Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'fraction'

Currency Traders Deal With Ups, Downs

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:00:00 EST

Currency traders buy and sell everything from U.S. dollars, pesos, yen and Euros. They profit by betting correctly that a currency might move up or down a fraction of a percent. The financial turmoil of the last two months has turned their world upside down. Chana Joffe-Walt reports for member station KPLU.

Bad Economy Means Business For Thrift Stores

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST

Thrift shops have seen a business boom in this tanking economy. These stores offer high fashion at a fraction of the cost of designer stores. Donna Speigle, owner of The Snooty Fox, says sales are up 17 percent at her eight stores in the Cincinnati area.

The Year's Overlooked Gems

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:59:00 EST

We receive several hundred CDs a week at All Songs Considered and do our best to listen to a bit of everything. But there's only enough time and space on the show to cover a tiny fraction of them. That means a lot of great albums get missed. Fortunately, as we compile our ballot for the year's best CDs, NPR listeners have been helping us find some of those buried and overlooked musical gems. On this edition of All Songs Considered we share some of those picks: the best of the CDs we missed this year, including music from Flobots, Department of Eagles, Human Highway, and more.

McCain's Health Plan Focuses On High Risk Pool

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:00:00 EDT

A key element of John McCain's health plan would funnel people who have pre-existing conditions into special health plans. More than 30 states already have such high-risk pools. However, most of them haven't worked very well — covering only a fraction of the uninsured and uninsurable.

The Village Vanguard: A Hallowed Basement

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:38:00 EDT

The small triangular room with low ceilings and remarkable acoustics has staged plenty of essential jazz recordings. But it's only a small fraction of what has transpired at the world's oldest continuously operated jazz club.

Open Water Swimmers Make Waves In Beijing

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:21:00 EDT

Open water swimming, a new sport to the Olympics, brings a new set of challenges to traditional swimmers. Practically a full-contact sport, swimmers compete in a 6-mile course and finish just fractions of seconds apart.

Clockwatcher Explains Phelps' Win

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Michael Phelps won his record-tying seventh gold medal by a fraction of a fingernail, just 0.01 second. Even when you study the photos and the video, it's tough to tell who came in first. Christophe Berthaud, the director of Olympic timekeeping for Omega, the official timekeeper at the games, explains the system used to time swimmers.

Zimbabwe's Billion-Dollar Bill Nearly Worthless

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT

In Zimbabwe, banknotes issued a few months ago are worth only a fraction of a percentage of what they were originally. The Zimbabwean $50 billion bill is worth 33 U.S. cents; and it takes 1.2 quadrillion Zimbabwean dollars to make up about $4,000 U.S.

Clinton Campaign Bills Stacking Up

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:57:00 EDT

Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign has had trouble paying its bills lately while paying for major media buys and running a multistate campaign. But presidential campaigns have often been problem clients for vendors, who sometimes wind up settling for a fraction of what they are owed.

U.S. Contractors in Iraq Rely on Third-World Labor

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:39:00 EDT

Though Blackwater dominates headlines, the security contractor and firms like it represent only a fraction of the contractors working for the U.S. government in Iraq. Most contractors rely on cheap labor from third-world nations; many handle tasks such as cooking and cleaning.

Bush Offers Help to Overwhelmed Mortgage Holders

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:30:00 EDT

Responding to the growing wave of mortgage foreclosures, President Bush has announced measures that could help some troubled borrowers keep their homes. But only a small fraction of subprime borrowers will be eligible.

Low Turnout Seen for Pro-Immigrant Rallies

Tue, 01 May 2007 09:08:00 EDT

Advocates for the rights of undocumented workers are staging dozens of marches and rallies across the country this May Day, but organizers expect turnout to be just a fraction of last year's demonstrations. Last year's marches also energized anti-immigration groups, and cost dozens of participants their jobs.

Insurance Industry Watches 'Medical Tourism'

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 06:00:00 EST

More Americans are looking abroad for medical care. A hospital in Thailand is a leader in the field of "medical tourism," doing everything U.S. hospitals do at a fraction of the cost. U.S. health insurers are taking notice.

Netflix Set to Send Films over the Internet

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 06:00:00 EST

The movie rental giant will pipe films and TV shows over the Internet at no extra charge. But only a small number of subscribers will be able to use it at first, and only a fraction of the company's 70,000 titles will be available.

Fractional Giving of Art Threatened by New Rules

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 06:00:00 EST

Fractional giving allows people to donate a painting, or other work of art, a little bit at a time, providing a tax benefit over many years. But new rules are putting limits on the practice. Museums say it could have a chilling effect on art donations.

Minneapolis Tries Charging for Faster Road Lanes

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 06:00:00 EST

The U.S. government wants the nation's cities to do more to end traffic gridlock. The Department of Transportation points to a successful experiment in Minneapolis, where some commuters now have a choice. For a price, they can get all the way into town and back in a fraction of the time it used to take.

Da HipHop Raskalz, Kickin' It Grade School

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 12:45:00 EDT

Most mainstream hip-hop artists rap about money, sex and other adult preoccupations. The MCs of Da HipHop Raskalz have an entirely different set of interests, including dinosaurs, fractions -- and, most of all, candy. That's because they are grade-school students in Harlem, and their producer is an acclaimed classical musician with a rather unusual day job.

Corporate Jet Discounts for U.S. Politicians

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 13:00:00 EDT

U.S. politicians frequently travel on the private jets of Fortune 500 companies, but are only required to reimburse those companies for a fraction of the actual cost. Madeleine Brand talks with Susan Davis of the National Journal's Congress Daily about politicians' use of corporate jets.

Sports Roundup: Indy 500, the French Open and Bonds

Mon, 29 May 2006 13:18:00 EDT

Sports Commentator John Feinstein reviews the last 24 hours in sports: Sam Hornish edged out the teenaged Marco Andretti and his father, Michael Andretti, to win the Indy 500 by a fraction of a second. In baseball, Barry Bonds hits home run no. 715. And in pro tennis, the French Open is underway.

Side Effects Noted with Bone-Loss Drugs

Sun, 23 Apr 2006 00:00:00 EDT

At least 10 million Americans, mostly women, take drugs to prevent bone loss from aging or advanced cancer. But doctors note a serious side effect affecting a fraction of patients: bone destruction in the jaw.

Mining Offers Potential, and Challenges, for Congo

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 11:31:34 EST

Mining is hugely important to the economy of the Democratic Republic of Congo. But due to a civil war and ongoing conflicts in the east of the country, the Congo's mines now produce just a fraction of their former revenue. All that could change as peace returns and more of the country falls under the control of the central government in Kinshasa.

U.S. Farmers Turn to Brazilian Land

Wed, 04 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST

This second of two reports explores the practice of American farmers using Brazilian soil. The land is a fraction of what it costs in the Midwest, labor is cheap, and the climate hospitable enough to grow crops 12 months a year. But U.S. farmers have other issues to deal with there.

Enron Deal May Save Fraction of Pensions

Sat, 16 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Former Enron employees who lost pensions when the company collapsed, win a $356 million settlement. But they're really just getting in line with other creditors for a small payoff. They could wind up with 15 cents on the dollar... more than some expected.

N.Y. Eateries Fix Lunch Prices for 'Restaurant Week'

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Food lovers are lunching at some of New York's finest dining establishments this week for about $20. That's a fraction of the usual price for some hot spots. About 200 eateries take part in "Restaurant Week," but finding a table takes careful planning.

Examining a Lack of Black Media Voices

Wed, 16 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST

African-American journalists have steadily worked their way into mainstream newsrooms nationwide, but a recent study shows that they -- combined with Hispanic, Asian and Native-American journalists -- still make up only a small fraction of the general news media. NPR's Ed Gordon looks at what this means for U.S. minority voices with guests Joseph Boyce, former professor at the Columbia School of Journalism and former senior editor for The Wall Street Journal, and Dori Maynard, president and CEO of the Oakland-based Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.