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Monkey See
7:37 am
Tue August 28, 2012

YouTube Trends: Politics And Pop, Yes, But Education And Science, Too

Credit

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 8:32 am

It's All Politics
7:36 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Ann Romney, Gov. Christie & The Roll Call: Today's Convention Highlights

Credit Spencer Platt / Getty Images
The stage is set at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 9:09 am

Good morning from Tampa where the Isaac-delayed Republican National Convention is set to get going for real this afternoon.

It's going to be a busy day for the GOP once the delegates are called to order at 2 p.m. ET. Here are some highlights from the schedule:

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The Two-Way
6:56 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Isaac, On The Verge Of Hurricane Strength, Forecast For Landfall Tonight

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 10:13 pm

The Latest At 11:06 P.M. ET Little Change In Strength

The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Isaac will continue moving near or over the southeastern coast of Louisiana on Tuesday night, and move inland during the next day or so.

"Little change in strength is forecast tonight," it said at 10 p.m. CDT. "Slow weakening is expected after that."

As we reported earlier, widespread flooding was expected. Isaac was moving toward Baton Rouge, La.

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Around the Nation
6:34 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Theatergoer To Be Charged After Gun Went Off

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 8:18 am

Police say Fernando Santana Eagleheart was watching a movie in Sparks, Nev., when he dropped his gun and it fired. According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, Eagleheart apologized to the crowd in the theater as he left. Nobody was hurt except Eagleheart. He faces a misdemeanor charge for firing the gun.

Participation Nation
6:33 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Books Behind Bars In Needham, Mass.

Credit Courtesy of ABFM
Elizabeth Jane Handel of A Book from Mom.

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 9:22 am

In 2004, I started a project called A Book from Mom that provides incarcerated mothers with brand new children's books to give as gifts to their children during prison visits.

A Book from Mom helps strengthen the parent-child bond while a mother is away, seeks to increase literacy in both mother and child, and helps ease the tension of prison visits.

In its nine years, the project has placed more than 20,000 brand new books on prison shelves in Massachusetts and has inspired someone else to expand the program to a women's prison in Arizona.

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Around the Nation
6:26 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Reaching Age 100 Is No Reason To Slow Down

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 8:32 am

Besse Cooper, the world's oldest living person, turned 116 over the weekend. For her birthday, Walton County, Ga., named a bridge after her. Over at Facebook headquarters, tech savvy Florence Detlor was honored by Mark Zuckerberg. At 101, Detlor is recognized as the social network's oldest registered user.

It's All Politics
5:55 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Romney's Forces Are In Control For Now, But Maybe Not Forever

Credit Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images
In Tampa Tuesday, a colorfully dressed delegate spoke to reporters on the floor of the Republican National Convention.

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 7:38 am

When the Republican National Convention finally gets underway today here in Tampa, it will renew a civil war that's been raging — off and on — for more than a century.

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Middle East
5:44 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Israeli Court Rejects Suit By U.S. Activists' Family

Originally published on Sun September 2, 2012 10:28 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And we have some news to report from Israel this morning. A court has absolved the Israeli military of all responsibility for the 2003 death of a young American protestor on the Gaza/Egypt border.

Sheera Frenkel has this report from Haifa.

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Middle East
4:53 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Egypt's President Recalibrates Foreign Policy

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 8:32 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Well, the new president of Egypt is traveling overseas, and Mohammed Morsi appears to be setting a new course for his country in international affairs - or at least, trying to. He's reaching out to adversaries and allies, and trying to bring back his country's diplomatic importance. NPR's Leila Fadel has the story.

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Election 2012
4:53 am
Tue August 28, 2012

GOP Convention Ready To Roll In Tampa

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 8:32 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene. Good morning.

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Around the Nation
4:53 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Swing County Plays Role In Fla. Elections

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 8:32 am

Clearwater, Fla., is in the swing county of Pinellas. That county went to George W. Bush in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008. Now it's up for grabs. Steve Inskeep talks to Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos about voters' concerns there.

Business
4:53 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Business News

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 8:32 am

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with an eye on oil prices.

Isaac is not expected to grow beyond a Category 1 hurricane and that is easing some concerns it could damage oil and gas refineries along the Gulf Coast. Still, several have shut down operations and will probably be offline for a couple days. Depending on Isaac's severity, analysts say gas prices could go up by about 10 cents or so in the coming weeks. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

Business
4:53 am
Tue August 28, 2012

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 8:32 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

OK. Microsoft had to know there would be critics when it released its new logo late last week. And today's last word in business is: mixed reviews.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Microsoft used the old logo for 25 years. The tech world has certainly changed a lot since then. PCs, not iPads, where the big thing then and Microsoft dominated the software for them. Now, Microsoft says it's time to change its look.

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Around the Nation
4:53 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Gulf Coast Hunkers Down For Isaac

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 8:32 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene.

Residents of New Orleans and other cities are performing the balancing act that is an essential part of life along the Gulf Coast. Hurricanes are such a regular feature that you can't let them disrupt your life too much.

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Election 2012
2:58 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Gov. Haley Gets Prime-Time Convention Speaking Slot

Credit Charles V. Tines / AP
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley campaigns in Ann Arbor, Mich., on July 31 for Mitt Romney.

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 8:32 am

Among the speakers with a prime-time slot at the Republican National Convention in Tampa this week is South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. The speech could propel her into national politics.

The talk about Haley always mentions her gender, her age — 40 — and her race — Indian-American. She wears the labels proudly, and for $19.95 you can read all about them in her memoir Can't Is Not an Option. But there's another label Haley likes: fighter.

On Comedy Central not long ago, she mixed it up with fellow South Carolinian Stephen Colbert:

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Sports
2:29 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Heat Guidelines Help Keep Young Athletes Cool

Credit Craig LeMoult for NPR
Doctoral student Brett Comstock wears a football uniform as he walks on a treadmill at the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut.

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 3:07 pm

As extremely hot temperatures continue to hit much of the country, high school football teams are busy getting ready for the fall season.

Last year, five high school football players died of heat stroke. Across the country, experts are trying to prevent those kinds of tragedies.

At the University of Connecticut's Korey Stringer Institute, researchers study the effects of extreme heat on athletes.

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The Salt
2:28 am
Tue August 28, 2012

In India, 100-Year-Old Lunch Delivery Service Goes Modern

Originally published on Mon October 15, 2012 9:37 am

Every day in Mumbai, some 5,000 deliverymen called dabba wallahs hand deliver 200,000 hot meals to doorsteps across the city. It's an intricate network that requires precise timing and numerous handoffs from courier to courier. The century-old service is a staple for the city's office workers. (See how it works in this video.) But as the city has changed, so too has the service.

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Shots - Health Blog
2:27 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Can You Learn While You're Asleep?

Credit iStockphoto.com
Research suggests basic forms of learning are possible while snoozing.

Originally published on Fri August 31, 2012 8:44 am

If you're a student, you may have harbored the fantasy of learning lessons while you sleep. Who wouldn't want to stick on a pair of headphones, grab some shut-eye with a lesson about, say, Chinese history playing in his ears — and wake up with newly acquired knowledge of the Ming Dynasty?

Sadly, it doesn't work. The history lesson either keeps you from going to sleep, or it doesn't — in which case you don't learn it.

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Dead Stop
2:27 am
Tue August 28, 2012

On Remote Island, The Dead Are Buried Far And Wide

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 7:38 pm

Grindstone Island's lone public dock is just three miles north of the U.S. mainland, a straight shot by powerboat across the St. Lawrence River from Clayton, N.Y. Part of the Thousand Islands, Grindstone Island sits in a waterway shared by the U.S. and Canada.

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Energy
2:14 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Methane Making An Appearance In Pa. Water Supplies

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 2:03 pm

Mike and Nancy Leighton's problems began on May 19, just as Mike was settling in to watch the Preakness Stakes. A neighbor in Leroy Township, Pa., called Mike and told him to check the water well located just outside his front door.

"I said, 'I'll be down in 15 minutes.' I wanted to see the race," Leighton said. But as the horses were racing, Leighton's well was overflowing. Typically, there's between 80 to 100 feet of head space between the top of the well and its water supply. But when Leighton went outside, the water was bubbling over the top.

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Africa
2:12 am
Tue August 28, 2012

Somaliland: A Pocket Of Stability In A Chaotic Region

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 8:32 am

Somalia is synonymous with failed states, pirates and Islamist militants. But in the nation's northwest lies a peaceful, stable territory with an elected government known as Somaliland. The enclave broke away from the fractious Horn of Africa nation in 1991 and has been going it alone ever since.

To the disappointment of its residents, Somaliland has not been recognized as an independent nation, but its stability is attracting investors that other parts of Somalia can only dream of.

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Participation Nation
6:03 pm
Mon August 27, 2012

Sticking To Basics In Overland Park, Kan.

Credit Courtesy of Giving The Basics
Tim Bair and Theresa Hamilton hoist a Giving the Basics banner.

One day Theresa Hamilton, a mother of 12, was struck by how hard it is to come by human dignity when you are down on your luck. For instance, you can't use Food Stamps to buy toilet paper or laundry soap.

So Theresa founded Giving The Basics — an organization that provides people with toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products and other human-dignity necessities.

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It's All Politics
5:55 pm
Mon August 27, 2012

The Florida Delegation's Snow Day

Credit Scott Olson / Getty Images
A police boat patrols the waterways in the downtown area Monday in Tampa, Fla., site of the Republican National Convention.

It's the closest these Floridians will ever get to an actual snow day.

The threat of Isaac canceled most official business at the Republican National Convention Monday. But the storm went west, sending a little wind and rain to Tampa. The typical summer afternoon thunderstorm is worse.

So members of Florida's delegation were free to engage in a political snowball fight — they ate, partied and trashed a political traitor: former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist.

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All Tech Considered
5:23 pm
Mon August 27, 2012

Online University For All Balances Big Goals, Expensive Realities

Originally published on Mon August 27, 2012 5:54 pm

Naylea Omayra Villanueva Sanchez, 22, lives on the edge of the Amazon rain forest in Tarapoto, northern Peru.

"Where I live, there's only jungle," Villanueva Sanchez says through an interpreter. "A university education is inaccessible."

And that's true in more ways than one. Villanueva Sanchez is in a wheelchair, the result of a motorcycle accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down.

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Law
5:23 pm
Mon August 27, 2012

Judge Halts Ohio Law That Could Discount Votes

A judge has given Ohio unions a preliminary injunction stopping a new state law that could endanger provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct, even if the cause is poll worker error.

It's All Politics
5:06 pm
Mon August 27, 2012

Ron Paul's Faithful Continue To Make Noise; Floor Fight Tuesday?

Oh, Isaac. How good you've been to the Ron Paul Revolution!

With 24 hours of nothing officially happening at the GOP convention in Tampa because of Tropical Storm Isaac, Ron Paul supporters for the second time in as many days made themselves the center of attention at Mitt Romney's big nomination party.

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The Two-Way
4:54 pm
Mon August 27, 2012

As Isaac Strengthens, Louisiana's Levees, Flood Gates Gird For Post-Katrina Test

Originally published on Mon August 27, 2012 5:02 pm

The National Hurricane Center says that it expects Tropical Storm Isaac to continue strengthening up until it makes landfall.

In the 5 p.m. ET advisory, the Hurricane Center said Isaac remains a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Dry air, the center explains, keeps feeding into the storm keeping it from intensifying. The storm is predicted to make landfall near New Orleans as a category 2 hurricane with 100 mph winds.

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It's All Politics
4:25 pm
Mon August 27, 2012

Herman Cain And His ABCs: He Sees Blacks Turning To The GOP

Credit Mark Memmott / NPR
Herman Cain on Monday at the Tampa Convention Center.

Why is one-time Republican presidential contender Herman Cain optimistic about the GOP bringing more African-Americans into its tent?

Because "a lot of people in this country have not realized or it does not get picked up in the polls [that] some black people can think for themselves," he said Monday afternoon. "They don't have to be told what to think and who to vote for and they are responding to the facts."

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U.S.
4:17 pm
Mon August 27, 2012

Court Paves Way For Texas Planned Parenthood Cuts

Credit David Kent / MCT/Landov
Abortion-rights opponents outside a Planned Parenthood of North Texas event in Fort Worth in February. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Texas can defund Planned Parenthood clinics because the organization provides abortions.

Originally published on Mon August 27, 2012 5:23 pm

Officials in Texas say they will cut off state funding to Planned Parenthood following a federal court ruling last week. The decision by a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says the state can defund the health clinics because Planned Parenthood is associated with abortion.

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Music Interviews
4:16 pm
Mon August 27, 2012

Ben Powell: In The Footsteps Of Jazz Fiddle Royalty

Credit Ryan MacDonald / Courtesy of the artist
Classically trained violinist Ben Powell makes the leap to jazz in his album New Street, a tribute to the late Stephane Grappelli.

Originally published on Fri August 31, 2012 12:37 pm

The late Stephane Grappelli is perhaps the best-known jazz violinist in history. His collaborations with guitarist Django Reinhardt have influenced countless musicians. A comparison to Grappelli is one of the highest honors a young, rising violinist can receive.

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