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Election 2012
9:05 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

Study: 1.8 Million Dead People Still Registered To Vote

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A sign at the Feb. 4 Nevada caucuses in Las Vegas.
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Democrats and Republicans don't agree on much. But they do agree that voter registration lists across the country are a mess.

A new report by the Pew Center on the States finds that more than 1.8 million dead people are currently registered to vote. And 24 million registrations are either invalid or inaccurate.

There's little evidence that this has led to widespread voter fraud, but it has raised concerns that the system is vulnerable.

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The Impact of War
9:01 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

Building Better Houses For Wounded Soldiers

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Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
The Wounded Warrior Home Project is an inventive approach to military housing, serving the needs of wounded soldiers and their families as they continue to serve on active duty at Fort Belvoir, Va.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
David Haygood of the IDEO design firm (left) and Casey Nolan of Clark Realty Capital worked collaboratively in the design and development of this unique housing, alongside renowned architect and designer Michael Graves. On the ceiling above Haygood and Nolan is an enhanced HVAC system, which allows for 12 temperature-controlled zones around the home.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
Innovations around the home are designed to accommodate all types of injuries, from limb amputation to post-traumatic stress disorder. In the kitchen, adjustable-height counters and open space below the sink allow for warriors in wheelchairs to maneuver with ease.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
Automatic lifts are built into countertops to adjust to different heights. "When you are in a wheelchair, it is a game of inches," says Nolan, "whether it is the width of the doorway or the height of the counter."
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
Capt. John Votovich, Fort Belvoir's battalion operations officer, stands in the family room of the Wounded Warrior Home. "We have more of a wounded population today that wouldn't have survived in earlier generations. They're still productive members of the military, and they will continue to be so," he says.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
The dining counter of the home can be brought to any height by an adjustable lift catering to different users in the home.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
Visitors to the home will not see a traditional hinged door; instead, sliding interior doors with easy-to-reach handles optimize maneuverability. Hallways are also considerably wider, and wood flooring is trimmed with lighter wood to provide guidance for soldiers with vision loss.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
For disabled service members, the bathroom is often a source of frustration; this was taken into consideration during the design stage. A curbless shower with a liner drain system eliminates the need for a sloped floor, and small mosaic tiles make for a nonskid floor surface.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
Some of the small details that make for easier living include power outlets in the closet for prosthetics, and higher floor trims to prevent walls from scuffing.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
Retired Army Capt. Alvin Shell, who suffered burns over 30 percent of his body in Iraq, was one of several advisers on the house's design. His suggestions included a "man room" - a space where soldiers can have some time away from their family but still be in the home. "You can't hug me enough to forget some of the things that I saw," Shell says.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
"I wanted to be able to see outside but not be outside," Shell told designers of the home. Clerestory windows allow for a greater amount of light and outside visibility, bridging the inside space with the outdoors.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
The home features an extra-large garage to accommodate specialty vans, and wide automatic doors to enter the home.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
The bright yellow single-story home has a universal aesthetic, with specific accommodations that dramatically improve the quality of life for an active-duty wounded soldier.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
The Wounded Warrior Home Project is an inventive approach to military housing, serving the needs of wounded soldiers and their families as they continue to serve on active duty at Fort Belvoir, Va.
Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR
Retired Army Capt. Alvin Shell was one of several advisers on the design of the Wounded Warrior Home Project in Fort Belvoir, Va. Soon 19 more innovative homes will be built to accommodate wounded active-duty personnel.
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Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 8:02 am

All wars bring innovations — in weapons, and also in ways to repair the damage done. Penicillin is one of the more famous examples: It came into use as a treatment for troops in World War II.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought their own breakthroughs, none more dramatic than the prosthetics that come close to giving back what has been lost. And big advances in treating grievous injuries have meant many more troops coming home alive.

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Asia
9:01 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

A Pragmatic Princeling Next In Line To Lead China

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Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, shown here in December 2011 waving to students during a visit to Bangkok, Thailand, is in line to become China's leader next year.
Credit Louisa Lim / NPR
A family photograph from 1958 showing Xi Jinping (left), 5, with his brother Yuanping and father, Xi Zhongxun, is on display at a museum in Xi Zhongxun's hometown in China's Shaanxi province.
Credit Louisa Lim / NPR
Family members still live in the ancestral home of Xi Jinping's father in Zhonghe village, Shaanxi province.
Credit Louisa Lim / NPR
Xi Zhongfa, 81, is the uncle of Xi Jinping, the man who is almost certainly China's next president, but the elder Xi's living conditions are very basic, with no hot water inside his house and little heating.
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Second of three parts

In northwestern China's Shaanxi province, a neatly manicured and landscaped memorial park the size of six soccer fields is one sign of the revolutionary lineage of Xi Jinping, the man set to become China's next leader.

Known as a Communist Party princeling, Xi is the 58-year-old son of Xi Zhongxun, a deputy prime minister and revolutionary hero who died in 2002.

The elder Xi was born in Fuping county in Shaanxi, more than 600 miles southwest of Beijing, and is considered a hometown hero.

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Africa
9:01 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

At 85, Senegal's Defiant President Seeks A New Term

Credit Gabriela Barnuevo / AP
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, 85, greets supporters during a campaign rally in Dakar last week. He is seeking a third term. Critics say he is violating the constitution and should step down.
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The Senegalese are known for campaigning loudly, musically and enthusiastically, yet the country's reputation for democracy and stability in turbulent West Africa has taken a knock as it prepares for elections on Feb. 26.

When Senegal's top court gave its blessing last month to President Abdoulaye Wade's third-term ambitions, his opponents angrily took to the streets to demonstrate their disapproval.

Senegal was tense as police clashed with protesters demanding that the president withdraw his candidacy.

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Author Interviews
9:01 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

Networking Tips from the Ultimate Networker

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Credit Random House
Credit Misti Layne / Random House
Reid Hoffman is the co-founder and executive chairman of the professional networking website LinkedIn. As a frequent angel investor, he has helped turn many Silicon Valley startups into success stories.
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By NPR Staff

"Relatively few people should start companies," Reid Hoffman says bluntly. And he should know. As a co-founder of popular social networking website LinkedIn and an influential Silicon Valley angel investor, he has engineered several startup success stories — and now he has distilled his business wisdom into a book, The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career.

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