Our land, this inlet on the western coast of the North American continent, is a fortunate one, endowed with natural riches and settled by people who do not confuse prosperity with moral superiority. Modesty becomes us; we do not flaunt our advantages. more ›

Seattlest got the news from a coworker yesterday: an explosion in midtown Manhattan had resulted in a collapsed building (MSNBC); then that no, in fact, it was a transformer that exploded, leaving a nearby building "shaky" (CNN). more ›

If, like Seattlest, you spend your morning commute catching up on world events through Morning Edition, you’ve probably heard excerpts from the StoryCorps project. Your fellow Americans have been busy interviewing each other, and NPR is airing a few of the results. more ›