A Fountain of Chocolate, a Rush of Joy

Hillary Bradley is putting together a chocolate fountain for a private party. HILLARY BRADLEY: “It’s definitely level on the bottom … and level on the top.” Ms. Bradley makes and sells chocolates. She says people love her chocolate fountains. HILLARY BRADLEY: “A chocolate fountain is a catering equipment that you put meltedchocolate in that flows through and then you dip wonderful things into it. […]

Houston Welcomes Scarlet Spider, Marvel Comics Crime Fighter

Comic book creators are working to increase readership. One way is to bring comicbook characters and their stories to different parts of the United States. Recently, comic book fans filled the 8th Dimension comic book store in Houston, Texas. They wanted to meet the creator of the new Marvel Comics series Scarlet Spider. The series takes place in […]

Looking at a Piece of U.S. History: the Amendment That Banned Slavery

The 13th amendment to the United States Constitution made slavery illegal. Recently, the New York Historical Society was showing a rare copy of the amendment. It is one of only 14 copies signed by Abraham Lincoln, America’s Civil War president. David Rubenstein loaned it to the Society.  DAVID RUBENSTEIN: “When it passed the House and Senate, he […]

Drive for ‘Green’ Cars Leave Some Auto Workers Behind

Nicole Current has worked 15 years in the automobile industry, but she is losing her job. NICOLE CURRENT: “I make truck axles, so as the auto industry tries to get away from the larger size vehicles, and tries to get to more fuel efficient, more economical vehicles, and gas prices being where they are with what […]

How Facebook Can Affect Your Sense of Happiness

An American study suggests that social media can affect your thinking about other people. We asked young people how many friends they have on Facebook. COLLEGE STUDENTS: “I’ve never actually, like, stopped and looked at it. Probably somewhere between, like, 350 and 400 — I don’t know.” “I would definitely be on Facebook all the […]

Telling Stories Through Totem Poles

David Boxley is a Native American artist from the Tsimshian tribe in Alaska. He is a dancer, songwriter, and wood carver. He also is an ambassador for Tsimshian culture. DAVID BOXLEY: “We call it art now, but it was a way for people to say this is how I am. This belongs to me, or […]

Vinyl Records Go for a New Spin

For many Americans, vinyl records bring back memories of growing up in the ’60s and ’70s. At that time, people listened to Elvis Presley and The Beatles on black discs spinning on a turntable. Today’s younger generation did not grow up with vinyl records. But for them, vinyl is cool. Fourteen-year-old Jack Lowenstein visited Crooked […]

Pollution Can Make Vaccines Less Effective

Some researchers are warning about industrial chemicals called perfluorinatedcompounds, or PFCs. A new study found that PFCs weakened the effectiveness of vaccines designed to protect children from diseases like polio, measles and diphtheria. The protection is supposed to last a lifetime. PHILLIPE GRANDJEAN: “This was quite serious because we could also see that some of the children […]

Oak Ridge Boys Still Going Strong

No band is more recognizable to country music lovers than the Oak Ridge Boys. They began performing more than 60 years ago. Joe Bonsall has been with the group since 1973. JOE BONSALL: “Yes, the Oak Ridge Boys are still here, we’re still having fun, we’re still making new music. Great things are going on.” Recently, the four-member group released their 31st […]

At Catholic University, a Growing Number of Muslims

The Catholic University of America has welcomed a growing number of Muslim students in recent years. It is not just Catholics who feel at home there.  REEF AL SHABNAN: “Being in a religious environment where religion is practiced it makes it more understandable and easier to practice the religion itself.” Reef Al Shabnan is a Muslim […]