Tell Me More

The civil war in Syria feels far away for many Americans. But it hits close to home for one Chicago doctor and has pulled him, and many of his colleagues, to the front lines.

Tell Me More host Michel Martin spoke with Dr. Zaher Sahloul, a practicing critical care specialist in Chicago and president of the Syrian American Medical Society.

Sahloul says that for safety reasons, local physicians in Syria have established an underground health care system.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average recently shot beyond 15,000 points for the first time ever. But to ordinary Americans, it might not seem relevant — given unemployment rates and stagnant wages. Host Michel Martin speaks with personal finance guru Alvin Hall about why the stock market matters.

Chinese-American mom Amy Chua sparked a firestorm in the parenting world with her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. She credited her strict Asian-American parenting style with her kids' success. But what are the downsides? Host Michel Martin is joined by Asian-American parents to talk about how they're now bringing up their own kids.

Experts say the housing market is recovering, but the percentage of Americans who own homes is lower than it was a decade ago. Host Michel Martin speaks to Time's Rana Foroohar who looks at this and other paradoxes in the housing market, and asks if the recovery is really just a mirage.

Millions of Americans rely on food stamps to keep from going hungry. They can also use them to buy sugary drinks. Some groups, including the National Center for Public Policy Research, say that's not right. Host Michel Martin discusses this with the Center's Justin Danhof, and University of Illinois Professor Craig Gundersen.

House Republicans just passed a bill they say will help people juggle work and family. Supporters say the bill gives workers more flexibility by letting them trade for time off. But critics, including Senate Democrats, say it's just a ploy to pay workers less money. Host Michel Martin learns more from NPR's Senior Business Editor, Marilyn Geewax.

Reading the Bible from cover to cover might seem like a heavy task. But what about writing it? Host Michel Martin speaks with Phillip Patterson, who is just two verses away from writing out the whole King James Bible. He talks about how he kept the faith in spite of loss and illness.

Host Michel Martin and editor Ammad Omar dip into Tell Me More listeners' letters to get their take on the week's top stories. This week, Canadian listeners take exception to a comment made on Thursday's show.

It's been a riveting week as the nation watched the story of three missing women reuniting with family members in Cleveland. The women were kidnapped during separate incidents several years ago and were imprisoned in the same house. Host Michel Martin talks to the barbershop guys about the many threads of this story.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart spoke out earlier this week about lessons she hopes others will learn from her ordeal, including how to talk to young women about sex. We'll speak with a writer and blogger who shares Smart's Mormon faith about this in just a few minutes.