like these often get worse customer service, like the apocryphal boy who cried, "Wolf!"

One reason the rollout of the Affordable Care Act has been so rocky is the difficult landscape the health care overhaul is trying to cover. The system was a complicated contraption to begin with, and the hybrid replacement is just as hard to negotiate.