Lullaby mystery solved

Peru's dengue crisis; Bhopal's toxic legacy [View this email online]( [NPR]( Goats and Soda editor's note Leif Parsons for NPR Mystery solved! We published a really lovely story about lullabies a few weeks ago and asked you to [send in your own favorite lullaby.]( Victoria Vlach of Austin, Texas, wrote that her grandmother, who had roots in Bohemia (in what is now the Czech Republic), sang a song whose name she recalled as "Uustoo donkey." She said, "I remember asking what the song was about, but I don't remember anymore what she said — maybe something about a donkey and/or fish in a pond?" We asked if anybody in the NPR audience had a clue as to this song's identity. And someone came to the rescue! The name of the song, she wrote, is "U Studánky," which translates as "At the Spring." As you can probably guess from the title, there is no mention of a donkey. Rather, the lyrics offer up the confession of a young girl who sees a wee fish in the spring, "swallowing water," and says: "I heard that you know magic tricks/You know what is bothering my heart/You know where my darling is." I don't know if the fish was able to help the lovesick maiden but my heart was buoyed by the kindness of our readers. [Read the lullaby roundup (and listen to a snippet of "U Studánky") here.]( Marc Silver Editor, Goats and Soda in the news Ernesto Benavides /AFP via Getty Images [Peru is reeling from record case counts of dengue fever. What's driving the outbreak?]( The number of patients is soaring, the health system is stressed and the government is facing criticism over its response. So far 150,000 Peruvians have caught the virus this year and 248 have died. [Charities say Taliban intimidation diverts aid to Taliban members and causes]( Aid workers in Afghanistan claim the Taliban is using threats and violence to control the way aid is distributed at a time when aid is more critical than ever. [When Pakistan's politics get tough, Pakistanis respond with memes and humor]( For Pakistanis, during a highly charged moment in their country's history, humorous content serves as both an emotional release and a subtle way to critique the polarized political scene and its players. Memes capture the exasperation of Pakistani citizens embroiled in overlapping crises, and highlight the evolution of political commentary in a country where expression is often strictly policed. a disaster's toxic legacy Manjunath Kiran /AFP via Getty Images [The world's worst industrial disaster harmed people even before they were born]( The 1984 gas leak in Bhopal, India, killed thousands. New research finds babies born to mothers who were pregnant at the time have suffered long-term impacts worse than those directly exposed. [Arrests have been made after migrant ship capsized off the coast of Greece]( Hundreds of people are still missing and presumed dead a week after a migrant ship organized by smugglers capsized off the coast of Greece. Witnesses say as many as 750 people were on board, with only around 100 survivors found. Many are from Syria, Egypt and Pakistan, which declared a day of mourning. Some arrests have been made. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- links we like - The Washington Post reports from Peru on["The race to extract an Indigenous language from its last lucid speaker"]( a 75-year-old woman who speaks the Iskonawa language. - A Ugandan couple shares their [road trip through 12 African countries]( in The Guardian, which notes: "High costs and visa restrictions have historically made it harder for Africans to travel the continent, compared with Europeans or North Americans." That's likely why an official at the Lesotho border told the couple: "You're the first Ugandans we've seen!" - The Ghanaian-American [singer Amaarae's Tiny Desk concert]( is now up. NPR says her music "proves how far the sounds of West Africa have influenced the U.S. and, more implicitly, just how much the music defies catch-all labels like 'Afrobeats.' " --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Find a Station]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [goatsandsoda@npr.org](mailto:goatsandsoda@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Health, Daily News, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Goats and Soda emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]