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The Picture Show
2:35 pm
Sun August 26, 2012

Documenting Haiti's Ruined Grandeur

Originally published on Sun August 26, 2012 5:04 pm

Photojournalist Swoan Parker recently toured Haiti's National Palace, which was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. NPR's Laura Sullivan interviewed Parker about her photos of the once-grand building.

Laura Sullivan: It looks like the building is literally falling down on top of you — how dangerous was it to walk around this former palace?

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Politics
2:30 pm
Sun August 26, 2012

GOP Hopes House Hopeful Will 'Change Impressions'

Credit Leah Hogsten / The Salt Lake Tribune via AP
Saratoga Springs Mayor Mia Love, who is running for a House seat, speaks at the Republican state convention April 21, in Sandy, Utah. Love would be the first black, female Republican elected to Congress.

Originally published on Mon August 27, 2012 7:42 pm

A Utah congressional hopeful will take the stage Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

Mia Love is the mayor of Saratoga Springs, a small Utah community, but her energy and personal story have Republicans believing she's a winner. If elected, she'd become the first black female Republican in Congress.

Perhaps Love's unofficial audition for a speaking slot in Tampa started when she took the stage at the Utah state GOP convention in April.

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture
1:45 pm
Sun August 26, 2012

Neil Armstrong, Curiosity And The Challenge Of The Endless Frontier

Credit Astronaut Michael Collins / NASA
The Earth rises behind the Apollo 11 lunar module during its return flight from the Moon's surface. The audacity of what can be done far way sometimes puts earthly challenges in perspective.

It seems like another era. It feels like another age.

It was the DayGlo world of variety TV: Dean Martin, the Smothers Brothers. It was billowing smoke of riots on campus and in the ghettos. Looking back at images of beehive hairstyles and hippy bellbottom pants it all seems so clearly like our past, something tinged with the sepia colors of old Polaroids — something we left behind.

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Music Interviews
1:19 pm
Sun August 26, 2012

The Avett Brothers: Matters Of Life And Death

Originally published on Sun August 26, 2012 6:15 pm

In 2009, The Avett Brothers became one of the surprise hits of the year. Paste Magazine considered their I and Love and You the best album of that year, calling it "an overpowering acoustic album brimming with sadness and soul."

That sadness took on new meaning recently. Bassist Bob Crawford took a temporary leave from the band to tend to his infant daughter, Hallie, after she developed a brain tumor.

Next month, The Avett Brothers release a new album, The Carpenter, which explores the delicate balance between life and death.

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Participation Nation
1:03 pm
Sun August 26, 2012

Happier Bottoms In Kansas City, Mo.

Credit Courtesy of HappyBottoms
Kerry Rodriguez and her three sons organized a diaper drive for HappyBottoms at their church.

Babies need diapers. But it's not always easy for low-income families who might have to choose between buying diapers or paying bills. Federal assistance programs do not pay for diapers, so if parents can't afford them, babies sit in soiled diapers. That's unhealthy, and it leads to fussier babies — which stresses out parents even more.

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Monkey See
8:07 am
Sun August 26, 2012

It's Who You Know: Predicting How 'The Newsroom' Will Get Its Next Scoop

Credit Melissa Moseley / HBO
Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy on HBO's The Newsroom knows people who know people, fortunately for him.

If there's one thing that HBO's The Newsroom is especially good at, it's portraying journalists who aren't especially good at journalism.

Well, maybe that's not fair. The fact is, they haven't had much opportunity to engage in journalism, since every major story that's come their way has been cracked not through know-how, persistence and telephonic grunt work but through the fortuitous involvement of people with whom the fictional News Night staffers happen to already be good buddies.

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It's All Politics
7:32 am
Sun August 26, 2012

Romney's Auto Bailout Stance Complicates Campaign In Battleground Ohio

Credit Mark Stahl / AP
Cars at the General Motors Assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio, in 2009.

Originally published on Sun August 26, 2012 4:00 pm

The auto industry is big business in Ohio. Billions of dollars' worth of cars and auto parts are made in the state each year. Thousands of unionized auto workers live in Ohio, as do the business owners and employees who make it one of the top auto parts suppliers in the nation.

So, the auto bailout is a hot issue — and a complicated one.

For Republicans in Ohio, the bailout is a tough issue — perhaps because of Mitt Romney's initial stance, or perhaps because of the consensus that the bailout worked.

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Participation Nation
6:25 am
Sun August 26, 2012

Clean And Green In Fort Wayne, Ind.

Credit Courtesy of Fort Wayne's Downtown Improvement District.
Stephen J. Bailey is cleaning up his city.

Originally published on Sun August 26, 2012 10:13 am

My friend Stephen J. Bailey is a strong voice for the revitalization of downtown Fort Wayne. He oversees social media and web development for the Downtown Improvement District. He enjoys running and whenever he runs through downtown or the West Central area, he takes a bag with him so he can pick up trash as he goes.

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Around the Nation
6:24 am
Sun August 26, 2012

Restoration Done, Iconic Reflecting Pool Reopens

Originally published on Sun August 26, 2012 12:32 pm

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

The Reflecting Pool on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall began as a glorious mirror for the Washington Monument, stretching out from the foot of the Lincoln Memorial stairs. Visitors could see the reflection, the obelisk itself, and over its shoulder the huge dome of the Capitol, the site everyone who comes to Washington wants to see. But over the years, the pool grew increasingly dank and slimy looking, leaking, smelly. Finally, the Park Service closed it for a complete do-over. Two years later, it's almost ready.

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Americandy: Sweet Land Of Liberty
6:24 am
Sun August 26, 2012

Maine's Needhams: A Sweet Treat Of Earthy Potatoes

Originally published on Sun August 26, 2012 12:32 pm

If you're from Maine, odds are you've heard of needhams — a traditional sweet with a surprising ingredient.

While Maine is famous for its sweet blueberries and maple syrup, it has another, more earthy, local crop: potatoes.

Jon Courtney, a friend who lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, first stumbled on needhams a few years ago. Now, he's hooked.

"Basically it's coconut and sugar dipped in chocolate," Courtney says. "So if you were to pick one up, you'd be like, 'Oh! This is a homemade Mounds bar.' "

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Around the Nation
6:24 am
Sun August 26, 2012

Snakes, And The Snake Wranglers Who Love Them

Originally published on Sun August 26, 2012 12:32 pm

Presidential Race
5:27 am
Sun August 26, 2012

Despite Delay, Republican Stage Is Set In Tampa

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 9:32 am

After a year and a half of preparations, Tampa, Fla., is ready host the Republican National Convention.

Some 70,000 delegates, support personnel, media and protestors are gathering for the party's nominating event. Originally scheduled to start on Monday, the convention was pushed back because of Tropical Storm Isaac.

Inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum — a hockey arena that's been transformed into a high-tech political stage — it's a vision in red, white and blue. There's a nod to tradition, placards marking the sections reserved for each state's delegation.

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture
1:20 am
Sun August 26, 2012

Making Peace With Our Cyborg Nature

Credit Arnulfo Franco / AP
Lance Armstrong competes in the Ironman Panama 70.3. triathlon in Panama City, Panama.

Originally published on Mon August 27, 2012 8:51 am

I loved the TV show The Six-Million Dollar man growing up. For me, Steve Austin (played by Lee Majors) wasn't less cool because he had bionic implants that enabled him to perform superhuman feats. He was more cool.

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World
8:31 pm
Sat August 25, 2012

What's Next For Jailed Pakistani Christian?

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

There's been international outcry over the arrest of a young Christian girl in Pakistan, who's charged with blasphemy. A Muslim neighbor denounced her for allegedly burning parts of the Quran, a crime that's punishable by death in Pakistan. An Islamic cleric caught word of it and stirred up an angry mob that beat the young girl. NPR's Lauren Frayer reports from Islamabad, the girl is now behind bars and unable to see her lawyer or family.

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Presidential Race
8:16 pm
Sat August 25, 2012

RNC Shuts Down Monday's Events Due To Storm

The Republican National Convention in Tampa has canceled almost all events for Monday night, citing Tropical Storm Isaac. Convention organizers made that announcement saying safety is their primary concern. NPR's Jeff Brady joins guest host Laura Sullivan.

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