13.7: Cosmos And Culture
10:39 am
Wed February 1, 2012

The Mayan Apocalypse And The Meaning Of Life

Credit Raymond Roig / AFP/Getty Images
When you reach the end of your journey, will you be able to look back on a life well lived?

Since Adam wrote here yesterday of science as a meaningful pursuit, or better, of how a science-inspired way of quenching our unquenchable thirst for knowledge about ourselves and the world will add meaning to one's life, I'd like to take off on a tangent also springing from Umair Haque's recent blog post in the Harvard Business Review.

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Word of Mouth - Segment
10:11 am
Wed February 1, 2012

What's on your Menu?

Credit Photo by thoughtfuldev, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

This Sunday, the average Super Bowl viewer will consume twelve-hundred calories worth of snacks like chili, chips, chicken wings, and pizza, which besides sounding kind of low for junk food, got us wondering what professional cooks and foodies serve at Super Bowl parties… fois gras nachos?  Home-made Cheetos?  We caught up with cookbook author and educator Kathy Gunst.

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The Exchange
10:00 am
Wed February 1, 2012

The State of the State of the State

In his final address, Governor John Lynch looked back at his legacy as much as he did look forward, but Lynch did underline some key points.  He promised to veto expanded gambling, warned Northern Pass supporters to tread lightly and encouraged a constitutional amendment on education funding. We’ll talk about the speech, play back parts of it and get your thoughts as well.  

Guests

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Election 2012
6:59 am
Wed February 1, 2012

Despite Florida, GOP Concerns About Romney Linger

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 11:03 am

With his lopsided win in Florida, Mitt Romney displayed nearly all the skills and talents a front-runner might need.

He was able to decimate his leading opponent, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, through a series of disciplined and sustained attacks, and he had the organizational capacity to press every tactical advantage.

The only thing he failed to do, some critics maintain, was present a convincing case that he's the best possible Republican candidate to take on President Obama.

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Presidential Race
6:59 am
Wed February 1, 2012

Romney Leads Gingrich In Money; Obama Bests Both

Originally published on Wed February 1, 2012 12:01 am

As the Republican candidates were rallying their supporters in Florida on Tuesday night, their campaigns were quietly sending disclosure reports to the Federal Election Commission in Washington. The big picture: Mitt Romney had more money than Newt Gingrich. President Obama had more than either of them. And a few of the new superPACs filed donor lists filled with high rollers.

Tuesday's disclosures run only through Dec. 31 but still reveal some essential truths.

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As NPR's correspondent covering campaign finance and lobbying, Peter Overby totes around a business card that reads Power, Money & Influence Correspondent. Some of his lobbyist sources call it the best job title in Washington.

Overby was awarded an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia silver baton for his coverage of the 2000 campaign and the 2001 Senate vote to tighten the rules on campaign finance. The citation said his reporting "set the bar" for the beat.

In 2008, he teamed up with the Center for Investigative Reporting on the Secret Money Project, an extended multimedia investigation of outside-money groups in federal elections.

Joining with NPR congressional correspondent Andrea Seabrook in 2009, Overby helped to produce Dollar Politics, a multimedia examination of the ties between lawmakers and lobbyists, as Congress considered the health-care overhaul bill. The series went on to win the annual award for excellence in Washington-based reporting given by the Radio and Television Correspondents Association.

Because life is about more than politics, even in Washington, Overby has veered off his beat long enough to do a few other stories, including an appreciation of R&B star Jackie Wilson and a look back at an 1887 shooting in the Capitol, when an angry journalist fatally wounded a congressman-turned-lobbyist.

Before coming to NPR in 1994, Overby was senior editor at Common Cause Magazine, where he shared a 1992 Investigative Reporters and Editors Award for magazine writing. His work has appeared in publications ranging from the Congressional Quarterly Guide to Congress and Los Angeles Times to the Utne Reader and Reader's Digest (including the large-print edition).

Overby is a Washington-area native and lives in Northern Virginia with his family.

Election 2012
7:28 pm
Tue January 31, 2012

How Romney Gained The Advantage In Florida

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 11:04 am

With his impressive Florida win on Tuesday, Mitt Romney has re-established himself as the clear front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. But he continues to face fervent opposition from some quarters, and a number of hurdles remain before he can claim the nomination.

Romney took just over 46 percent of the vote, while second-place finisher Newt Gingrich had nearly 32 percent.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum had about 13 percent, with Texas Rep. Ron Paul at 7 percent.

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NH News
6:17 pm
Tue January 31, 2012

Lynch Challenges GOP In Final State of State

Governor John Lynch used his final state of the state address to ask GOP lawmakers change the tone in Concord, and to reverse course on cuts to higher education and a reduction to the state tobacco tax. 

 Drawing sharp lines has never been Governor Lynch’s style, but in this speech, Lynch did, repeatedly.

“The cut in the tobacco tax was nonsensical……”

 “We hear from some a lot of anti-government talk, but to me that doesn’t make any sense,

 Sadly, it has become too commonplace to attack state employees, and that needs to stop.”

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NH News
5:47 pm
Tue January 31, 2012

A New Poverty Definition: Liquid Asset Poverty

When we talk about poverty- you always think about somebody else right?

Poor?...Me?...Not me.

Well, a report released today says when you look at poverty in terms of assets – not income - then a whole lot more of us are poor.

At least something called ‘liquid asset poor.’

 

Ask Stratham-resident Lois Matheson where she and her husband keep their money.

“In a savings account, in a 401 account, in a retirement account of some kind, an annuity account.”

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NH News
2:38 pm
Tue January 31, 2012

NECAP Scores Are In; Math and Reading Up, Writing Down.

Credit Flikr Creative Commons / Renato Ganoza

 

New Hampshire students continue to improve academically, according to the results of the latest round of standardized tests.

The New England Common Assessment Program, or NECAP, test students in grades 3 through 8 and eleventh graders.

The test shows that 67% of all students are proficient in math, up two percentage points from last year. 79% are proficient in reading, and only 54% are proficient in writing.

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