National

Steve "Doc" Timmons is pastor of the Cowboy Church of Santa Fe County, N.M.. "In a lot of ways it's what you would call unchurchy," he says of the cowboy church movement.

Cowboy Church: With Rodeo Arena, They 'Do Church Different'

8:36pm September 01, 2013

by John Burnett

A new Christian movement is growing in the American South and Southwest. "Cowboy church" pastors say their simple services, Western decor and adjacent rodeo arenas are bringing in worshipers who thought they didn't like church.

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Pushing workers only goes so far, says one long-time human resources manager.

National

When Stress Takes Over, Employee Burnout Can Set In

7:16pm September 01, 2013

by NPR Staff

Burnout, often a result of stress in an increasingly demanding workplace, can weigh on employees' mental and physical well-being. The federal workforce is seeing a particularly high rate of turnover, causing agencies to lose its most experienced leaders and staff with the most potential.

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What Makes The 'Smartest Kids In The World'?

10:06am September 01, 2013

Compared to the rest of the world, American schools don't stack up like they used to. But what's the best way to educate children? Author Amanda Ripley followed students and teachers across the globe to find out for her new book, The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way.

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If 'Humanitarian,' Why Not Intervene In Syria Sooner?

11:59am August 31, 2013

Will a limited military strike prevent Syrian President Bashar Assad from launching future chemical attacks? Host Scott Simon speaks with former leader of Canada's Liberal Party Michael Ignatieff about so-called "humanitarian intervention" in Syria.

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Blair Cook and his sons, Dalton and Keegan, set out to hike Piestewa Peak in Central Phoenix.

National

Summer Nights: Phoenix's Piestewa Peak

7:01pm August 30, 2013

by Peter O'Dowd

On a summer night in Phoenix, city dwellers can watch a line of head lamps inch up Piestewa Peak. The mountain rises sharply more than 1,200 feet above the neighborhoods of Central Phoenix. It's the most popular outdoor trek in the city. But in July and August the sun turns deadly there and hikers wait until it's safely below the horizon to begin their ascent. At the top, the view unfolds like magic every time — a desert city of four million people that glows red, white and orange.

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A group of technology and retail groups is beginning a national ad campaign targeting so-called patent trolls.

National

Taking The Battle Against Patent Trolls To The Public

7:01pm August 30, 2013

by Laura Sydell

Radio and print ads launched this week warn of damage wrought by so-called patent trolls. Business groups and software developers say patents are being used as legal weapons in a tactic that costs the economy tens of billions of dollars a year.

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Activist Bayard Rustin points to a map during a press conference four days ahead of the March on Washington in August 1963.

National

Bayard Rustin: The Man Who Organized The March On Washington

4:03pm August 30, 2013

by Cheryl Corley

The strategist behind the 1963 march will posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year. As a gay man, his position in the movement was questioned. But now he is considered "an amazing role model" for activists of color who are also gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

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At the White House, President Obama and his advisers continue to work to build support in Congress and among allies for striking Syria.

Striking Syria Still Seems A Question Of When, Not Whether

1:54pm August 30, 2013

by Mark Memmott

The White House is expected to soon release more of the evidence it says it has to support the case that the Assad regime used chemical weapons against its own people. Despite the news that Britain won't be joining in any military action, the Obama administration seems determined to go ahead.

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San Diego Mayor Bob Filner announces his resignation last week. His last day in office is Friday.

Filner's Exit Isn't The End Of San Diego's Mayoral Mayhem

9:51am August 30, 2013

by Sandhya Dirks

On Friday, embattled Mayor Bob Filner officially steps down. Allegations of sexual harassment against Filner have rocked the eighth-largest American city. Now, San Diegans face a potentially contentious special election in November.

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Why Syria Is More Complicated Than Libya

7:23pm August 29, 2013

by Ari Shapiro

To start with, unlike Moammar Gadhafi's regime when the U.S. intervened in Libya in 2011, the Syrian government still has international allies. As the U.S. considers a strike on Syria, here's a look at some of the key differences between the two situations.

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