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Todd Kennedy

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Morning Edition

Weekdays from 5am to 9am

Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne

Morning Edition provides news in context, airs thoughtful ideas and commentary, and reviews important new music, books, and events in the arts. All with voices and sounds that invite listeners to experience the stories.

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News/Talk

Composer ID:

5187f238e1c846f8db74cab5|5187f230e1c846f8db74ca8f

National Geography Bee: Test Your World Knowledge

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Credit Rebecca Hale / National Geographic

The 10 finalists of the 2012 National Geographic Bee are competing for prizes including a $25,000 scholarship and a trip to the Galapagos Islands.

Credit NASA

A view of Earth, with shading to enhance features. Only 10 contestants remain in the 2012 National Geographic Bee.

By Bill Chappell

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 12:40 pm

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The final round of the 2012 National Geographic Bee takes place Thursday, with students between the fourth and eighth grades testing their knowledge of countries, canals and lava lakes. Of the 54 contestants who came to the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., for the bee, only 10 remain.

10:47 am

Wed May 23, 2012

Old Ways Disappearing In The New Mongolia

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Credit John W. Poole / NPR

A baby Bactrian camel is tied up at the edge of the Badam family's small farmstead. Bactrian camels — like all Mongolian mammals — have thick fur to withstand the winters.

Credit John W. Poole / NPR

The Badam family raises sheep and goats and camels in the South Gobi.

Credit John W. Poole / NPR

Workers brush cashmere goats in South Gobi on the Badam family's farm. Cashmere wool, milk and meat are the main commodities for Mongolia's herders.

Credit John W. Poole / NPR

A freshly slaughtered sheep carcass hangs inside the family's ger, or yurt, to dry. Meat — usually mutton — and noodles are the main foods for most Mongolians.

Credit John W. Poole / NPR

Bat-Erdene Badam stands inside his animal corral, made of wood and compressed animal dung. He says none of his children are interested in continuing to work as herders.

Credit John W. Poole / NPR

A veterinarian rides in on a motorcycle to check on the family's animals.

Credit John W. Poole / NPR

Bat-Erdene's son, Uuganbaatar Badam, works at a coal mine in South Gobi. He lives in one of these gers near the open-pit mine and makes about $500 a month.

Credit John W. Poole / NPR

Uuganbaatar says does not miss the herding life of his father and enjoys the salary, friends and amenities at the mining camp.

Credit John W. Poole / NPR

Workers brush cashmere goats in South Gobi on Bat-Erdene Badam's family farm. Cashmere wool, milk and meat are the main commodities for Mongolia's herders.

Credit John W. Poole / NPR

Bat-Erdene Badam's family raises sheep, goats and camels in the South Gobi region of Mongolia. But his three children have no interest in continuing the family business.

Credit John W. Poole / NPR

A baby Bactrian camel is tied up at the edge of Bat-Erdene's small farmstead. Bactrian camels, like all Mongolian mammals, have thick fur to withstand temperatures of 40 degrees below zero in winter. Even in spring, temperatures regularly dip below freezing.

By Frank Langfitt

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 9:57 pm

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Mongolia, the land of Genghis Khan and nomadic herders, is in the midst of a remarkable transition. Rich in coal, gold and copper, this country of fewer than 3 million people in Central Asia is riding a mineral boom that is expected to more than double its GDP within a decade. The rapid changes simultaneously excite and unnerve many Mongolians, who hope mining can help pull many out of poverty, but worry it will ravage the environment and further erode the nation's distinctive, nomadic identity.

Last of four parts

6:42 am

Wed May 23, 2012

Construction Crew Works Gingerly Around Elephant

By editor

Oregon officials are trying to ease the stress of road construction along the Sunset Highway for at least one resident. Rose-Tu is a pregnant elephant at the nearby Oregon Zoo.

World

6:29 am

Wed May 23, 2012

Even Presidents Struggle To Keep Their Dignity

By editor

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 6:30 am

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Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

5:26 am

Wed May 23, 2012

Afghan Public Protection Force Replaces Contractors

Credit Ahmad Jamshid / AP

A U.S. soldier watches members of the Afghan Public Protection Force arrive at the transition ceremony on the outskirts of the Afghan capital Kabul on March 15. The APPF replaces all private security contractors in the country.

By Quil Lawrence

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 9:54 am

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Nearly two years ago, Afghan President Hamid Karzai ordered that gun-toting private security companies in his country be brought under state control. But the Afghan force to replace the foreign-funded contractors is off to a rocky start.

According to the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the new force will increase security costs for USAID projects and could even shut some of them down, at a loss of about $899 million. USAID in Kabul disagrees, and the dispute has gone public.

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2:44 am

Thu May 24, 2012