NPR News

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs in the past three years, and some of them are looking to replace the lost income with home-based businesses. Think Tupperware, Avon and Pampered Chef. But making real money is real work.

When Cindy Tisdale was laid off from her job as a transaction tax analyst, she started looking for new work right away.

But, she says, "The niche that I'm in, in tax law, is so small that there's hardly any positions anywhere."

President Obama has met with international human rights activists several times during his two years in office. He consistently assures them that he is on their side, though he may not always be able to show it.

Now the protests in Egypt have given the president an opportunity to back up his words with actions. But his response hasn't been earning high marks from the human rights community so far.

Budget problems aren't the only issues under debate in state legislatures this season. In Maine, lawmakers are poised to make the "whoopie pie" the official state dessert — even though some claim the chocolate cake sandwich filled with white fluffy filling was actually invented in Pennsylvania.

President Obama's advice to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to move "now" on a political transition has not been heeded as quickly as the White House hoped. But on one issue, Obama's words apparently made a difference.

Obama sternly reminded the Mubarak government Tuesday that the U.S. supported the right of the Egyptian people "to access information." It was a clear reference to the suspension of Internet access five days earlier by the Egyptian authorities. Twelve hours later, Internet services were restored.

Russian scientists are on the verge of punching a hole into a vast Antarctic lake that's buried under more than two miles of ice.

If the Russians break through, they may tap into and disturb a primitive and pristine ecosystem that has been untouched for millions of years.

Lake Vostok is actually the third largest lake in the world, measured by the amount of water it holds. And if you're surprised to learn that there could be a vast pool of liquid water under two miles of ice, so were the Soviets.