Country music attracts German tourists

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Germans are fond of American country music and are Country Music Awards fans. Caitlin Carroll has the story from Berlin.
Download MP3

UK online protest inspires US group

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The online protest movement UK Uncut has spawned a new group here in the US, called US Uncut. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with the group’s founder, Carl Gibson, who explains the group’s mission. Download MP3

Twitter Talk : US Uncut
US Uncut

Imports and Exports

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3

President Obama has set a lofty goal: He wants to double U.S. exports within the next five years. It would go a long way to help get the U.S. out of the economic doldrums. But can it be done?

Birth, Death, and Shopping in Japan

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3

Prices for real estate are sky high in Tokyo, not just in life, but in death too. It’s not just expensive to die in Japan, it’s expensive to be born. At least there’s deals to be had for New Year’s shopping in Tokyo.

Also on the podcast, Russians, Indians, and Israelis have arrived in Mississippi. And they may no longer be going for Olympic gold in Australia.

Foreign investment in the US

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

More Americans are looking for work than in 26 years. The dollar keeps getting weaker. Times are tough for many Americans. But for foreign companies looking to invest in the United States, America looks pretty attractive. Roughly five-and-a-half million Americans work for foreign companies operating in the U.S. States across the country are vigorously competing for their business. But there are pros and cons to foreign investment. What does a state get out of the bargain? The World’s Jason Margolis profiles one state: Mississippi. Download MP3

• Subscribe to the World Books podcast via iTunes
• Jason’s previous stories from Mississippi

Mississippi export boom

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

US exports took big hit during the recession. In the first three months of this year, exports were down in 49 states. Only Mississippi did well. At left, a ship filled with Mississippi products readies to leave the port of Pascagoula for an overseas destination. The World’s Jason Margolis explores this southern success story. Download MP3 (Photo: Jason Margolis)

• Jason’s story on how America’s wars are reported locally in Mississippi
• Global economy podcast

Reporting the war at home

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The news about Afghanistan and Iraq can feel like background noise, as listeners and readers become desensitized to the long, ongoing conflicts. How do local newspaper editors balance their duty to report on important issues vs. losing your attention, with stories day after day on the same topic? The World’s Jason Margolis visited Mississippi and asked editors at three local papers. Download MP3 (Photo: Jason Margolis)

• View pictures of the editors
• Starkville Daily News
• The Clarion Ledger
• Student Printz