China has set out its target for economic growth this year: around 5 percent. That's a hefty goal for a nation coming off a painful real estate slump. But leaders have their eyes set on other industries to help its economy grow. Today, we dig into the headwinds and tailwinds facing China's economy.
Related episodes: The mess at the heart of China's economy (Apple / Spotify) The race to produce lithium (Apple / Spotify) What's really happening with the Evergrande liquidation (Apple / Spotify)
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All of you are familiar with the ABCs. It is one of the very first things that children are taught.
Not only are they taught the letters that comprise the alphabet, but they are also, usually at the same time, taught the order of the alphabet.
The order of the alphabet is something that is so ingrained that most of us usually don’t even think about it. Yet, if you think about it, the order of the letters is completely arbitrary, but if we didn’t have an order, our world would be very different.
Learn more about why the alphabet is in alphabetical order on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
The first book in the The Hunger Games series was published more than a decade ago, ultimately launching a hugely popular film franchise, iconic characters and a devoted fan base of readers. This week, Suzanne Collins is out with Sunrise on the Reaping, the second prequel in the series. So we're revisiting a rare interview with Collins from early in her career. In today's episode, she speaks with NPR's Lynn Neary about drawing inspiration from the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, the movie Spartacus, reality television and war coverage.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
In the summer of 1863, after two years of war, Confederate General Robert E. Lee felt it was possible to swiftly end the conflict by taking the fight to the Union.
Up until this point, almost all of the fighting had taken place in Virginia. Lee felt that by moving to the north, he could achieve several objectives that would lead the Union to seek peace.
His march to the north resulted in the largest battle of the war, which would ultimately be the turning point of the entire conflict.
Learn more about the Battle of Gettysburg, why it happened and how it was resolved on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
The federal government spends millions of dollars each year on wildlife damage management, a program that includes killing thousands of coyotes. Yet this program may actually have the opposite effect on the coyote's population. Today on the show, why the government keeps spending money on a problem it can't fix.
The Antidote opens on what seems like an ordinary Sunday in a fictional town in 1930s Nebraska. But by 3 p.m., apocalyptic clouds cover the sun and make the afternoon look like midnight. Karen Russell's latest novel is set during the Dust Bowl – a period when poor farming practices and drought led to a wave of severe and damaging dust storms. In this bleak setting, we're introduced to a cast of characters, including a woman who stores other people's memories and a photographer tasked with documenting the crisis. In today's episode, Russell speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about the inspiration behind The Antitode's core characters, including the work of photographer Gordon Parks and an image that came to Russell as she finished her first novel.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday