After Nearly 30 Years In Exile, This Kashmiri Singer Has A Hit Song Of The Summer

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“I used to sing in the open fields of Kashmir, with my neighbours,” Mir recalls by phone from Muzaffarabad, the city in northeast Pakistan where he now lives. Mir fondly recalls performing at school assemblies as a child, and at local wheat-sowing ceremonies in Kashmir. “But I was forced to run away from my homeland, when the situation deteriorated,” he says.

As a migrant in Pakistan, Mir had to give up singing, and began working as a textile embroiderer, making intricate Kashmiri needlework designs for clothes, tablecloths and curtains. (It’s still his primary job.) But after a few years in the country his love of singing was rekindled, when a Pakistani neighbor heard about Mir’s talent and hired him to sing at a family wedding. The job snowballed into more gigs and eventually leading to regular appearances on Radio Pakistan.

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FURKAN LATIF KHAN — NPR

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Why Your Health Insurer Doesn’t Care About Your Big Bills

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Do insurers drive medical bills up or down? This is counter intuitive. As a result, “Tens of millions remain uninsured. And millions are in financial peril: About 1 in 5 is currently being pursued by a collection agency over medical debt. “

One line stood out — the cost of the implant and related supplies. Aetna said NYU Langone paid a “member rate” of $26,068 for “supply/implants.” But Frank didn’t see how that could be accurate. He called and emailed Smith & Nephew, the maker of his implant, until a representative told him the hospital would have paid about $1,500. His NYU Langone surgeon confirmed the amount, Frank said. The device company and surgeon did not respond to ProPublica’s requests for comment.

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Marshall Allen — NPR

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High-Achieving, Low-Income Students: Where Elite Colleges Are Falling Short

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The lack of support didn’t hold Neuman back — she applied early to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — where she’ll start her senior year this year. But low-income, high-achieving students like Neuman make up just 3 percent of enrollment at elite colleges, the report says. Not having anyone to guide them through the application process is just one of the many reasons there aren’t more of them.

The report looks at the barriers these students face, drawing on surveys of low-income students and interviews with admissions officers at selective schools. When I spoke with the report’s author, Jennifer Glynn, she acknowledged that high schools and counselors play a role, but said colleges can do a lot more, too.

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Elissa Nadworny — NPR

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‘It’s (Sexy) Asian Men!’ Hallelujah!

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This needull discusses the portrayal of Asian-American male characters in cinema and television. The needull talks about a web short film called It’s Asian Men! which tries to challenge the stereotypes associated with portrayal of Asian-American men on screen.

“That’s if Asian-American men have been portrayed at all,” Phil Yu, who runs the Angry Asian Man blog, told me. “Usually Asian-American men have been pretty much rendered invisible. But when they’re around, when you see them, it’s usually sidelined to sidekick status or probably the butt of a joke like ‘Asian Nerd,’ wimpy guys, perpetual foreigners.”

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Ashley Westerman — NPR

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