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4:09 am
Thu July 26, 2012

For Temp Workers, 'Temp' Looking More Permanent

Credit Ric Francis / AP
Job applicants outside the Staffmark temp agency in Cypress, Calif., in 2005. Temp hiring is usually a harbinger of an improving job market, but some analysts say more employers may be considering temps as a more permanent staffing solution.

Originally published on Thu July 26, 2012 6:11 pm

While the job market remains sluggish, temporary work is one area that's done very well in the economic recovery. Companies are keeping their temps longer and are even using them to fill professional and high-ranking positions.

The average daily number of temporary workers employed during the first quarter of 2012 was more than 2.5 million. That's up from a low of 2.1 million in early 2009, according to the American Staffing Association.

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Asia
4:09 am
Thu July 26, 2012

In Pakistan, Sounds Of A Different Kind Of Drone

Originally published on Thu July 26, 2012 10:35 am

Bagpipes and Scotland? Aye, it's a natural association: Played for centuries, the instrument is especially identified with the Scottish military and traditional Scottish dress, tartan kilts and shawls.

But bagpipes and Pakistan? Nae, you say? Think again.

Turns out no place in the world manufactures more bagpipes than Pakistan. And no city in Pakistan makes more of them than Sialkot.

Bagpipe Central

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The Two-Way
6:58 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

Farewell, Buckyballs: Consumer Agency Files Suit Against Magnetic Toys

Credit CPSC
Buckyballs.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued its first stop-sale order in 11 years, saying the magnetic toys called Buckyballs "pose a substantial risk of injury to the public," Reuters is reporting.

The CPSC has been trying to curb injuries with this toy since 2010, when it issued a recall of Buckyballs intended for those 14 years and younger. But those efforts haven't helped, the agency said when it announced that it has filed a complaint seeking to stop the company from selling the product.

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The Two-Way
5:44 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

California's Jerry Brown: Water Tunnel Shows 'I Want To Get [Stuff] Done'

Credit Rich Pedroncelli / AP
Gov. Jerry Brown waits for the start of a news conference to announce plans to build a giant twin tunnel system to move water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to farmland and cities.

Originally published on Wed July 25, 2012 7:29 pm

Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a new $23.7 billion proposal that would build a twin tunnel system to carry water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta over to the southern part of the state.

Water in Southern California has become an intractable problem. The frustration was evident at the press conference, when Brown dropped a four-letter expletive.

The Sacramento Bee reports:

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Money & Politics
5:37 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

Part Of Romney's Foreign Itinerary: Raising Money

Credit Charles Dharapak / AP
A campaign sticker for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is seen on a sign for Romney Street in London on Wednesday, as Romney arrived to meet with leaders, hold fundraisers and attend the opening of the Olympics.

Originally published on Wed July 25, 2012 7:29 pm

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is on a weeklong trip in which he's scheduled to meet with three prime ministers, give two speeches and attend the opening ceremonies of the London Olympics. On a more practical level, he'll also raise some campaign cash.

This trip is designed to highlight how Romney would fix the failings he sees in President Obama's foreign policy.

Romney opened his attack Tuesday while still in the U.S. In an address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Reno, Nev., he lit into the Obama administration's relationship with Israel.

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Shots - Health Blog
5:15 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

Flaws And All, Medicaid Can Improve Adults' Health

Credit iStockphoto.com
A budget crunch in Oregon led to an unintended experiment that helped researchers assess Medicaid's effect on adults' health.

Among the reasons some governors say they're considering not expanding their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act is that Medicaid is, well, not a very good program.

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It's All Politics
5:14 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

Pro-Obama SuperPAC Takes Aim At Romney's 'Olympic Gold'

Originally published on Thu July 26, 2012 2:31 pm

Election 2012
5:12 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

Black Business Owners Urge Obama To Aid Growth

Credit Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP
Then-presidential candidate Barack Obama poses with National Urban League President Marc Morial on Aug. 2, 2008.

Originally published on Wed July 25, 2012 7:29 pm

President Obama's speech to the National Urban League conference in New Orleans on Wednesday night coincides with a debate over the role of government in helping small businesses succeed.

Some black Americans say they have an especially hard time when it comes to owning and operating their own businesses.

On the northern edge of New Orleans' French Quarter, Shaka Zulu and his wife, Na'imah, are trying desperately to protect a slice of local culture that sometimes gets lost here.

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Around the Nation
5:06 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

Anaheim, Calif., On Edge After Violent Protests

Originally published on Thu July 26, 2012 7:48 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

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

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish.

Now to Southern California, where the city of Anaheim is on edge. That's after demonstrations against police last night turned violent. Protesters are angry about a pair of police shootings that left two young Hispanic men dead. As we hear from NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates, last night's city council meeting became the flash point.

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Presidential Race
5:06 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

Romney Targets Obama On 'You Didn't Build That'

Originally published on Thu July 26, 2012 6:14 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Mitt Romney's campaign thinks it's found a powerful weapon in a snippet from one of President Obama's speeches. You've probably heard it in some form lots of time. In a few minutes, we'll listen to exactly what the president said in context. But the brief that the Romney campaign is focused on is this:

(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: If you've got a business that - you didn't build that.

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Television
5:06 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

'The Jeffersons' Left Lasting Television Legacy

Originally published on Wed July 25, 2012 8:48 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

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Music Interviews
4:38 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

The Practical Side Of The Great American Jam Band

Originally published on Wed July 25, 2012 7:29 pm

The Grateful Dead's eponymous live album started it all for Nicholas Meriwether.

It was 1985. He was studying history at Princeton and got hooked by psychedelic jams like "Wharf Rat." After his first concert, he knew: "I will spend the rest of my life thinking and studying this."

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The Salt
4:16 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

Pizza Museum To Offer A Slice Of American Food And Culture

Originally published on Mon October 15, 2012 11:23 am

Many foods have their own dedicated museums — like burnt food and mustard — so why not pizza? That's what Brian Dwyer, the owner of the world's largest collection of pizza memorabilia, has wondered for a long time.

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The Two-Way
4:06 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

'Truly Ironic': Sandy Weill Says Big Banks Should Be Split Up

Credit Louis Lanzano / AP
Sandy Weill, former chairman of Citigroup, in 2006.

Originally published on Wed July 25, 2012 4:44 pm

Sandy I. Weill, the former Citigroup CEO who helped usher in the era of super banks, said during an interview with CNBC today that big banks should be split up.

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World Cafe
4:02 pm
Wed July 25, 2012

Brendan Benson On World Cafe

Credit Jo McCaughey
Brendan Benson.

Brendan Benson has spent the past decade and a half curating a distinct and exciting sound, but his ascent hasn't been a smooth one. His debut album, 1996's One Mississippi, is considered a power-pop classic, but it sold poorly at the time of its release.

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