Haitian student in New York

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Since the earthquake in Haiti, thousands of Haitians have arrived in the US. Many of them are young people who were in the middle of high school back in Haiti. One grassroots organization in Brooklyn, New York, helps such students finds places at schools over here. The World’s Alex Gallafent has this story in our series ‘Learning in two languages’. Download MP3

• Learning in two languages series
• The World in Words podcast
• Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project

Chopin’s piano maker

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For the Global Hit, we visit Polish composer Frederick Chopin’s piano maker. Not an actual person — but a company, one that still makes pianos today. It’s called Pleyel. The World’s Gerry Hadden visited the company’s workshop in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. (Photo: Gerry Hadden) Download MP3

• Gerry Hadden’s photos
• Pleyel website
• Global Hit on Facebook

Canada’s speed bump optical illusion

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It’s back to school time and suddenly there are lots of kids crossing the streets near schools. One of the perennial challenges for school officials, parents and local police is how to get drivers to slow down when driving by schools. Well, a city in British Columbia has come up with a tech solution that is a bit unusual. It’s a speed bump that creates a 3-D version of a little girl chasing a ball. (Photo: Preventable.ca/PhysOrg.com) Download MP3

• Canadian authorities to try 3D image of child to slow drivers
• BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation
• The Community Against Preventable Injuries

Iran reaches out to Lebanon

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Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad is planning to visit Lebanon. Iran has long supported the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah. But relations with Lebanon’s government are not so smooth. Anchor Marco Werman finds out more from Rami Khouri, director of the public policy institute at the American University in Beirut.

Muslim drummers silenced

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In many Muslim towns and villages around the world, drummers march through the streets to wake up residents for a meal before sunrise. Matthew Brunwasser reports from a neighborhood in Turkey where the drummers are no longer welcome by all. (Photo: Matthew Brunwasser)
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Haiti update

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There are still 1.2 million people living in tent camps in Haiti, and daily life remains a struggle. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Imogen Wall, United Nations’ Humanitarian spokeswoman, about some of the biggest challenges in the humanitarian effort in Haiti.

Geo Quiz

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Our daily geography puzzler.

Geo Answer

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The answer to today’s Geo Quiz is South Africa’s coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal. It’s where the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Megan Hall, the publishing manager of Oxford University Press in South Africa about a new Zulu-English dictionary.

• Geo Quiz Archive

Music Heard on Air for September 9, 2010

Tunes Spun On The World Between Our Reports For September 9, 2010. Artists featured are RJD2, Mungal, Nitin Sahwney, Moriba Koita, Govi, Etran Finatawa, Pan African Orchestra.

South African province

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Where do most of South Africa’s Zulu speakers live? It’s a coastal province bordering the Indian Ocean and its capital is Pietermaritzburg. Download MP3

Entire program – September 8, 2010

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Today on The World: French President Nicolas Sarkozy defies massive protests and union threats over a plan to raise the retirement age; Also, a public school in California is set to launch a full, K-12 Arabic-language immersion program; Plus, people in poor countries could soon have access to a quick and inexpensive new eye test via cellphone.

France protests over pensions to continue

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Following large protest marches over pension reforms, the labor unions in France agreed today to call another day of strikes and protests on September 23, raising the stakes in the showdown with Nicolas Sarkozy. The French president promised that the pension reform bill now before parliament could be tweaked to account for special cases but he refused to budge on the core elements of the reform. Anita Elash reports. Download MP3

• BBC video: Strike over French pension reforms

Arabic immersion school teams up with FBI

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Some kindergartners in California spend half their days learning Arabic. Muslim immigrant families there like the program but they’re troubled by the school’s partnership – with the FBI. Hana Baba from station KALW in San Francisco has the second part of our ‘Learning in two languages’ series.
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• Slideshow for this story
• Part one: Native Spanish speakers in Southern California
• Learning in two languages series
• The World in Words podcast

MIT develops smartphone-based eye exam

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MIT’s Media Lab is working on a project that could help people in poor countries get their eyes tested using a cellphone. Anchor Marco Werman travelled to the Media Lab to interview researcher Ramesh Raskar and get his eyes checked using the new technology. Download MP3

• Video: See Anchor Marco Werman get an eye exam at MIT
• More on MIT’s NETRA technology
• In The World: Easy on the eyes
• Video: BBC ‘Smart vision for mobile phones in the developing world’

P.K. 14

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Our Global Hit is about a Chinese band that stands out to both Chinese and foreign audiences. The band is called ‘P.K. 14′, and its music has been called post-punk. But its lead singer says he’s been influenced by everything from Bob Dylan and Motown to the Beat Generation and French existentialism. Mary Kay Magistad reports from Beijing. Download MP3

• Video: ‘Some Surprises Happen Too Soon’ by P.K. 14
• P.K. 14 on MySpace
• Global Hit archive
• Global Hit on Facebook