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The Two-Way
2:50 pm
Mon December 31, 2012

White House Website Draws Petition To End All Petitions

Credit The White House
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By Gene Demby

Originally published on Mon December 31, 2012 3:32 pm

Jeff Jarvis has had enough of the White House's petition site.

The 1-year-old site, We the People, is meant to be a place for Americans to directly entreat the president. Any petition that gathers more than 25,000 signatures in its first month is supposed to generate an official response from the Obama administration.

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Around the Nation
2:46 pm
Mon December 31, 2012

Peace Pilgrim's 28-Year Walk For 'A Meaningful Way Of Life'

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Credit Carla Anette / Courtesy of Friends Of Peace Pilgrim
Peace Pilgrim acknowledged that some may have considered her "kooky." But, she once said, "pioneers have always been looked upon as being a bit strange."
Credit James B. Burton / Courtesy of Friends Of Peace Pilgrim
Peace Pilgrim near Topeka, Kan., in the late 1970s. She had walked 25,000 miles by 1964, and continued for almost two more decades. She carried only a pen, a comb, a toothbrush and a map.
Credit Courtesy of Friends Of Peace Pilgrim
Mildred Norman at 16, when, as her sister says, "she had to have the latest clothing." When she devoted herself to walking for peace, she took on a completely different kind of life.
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By editor

Originally published on Tue January 8, 2013 2:19 pm

In 1953, Mildred Norman set off from the Rose Bowl parade on New Year's Day with a goal of walking the entire country for peace. She left her given name behind and took up a new identity: Peace Pilgrim.

When Peace Pilgrim started out, the Korean War was still under way, and an ominous threat of a nuclear attack was on the minds of many Americans. And so, with "Peace Pilgrim" written across her chest, she began walking "coast to coast for peace."

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The Two-Way
2:28 pm
Mon December 31, 2012

Obama: Agreement On Taxes Is 'Within Sight'

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Credit Drew Angerer / Getty Images
The Capitol is illuminated in Washington, where the House and Senate remain in session. The two chambers will miss a deadline to avoid the "fiscal cliff" tonight, as 2013 begins.
Credit Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images
President Obama during his appearance this afternoon.
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By

Originally published on Mon December 31, 2012 10:30 pm

  • NPR's coverage of President Obama's comments on the "fiscal cliff" talks

Update at 9:45 p.m. Deal Reached

Vice President Joe Biden was meeting late Monday with Senate Democrats to brief them on a proposed deal to stop sharp tax increases and spending cuts. A source told NPR the deal with congressional Democratic and Republican leaders includes a mix of both.

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Africa
2:18 pm
Mon December 31, 2012

Congo Fighting Leaves A Fragile City On Edge

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Credit Jerome Delay / AP
Congolese women wait for food to be distributed at the Mugunga III camp for displaced people outside the eastern town of Goma on Dec. 2.
Credit Phil Moore / AFP/Getty Images
On Nov. 20, an M23 rebel walks on the streets of Goma. The rebels initially claimed control of the town, but retreated 10 days later under international pressure. However, many people think M23 never really left — rather, they just changed into civilian clothes and went into hiding.
Credit Gregory Warner / NPR
Mugunga I is a camp of approximately 60,000 displaced people, mostly women and children. Here, soldiers from the Congolese army — who are not supposed to be in the camp — use camp water provided by Oxfam on Dec 19.
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By editor

Originally published on Mon December 31, 2012 8:16 pm

Goma, a city on the eastern border of the Congo, has been a magnet for war refugees for nearly two decades. And in an expanding camp for displaced people, called Mugunga I, school principal Emmanuel Kibanja Miteso holds up a three-ring binder that reflects the history of war here.

The pages are a logbook for parent-teacher conferences. Every time fighting flares in the region, people flood into the displacement camps and the roster of names swells in the principal's binder.

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The Salt
1:42 pm
Mon December 31, 2012

Why We Toast: Uncorking A New Year's Tradition

Credit Fox Photos / Getty Images
A happy-looking 1930s couple toasts.
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The act of toasting feels natural: You lift your arms in affirmation and drink in honor of an occasion or a loved one.

It's what millions will do this week as they ring in the New Year, but why? Like shaking hands or saluting, toasting is a habit with incredibly foggy beginnings, so we here at The Salt decided to dig into it, for the sake of science.

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