NPR: Stories from NPR http://www.npr.org Assorted stories from NPR en Copyright 2012 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:25:00 -0500 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif NPR: Stories from NPR http://www.npr.org On 'Fiscal Cliff,' Majority Of Public Sides With Democrats, Pew Poll Says Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said President Obama is making a "serious effort" to work with Republicans. Just 32 percent said Republicans are making a serious effort to work with the Democratic president. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:25:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/13/167159547/on-fiscal-cliff-majority-of-public-sides-with-democrats-pew-poll-says?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/13/167159547/on-fiscal-cliff-majority-of-public-sides-with-democrats-pew-poll-says?ft=1&f= Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said President Obama is making a "serious effort" to work with Republicans. Just 32 percent said Republicans are making a serious effort to work with the Democratic president.

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]]> It's ScuttleButton Time! This is the last ScuttleButton puzzle for 2012 — and your last chance to win a Political Junkie t-shirt and Official No-Prize button! (until next year, of course) Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:48:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/politicaljunkie/2012/12/13/167177687/its-scuttlebutton-time?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/blogs/politicaljunkie/2012/12/13/167177687/its-scuttlebutton-time?ft=1&f= This is the last ScuttleButton puzzle for 2012 — and your last chance to win a Political Junkie t-shirt and Official No-Prize button! (until next year, of course)

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]]> Sales Soar In Gaza Of Fragrance Named For Rocket Fired At Israel M75 fragrances for men and women get their name from rockets fired from Gaza into Israel in November. Sales have been soaring, shopkeepers say. No, they don't smell like rocket fuel. They're citrus-scented. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:15:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/13/167171524/sales-soar-in-gaza-of-fragrance-named-for-rocket-fired-at-israel?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/13/167171524/sales-soar-in-gaza-of-fragrance-named-for-rocket-fired-at-israel?ft=1&f= M75 fragrances for men and women get their name from rockets fired from Gaza into Israel in November. Sales have been soaring, shopkeepers say. No, they don't smell like rocket fuel. They're citrus-scented.

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]]> One Photo, 126 Frames, 2 Billion Leaves, 247 Feet Those numbers represent one giant sequoia. Oh, also: The "President," as it's called, is more than 3,000 years old. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:01:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2012/12/13/167163801/one-photo-126-frames-2-billion-leaves-247-feet?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2012/12/13/167163801/one-photo-126-frames-2-billion-leaves-247-feet?ft=1&f= Those numbers represent one giant sequoia. Oh, also: The "President," as it's called, is more than 3,000 years old.

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]]> NCAA Shake-Up: The Future Of College Athletics In 2013 and 2014, there will be a number of substantial realignments in the NCAA conferences. Some believe that the realignment process will ultimately result in the creation of four "super conferences." NPR's Mike Pesca talks about how conference shifts could effect the future of college athletics. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2012/12/13/167180401/ncaa-shake-up-the-future-of-college-athletics?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/2012/12/13/167180401/ncaa-shake-up-the-future-of-college-athletics?ft=1&f= In 2013 and 2014, there will be a number of substantial realignments in the NCAA conferences. Some believe that the realignment process will ultimately result in the creation of four "super conferences." NPR's Mike Pesca talks about how conference shifts could effect the future of college athletics.

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]]> 10 Artists You Should Have Known In 2012 It's hard to keep track of new artists these days. So we asked our colleagues around the country to recommend recent discoveries from their communities. Download 10 songs that helped put these musicians on the map in 2012. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/bestmusic2012/2012/12/07/166745766/10-artists-you-should-have-known-in-2012?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/blogs/bestmusic2012/2012/12/07/166745766/10-artists-you-should-have-known-in-2012?ft=1&f= It's hard to keep track of new artists these days. So we asked our colleagues around the country to recommend recent discoveries from their communities. Download 10 songs that helped put these musicians on the map in 2012.

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]]> Options For Intervention In Mali's Growing Crisis A military coup brought down Mali's prime minister in March, allowing radical Islamists from Mali and surrounding areas to take hold of an area the size of Texas. As al-Qaida-linked militants take over the northern part of the country, many wonder what the U.S. and other can do to intervene. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2012/12/13/167180399/options-for-intervention-in-malis-growing-crisis?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/2012/12/13/167180399/options-for-intervention-in-malis-growing-crisis?ft=1&f= A military coup brought down Mali's prime minister in March, allowing radical Islamists from Mali and surrounding areas to take hold of an area the size of Texas. As al-Qaida-linked militants take over the northern part of the country, many wonder what the U.S. and other can do to intervene.

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]]> Drought Continues: Farmers, Shippers Feel Pressure The United States is facing its worst drought since the 1950s, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. With little to no signs of relief on the horizon, many analysts expect conditions to worsen well into next year. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2012/12/13/167180403/drought-continues-farmers-shippers-feel-pressure?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/2012/12/13/167180403/drought-continues-farmers-shippers-feel-pressure?ft=1&f= The United States is facing its worst drought since the 1950s, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. With little to no signs of relief on the horizon, many analysts expect conditions to worsen well into next year.

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]]> Open Or Closed-Book Exams: Which Style Works Best? Afshin Gharib, a psychology professor at Dominican University of California, prefers to give open-book tests. His colleague William Phillips only lets students use cheat sheets. After several arguments about the techniques, they decided to conduct an experiment to find out which method works best. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2012/12/13/167180405/open-or-closed-book-exams-which-style-works-best?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/2012/12/13/167180405/open-or-closed-book-exams-which-style-works-best?ft=1&f= Afshin Gharib, a psychology professor at Dominican University of California, prefers to give open-book tests. His colleague William Phillips only lets students use cheat sheets. After several arguments about the techniques, they decided to conduct an experiment to find out which method works best.

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]]> No Alarm Sounded When The West Virginia Pipeline Exploded The NTSB is investigating why no warning sounded in the control center of pipeline operator, Columbia Gas Transmission, when the explosion occurred. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:26:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/13/167169109/no-alarm-sounded-when-the-west-virginia-pipeline-exploded?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/13/167169109/no-alarm-sounded-when-the-west-virginia-pipeline-exploded?ft=1&f= The NTSB is investigating why no warning sounded in the control center of pipeline operator, Columbia Gas Transmission, when the explosion occurred.

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]]> Caution: Walking Under The Influence Of Mobile Devices Nearly a third of pedestrians crossing som of Seattle's most dangerous intersections were were doing something distracting at the same time. People texting were four times more likely to cross the street without looking both ways. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:18:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/12/13/167150785/caution-walking-under-the-influence-of-mobile-devices?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/12/13/167150785/caution-walking-under-the-influence-of-mobile-devices?ft=1&f= Nearly a third of pedestrians crossing som of Seattle's most dangerous intersections were were doing something distracting at the same time. People texting were four times more likely to cross the street without looking both ways.

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]]> From A Life Of Crime To Designing Jewelry, All In A Nairobi Slum Zakale Creations is a jewelry-designing operation that employs 30 young people — former thieves and prostitutes. The Nairobi-based operation is the brainchild of John Mucheru, himself a former mugger. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:16:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/12/167120895/from-a-life-of-crime-to-designing-jewelry-all-in-a-nairobi-slum?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/12/167120895/from-a-life-of-crime-to-designing-jewelry-all-in-a-nairobi-slum?ft=1&f= Zakale Creations is a jewelry-designing operation that employs 30 young people — former thieves and prostitutes. The Nairobi-based operation is the brainchild of John Mucheru, himself a former mugger.

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]]> Here's Some Good News: Volunteering Is On The Rise A holiday reminder of how generous many Americans are: More than 64 million people volunteered through a formal organization in 2011, a new report shows. That was up from the year before and part of a trend. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:09:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/13/167165264/heres-some-good-news-volunteering-is-on-the-rise?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/12/13/167165264/heres-some-good-news-volunteering-is-on-the-rise?ft=1&f= A holiday reminder of how generous many Americans are: More than 64 million people volunteered through a formal organization in 2011, a new report shows. That was up from the year before and part of a trend.

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]]> Promiscuous Males And Choosy Females? Challenging A Classic Experiment We've all heard them: explanations rooted in evolutionary biology for why "promiscuous" males mate with many more partners than "choosy" females. Barbara J. King traces these widespread assumptions to a famous 1948 study on fruitflies — a study that a group of modern-day scientists now say was badly flawed. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:01:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2012/12/13/166953517/promiscuous-males-and-choosy-females-challenging-a-classic-experiment?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2012/12/13/166953517/promiscuous-males-and-choosy-females-challenging-a-classic-experiment?ft=1&f= We've all heard them: explanations rooted in evolutionary biology for why "promiscuous" males mate with many more partners than "choosy" females. Barbara J. King traces these widespread assumptions to a famous 1948 study on fruitflies — a study that a group of modern-day scientists now say was badly flawed.

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]]> The Steamy Inspiration Of Miguel's Music Six-time Grammy nominee Miguel is heating up the airwaves with his newest album, <em>Kaleidoscope Dream</em>. Miguel sat down with host Michel Martin to discuss his musical style and why he wants to challenge stereotypes about R&B. <strong>*Advisory: </strong> This conversation may not be suitable for all listeners. Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:07:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2012/12/13/167164055/the-steamy-inspiration-of-miguels-music?ft=1&f= http://www.npr.org/2012/12/13/167164055/the-steamy-inspiration-of-miguels-music?ft=1&f= Six-time Grammy nominee Miguel is heating up the airwaves with his newest album, Kaleidoscope Dream. Miguel sat down with host Michel Martin to discuss his musical style and why he wants to challenge stereotypes about R&B. *Advisory: This conversation may not be suitable for all listeners.

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