Most Recent Posts: 2014-12-21

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Dwarf Galaxy, Long Overlooked, Discovered In Our 'Hood

The newest galaxy to be discovered is actually very old – and very small. And it's right in our neighborhood of the universe.

Although Kks3 is only 7 million light years away (about 2.5 times farther than our nearest large galaxy, Andromeda) at just 1/10,000 the stellar mass of our the Milky Way, it is tiny by galactic standards and incredibly easy to miss. About 2/3rds of the "dwarf spheroidal galaxy" is made up of star material formed 12 billion years ago, just a billion years and some change after the Big Bang.

The find was published in the latest issue of Monthly Notices Letters of the Royal Astronomical Society.

According to Sci-News.com, dwarf spheroidal galaxies such as Kks3 "have an absence of the raw materials needed for new generations of stars to form, leaving behind older and fainter relics. In almost every case, these raw materials seem to have been stripped out by nearby massive galaxies like Andromeda, so the vast majority of dSph objects are found near much bigger companions."

Another dwarf spheroidal galaxy even nearer to us, KKR 25, was found in 1999 to be orbiting the Milky Way at an average distance of about 50,000 light years.

According to the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED), dwarf spheroidals are probably the most common galaxies in the universe. "Despite their low luminosity, they may contain large amounts of dark matter, and thus contribute greatly to the mass of the Universe," NED says.

Dmitry Makarov from the Special Astrophysical Observatory in Karachai-Cherkessia and an author on the paper announcing Kks3's discovery, says finding such objects is extremely challenging even with space-based telescopes such as Hubble.

"But with persistence, we're slowly building up a map of our local neighborhood, which turns out to be less empty than we thought," Makarov tells the Royal Astronomical Society. "It may be that are a huge number of [dwarf spheroidal galaxies] out there, something that would have profound consequences for our ideas about the evolution of the cosmos."

galaxies

space

Ebola Survivor: The Best Word For The Virus Is 'Aggression'

When Dr. Ian Crozier arrived in West Africa this past summer, he was stepping into the epicenter of the Ebola hot zone. The American doctor was working in the Ebola ward of a large, public hospital in Sierra Leone's dusty city of Kenema.

The trip nearly cost him his life. First came a fever, then a severe headache. "My first thought was, 'Oh, I must have missed a few days of my malaria prophylaxis,' " Crozier recalls.

A day and a half later, Crozier was medevaced to Atlanta and admitted to Emory University Hospital's isolation unit. He had come down with Ebola. And although he had enough strength to walk into Emory, his condition went downhill fast — to the point where he needed life support.

Crozier had landed at the Kenema Government Hospital at a time when the facility was on the verge of collapse. The lead doctor had just died of Ebola. Several nurses had also succumbed.

The Ebola ward was overflowing with sick, dying and dead patients. Patients were throwing up on the floor. Bed pans couldn't get emptied fast enough. The number of new patients was increasing by the day, but many staff members were too afraid to show up for work.

Goats and Soda

Ebola Survivor: "You Feel Like ... Maybe ... A Ghost"

Goats and Soda

The Ebola Survivor Who Works In An Ebola Ward

"I think most of us who've spent time on the isolation wards anywhere in the region will tell you that nothing really prepares you for the realities of treating patients back there," Crozier says.

He says the virus behaved unlike any other he'd seen before: "The best word I can think of is 'aggression.' "

The disease comes on with a fever spike and then doubles the patient over with vomiting and diarrhea. Ebola robs people of their dignity, Crozier says. Patients become so weak that they can't lift themselves out of bed; they're left lying in their own stool and vomit.

"Then shortly after that particularly ominous predictor of death — at least in my experience — patients become somewhat vacant," he says. "This can range from mild confusion to delirium."

"Many patients on the ward are out of their minds in a sense," he adds.

Soon after Crozier's arrival at Kenema, Ebola struck head nurse Nancy Yoko.

"She was the glue that kept the nurses, many of whom were struggling to deal with the deaths of many of their colleagues, together," Crozier says. "She was a remarkable woman. And she was exhausted. She'd been there for months and months."

After having relied on her to help keep the ward running, Crozier then had to admit Yoko to the ward. He cared for her as she deteriorated. Not long after, he was mourning with the rest of the staff when she died.

“ "Most of us who've spent time on the isolation wards ... will tell you that nothing really prepares you for the realities of treating patients back there."

- Dr. Ian Crozier, an American doctor who survived Ebola

Things got so bad on the ward that eventually it was shut down. The government would start a new Ebola isolation unit in tents outside the hospital. But not before Crozier also got infected.

Crozier remembers making rounds in the ward one morning in September when the symptoms of Ebola began. He aborted his rounds, notified the team and isolated himself in his hotel room.

He was eventually sent to Emory, but Crozier doesn't remember what happened after stepping through the hospital doors.

"When Ian arrived at Emory, he sort of seemed to ... think he was still in Sierra Leone," says Dr. Colleen Kraft, who was part of the Emory team that treated Crozier.

Crozier was the third Ebola patient treated at Emory, and he would become the sickest. Within five days, he was on life support, and Kraft says it was unclear whether he'd make it.

"He was on dialysis; his kidneys had failed. He was on mechanical ventilation," Kraft says. "And because of his confusion early on we weren't sure about his neurologic status."

He also had severe hepatitis. "So right there you have many organs that had failed," adds Kraft.

Crozier knows that if he hadn't been evacuated, he would have been dead a week later. "That's obviously a difficult thing for me to think and talk about," he says.

The doctors at Emory managed to keep him alive even as Ebola wreaked havoc inside his body. He was given an experimental Ebola drug and a blood plasma transfusion from an Ebola survivor.

While he was on life support, his illness finally turned the corner. His immune system started making antibodies to kill the virus. Rather than going up, his viral load started to go down. And 40 days after he walked into Emory, Ian Crozier walked out Ebola-free.

He's incredibly thankful to the staff at Emory who cared for him, and to the U.S. State Department for jetting him out of West Africa. But he also is very aware that he was lucky and that many of his patients back in Sierra Leone aren't as fortunate.

Shots - Health News

Emory Hospital Shares Lessons Learned On Ebola Care

"Do I wish my patients that I'd been with just a few days before had access to that type of critical care?" he says. "Absolutely. Absolutely."

Crozier was released from Emory on Oct. 19. He's still recuperating from the near fatal illness but hopes to eventually go back to West Africa and treat Ebola patients.

"I think I have a new understanding of what it's like to be an Ebola patient," he says. "That will be a gift in not just in thinking about the technical aspects of people's care but how to lend them some dignity in those isolation wards."

Like many other Ebola survivors, Crozier still suffers from extreme fatigue and has some swelling that's causing eye problems. His doctors at Emory say they simply don't know how long it will take for him to make a full recovery, but they're confident he will.

survivor

Emory University Hospital

ebola

'The Bishop's Wife' Tracks A Killer In A Mormon Community

On fiction as catharsis

Writing, for me — and story for the human race — is very much an attempt to make sense out of things that are basically senseless. Story is also a way to feel like we had control over the world. I feel like we struggled a lot after my daughter's death with the sense that every time my children left the house that they could die at any moment. And just that anybody that I knew could die at any moment and coming to terms with that. ... I think religious people try to cover up that truth by saying, "Well, everything happens according to God's plan." And I think Linda [the main character in the book] finds a way to mesh those two that I am still working on personally. She feels like there can still be random events and God can still exist without necessarily him planning for those things to happen. That's not what her belief in God is for. It's not to give her a false sense of control. But that was what I really had used God for, and when I lost that I couldn't figure out how to believe in God again.

On how she expects the Mormon community to react to this book

I worried that Mormons will feel like the story is pointing a finger at them, trying to expose the worst parts of Mormonism, and I don't really mean it to be taken in that way. ... I feel like a lot of the problems that are in Mormonism exist everywhere but they do have a different meaning within Mormonism — I think we talk about those problems in a different way. I've heard some feedback from a few Mormons who have been unhappy with the book — one person said that I had an agenda and that she felt like that agenda was very anti-men. I've been puzzling over that because I feel like there are so many really great men in the book. Kurt, the bishop himself, is, I think, a great man. And then Brad Ferris, who comes up later in the book, is another really, really solid man.

But yeah, there are bad male characters and there are bad female characters. I think that for Mormons they're used to seeing Mormons depicted either only as all bad, and then there are the Mormon books that are written for a Mormon audience and then the Mormons are all good in those books. ... And I am treating Mormons as someone looking at Mormonism from an anthropological perspective almost and I'm not giving them a pass. I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about my particular ward's reaction to the book when it comes out.

Read an excerpt of The Bishop's Wife

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Hollywood's Acceptance Of White Privilege Revealed By Sony Hack

It is, perhaps, the worst nightmare for those of us constantly trying to get a white dominated Hollywood to widen its doors of opportunity for people of color: all those executives who say the right things in public and give to the right causes, just might think something much less admirable about diversity behind closed doors.

This seems the surface lesson of the emails unearthed by hackers into Sony's computer records. I haven't seen the stolen emails or any of the other data hacked from Sony's computers. My thoughts are based on what I've read and heard about emails whose content Sony has not disputed.

And many of those reports detail racially insensitive — okay, Shonda Rhimes, you're right — let's just call them racist — jokes between studio executive Amy Pascal and movie producer Scott Rudin. Their reported emails read like they were cribbed from an old Larry Sanders Show episode, with the pair sounding like caricatures of clueless, racially oblivious fat cats.

Small wonder Pascal reached out to the media's highest-profile advocates on issues involving racism, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson "to discuss a healing process," as she told The Hollywood Reporter.

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Rev. Al Sharpton, left, and Marc Morial president of the National Urban League, speak to reporters after they met with Sony Pictures co-chair Amy Pascal, on Dec. 18. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Mark Lennihan/AP

Rev. Al Sharpton, left, and Marc Morial president of the National Urban League, speak to reporters after they met with Sony Pictures co-chair Amy Pascal, on Dec. 18.

Mark Lennihan/AP

After meeting with Pascal, Sharpton said, "The climate and environment of Hollywood only confirms the type of language that was used in those emails." At a post-meeting press conference, a coalition of civil rights groups pledged to work with her and Sony. Sharpton also tweeted that the emails "show a cultural blindness," though he didn't call for Pascal to step down.

What these emails really reveal is how little Hollywood is willing to challenge the basic structures, practices and thinking which make it such a white-dominated industry. This seems to happen even when there's evidence that breaking down those walls will actually make better films and more money.

Consider the Golden Globe award nominees. Last year, thanks to films like 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, Captain Phillips and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, there were a wealth of non-white actors, actresses, directors and screenwriters nominated for top awards in film.

This year, there are eight non-white Golden Globe nominees in major acting and directing categories across TV and movies. Films prominently featuring black people like Belle, Beyond the Lights, Top 5 and Dear White People were overlooked; Selma, the feature film on Martin Luther King Jr., got two of the three nominations for non-white people in film.

It's as if the lessons of last year — where diverse casts, writers and directors produced some of the most exciting work of the season — went unheeded when studio big shots like Pascal and Rudin were deciding what gets made and doesn't in 2014. (In a year where Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars in both Belle and Beyond the Lights, how she didn't get nominated for something is beyond me.)

In the Globes' television nominees, there is even less excuse. ABC's Black-ish garnered a load of rave reviews and good ratings, but was shut out of the Globes nominations. There were two well-deserved nominations for The CW's Jane the Virgin, a Latino-centered comedy that was also well-reviewed and beloved by critics. But the absence of Black-ish left a sense that only one minority-centered comedy could make the cut, despite the fact that both shows were among the fall's best new comedies.

Viola Davis snagged a Globe nomination as TV's best dramatic actress for her role on ABC's How to Get Away With Murder. Last year, Kerry Washington was nominated for her work on ABC's Scandal; Washington's lack of nomination this year also leads to questions about whether only one black woman can nab such an honor in a given year.

It all reminds me of something I noticed when The Hollywood Reporter featured a powerful essay from comic Chris Rock on how white people and white culture dominate Hollywood. It was published in the run up to the release of Rock's film, Top Five.

He talks about how Los Angeles is filled with Latinos but somehow none of them wind up in powerful positions at Hollywood studios; how black comic Kevin Hart is pressured to cross over, even though he draws more than ten times the audience of white Daily Show host Jon Stewart at standup concerts; and how black women almost never get meaningful roles in non-black oriented films.

But in the same issue, there is a roundtable of six actors from films which the magazine thinks will contend for an Oscar. All of them are white. Weeks earlier, the magazine had a roundtable with seven actresses from similarly well-regarded films. All of them were white, despite powerful performances in films mentioned above, like Selma and Beyond the Lights, Belle, Black or White, Dear White People and even Annie.

When I asked The Hollywood Reporter editor Janice Min about this, she said the films this year with non-white stars either weren't considered serious Oscar contenders or, like Selma, weren't available for screening when the magazine made its roundtable choices.

Last year, the magazine had similar a roundtable including three non-white actresses. But because they couldn't stretch their rules to consider the one film featuring black people which has serious awards season buzz, they missed out on including Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo, star of Selma, in their actor panel.

Clockwise from far left, Patricia Arquette, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Amy Adams, Felicity Jones, Julianne Moore and Hilary Swank on November 28 cover of The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter hide caption

itoggle caption The Hollywood Reporter

This seems a prime example of how even institutions that take a close look at Hollywood's issues with race can also reinforce those problems by sticking with old habits and established practices.

Pascal has pushed back against those who suggest the leaked emails should cost her the chairman's job at Sony, saying the messages "are not an accurate reflection of who I am."

I believe her. But I also believe these messages are an accurate reflection of Hollywood's attitudes about diversity, where assumptions are made without proof and even the president can find himself at the butt end of a racist joke between the most powerful people in town.

The best way bigshots like Pascal and Rudin can prove they aren't the people depicted in these emails is to challenge the status quo and insist on results. Break down any rule or practice that hinders bringing more diversity to executive suites, producing and directing ranks, and casting offices.

Yes, there are some people of color who are doing well in Hollywood, particularly Latino filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro Inarritu, Jorge Gutierrez and Alfonso Cuaron. But they still seem like notable exceptions.

It's time to ensure that the meeting with Sharpton isn't job-saving window dressing, but a real step toward making Hollywood's releases look more like America.

Because, frankly, if they had been doing a great job breaking down barriers in the first place, then Pascal wouldn't have to call Sharpton and Jackson to assure the world she's not a racist.

Want To Solve The World's Most Heated Disagreements? Bring Your Wallet

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Pro-Israel demonstrators shout slogans July 25 while protesting against a pro-Palestinian rally in Berlin. About 1,200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through Berlin amid high tensions over Israel's actions in Gaza, while some 700 protesters took part in two counter-demonstrations. Markus Schreiber/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Markus Schreiber/AP

Markus Schreiber/AP

Conflict between Palestinians and Israelis or Republicans and Democrats appears intractable in part because of one fundamental bias: We misunderstand the other group's motives.

When Republicans attack Democrats, Democrats think they're motivated by hate, but Republicans believe they're motivated by love and "in-group" loyalty. And vice versa, of course.

Everybody and everything has a price — including empathy. That's according to a study published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences earlier this year.

The research explains why negotiation and compromise sometimes is so difficult, but the also shows that simply getting paid can make people more empathetic.

By rewarding accuracy with cash, "people think more carefully and critically about their beliefs" and come to different conclusions, says study co-author Jeremy Ginges, an assistant professor of psychology at The New School.

While financial incentives could be seen as inappropriate or even "insulting" in some contexts, the idea that creative interventions can change bias, improve both parties' willingness to negotiate and encourage optimism for good outcomes is a very significant finding, says Ginges.

To identify the bias the study surveyed 661 Democrats and Republicans in the United States, and 995 Israelis and 1,266 Palestinians. The latter study asked participants:

Do Israelis bomb Gaza because of:

a) love for Israel, or

b) hate for Palestinians?

Deeply Divided Opinions On Israel And Gaza Make News Coverage A Balancing Act

5 min 39 sec

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The vast majority of Palestinians believe the latter — on a scale of 1 to 4, where 4 is "certainly yes," they registered 3.38, on average. At the same time, Palestinians believe the central motivation for rocket attacks on Israel was a love of Palestine (3.34). Results for Israelis on the questions went strongly the other way, and U.S. Republicans and Democrats felt similarly about the motivations of their own group and their opponents.

But what to do? First, Ginges and co-authors Adam Waytz and Liane Young tried a soft push: They asked Republicans and Democrats to put themselves in the other's shoes. That had no effect, says Ginges. But when offered $12 for being more accurate, righties and lefties alike took a look in the mirror and found empathy. The bias was flipped on its head — subjects were more likely to think the other group was motivated by "in-group" love rather than "out-group" hate.

So throwing money at intractable disagreements works?

Other studies give a cautious "yes." While this study may be the first to test financial incentives on conflict-motivation bias, it's not the first to measure how cash rewards affect empathy. After showing that women were more empathetic, a University of Oregon study published in 2001 was able to even the playing field by offering both men and women monetary rewards. So, men just need more incentive to empathize.

Naturally, further research is needed: "We want to identify which incentives work best and when," says Ginges.

Offering your spacey boyfriend money to listen to you, paying senators to compromise or compensating Palestinians and Israelis for coming to the negotiating table may sound crass — but it might work where nothing else has.

psychology

bias

Israeli-Palestinian Coverage

Sony Hack Highlights The Global Underground Market For Malware

There are global underground markets where anyone can buy and sell all the malicious code for an attack like the one North Korea is accused of unleashing on Sony Pictures.

These underground markets not only make it more difficult to trace who is responsible for any given hack — they also make launching a sophisticated attack against a global company much easier.

Marc Rogers, a principle researcher at the computer security company, CloudFlare, has been tracking the attack on Sony for weeks and analyzing the code the hackers used.

“ "The malware world is really incestuous. You have got people who share source code, who borrow things like hacking tools, or even commercial pieces of software."

- Marc Rogers

"This is Windows malware. It's fairly sophisticated, it's very complex, and it's modular," Rogers says. "It's made up of lots of different bits."

The attackers took one piece of code from one place, one piece of code from another and snapped it together like a Lego set. Some of this code is malicious, and some is legitimate.

Now the FBI believes that the attack was carried out by North Korea because some of those bits of nasty code have been used by North Korean hackers in the past. But Rogers isn't completely convinced.

"The malware world is really incestuous," Rogers says. "You have got people who share source code, who borrow things like hacking tools, or even commercial pieces of software."

The Exploit Market

There is a global market for hacking tools. Hackers who trade here can build their own unique attacks by snapping together parts that other groups developed. Rogers says he knows Russians who will sell a complete attack right off the shelf.

"They will sell it to you with a subscription," he says. "When the malware is identified successfully by antivirus, they'll update it for you."

It's software as a service, but for thieves. And it's not just criminals who are buying and selling computer attacks on these gray markets.

The Two-Way

Obama Calls North Korean Hack 'Cybervandalism'

"Typically the U.S. government pays out higher than anyone else," says Chace Shultz, a computer researcher.

Movies

Hollywood Pros Fear A Chilling Effect After Sony Bows To Hackers

All Tech Considered

Is Sony Hack Really 'The Worst' In U.S. History, As CEO Claims?

Researchers like Shultz spend their days searching for ways to make computers do things they were not designed to do. They're looking for ways to pick the digital locks that are intended to keep all of our machines safe. When they find a key for a lock, they can sell it.

"If they were to sell that to another government or that type of thing, they could potentially sell that for hundreds or tens of thousands of dollars," Shultz says.

But he and others say most researchers and hackers don't sell directly to government agencies. Instead they usually sell their attacks to a small global network of global brokers.

In a sense, these brokers are the arms dealers of the digital age. They act as go-betweens — connecting researchers and hackers with buyers, governments and organizations searching for back doors into computer networks.

"You can take an exploit to one of these people, and they will go forth on your behalf," Shultz says.

An exploit is like the key to a digital lock and selling these things can be a lucrative business. But Shultz says it is also ethically dicey.

"The other thing I have to wonder too with some of these brokers is — are they double selling?" he asks.

And Shultz says after you sell a computer vulnerability on the gray market, you can never be sure exactly how it will be used or where it will end up.

sony hack

cyberattacks

malware

cybersecurity

North Korea

Sony

The Grocery Delivery Man Who Brings Joy To A Housing Complex

Herman Travis, 55, lives in Holly Courts, a low-income housing complex in San Francisco.

Every Tuesday, Travis fills a shopping cart with groceries from a local food bank and makes home deliveries to his elderly and disabled neighbors. He started doing it in 2007 and says when he first started, people were skeptical.

"When I first started doing it. People was cautious. They didn't let me in their house, but after they got to really know me they would just be happy to see me," says Travis.

Robert Cochran, a neighbor of Travis who receives deliveries from him, says he loves the joy Travis gets out of making his rounds.

"I sometimes sit back and watch you," he told Travis. "And I seen the way you handle yourself with the residents. They know they treated with respect when they see you coming. And there are people in other complexes that have been trying to steal Herman for years ... to pay him to come and deliver their food for them. "

Cochran says it's the little things Travis does that make him such a good friend.

And it doesn't look like Herman Travis will stop delivering groceries any time soon.

"I'm doing something that people really need. And that makes me feel really good. So long as I have breath in my body I'm going to continue doing it. I sleep good at night," says Travis.

Produced for Morning Edition by Jasmyn Belcher Morris.

StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that gives people the chance to interview friends and loved ones about their lives. These conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, allowing participants to leave a legacy for future generations. Learn more, including how to interview someone in your life, at StoryCorps.org.

Housing

Food

A Split View On Obamacare's Past And Future

Kevin Counihan and Michael Cannon look at the Affordable Care Act and see very different things.

Cannon is part of the brain trust behind a Supreme Court case that could result in the repeal of a part of the exchanges he says is illegal.

Counihan's job is to make the exchanges work.

Shots - Health News

Obamacare Sign-Ups Show Wide Variation By State, Ethnicity

Millions of people got insurance through the exchanges since they went into operation in October of 2013 (millions also got coverage through Medicaid). But the year ended with doubt. Republicans, largely opposed to the Affordable Care Act, won both houses of Congress, and the U.S. Supreme Court said it will hear a case that could derail the exchanges altogether.

Counihan

Kevin Counihan began 2014 running Connecticut's health exchange, one of the most successful state. He was tapped in August to leave Connecticut and run the federal insurance marketplace, HealthCare.gov. He says that serving consumers is a top priority. The good news for him is that bar is pretty low. At its launch in 2013, HealthCare.gov began by failing. Now, things are looking up.

Shots - Health News

HealthCare.gov Recruits Leader Of Successful Connecticut Effort

"A year ago, when somebody would come on HealthCare.gov they would have to walk through 76 screens in order to complete their application. That's been reduced now to 16," says Counihan.

He points to other successes, too. There are more insurers in the marketplace. People renewing could have a fairly easy time of it, since their applications have 90 percent of their information already entered. And millions of people got in touch before Dec. 15, which was the deadline for those who wanted coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2015.

"We had an extraordinary weekend," says Counihan, referring to Dec. 13 and 14. Call centers fielded 1.6 million calls, he said with over 1 million calls on Dec. 15. "And the next day, that Tuesday, the 16th, at our morning stand-up meeting, the first thing we asked was, 'What are the service issues?' No consumers had called in with service issues," he says.

Counihan says he hasn't had time to worry about the broader existential threats to the Affordable Care Act. He's just focused on making it run.

"The basic premise is that having more people insured than fewer is better for both the people and the country because it provides the best way to improve people's lives and also to better control health care costs," he says. "I think it could be described really as probably the most significant social program in 50 years — since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid."

Cannon

That's one way of looking at it. Here's another, from Cannon: "It's amazing what you can accomplish when you're willing to break the law."

Shots - Health News

If Supreme Court Strikes Federal Exchange Subsidies, Health Law Could Unravel

Cannon is the director of health policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute and has long opposed the Affordable Care Act.

As he sees it, the Obamacare train may be running on time, but it never should have left the station to begin with. He says the subsidies are only meant for state-based exchanges. Meaning, the subsidies the government is paying to consumers who buy their insurance through HealthCare.gov are not in the law. By paying those subsidies, he says, Obama is breaking that law.

Cannon concedes that millions of people have gotten subsidies. And there's no avoiding the fact that the exchanges are up and running, and there are more insurers in the market creating competition. But he says it's all flawed.

"None of this would have happened if not for those illegal subsidies the president is offering in the 36 states with federal exchanges. There would be no exchanges, there would be no competition, there would be no insurers participating. None of this would have happened if the president were following the law. There would be no successes if the president had followed the law."

Cannon has spent the last few years arguing that the subsidies are a problem. Soon the Supreme Court will hear the case.

"By mid 2015, the Supreme Court could rule that the administration has been breaking the law and, at that point, some five million people who the administration has enrolled in health insurance through HealthCare.gov will see their premiums quadruple, see their tax liabilities increase by thousands, they could see their plans disappear," he says.

While that may be disruptive, Cannon says it wouldn't be nearly as bad as letting the subsidies continue. That, he says, would give Obama and all future presidents permission to govern beyond the limits of the law.

But Cannon cautions against getting too caught up in how the justices will rule. Even if Obama wins the legal argument, with Republicans in charge of Congress, the political fights will continue.

This story is part of a reporting partnership with NPR, WNPR and Kaiser Health News.

Cato Institute

Affordable Care Act

Health Insurance

Supreme Court

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Book News: It's Snowing Poet Laureates

The daily lowdown on books, publishing and the occasional author behaving badly.

Lately, state governments have been waxing poetic. Showing their more aesthetic side, North Carolina has named its new state poet laureate, while both Ohio and Massachusetts are moving forward with plans to establish similar posts at home.

In an announcement Monday, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory appointed Shelby Stephenson to the role of poet laureate. The decision was greeted with cheers from many in the state's literary community, including poet Anthony Abbott, who told the Charlotte Observer that the former professor at the University of North Carolina, Pembroke, is "the earth, a true North Carolinian, a wonderful poet and a splendid human being."

The joy stands in stark contrast to the furor that followed McCrory's last appointment, Valerie Macon, whose tenure in July lasted just six days amid criticism that the governor failed to follow the standard selection process. Macon is a state disability examiner, who critics said lacked significant literary bona fides.

North Carolina's not the only state with poetry on its mind. Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a bill Friday that established a state poet laureate of its own, according to the Associated Press. The newly minted law "would allow the governor to select the poet laureate from a list developed by the Ohio Arts Council" — a selection that will take effect when the post opens its inaugural term on Jan. 1, 2016.

Just a few steps behind these states, Massachusetts has a bill in the works to establish a poet laureate, too. In a blog for the Library of Congress, Peter Armenti notes that if Massachusetts passes the bill, the state will join a long list of states that now feature the position — a list Armenti compiles here.

B&N Now Sole Owner Of The Nook: On the heels of its agreement to buy out Microsoft's ownership stake in the e-reader Nook, Barnes & Noble has struck a similar deal with the publisher, Pearson. Publishers Weekly reports that the mega-bookseller has agreed to purchase Pearson's share of Nook Media for a price of $13.7 million, as well as some 600,000 shares of common stock in Barnes & Noble. The deal, which ends Person's 5 percent stake in the Nook, reportedly gives Barnes & Noble full ownership over the struggling device.

Lit Mags (Should) Live: The life span of a new literary journal isn't likely to be a long one; in fact, a pessimistic prognosis might even place it next to that of a fruit fly. But Peter Kispert argues, "ignoring or excluding the newest efforts is foolish: these are valuable and needed additions to the literary scene — reminders of work yet to be done and news of the great work to come." At Ploughshares, Kispert draws together some new magazines worthy of attention — and even, hopefully, long and healthy lives.

Note: Book News will be taking a brief break for the holiday. But don't fear for a lonely Boxing Day: The column will be back on Friday.

Book News

books

The Year In Air Travel: Packed Planes And More Perks вЂ” For A Price

It's been a good year for commercial airlines.

With the economy recovering, more people are getting on planes and flying for both business and pleasure. And the cost of fuel, one of the airlines' biggest expenses, is dropping.

But as anyone traveling for the holidays can tell you, airfares remain high. And many frequent fliers at Chicago O'Hare International Airport say they wouldn't give the airlines perfect grades this year.

Tanya Lawson, an attorney on her way home to Miami, says she doesn't have too many complaints. She gives the airlines high marks for being on time, for the most part, but she's not happy with everything.

"I'd probably give them a 'B,' " Lawson says. "I think comfort has gone out the window completely. Another airline I traveled on recently, my knees were too long, and I was in pain literally for the entire flight, and I'm only 5-foot-8."

Sidney Moragne, a psychiatrist from Jackson, Tenn., says his experience flying this year was just average.

“ "I think it would be fair to say that the game here is pay to play. If you want the cheapest fare, don't look for the primo product."

- George Hamlin

"I'd give 'em a 'C'," Moragne says. "When it's bad, it's pretty bad, but a lot of times it's efficient. The planes are always pretty full now, that's one thing. You're packed in there pretty tight."

Fuel Costs Are Down; Airfares Are Not

Both Moragne and Lawson say they're tired of airlines charging for everything from extra baggage to extra legroom.

As for base fares, though, many travelers say they aren't terribly high, if you buy far enough in advance.

But Moragne has noticed that, while the price of fuel plummets, airfares are still up. "They're not coming down relatively speaking the way gas has come down," he says.

The International Air Transport Association estimates the world's airlines will rake in nearly $20 billion in profits this year, and the group expects that figure to soar to a record $25 billion next year.

With fuel making up close to half of the airlines' expenses, they are saving — but the airlines say it's not as much as you'd think. The fuel price plunge, they note, comes after near record high prices.

Business

Regulators And Airlines Fight Over Fares, Fees And Fairness

The Two-Way

House Votes To End Full-Fare Rule For Airline Tickets

John Heimlich, chief economist for the industry group Airlines for America, says the airlines are using their windfalls to pay down debt, to give investors dividends for the first time in decades and to improve the flying product.

Business

Holiday Travelers Should Expect Packed Planes, Higher Fares

"So we continue to see new aircraft coming into the system, facilities improving, a more stable, better trained workforce, in-flight tablets, proliferation of Wi-Fi, now you're seeing it more in international markets," Heimlich says.

More Classes, Fewer Cheap Seats

But at least some of those amenities won't be free to all passengers. Airlines have begun offering far fewer cheap seats, and they're separating passengers into more classes, with each increasing level in price coming with a few more perks and comforts.

"Bells and whistles are being added if you are paying premium prices," says George Hamlin, president of Hamlin Transportation Consulting. "I think it would be fair to say that the game here is 'pay to play.' If you want the cheapest fare, don't look for the primo product."

Looking ahead to 2015, Hamlin says travelers should continue to expect jam-packed planes and high fares, since demand for air travel continues to rise, recent mergers reduce competition and airlines have reduced excess seat capacity.

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Travel

Airlines

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A Backlash Brews Against Low Pay On The Factory Floor

Forty years ago, a manufacturing job was often a ticket into the middle class. That's not the case today. Wages for manufacturing jobs are plummeting, and some states are questioning whether competing for those jobs is still worth it.

For Cynthia Hunter, a $9-per-hour manufacturing job offer meant she could stay in the workforce after taking a buyout from her management job at Exxon Mobil in 2012.

"I was scared to stay out of the marketplace," says Hunter, 58. "I mean, I have worked all these years, and I never in my life collected unemployment — ever."

Her low pay at Kace Logistics in Detroit was a shock, but at least she doesn't have children to feed and clothe, she says. "Everyone there at this plant — everyone — has like, a second job, something else that they do," Hunter says.

Here's the good news: In the U.S., 350,000 manufacturing jobs came back after the recession. Here's the bad: Many pay much less now. Real wages for auto supplier jobs have fallen 14 percent since 2003, even as the average for all jobs declined only about 1.5 percent, according to a study from the National Employment Law Center.

Catherine Ruckelshaus with the National Employment Law Project says $9 an hour is all too common for manufacturing jobs these days. "Some good jobs do remain, but too many of them resemble positions at Wal-Mart and McDonald's," she says. "The companies simply aren't feeling the pressure from anywhere to do right by their workers."

American Made: The New Manufacturing Landscape

Ruckelshaus wonders why states still dangle huge incentives before manufacturers. Nissan, for example, got $1.3 billion in financial incentives from Mississippi for a new factory, according to a study from the nonprofit organization Good Jobs First — all for jobs that pay $12 an hour.

Of course, many people would say, better a low-paying job than no job at all, but some states are starting to demand a bigger bang for their buck. For instance, Michigan now puts cash on the table, but no tax breaks.

"We don't give them the money in advance, where it's all spent. We give it to them as they meet the commitments that they've made," says Mike Finney, head of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. And, Finney says, the state only chases jobs with above-average pay.

Still, there's nothing states can do about NAFTA and Mexico; Mexican auto workers earn between $2.50 and $5 an hour.

Sean McAlinden, an economist with the Center for Automotive Research, says Southern states tried to compete both with the Midwest and with Mexico. But for jobs that can still be shipped away, he says, forcing manufacturers to pay more would very likely accelerate the loss of jobs to Mexico.

"The Southerners, you could say, got the work based on cheaper wages than the old Upper Midwest," he says. "And now, if you live by the cheap wage, you die by it."

Some jobs can't be relocated, like Hunter's, inspecting and placing parts in sequence for the assembly plant next door.

Hunter got fed up with the low pay, she says, and decided to organize her plant this summer. Four weeks ago, workers at Kace signed their first union contract and got a $2-an-hour raise.

Meanwhile, there's another free trade agreement looming: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal with Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan and seven other countries.

But concerns that the agreement could put more downward pressure on U.S. wages is sparking opposition to the deal, especially from members of Congress who represent states with a heavy reliance on manufacturing jobs.

Wages

factory production

manufacturing

American manufacturing

A Backlash Brews Against Low Pay On The Factory Floor

For Cynthia Hunter, a $9-per-hour manufacturing job offer meant she could stay in the workforce after taking a buyout from her management job at Exxon Mobil in 2012.

"I was scared to stay out of the marketplace," says Hunter, 58. "I mean, I have worked all these years, and I never in my life collected unemployment — ever."

American Made: The New Manufacturing Landscape

Still, there's nothing states can do about NAFTA and Mexico; Mexican auto workers earn between $2.50 and $5 an hour.

"The Southerners, you could say, got the work based on cheaper wages than the old Upper Midwest," he says. "And now, if you live by the cheap wage, you die by it."

Some jobs can't be relocated, like Hunter's, inspecting and placing parts in sequence for the assembly plant next door.

Hunter got fed up with the low pay, she says, and decided to organize her plant this summer. Four weeks ago, workers at Kace signed their first union contract and got a $2-an-hour raise.

Meanwhile, there's another free trade agreement looming: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal with Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan and seven other countries.

Wages

factory production

manufacturing

American manufacturing

Some Theaters To Show 'The Interview' On Christmas Day

At least some theaters will now show The Interview on Christmas Day.

Sony Pictures had pulled the controversial comedy that centers on a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after ominous threats were made allegedly by a group that hacked the studio's emails. The nation's largest theater chains had also said they won't show the movie starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.

But today, Tim League, who founded the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas, tweeted this message:

Breaking news: Sony has authorized screenings of THE INTERVIEW on Christmas Day. We are making shows available within the hour. #Victory

— Tim League (@timalamo) December 23, 2014

Variety had earlier reported that Plaza Atlanta will also screen the film.

In a statement, Michael Lynton, Sony's chairman and CEO, said: "We have never given up on releasing The Interview and we're excited our movie will be in a number of theaters on Christmas Day."

He said the studio will continue its efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters to show the film. Variety reported that Sony could offer the film via video on demand.

As we've previously reported, Sony's original decision was widely criticized. Author George R.R. Martin even offered to screen the film at his own theater in Santa Fe, N.M.

The FBI says North Korea was behind the hacks, but Pyongyang — while describing the hack as "righteous" — has denied any role. Some experts also doubt whether the communist country has the capability to carry out such an attack.

the interview

Sony data breach

North Korea

Sony

'Serial' Host Sarah Koenig Says She Set Out To Report, Not Exonerate

Sarah Koenig didn't expect her new podcast Serial to get so much press, but she says the attention helped keep her on her toes: "It was just a constant reminder of how careful we needed to be," Koenig tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.

Serial is Koenig's reinvestigation of the murder of Hae Min Lee, a Maryland high school student who was strangled to death in 1999. Her body was discovered buried in a park in Baltimore. Her schoolmate and ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was convicted of the murder and is serving a life sentence. Nearly 16 years later, he continues to maintain his innocence. Syed's conviction was based on testimony from his friend, Jay — identified only by first name in the podcast — who said he helped Syed bury the body.

Since its launch in October, Serial has become the most popular podcast in history. Online the story took on a life of its own, as podcast listeners — wrapped up in the "whodunit" aspect of case — began tracking and discussing the evidence presented in each episode. Serial is a spinoff of This American Life, where Koenig was a producer for 10 years. The first season of 12 episodes ended on Thursday.

Serial presents detective interviews and excerpts of the trial, along with new interviews Koenig conducted with Syed, who spoke with her by phone from prison. Koenig guides the audience through the story, uncovering information that apparently neither the defense nor the prosecution had been aware of at the time of the trial.

"We wanted it to feel like a live thing ... a vital thing in the sense of the word of being a living thing — as we went," Koenig says. "And we were still reporting last week for the final episode."

Koenig says classmates of Lee and Syed have been in touch with her throughout the podcast and since it ended. It helped her to know that so many people had the same questions she did.

One person, she says, told her, "At least I know it wasn't just me being a teenager not understanding the world ... there are a lot of people still who don't understand this — and I'm not alone in feeling this way."

Koenig also says she wasn't trying to rouse painful memories for those involved in the story — she was trying to get to the bottom of a case that seemed to have holes in it.

"I wasn't — and we weren't — trying to create problems where there were none," Koenig says. "... Obviously I don't want anyone to suffer because of the work I'm doing, but I also feel like there's a strong tradition of doing these kinds of investigative stories. And we weren't doing anything differently than we would do in any other story."

This American Life has raised money for a second season of Serial, but the show hasn't announced what the focus will be.

Interview Highlights

i i

Koenig says that she and executive producer Julie Snyder were making changes to Serial episodes just hours before they ran. Elise Bergerson/Courtesy of Serial hide caption

itoggle caption Elise Bergerson/Courtesy of Serial

Koenig says that she and executive producer Julie Snyder were making changes to Serial episodes just hours before they ran.

Elise Bergerson/Courtesy of Serial

On whether she felt she needed to provide closure

It's funny, I did not fret about the ending that much. I really didn't. ... So many people were asking me [about that] and I was like, "Wait, should I be more worried about this? Should I be more freaked out? Should I be thinking about this in a different way?" But I always just felt like I'm just going to keep my head down and keep reporting and keep reporting and keep reporting and it will come to an end, as all stories do. The reporting is going to take me there. I can't pre-engineer this, right? So I just have to keep going with it.

I can't remember when it was, but maybe after episode 3 or 4, ... I was having a meeting with Julie Snyder, the executive producer, and I think Dana [Chivvis], who is also a producer, and Ira Glass came in, who's like, our boss, and Julie said, "Ira says he has some ideas about the ending." We were like, "Oh! Great. Let's hear it." He came in and more or less said, "So I think it would be great if you guys like solved it." We were like, "Wait, that's your idea? Uh, OK, we'll do our best."

That was a little disconcerting. ... I have great faith in the people I work with to help me get there [and] we know how to make stories on This American Life. We all have been doing it for a really long time and it just felt like, we'll get somewhere and it's not going to please everyone, but tough luck.

“ For all the accusations that Adnan is manipulating me: hello, I'm also manipulating him.

- Sarah Koenig, executive producer and host of 'Serial'

On finding the right tone in her conversations with Syed

It was very complicated. A lot is going on in any one conversation with Adnan, which is ... he might be innocent and he might be guilty. It's zero sum, a little bit, right? Both things are happening and I, meanwhile, want him to talk to me and I want him to stay on the phone and I'm totally aware that he can hang up at any time and cease communicating at any time and I don't want him to do that. So for all the accusations that Adnan is manipulating me: hello, I'm also manipulating him. I'm using all the tricks. "Tricks" sound ... sneaky, but you know what I mean, [I'm using tricks] that you do in any interview, that you do with anybody or any conversation, frankly, with another person where you are playing the angles to a certain extent.

I was definitely never lying to Adnan about anything and certainly not about my intentions, but there would be no point in trying to create a relationship with this person and be antagonistic. That would be ridiculous. ... But by the same token, you don't want to be all suck-up-y and fake and pretend you're their best friend. ... This communication that we have is — there's only one way it can be, and this is the way it can be, which is, neither you nor I trust each other fully, but we proceed as if we do. That's the only way you could have this. I've been open about that. He knows, we both know that there's like two other conversations happening on top of the conversation we're actually having, which is: "Do you believe me? Do I believe you? Are you trying to get me to say something? Are you trying to get me to repeat that so I'll say something different?" We both know what's happening.

On Syed reading transcripts of the podcast while in prison

I don't know how many transcripts he's read and I don't know who is sending them the transcripts, because we're not, but I think he's read a bunch of them. ... He doesn't have Internet. ... He has an Xbox, one of those game things for the TV and apparently you can play a CD on it, so at one point I said, "I can burn them onto CDs for you and send you those." I think he has to get special permission to receive a CD in prison, and he said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll let you know when I get the permission." ...

I don't know if part of him doesn't want to hear it, that he'd rather read it on the page. I don't know. We've argued about that, actually. ... I'm like, "It's meant to be heard." And he's like, "No, I want to see it in its purest form, on paper." And I'm like, "No, no, no. You're missing a ton. You're missing all kind of nuance that is happening in people's voices." Or he's taking stuff at face value that I say, that I'm like, "No! If you heard the way I say it, you'd hear that it's like in passing or it's like I'm being ironic, or whatever!" And he's just like, "No, YOU don't get it, the real version is on paper!" And then I was like, "You don't understand radio!"

On advantages and disadvantages of producing episodes week-by-week

The disadvantages were that it was kind of a ridiculous production trap we encased ourselves in by the end. Julie and I were making changes to the final episode the morning that it ran, like at 1:00 in the morning to be released at 6:00 a.m. So, that's a kind of down-to-the-wire stress that I frankly feel too old to be engaging in at his point. That was just hard in terms of the workflow of it; [it] was hard on everybody.

“ It felt like I had people looking over my shoulder into my notebook before I was ready to tell people what was in my notebook.

- Sarah Koenig, executive producer and host of 'Serial'

Then the other hard part — or sort of the downside, which I think also partly is an upside — ... is that there was this ... big public response. And at times it made me feel very vulnerable about my reporting or it felt like I had people looking over my shoulder into my notebook before I was ready to tell people what was in my notebook, but that's also what was good. We did that ourselves. Obviously that's the structure we created, so I just didn't know how that would feel as a reporter. I didn't think twice about it before it happened. Yeah, it feels a little weird, you know? But the great part was that it made us able to be really responsive to new information — and that's what we wanted.

On whether she worried people treated the podcast like entertainment rather than investigative reporting

We worried about that a lot and we talked about it a lot. We didn't know that was going to happen at all, which again, [to] our surprise, maybe it was naive, maybe it was shortsightedness, I don't know. I was talking to Julie Snyder about this recently ... she was saying this thing like, "There's this Internet world, which can get ... out of control and just throwing stuff around and interacting with this material that's incredibly serious to all of us. ... We need to treat [it] with the utmost professionalism and care. ... They're interacting with it as entertainment."

i i

Koenig (left) is an executive producer and host of Serial. It's a spinoff of This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass (center). Julie Snyder is an executive producer of Serial and senior producer at This American Life. Meredith Heuer/Courtesy of Serial hide caption

itoggle caption Meredith Heuer/Courtesy of Serial

Meredith Heuer/Courtesy of Serial

So that was the first thing we weren't totally prepared for, I think. Then just the larger fact that a public radio podcast would intersect with that world, with that Internet world of armchair sleuthers and people who throw out accusations. Never in our wildest — it's not the usual combination. It was worrisome. I fretted a lot about it, about this stuff flying around. ... At the end of the day, we couldn't control it. It was silly to think we could control it, but we certainly tried and even up to last week, we were still trying when we saw stuff out there to just say, "Please, can you respect this and that."

On whether the podcast's popularity affected her personally and professionally

Yes, it did. ... It was stressful and I also tend to focus on the negative, as my colleagues can attest — so in the beginning, when ... there started to be press about it, I was reading a lot and Googling it several times a day, like, "What's new? What are people saying?" And it just started to be bad for me. So I kind of stopped, honestly. ... I'm thin-skinned in a way that's just dumb. I mean, doing this work you would think that I should be able to get as good as I give, but ... I take criticism personally and so that was sometimes hard.

Some Theaters To Show 'The Interview' On Christmas Day

At least some theaters will now show The Interview on Christmas Day.

But today, Tim League, who founded the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas, tweeted this message:

Breaking news: Sony has authorized screenings of THE INTERVIEW on Christmas Day. We are making shows available within the hour. #Victory

— Tim League (@timalamo) December 23, 2014

Variety had earlier reported that Plaza Atlanta will also screen the film.

In a statement, Michael Lynton, Sony's chairman and CEO, said: "We have never given up on releasing The Interview and we're excited our movie will be in a number of theaters on Christmas Day."

He said the studio will continue its efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters to show the film. Variety reported that Sony could offer the film via video on demand.

As we've previously reported, Sony's original decision was widely criticized. Author George R.R. Martin even offered to screen the film at his own theater in Santa Fe, N.M.

the interview

Sony data breach

North Korea

Sony

For Australian Christmas, Everything's Overturned But The Pudding

Americans know Australia as the land Down Under, and one consequence of this geographical flip is that Christmas here falls at the height of summer.

Our 100-degree temperatures aren't exactly conducive to cooking with a hot oven — although early colonists gave it their best shot.

But it wasn't long before Australians began to rebel, ditching the formal dining room for the pleasures of a picnic spread at the beach or a shady glade. Over the years, many of us have abandoned the old British customs altogether.

That Nest Egg Needs To Last As Long As You Do. So How Do You Start?

Retirement for baby boomers will look different than it did for their parents — Americans are living longer, health care costs more, fewer people have pensions today, and many people facing retirement haven't saved much.

All of that makes managing the nest egg you do have even more vital. But many people need and want guidance on what they should do to make sure their retirement savings last.

A good strategy starts with how long you work and when you claim Social Security. Those two go together because most people ignore one of Social Security's best deals: You can greatly boost your payments by waiting longer to claim them.

Waiting On Social Security

Alicia Munnell, who heads the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, says waiting is often worth it — even if you work longer or spend some savings to get there.

"And then [you] get a nice, big, fat Social Security check at 70, which is wonderful money," says Munnell, author of Falling Short: The Coming Retirement Crisis and What to Do About It. "It is inflation-adjusted, and it goes on for as long as you live."

The benefits of waiting are eye-opening. If you're eligible for a $1,300 monthly check at age 62, you'd get about $440 more per month at 66. Wait until 70, and it's $1,000 extra each month.

Living longer adds another twist. Robert Pozen, a senior lecturer at Harvard who once headed Fidelity Investments, says most people can get a pretty good fix on the income they'll draw from Social Security and savings for 10 or 15 years, but it gets more difficult after that.

"For most people, if I said to you, 'Well, you're gonna live for 30 years more,' it's very hard to project," he says. "And I think it's that uncertainty that makes it very complicated to figure out what it is that you need for your retirement income."

Shots - Health News

Thinking Of Retiring? Consider Your Health

Annuities

Code Switch

Latinos Live Longer But Struggle To Save Enough For Retirement

Rethinking Retirement: The Changing Work Landscape

One More Speed Bump For Your Retirement Fund: Basic Human Impulse

A recent federal tax ruling is changing the calculus for some. Basically, the Treasury Department eliminated the penalty for using tax-sheltered retirement savings to buy what's known as a deferred annuity. You buy it near retirement, but it doesn't start paying until you're 75, 80, even 85.

The Changing Lives Of Women

Social Security Chief: Women Live Longer, So They Should Save Early

Munnell says that adds a late cushion to Social Security and even frees up earlier spending.

"It means that, if you live longer than 85, you're sure you're going to have some income," she says. "It also fixes the period over which you can spend your resources, you can enjoy your money during the 20 years before this deferred annuity kicks in."

Munnell and Pozen both anticipate that the Treasury Department ruling will trigger a new wave of these products — but caution is in order. These annuities come in many different forms, fees can be high, and if you die early you may never see a penny.

Home Equity

The final big piece of the nest egg puzzle is your home. Munnell says it's OK for cash-strapped retirees to use it. "I am a big fan of tapping home equity, and you can do that in one of two ways," she says.

The first is to downsize — and not just to a smaller house.

"If you actually get to a cheaper house you, can take equity out and use that, or the interest on that, as a source of income. It also dramatically reduces your expenses," she says.

The second way is through a cash-producing reverse mortgage. A disclosure here: Munnell sees such strong future demand for these mortgages that she has invested in a reverse mortgage company herself.

Homeowners considering this should be sure they can also keep up with tax and insurance payments on the home.

John Hixson, an independent financial planner in Lake Charles, La., believes most people with small nest eggs should first wait longer for that bigger Social Security check.

And he's not a fan of annuities. "In the right circumstance it could make sense. But it [should be] a holistic decision, and it should be an unemotional decision," he says.

Resisting Fear

Finally, for anyone feeling pressure to stretch his nest egg, Hixson shares a note of caution: "One thing I would not do, would be to take on undue risk."

Hixson says he sees that temptation often. It's important, he says, for people to make retirement planning decisions based not on fear of outliving their savings, but on a complete picture of their assets, resources and needs.

"Some people get to retirement, they think they don't have enough money, they can't maintain their lifestyle. And their answer is, 'Well, I just need to take more risk so I can earn a higher rate of return.' And that's generally a big mistake," he says.

"I don't recommend that to clients, and I just won't do it for a client that wants to do it," Hixson adds. "Because situations like that don't end well."

Income

savings

personal income

money questions

money

retirement

Social Security

2014: The Year When The Job Market Finally Turned The Corner

As 2014 winds down, you might want to save that calendar hanging next to the fridge.

Maybe even frame it.

After so many years of misery for the middle class, 2014 is now looking like the one that finally brought relief. The November jobs report, released Friday by the Labor Department, had blowout numbers showing a surge in job creation, an upturn in work hours and a meaningful boost in wages.

The job gains were spread across industries, with big improvements for blue-collar workers. Manufacturing jobs jumped by 28,000, and construction jobs rose by 20,000.

In all, employers added 321,000 workers. Wages rose by 0.4 percent, or 9 cents an hour to $24.66. That wage bump was twice as high as most economists had been predicting.

Planet Money

Where Wages Are Rising (And Falling), In 1 Graph

And the paycheck gains came during a month marked by a dramatic decline in gasoline prices. In other words, last month, workers were getting longer hours and higher pay just as their commuting expenses were declining. Happy holidays!

"The American economy is making real progress," President Obama said at a White House event announcing his choice of Ashton Carter as defense secretary.

Doug Handler, chief U.S. economist for IHS Global Insight, put it more bluntly in his written assessment: "This was a darn good month for the labor market."

GOP House Speaker John Boehner called the November employment report "welcome news" but noted that "millions still remain out of work, and middle-class families across the country, including my home state of Ohio, are struggling to get by on wages that haven't kept pace with rising cost."

Indeed, the Great Recession still casts a long shadow. The number of long-term unemployed, that is, people who have been looking for work for more than 27 weeks, was little changed in November, holding at about 2.8 million.

And while the overall jobless rate remained steady at 5.8 percent last month, the rate for African-Americans was 11.1 percent. Moreover, wages in retail work, where many minority workers are clustered, were just $14.49 an hour.

Dedrick Muhammad, senior director of the NAACP's economic department, spotlighted those figures and said in a statement that "our families need higher wages so that wealth can be built for future generations."

Labor Secretary Tom Perez, who spoke with NPR, said that despite ongoing problems with long-term unemployment and relatively slow wage growth, the November report shows the economy now is "moving in the right direction."

After the battering they have taken over the seven years since the recession began, many workers may remain wary. One of them is Gabriel Laracuente, 24, who lives in East Harlem and works several jobs.

"I still struggle to pay my bills" because wage increases have been scant, he said.

And Laracuente would need more evidence of recovery before he could relax. "I feel like a lot of us are going to get dropped the second that the economy goes down again," he said. "I don't feel that confident."

Perez said he hopes confidence will rise in 2015 as Americans see that employers "will continue to pick up the pace of growth."

Highlights from the November report:

The Labor Department revised job numbers for both September and October. Taken together, the two months saw about 44,000 more jobs created than previously reported.

2014 is on track to be the strongest year for job creation since 1999.

A year ago, the unemployment rate was 7 percent. The current 5.8 percent is the lowest level since mid-2008.

Americans are putting in longer work weeks, up to 34.6 hours, from 34.5 in October.

The labor-force participation rate held at 62.8 percent, essentially unchanged since April.

NPR intern Robert Szypko contributed to this report.

Great Recession

Labor Department

middle class

Holiday Shoppers Are Filling Their Carts, Online

This weekend, Will Falls decided to skip the local mall near Raleigh, N.C., and shop online instead.

"No standing in line, no finding a parking spot," he says. "Just get comfortable and go at it."

Millions of Americans did the same — Falls helped contribute to an 8.5 percent increase in online shopping Monday compared with 2013, according to data from IBM.

That growth stands in contrast to an 11 percent drop in sales reported by the National Retail Federation at brick-and-mortar stores over the Black Friday weekend compared with a year ago.

"I definitely believe there is cannibalization occurring from the perspective of online against the stores," says Bob Drbul, an analyst and managing director at Nomura Securities.

Of course, some of that cannibalization is going to the retailers' own online arms, he notes.

As for how consumers shopped online, most used desktop computers, which accounted for three-quarters of online sales — though the use of mobile devices rose sharply.

Another reason for the drop in in-store shopping this past weekend, Durbl says, is that retailers spread their Black Friday sales across the whole month of November.

Elle Phillips, a graphic designer from near Boise, Idaho, had family members visiting for Thanksgiving this past weekend. They took very different approaches to their holiday purchases, she says.

The Two-Way

Black Friday Sales Down At Stores, Surge Online

"They wanted to go Black Friday shopping," says Phillips, 37. "I prefer to avoid it at all costs."

Her brother-in-law headed for the hunting and camping retailer Cabela's at 4 a.m., Phillips says. He came back six hours later, with tales of a checkout line stretching to the back of the huge store.

"It literally took him two hours just to get through to the register with a couple of hoodie sweaters," Phillips says. "So that just sort of ... verified the reason why I don't go out on Black Friday."

Phillips, meanwhile, did her shopping online, including finding some new Doc Marten boots for her husband. She looked first for the best price on Amazon, "and then I actually went straight to the manufacturer's website ... and I found an equally good price there, all with free shipping."

That kind of price shopping and free shipping is forcing profit margins down for retailers, says analyst Drbul. But he expects a strong holiday season nevertheless.

A big reason is that falling gas prices are putting more money in consumers' pockets.

This year, Drbul says, "has the potential to be the best retail performance since 2011."

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The Khoisan Once Were Kings Of The Planet. What Happened?

Some 22,000 years ago, they were the largest group of humans on earth: the Khoisan, a tribe of hunter-gatherers in southern Africa.

Today, only about 100,000 Khoisan, who are also known as Bushmen, remain. Stephen C. Schuster, professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, has published new research about the tribe, many of whom now live in poverty, their cultural traditions endangered. We spoke to Schuster about his study and the lives of the Khoisan.

How did it happen that a group that was once in the majority is now so small?

First of all, the fact that seven billion people now live on earth makes it almost impossible for us to understand how few people lived in the past. About 10,000 years ago, there were not more than 1 million on the planet. And 100,000 years ago, only a few ten thousands. The whole genome sequences we analyzed show that there was a time when the non-Khosian peoples were not doing as well as the Khosians.

What happened to tip the balance?

Changes in the climate. Before 22,000 years ago, the southern part of Africa where the Khoisan lived was wetter, with more precipitation, compared to the dryer western and central parts of the continent where other groups lived. A dryer climate meant fewer wild game and less food, which translates into fewer children. So other populations dropped significantly while the Khosian's population stayed about the same. But after the last ice age ended, the climate changed, and for reasons we don't understand the other African populations expanded, and the exponential growth of humans across the earth began.

The Bushmen know which plants and herbs are good to eat — and which will heal their ailments. Stephan C. Schuster/Penn State University hide caption

itoggle caption Stephan C. Schuster/Penn State University

How do the Khoisan maintain their way of living today?

The answer is they don't. We are seeing the end of their culture and their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, which is being replaced by herding and agriculture.

In Botswana, there is a law that the hunter-gatherers cannot hunt anymore. There are land disputes and in many cases they are being pushed off the land they used to hunt or consider sacred. They are considered lowlifes in society and have very little political representation. In many ways this replicates what happened to the indigenous people of North America, who by the way were also hunter gatherers.

Can you describe the Bushmen culture and what is being lost?

The most important thing is the language. This is a "click language" in which clicks are like consonants. Linguists believe that the more clicks you have the older the language is, and this one has five, the most of any. There is also beautiful traditional music and singing that will be lost.

What about other skills and types of knowledge particular to the Khoisan?

They have incredible knowledge about animal behavior and about the environment. Where you and I would only see plants and scrub and thorn and dry wood, they see a lot of things you can eat. If you walk with a Bushman in the bush, he is constantly eating because he always finds something to nibble or chew on, and of course this is precious knowledge that we don't have. This is also their pharmacy, the herbs or the natural substances within the plants that will help them when they have ailments. Even the elders have absolutely pristine hearing and clear vision. And I think it is understandable if your life depends on your hunting skills.

Can you talk about how they hunt?

They use a very small bow and very short arrow, which they make, and on the tip of the arrow they place a poison that they produce from caterpillars. They are also amazing masters of trapping. They make the traps not with metal or rope but only with natural materials like branches and grass and leaves. All this knowledge will be lost if the younger generation does not get the chance to live this lifestyle. It might already be too late.

What lesson should we take from the population patterns you've traced?

The most important factor for changes in the population is the climate. The key thing we want people to know is that there were times when there were so few humans, we got close to being wiped out. This is also the pattern we see in endangered species today. We look at ourselves as invulnerable, but we should not take for granted that the climate won't change in the future in ways that will endanger us. We need to take climate seriously.

southern Africa

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In Slovakia, Christmas Dinner Starts In The Bathtub

For centuries, families throughout much of central Europe have relied on one simple main course for Christmas Eve dinner: the common carp.

But getting from river (or carp farm) to table is not so simple. As the tradition goes, the Christmas carp must first swim in the family bathtub for at least a day or two before being killed, cleaned and prepared.

1 Dead In Protest At Chinese-Backed Copper Mine Project In Myanmar

A crackdown on protesters at a Chinese-backed copper mine project in Myanmar has left at least one person dead, the company that runs the project said today in a statement.

The statement from Myanmar Wanbao said the company had "just been informed of the death of a female resident from Moe Kyo Pyin village," adding: "The events leading up to her death are still unclear." [Some news sources call the village Mogyopyin.]

Democratic Voice of Burma, a local news organization, reported that the death of the 50-year-old woman came following a clash between protesters and riot police near the site of the Letpadaung copper mine project, in the northwest part of the country that is also called Burma. Myanmar Wanbao workers and police arrived to erect fences on land claimed by the protesters. The demonstrators threw stones at security forces and, when gunfire erupted, the woman was shot in the head, the news organization said, citing a local villager. The Associated Press noted that it is unclear whether she was shot by police or security personnel from the mining company.

Democratic Voice of Burma said at least four people were seriously wounded.

The AP adds: "The massive project, a joint venture between a Myanmar military-controlled holding company and China's Wanbao Mining Copper Ltd., drew international attention two years ago when police forcefully dispersed protesters, injuring more than 100 Buddhist monks. Many suffered severe burns from smoke bombs that contained white phosphorus, a substance not generally used to contain civil unrest."

The protests led to a suspension of work at the mine. The company compensated many of the villagers who had complained of health and environmental problems. But many other villagers had refused to take the money, and said they would hold on to their land. The statement from Myanmar Wanbao noted that the majority of the villagers had given their assent for the project to move forward.

In a separate statement earlier today, prior to the deadly protest, Myanmar Wanbao said it will be "extending its working area in the Letpadaung copper project to comply with requirements of its investment permit."

Amnesty International in a statement last month, to mark the second anniversary of the protests, noted that no one had been held accountable. It urged the government to stop work on the project "until a thorough environmental and social impact assessment has been carried out, which genuinely consults all the people affected."

China is the largest foreign investor in Myanmar, but ever since President Thein Sein launched economic and political reforms three years ago, other countries, including the U.S., have set their sights on the Asian nation.

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Myanmar

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The 5 Business Stories That Made 2014 A Memorable Year

No one saw this one coming. When 2014 began, a barrel of crude oil was selling for about $110. It hovered there until late spring, when the price ticked up to nearly $115.

And then, down, down, down went oil. Month after month, the price plunge continued until a barrel got below $55 this month.

Seeing oil prices cut in half has left economists stunned and rethinking their predictions for inflation. Most consumers are thrilled to see cheap gasoline, but oil-producing companies and nations are scrambling to cope.

Wage Stagnation

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Shantel Walker stands outside a fast food restaurant June 19 in Brooklyn, New York. Walker, who made $8.25 per hour at a Brooklyn pizzeria, was part of a broad campaign by fast food workers to advocate for higher minimum wages. Julie Jacobson/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Julie Jacobson/AP

Julie Jacobson/AP

Despite strong profits for corporations, raises for workers remained meager.

Month after month throughout 2014, the Labor Department's jobs report showed no meaningful increase in average hourly earnings. Congress did not raise the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, and most employers provided only tiny pay increases for more-skilled workers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said average hourly earnings in November were $24.66, up just 51 cents from last year. Adjusted for inflation, that increase amounted to 0.8 percent for the year.

U.S. Economy Soars Above Others

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A craft beer fan picks up a six-pack of Goose Island Beer Co.'s limited Black Friday release of Bourbon County Brand Stout on Nov. 26 in Chicago. Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP

A craft beer fan picks up a six-pack of Goose Island Beer Co.'s limited Black Friday release of Bourbon County Brand Stout on Nov. 26 in Chicago.

Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP

The year started poorly for Americans, thanks to unusually harsh winter weather that derailed plans for building, spending and traveling. But with the spring came an economic warming.

In fact, by summer, growth was running hot. The Bureau of Economic Analysis says it advanced at an annualized 3.9 percent over July, August and September. That growth generated many more job openings, as well as new revenues that helped shrink the federal budget deficit.

Even as the U.S. economy was expanding, other nations were struggling. In Europe, Japan, China, India, Brazil and elsewhere, companies saw profits shrivel and gloom spread. Russia's economy vaporized. As everyone else fell back, the dollar strengthened and the United States emerged as the world's only real engine of growth.

Stocks Shoot Up; Interest Rates Don't

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The stock market continued its long run up, with the S&P 500 stock index gaining roughly another 11 percent for the year. Those gains came as interest rates continued to cling to their historic lows.

Stock prices for existing tech companies were mixed, with investors loving Apple Inc. but moving away from the so-called cloud sector.

One thing was not mixed: Investors' desire for shares of new companies. One example: LendingClub, an online loan marketplace, chalked up a 56 percent gain on its first day of trading.

Hack Attacks Spread Fear

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James Franco (left) and Seth Rogen, stars of The Interview, arrive for the film's Los Angeles premiere on Dec. 11. The comedy about a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was pulled from theaters after a cyberattack on Sony Pictures, the studio behind the film. The FBI said the attack was traced to the North Korean government. Jim Ruymen/UPI/Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Jim Ruymen/UPI/Landov

Jim Ruymen/UPI/Landov

Whether you were a Sony executive or a Home Depot customer, 2014 was a bad year for cybersecurity. Emails got hacked and personal information was stolen, and economic havoc was heaped upon companies.

Both corporations and consumers are struggling to respond to the growing threats, but what can be done to boost security is not yet clear.

data breaches

wage equity

Sony data breach

oil prices

Stock market

hacking

Ready To Hit The Cuban Beach? Americans Still Have To Wait

With President Obama beginning the process of normalizing relations with Cuba this week, many may envision soon soaking up the sun on a warm Cuban beach, sipping a refreshing rum drink.

In reality, that's not likely to happen for quite a while. But just the increased opportunity for travel between the two countries has those with longtime ties to Cuba already thinking about the possibilities it will bring.

Tom Popper is thinking about it. As president of the New York-based travel company, Insight Cuba, Popper has fought long and hard for an end to the U.S. ban on travel to Cuba, and he's seen his hopes rise and fall with the ebb and flow of Cuban-American relations over last couple of decades.

To say Obama's announcement Wednesday was a bit of a shock is an understatement.

"When I first heard the news on my way to the office that morning, I almost drove off the road," Popper says. "It's wonderful news for the U.S., for travelers, for business interests, for relations between the two countries."

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Despite Its Beauty, Cuba Isn't Quite Ready For Tourists

Popper sees a greater opportunity for educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries, but cautions that some restrictions, including the ban on tourist travel to Cuba, remain in place.

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Despite the ban, Eben Peck, head of government affairs for the American Society of Travel Agents, calls the agreement a step in the right direction.

"It's going to mean more business for our members who participate in the Cuba market, but the full benefits of freedom to travel to Cuba is not going to be felt until the travel ban is lifted in its entirety," Peck says.

Right now, only charter flights are allowed to fly between the U.S. and Cuba.

Cruise ship companies such as Carnival say Cuba presents some exciting possibilities, but note the country needs investments in docks and other infrastructure to accommodate big ships. A handful of international chains have hotels in Cuba, but far too few to handle large volumes of U.S. tourists.

A tourist takes pictures in Havana last week.. Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images

And here's something American travelers won't be able to find at all in Cuba: a Starbuck's.

"There's nothing like this in Cuba, and there actually won't be for a very, very long time," says Achy Obejas, a writer who was born in Cuba. "For there to be a Starbuck's or a McDonald's or any kind of American business of this nature, the embargo has to be lifted, and these new policy changes do not affect the embargo."

But Obejas says the agreement to begin to normalize relations is huge, because it finally starts the conversation about eventually ending the trade embargo, which she says is critical to Cuba's future.

The first step, she says, is making it easier to travel between the two countries — and Obejas should know: She's lived there for extended periods of time and has spent much of her adult life traveling back and forth.

"It is a bit of a nightmare," she says. "You need a license, you have to ask permission, you have to join a group, you have to do something. It's not like just getting on a plane and going to the Bahamas. You actually have to go through some, you know, B.S."

Along with freer travel to and from Cuba, banking restrictions will be eased, so American travelers, for the first time, will be able to use credit and debit cards in Cuba, and they won't have to carry large sums of cash. That could free American visitors to spend more, and it would help Cuban businesses.

But the best thing for Obejas: The country will begin to be normal. The easing of travel restrictions will reconnect families, create economic and educational opportunities and encourage those Cubans who do leave the island nation to go back, Obejas says.

"Cuba will cease to be special in about five or six years," she says. "It will be one more country in the Caribbean to which you can access, which sounds banal, but is actually wonderful, to not be an outlier, to not be this dark forbidden place."

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