Search results for

From directors to designers, almost everyone in beauty pageants turns a profit. But not most of the contestants. Many can wind up spending thousands of dollars for entrance fees, the perfect gown and top-notch coaching. For most contestants, it's an expensive hobby with little or no financial reward.

Islamist rebels are among the groups fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad, raising concerns in the West about what their role would be in a Syria without Assad. NPR's Kelly McEvers recently spent some time with these Islamist fighters in the embattled city of Aleppo.

Congress is considering whether to turn three top-secret sites involved with creating the atomic bomb into one of the country's most unusual national parks. Critics question the need for a park that celebrates nuclear weapons. Supporters say the park would ask tough questions about lessons learned.

Renee Montagne talks to Ingrid Seward of Majesty magazine about the announcement there will be a new person in line for the British throne. It was announced Monday that Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, is pregnant.

Online college courses are attracting hundreds of thousands of students, and that's forcing colleges and policymakers to rethink higher education. The online courses may pose a serious challenge to the way institutions deliver a college education.

The Democratic politician has taken up a challenge to live on $30 worth of food for a week. That's about what the average food stamps recipient in his state receives. It's part of a campaign to raise awareness about the struggles of low-income Americans.

The Internet is forever — and so are texts, tweets and Facebook updates — but a startup has big ambitions to bring privacy and impermanence to online communication. The company, called Wickr, lets users decide how long a message lives.

Record low interest rates are boosting corporate and government coffers. However, Bloomberg Businessweek contributor Roben Farzad explains why this reasonably priced credit remains so hard to get for small businesses. He speaks with host Michel Martin.

One Democrat said if the offer did happen, it's because Bloomberg believes being mayor of New York is a step up from being president. Bloomberg's third and final term as mayor comes to an end in 2013.

The appearance of an unusual type of poliovirus in Pakistan exposed gaps in vaccination campaigns. When a community isn't well immunized against polio, the weakened virus used in the oral vaccine can mutate and then infect unvaccinated people.