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Research News
1:03 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Quantum Or Not, New Supercomputer Is Certainly Something Else

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 9:33 am

It's exactly the sort of futuristic thinking you'd expect from Google and NASA: Late last week, the organizations announced a partnership to build a Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab at NASA's Ames Research Center.

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Your Money
1:01 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Instead Of Snoozing In Savings, Let's Put $5,000 To Work

Credit Robyn Mackenzie / iStockphoto.com

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 7:29 am

If you have a savings account you probably already know this: Your money there is losing value to inflation. Yields are so low that returns are not even keeping up with the cost of living.

I've been watching some of my own savings dwindle. And that prompted me to take up a challenge: I'm taking $5,000 from personal savings and putting it to work. I'm not a financial whiz, pundit or any kind of guru.

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Shots - Health News
1:00 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Boomer Housemates Have More Fun

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 9:41 am

Today more than 1 in every 3 baby boomers — that huge glut of people born between 1948 and 1964 — is unmarried. And those unmarried boomers are disproportionately women.

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Sweetness And Light
8:04 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Backing Becks: Don't Knock The Soccer Star's Talents

Credit Fred Dufour / AFP/Getty Images
David Beckham spent six years in the U.S. with the LA Galaxy before returning to Europe earlier this year.

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 7:29 am

The most unforgiving criticism in sport is directed at any athlete who fans believe is celebrated too excessively above his true talent level — especially those stars who are gloried because they're such pretty people.

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The Two-Way
4:45 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Two Key Candidates Barred From Seeking Iran's Presidency

Credit Ebrahim Noroozi / AP
Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's candidacy for the country's presidency was rejected Tuesday by the powerful Guardian Council. He's seen here on May 11 registering his candidacy for the June 14 election.

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 5:04 pm

Iran's powerful Guardian Council has disqualified two key candidates — a former president and a top aide to the current president — from running in the June 14 presidential election.

The Guardian Council, which vets all candidates, approved eight names Tuesday but left out former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, who was handpicked by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mashaei said he would appeal the decision to the country's supreme leader; Rafsanjani did not comment.

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The Two-Way
4:33 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Storm Chasers Seek Thrills, But Also Chance To Warn Others

Credit Alonzo Adams / AP
A tornado moves past homes in Moore, Okla. on Monday.
The Two-Way
3:23 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

WATCH: Moore Tornado As Seen From Space

Credit NOAA
A NOAA satellite image of the Moore tornado.
Shots - Health News
3:14 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

The Scramble At Moore Medical Center As The Tornado Hit

Credit Alonzo Adams / AP
A Moore Medical Center patient sits in the parking lot after a tornado damaged the hospital on Monday.

A massive tornado swept through the Oklahoma City area Monday afternoon, leaving ruin in its path.

Moore Medical Center, which stood directly in the tornado's path, was devastated. But the workers, patients and their families in the hospital escaped.

Nick Stremble, a registered nurse and manager at the hospital, told Shots Tuesday what he saw.

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The Salt
3:10 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

African Cities Test The Limits Of Living With Livestock

Credit Gianluigi Guercia / AFP/Getty Images
Sheep graze in the street last year in Cairo.

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:18 pm

Raising chickens has become so fashionable among some urban Americans that there's now a market for chicken diapers, as we reported this month.

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It's All Politics
3:05 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Former IRS Head to Senate: It Wasn't My Fault

Credit Charles Dharapak / AP
Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman testifies Tuesday on Capitol Hill, before a Senate Finance Committee hearing.

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 4:13 pm

It was the Senate's turn Tuesday to grill the Internal Revenue Service, or more accurately, former agency officials, about its handling of the scandal involving the targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.

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Music Reviews
2:55 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Pat Metheny And John Zorn: A Vivid Sound World

Credit Jimmy Katz / Courtesy of the artist
Best known for bright, accessible modern jazz, Pat Metheny takes on an experimental composer's work with the new Tap: John Zorn's Book of Angels, Vol. 20.

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

Guitarist Pat Metheny is revered for his bright, accessible modern jazz. Saxophonist and composer John Zorn is associated with much knottier, often dissonant experiments.

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Around the Nation
2:54 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Okla. Tornado Survivors Try To Collect Lives After Storm

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

In Moore, for the many people whose homes were destroyed, the top priorities are finding a place to stay, some clothes to wear, and food to eat. NPR's Wade Goodwyn has been talking with survivors in Moore and he sent this story.

WADE GOODWYN, BYLINE: Jamie Martinez(ph) is a retired police officer who still does security work, and that's where he was when the tornado slammed into his neighborhood yesterday.

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Around the Nation
2:53 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Moore Residents Slowly Allowed Into Tornado-Damaged Areas

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

It's been a difficult day in Moore, Okla., as crews go house-to-house searching for survivors from Monday's tornado. Authorities have tightened access into areas with the worst damage.

Around the Nation
2:46 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Tornado Leaves Moore, Okla., Neighborhoods Unrecognizable

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

It's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

It has been an emotional 24 hours for the people of Moore, Oklahoma. Their city is now a federal disaster area, shattered by yesterday's deadly tornado. Meteorologists have confirmed that the tornado was a rare EF5, with winds in excess of 200 miles per hour. Entire neighborhoods are unrecognizable, trees splintered, houses gone.

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Around the Nation
2:45 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Students Huddled In Bathroom As School Was Destroyed

Credit Alan Greenblatt/NPR
Suzanne Sells, a special education English teacher at Moore High School in Moore, Okla., stayed with her students through Monday's tornado though for some time her own daughter's fate was unknown.

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 5:17 pm

Suzanne Sells lost her house to Monday's tornado in Moore, Okla., but she's still helping other people.

Sells is a special education English teacher at Moore High School. It was spared a direct hit, but like other schools in town, it was closed Tuesday. Still, she showed up to let in a student who needed access to heart medicine that had been locked away.

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Around the Nation
2:44 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

New Hospital In Joplin, Mo., Designed With Tornadoes In Mind

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

Robert Siegel speaks with John Farnen, executive director of strategic projects for Mercy Hospital Joplin, regarding lessons of the Joplin, Mo., tornado for rebuilding large structures like the Mercy Hospital Joplin.

Monkey See
2:44 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

'Arrested Development' Leads The Charge For Old Brands In New Media

Credit Sam Urdank / AP
David Cross and Portia de Rossi in a scene from Arrested Development, which returns on Netflix on May 26.

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

Arrested Development returning via Netflix? Just another old-media brand reviving itself on new media.

The TV show, which originally ran on Fox from 2003 to 2006 and unveils new episodes on Netflix next weekend, finds itself in splendid company. Radiohead, Louis C.K., Veronica Mars — all found their audiences with promotion and distribution from big studios and networks. Radiohead was signed to a major music label. Louis C.K. enjoyed HBO specials and TV shows. And Veronica Mars ran on two TV networks for three years.

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Around the Nation
2:42 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Moore, Okla., Tornado Was 'Storm Of Storms'

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

I'm Melissa Block. And we begin this hour in Oklahoma.

GOVERNOR MARY FALLIN: It's been a very trying couple of days for the state of Oklahoma.

MAYOR GLENN LEWIS: It doesn't get any easier, especially with the loss of life.

MAYOR MICK CORNETT: This was the storm of storms.

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Around the Nation
2:41 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Loss Of Timber Payments Cuts Deep In Oregon

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

You're listing to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.

Imagine dialing 911 and the voice on the other hand says: Sorry. Due to budget cuts, no one can help you. Well, that's the reality for tens of thousands of people in rural Oregon. Many counties in the state have cut public safety budgets due to the loss of vital timber payments. That's money from the federal government paid to counties with large national forests - in other words, land that can't be taxed.

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Europe
2:41 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Far-Right Historian Commits Suicide In Notre Dame Cathedral

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

There was a dramatic scene today at Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral. A far-right historian and activist shot himself to death after calling for action to - in his words - protect France's identity. He was 78-year-old Dominique Venner. And as NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports, he was vehemently opposed to France's new law authorizing gay marriage and adoption.

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Reporter's Notebook
2:41 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Discovering A Family Member's Lost Time In Amsterdam

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

When I found out that one of my cousins — now 88 — had hidden from the Nazis in Amsterdam, just like Anne Frank, it was a revelation. It made me want to know more about my cousin's life and story.

"I like to analyze what happens and to put it in writing; that gives you neatness in your head, and that is what I'm after," says my cousin, retired Judge Suzanne Hoogendijk. She was 87 at the time, and was talking about why she loved being a judge. But delving into her personal past was another matter.

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Business
2:41 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

'Reinventing The Register' May Take Time For Square

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 4:43 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Now, the cash register re-imagined. Paying for things online with your mobile phone can be as easy as paying with cash but digital payment companies, like PayPal and Square, think the big money for them is still at the register. So they're rushing head-long into brick-and-mortar retail, eager for new ways to make old-fashioned money.

From member station WHYY, Zack Seward has the story.

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Business
2:41 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

JPMorgan Chase CEO Spared By Shareholders

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Jamie Dimon, the chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase, has beaten back the most significant challenge to his leadership since he took charge. Company shareholders turned down a proposal that would have taken away one of his titles.

But as NPR's Jim Zarroli reports, shareholders made clear they are unhappy about the performance of some board members.

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Business
2:41 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Tech Companies Have A Lot At Stake With Immigration Bill

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

The tech industry is getting a lot in the Senate's immigration overhaul bill. It increases the number of temporary worker visas for skilled technical workers but the industry is pushing for more, including the end of provisions meant to protect American tech workers from unfair competition. The industry's goals and tactics are antagonizing other groups that want to see the bill pass.

Business
2:41 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Apple CEO Defends Tax Practices At Senate Hearing

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 3:43 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

The top executives of Apple faced tough questions today on Capitol Hill. They came at a hearing about Apple's alleged avoidance of billions of dollars in U.S. income taxes. Yesterday, Senate investigators released a study describing how the maker of the iPhone, iPad and Mac computers used subsidiaries based in Ireland to avoid income taxes on a big chunk of its global profits.

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Shots - Health News
2:38 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

A Catch For Insurers That Cut Deductibles For Healthy People

Credit iStockphoto.com
How much is my deductible?

Health insurance deductibles typically only go one direction: up.

It's not unusual for people these days to be responsible for paying thousands of dollars in medical claims before most plan benefits kick in.

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The Two-Way
2:32 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Microsoft Reveals New Xbox One Game System

Credit Ted S. Warren / AP
The new Xbox One entertainment and gaming system was unveiled Tuesday by Microsoft. The console includes live TV and advanced voice commands.

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 10:44 am

Microsoft unveiled its new Xbox One Tuesday, displaying a device that takes new steps in game consoles' journey to becoming all-purpose entertainment and communication devices. The new console replaces the Xbox 360, which has been on the market for nearly eight years.

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The Two-Way
2:12 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Gandhi Artifacts Could Fetch Steep Prices At Auction

Credit AFP/Getty Images
A picture of Gandhi taken on July 24, 1931 in New Delhi.

Artifacts that once belonged to Mohandas K. Gandhi, the Indian independence leader who took a vow of poverty, could fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.

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The Two-Way
1:13 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Court Backs Withholding 'Potent' Images Of Bin Laden's Body

Credit Getty Images
Pakistanis, along with international and local media, gather outside Osama bin Laden's compound, a day after the successful raid by U.S. Special Forces in May 2011.

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday in favor of the government's decision to keep photos and video of the May 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden a secret, rebuffing a conservative watchdog group that had sought their release.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington accepted a White House assertion that releasing the images, including death photos of bin Laden, could spark violence and risk the lives of Americans abroad.

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The Two-Way
1:01 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Overturned: Former Guatemalan Dictator's Genocide Conviction

Credit Moises Castillo / AP
Guatemala's former dictator Efrain Rios Montt arrives in court Jan. 31 in Guatemala City to stand trial on genocide charges. On Monday, his conviction was overturned.

A federal court in Guatemala has thrown out the genocide conviction of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, which had been called a breakthrough in the region's human rights.

NPR's Carrie Kahn reports that "all trial evidence and testimony as of April 19th, the date a trial judge was removed from the case, must be re-entered."

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