NPR News
“How to Speak Addiction" NPR's Rough Translation (May 2019) A daughter - and reporter - discovers an uncomfortable truth about her mom’s alcoholism. She travels to the other side of the world to find out if there's a better way to treat addiction. LISTEN
“Why An Indonesian Rehab Doesn’t Insist on Abstinence" NPR's Morning Edition (May 2019) Sam Nugraha runs a rehab center in Indonesia, and to understand his approach to addiction, he says it's important to know something about his country. LISTEN
“The Evolution of Antitrust Laws in America" NPR's All Things Considered (March 2019) With presidential candidates talking about breaking up big companies, NPR's Planet Money looks at the origins of America's antitrust laws. LISTEN
“Antitrust: The Story of Standard Oil" NPR's Planet Money (February 2019) At the turn of the 20th century, Ida Tarbell investigated John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. What she discovered changed the economy of the United States. LISTEN
“The Story of Mine Mill" NPR's Code Switch (December 2018) How a little-known 1930s union paved the way for civil rights in Birmingham, and changed America as we know it. LISTEN
“Call The Midwife Back" NPR's Planet Money Indicator (September 2018) Until recently, it was a misdemeanor in Alabama for a certified professional midwife to deliver a baby, now that’s changed. LISTEN
“The Changing Economics of Giving Birth in Alabama" NPR's Morning Edition (September 2018) For more than 30 years, it has been illegal for certified professional midwives to deliver babies in the state of Alabama. LISTEN
“The Belt, The Road, and the Money" NPR's Planet Money (April 2018) We begin with a FBI arrest on a cloudy afternoon at JFK and follow the money... from New York, to Uganda, to the Czech Republic, to China. LISTEN
“America's Mining Law Digs Up Old Issues” NPR’s Morning Edition (March 2018) President Trump has opened land to mining in California and Utah. But what does that mean? Julia Simon of our Planet Money podcast explores the rules for mining on public land, which have been around since the 1870s. LISTEN
“The Golden Rules" NPR's Planet Money (March 2018) Planet Money joins the gold rush 170 years late. And the rules are still about the same. How did that happen? LISTEN
“Why a lot of Very Expensive Art is Disappearing into Storage” NPR’s Morning Edition (February 2018) The global art market is booming but much of that art might end up in what some call an art graveyard. LISTEN
“Planet Monet" NPR's Planet Money (February 2018) Investors are pouring money into art, and a lot is disappearing into storage. We find out where the art goes, and why it goes there. LISTEN
“Nigerian Farmers and Herders Clash over Climate Change” NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday (April 2017) There's another conflict in Nigeria that's killing more people than Boko Haram. LISTEN
“Stealing Oil is Easy, Selling it on the International Market Isn't” NPR’s Morning Edition (January 2015) To steal oil, lots of people need to be in on it: small time crooks and criminal bosses, the owners of oil tankers, corrupt officials and even traders in the United States looking the other way. LISTEN
“Liberia's 'Flags of Convenience' Help it Stay Afloat” NPR’s All Things Considered (November 2014) The weak Liberian economy has been hit by the Ebola crisis. One thing Liberia does have going for it is an unusual export — its flag. LISTEN
“How to Steal A Million Barrels of Oil" NPR's Planet Money (October 2014) To steal oil, lots of people need to be in on it: small time crooks and criminal bosses, the owners of oil tankers, corrupt officials and even traders in the United States looking the other way LISTEN
“Egypt Might Not Need Fighter Jets, but the US Keeps Sending Them” NPR’s Morning Edition (August 2013) The US gives Egypt 1.3 billion dollars in military aid each year, but much of that money ends up far from the land of the Nile. LISTEN
“How One Of Kenya's Biggest Scammers Ended Up On The Ballot” NPR’s All Things Considered (April 2013) How one guy pulled off one of the largest financial scams in Kenyan history, avoided prison, re-branded himself as a man of God, and ran for a seat in parliament. LISTEN
“The Con Man Who Took Down His Own Country — Then Ran For Office” NPR’s Planet Money (April 2013) How one guy pulled off one of the largest financial scams in Kenyan history, avoided prison, re-branded himself as a man of God, and ran for a seat in parliament. LISTEN
“Egypt’s Energy Deals” NPR’s All Things Considered (May 2012) The Egyptian government continues to sign production agreements with international oil and gas firms. But as Julia Simon reports, more and more questions are being raised about the nature of those agreements. LISTEN
Reveal News
“The Right to Boycott" CIR's Reveal (March 2019) Support for boycotts of Israel has been growing in recent years, along with an increase in legislation seeking to curb this kind of boycott. Do these laws violate the first amendment? LISTEN.
APM’s Marketplace
“At Some Bronx Public Schools, One in Five Students are Homeless” APM’s Marketplace (November 2018) More than 114,000 New York City public school students were in temporary housing at some point in the last school year. LISTEN
“Egyptians turn to ‘gray market’ for dollars” APM’s Marketplace (April 2013) As foreign currency becomes more and more scarce, Egyptians are looking underground. LISTEN
“In Kenya election, the issue in one region is oil” APM’s Marketplace Morning Report (March 2013) It’s been a year since Kenya discovered oil in the north-west region of Turkana. Now locals there are working to beat the oil curse. LISTEN
“In Kenya, Increasing Interest in Data Mining” APM’s Marketplace (February 2013) In emerging African economies like Kenya, a growing middle class means more and more consumers… and more and more data to mine. LISTEN
“Egypt’s Military Economy” Marketplace from American Public Media (January 2012) A lot of Egyptians are complaining the economy’s no better since the military took over, a military that has a sizeable stake in that very economy. From Cairo, Julia Simon reports. LISTEN
“Economy Weighs on Egyptian Voters” Marketplace from American Public Media (November 2011) Today were Egypt’s first post-Mubarak elections and out on the streets of Cairo today, Julia Simon reports that many voters were thinking about the economy, and the Muslim Brotherhood. LISTEN
“Egypt’s Factories Open for Business“ Marketplace from American Public Media (November 2011) Egyptians began voting today. The country’s been in economic turmoil for months but in Cairo’s factories, reporter Julia Simon says, it’s business as usual. LISTEN
“Tunisia, Elections, and Fast Food” Marketplace from American Public Media (October 2011) As Tunisians grapple with the messy business of politics, there is the small matter of actual business to tend to. Julia Simon reports on fast food and the Tunisian economy. LISTEN
“Egypt’s Labor Organizes” Marketplace from American Public Media (October 2011) In Cairo, an organized labor movement that was all but banned under Hosni Mubarak is finding its feet, as Julia Simon reports. LISTEN
“Egypt’s economy hurting from ongoing instability” Marketplace Morning Report from America Public Media (October 2011) LISTEN
“U.S. Company Begins Drilling in Cyprus” Marketplace from American Public Media (September 2011) A U.S. oil company’s causing a big rift in the Middle East, in the waters between Turkey and Cyprus. Julia Simon reports. LISTEN
“Tunisia, Egypt Await Funds to Move New Governments Forward” Marketplace Morning Report from America Public Media (September 2011) LISTEN
“Egypt Hydrocarbon Market Remains Steady” Marketplace from American Public Media (August 2011) Despite all the political unrest that has hit the Egyptian economy, as Julia Simon reports the one area that’s still growing with local and foreign investment is the oil and gas sector. LISTEN
“Egypt’s Very Own ‘Trial of the Century’” Marketplace Morning Report from America Public Media (August 2011) LISTEN
“Sabang’s Sharia and Tourism” Marketplace from American Public Media (August 2011) How do you promote tourism on an island under sharia law? As Julia Simon reports from Sabang or “Pulau Weh”, Northwest Indonesia, you make enclaves. LISTEN
“A Debt Crisis in… Egypt?” Marketplace Morning Report from American Public Media (July 2011) LISTEN
“Egypt Cracks Down on Foreign Workers” Marketplace from American Public Media (May 2011) The lack of jobs in Egypt is a major issue of discontent. So the new government has pledged to do something about it. Julia Simon reports from Cairo. LISTEN
“Jakarta’s Jockeys” Marketplace from American Public Media (March 2011) Major roads in Jakarta are reserved for cars with three or more passengers. So professionals in the Indonesian city pay “jockeys” to ride along with them. Julia Simon reports. LISTEN
“Children Keep Egypt’s Cotton Spinning” Marketplace from American Public Media (July 2010) Vendors around the world boast of their luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets. But on many small farms, children are involved in all parts of cotton farming. Julia Simon reports. LISTEN
PRI’s The World
“A Ten Year Old Egyptian Girl was Taken to California - And Lived as a Slave” PRI’s The World (January 2014) Julia Simon interviews former child slave Shiyma Hall. LISTEN
“So, how long have you been harassing women like this?” PRI’s The World (November 2013) Julia Simon interviews her harasser on the streets of Cairo. LISTEN
“The Globalization of Yiddish” PRI’s The World (July 2013) Schmoozing in Nairobi, Schmucks in Cairo, Meshuganah in the Hague. LISTEN
“Syrians Refugees in Cairo” PRI’s The World (May 2013) At the Al-Shamy restaurant in Cairo Syrian refugees are the employees and the customers. But there’s a lot more going on under the surface. LISTEN
“Oma and Bella” PRI’s The World (December 2012) Regina Karolinski and Bella Katz are best friends in their 80s, living together in a tiny apartment, and recently they’ve become Berlin celebrities. LISTEN
“Villa Aurora: House of Creativity and Refuge in Los Angeles” PRI’s The World (November 2012) High on a hill in Los Angeles, is a stately white villa with a garden full of flowers and a view of the Pacific. But this isn’t your typical LA mansion… LISTEN
“The Language of Honking” PRI’s The World (September 2012) In Egypt’s capital, where you can’t really shout above the traffic, honking is a language, as Julia Simon explains in this reporter’s notebook. LISTEN
“BEKYA! The Junk Collectors” PRI’s The World (August 2012) “Bekya! Bekya!” is a cry heard every day, all day on the streets of Cairo, Egypt. It’s the call of the Egyptian junk collectors and the cries reveal a lot about the growth of marginal economic activity in Egypt. LISTEN
“Growing Xenophobia in Egypt” PRI’s The World (February 2012) The relationship between Egypt and Washington isn’t the only thing that is uncertain in Egypt right now. The political situation has lead to a growing fear of foreigners, and as Julia Simon reports from Cairo it’s coming from the state. LISTEN
“Foreign Domestic Workers in Egypt” PRI’s The World (January 2012) Egyptians are not the only ones demanding human rights in a new Egypt. Another group is also seeking protective rights in Egypt – foreign domestic workers. From Cairo, Julia Simon reports. LISTEN
“Indonesia, the Army, and Egypt” PRI’s The World (December 2011) Indonesian activists in Cairo say their country provides a template for getting the Egyptian army out of government. Julia Simon reports. LISTEN
“Nubians and the Elections” PRI’s The World (November 2011) One nearly-forgotten group sees the current election season as a chance to finally make their voice heard: Egypt’s Nubians. Julia Simon reports. LISTEN
“A Dish Called Koshary” PRI’s The World (August 2011) Egypt is in an uncertain time, but it’s also a time of greater freedom to speak out. One group that was speaking out even before the revolution were the founders of an Egyptian online satirical newspaper, El Koshary Today. Julia Simon reports. LISTEN
“Indonesia’s Movie Crisis” PRI’s The World (June 2011) Indonesians aren’t getting Hollywood movies in theaters because of an unresolved tax dispute, and they aren’t happy about it. Julia Simon reports from Jakarta. LISTEN
“Lessons from Indonesia’s Popular Uprising” PRI’s The World (February 2011) A pro-democracy uprising in a populous Muslim country with the aim to unseat a dictator in power for nearly three decades: No, it’s not Egypt 2011, it’s Indonesia 1998. Julia Simon reports. LISTEN
“Aceh’s Coffee Shop Music Makers” PRI’s The World (February 2011) How do young people in the Indonesian province of Aceh have fun and obey strict sharia law? As Julia Simon reports, they go play and listen to music in coffee shops. LISTEN
“Obama to Address the Muslim World from Indonesia” PRI’s The World (November 2010) President Obama is in Indonesia today, home of the world’s most populous Muslim nation. Tomorrow the President will address the Muslim world at an Indonesian university as Julia Simon reports. LISTEN
“Egypt’s Most Reliable News Source” PRI’s The World (June 2010) El Koshary Today is Egypt’s newest satirical online newspaper. Reporter Julia Simon went out for koshary in downtown Cairo with the paper’s staff and she sent this report. LISTEN
“The Cairo Scholars” PRI’s The World (April 2010) An email list service that’s become a lifeline for foreigners living in Cairo is actually run by a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Reporter Julia Simon met with him. LISTEN
“Egypt’s ‘Ali G’” PRI’s The World (November 2009) A new Egyptian TV show features a fake Italian talk show host who interviews unsuspecting Egyptian officials. But the flamboyant host of ‘La Sosta Culturale’ steers well clear of political satire. Julia Simon reports. LISTEN