Indian leftist activists rally in front of a Best Price store, owned by Wal-Mart and its Indian partner, Bharti, in Hyderabad in November. The rally was organized to protest foreign direct investment in India's retail sector.
Originally published on Fri December 7, 2012 12:41 pm
(Reporting from New Delhi, NPR's Julie McCarthy sends along an update on a story that aired on Morning Edition Wednesday. Essentially, Indians were considering whether to allow big-box stores like Wal-Mart into the country.)
And now, we'd like to take a moment to remember jazz great Dave Brubeck. The pianist and composer died earlier this week. He was just shy of his 92nd birthday. He's remembered for songs like the one you just heard, "In Your Own Sweet Way." The Dave Brubeck Quartet influenced performers all over the world and pushed boundaries by making music that used inventive timing and beats that gave their music a distinct swinging style like in the classic song, "Take Five."
This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. Later in the program we'll crack open the mail bag to hear what you have to say about stories we covered this week. That's Backtalk and it's coming up. But first, we want to talk about the latest unemployment numbers which are now out. The Department of Labor says that unemployment is down to its lowest level since December 2008.
I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, we'll dig into our mailbag to hear from you about some of our recent stories. That's BackTalk and it's just ahead.
I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Now it's time for our weekly visit to the Barbershop, where the guys talk about what's in the news and what's on their minds.
And now it's time for BackTalk. That's where we lift the curtain on what's happening in the TELL ME MORE blogosphere. Editor Ammad Omar is with us once again. What do you have for us today, Ammad?
A composite image shows architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1992 (left), and one of his buildings photographed circa 1955.
Credit Mychele Daniau / AFP
"The Volcano" at Le Havre Cultural Center, France, built in 1982.
Credit David Silverman / Getty Images
The Oscar Niemeyer Museum, inaugurated in 2002, the largest museum in Latin America, is in Curitiba, the capital of the state of Parana, Brazil. Curitiba, considered an outstanding example of urban planning worldwide and the ecological capital of Brazil, was chosen as one of the 12 host cities for the 2014 soccer World Cup.
Credit Roberto Salomone / AFP/Getty Images
A pianist at Auditorium Oscar Niemeyer in Ravello on the day of its official inauguration in 2009, with Italy's Amalfi coast in the background.
Credit Evaristo Sa / AFP/Getty Images
Brasilia Cathedral was inaugurated by President Juscelino Kubitschek in 1960.
Credit Evaristo Sa / AFP/Getty Images
The interior of Brasilia Cathedral.
Credit Vanderlei Almeida / AFP/Getty Images
The Niteroi Museum of Contemporary Art near Rio de Janeiro, built in 1991.
Credit Roberto Salomone / AFP/Getty Images
Auditorium Oscar Niemeyer in Ravello, Italy, on the day of its inauguration.
Credit EVARISTO SA / AFP/Getty Images
Brasilia's National Museum, inaugurated in 1960.
Credit AFP/Getty Images
The National Congress building in Brasilia.
Credit AP
One of Oscar Niemeyer's earliest projects, built in the early 1940s, came to be known as the "Pampulha architectural complex." It was commissioned by Juscelino Kubitschek, who would later become president of Brazil. At the time, he was mayor of Belo Horizonte. The complex included a church, which was initially refused for consecration by the Roman Catholic Church.
Credit Felipe Dana / AP
The inauguration of the Oscar Niemeyer foundation building in Niteroi, Brazil, 2010.
Credit Felipe Dana / AP
Part of Niemeyer's foundation building in Niteroi, Brazil, 2010.
Credit Eraldo Peres / AP
By the late 1950s, Kubitschek was president of Brazil, and he invited Niemeyer to design many of the civic buildings in the country's new capital of Brasilia, including the Palacio da Alvorada, the official residence of Brazilian presidents, pictured here in 2006.
Credit Luis Davilla / Getty Images
Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Center of Asturias, Spain, built in 2006.
Credit Evaristo Sa / AFP/Getty Images
The Federal Supreme Court in Brasilia.
Credit Kurt Severin / Getty Images
A church, pictured circa 1955 on the grounds of the presidential palace, is connected to the palace by an underground hallway.
Credit Christophe Ena / AP
Construction for the headquarters of the French Communist Party began in the late 1960s.
Credit Getty Images
Oscar Niemeyer in 1992 (left) and Niemeyer Center in Aviles, Spain, 2011
Credit Antonio Scorza / AFP/Getty Images
Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer looks at drawings for a project of two cities in Senegal, Africa, in his office in Rio de Janeiro, 1992.
Originally published on Fri December 7, 2012 4:27 pm
There are a number of ways to leave a legacy. Some people have kids. Some become president. Or you can build unforgettable buildings that define the landscape.
In stories by four noted authors, this year's edition of Hanukkah Lights showcases some of the program's most touching and insightful moments: Two teenagers find the formula to bridge a bitter family divide; the life of a cynical young reporter is changed by a single mysterious encounter; a reluctant grade-school student stands up for his heritage, and is wounded in the line of duty; and a despairing mom reconnects with her distant yet devoted daughter. Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz bring these generation-spanning tales to life.
Judy Smith, of Dalton, Ga., looks over paperwork as she files for unemployment benefits in August after being laid off from a catering job. More than 2 million people who get extended benefits may lose them if Congress doesn't act soon.
Credit Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
The total number of weeks of benefits available in any particular state depends on the unemployment rate and unemployment insurance laws in the state where the person worked. This map shows the maximum number of weeks of benefits currently available in each state.
Originally published on Fri December 7, 2012 1:49 pm
The Labor Department's glad tidings Friday about the uptick in job creation last month might morph into bad news next month for many of the long-term unemployed.
That's because the boost in November hiring, with employers adding 146,000 jobs, might make it more difficult for Democrats to argue in favor of having Congress renew the extension of benefits for people out of work more than six months.
