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5:30 am
Tue July 3, 2012

Rapper Pitbull Helps Wal-Mart Add Facebook Fans

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Linda Wertheimer. Wal-Mart wanted more Facebook fans, so it asked rapper Pitbull for help. Pitbull agreed to a show at the Wal-Mart store with the most likes. The campaign went viral, then rural. As of this morning, more than 40,000 people have liked the Wal-Mart in Kodiak, Alaska. Kodiak is on an island, a town of less then 10,000, plus bears, of course. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

The Two-Way
5:15 am
Tue July 3, 2012

Power's Still Out For Nearly 2 Million, And Intense Heat Continues

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
In Silver Spring, Md., on Monday, Matt MacCartney was one of many workers dismantling fallen trees that took down power lines.

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 1:42 pm

As the day gets started, about 1.8 million homes and businesses in states stretching from Indiana east through the mid-Atlantic are still without power because of the enormous damage caused by Friday's derecho. That's the huge wall of severe storms that swept across towns and cities from Indiana east to the Atlantic coast.

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Business
2:55 am
Tue July 3, 2012

Airbus: 'The Time Is Right' To Open Alabama Plant

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 3:31 am

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Jobs and the economy are big issues in this election. And from Alabama, we have a story of jobs coming from overseas to the U.S. European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is making a bold move into North America to compete in the largest market in the world for passenger jets.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The firm will build its first U.S. assembly plant on the Gulf Coast in Mobile, Alabama. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports the region has been working for years to attract Airbus.

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NPR Story
2:55 am
Tue July 3, 2012

Daycare Needs Stretch Around The Clock

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 3:29 am

As more people take shift work in the still struggling economy, the need for after hours child care has increased. Throughout the country, many daycare centers have begun offering evening hours or 24-hour care. Parents say their kids should be sleeping at home at night, but they have no choice but to work when jobs are available.

NPR Story
2:55 am
Tue July 3, 2012

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 6:02 am

In France, a law just took effect that requires all drivers, including tourists, to buy a breathalyzer test to keep in their cars. Drunk driving is huge problem in France — causing more accidents per year than speeding. It was recently discovered that the head of the group that lobbied for the law also works for a company that makes the kits.

NPR Story
2:55 am
Tue July 3, 2012

Wildfires Hurt Colorado Resort's Business

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 5:03 am

Renee Montagne talks to Scott Downs, a retired firefighter and owner of Eagle Fire Lodge in Woodland Park, Colo. He's facing a potentially devastating loss of summer business because of the wildfires in the area.

NPR Story
2:55 am
Tue July 3, 2012

Business News

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 5:53 am

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with another bye-bye at Barclays.

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NPR Story
2:55 am
Tue July 3, 2012

Storm Leaves Illinois Residents Without Power

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 4:56 am

No power and high heat equal no fun in parts of Illinois. Some worry that July 4 celebrations will be affected.

NPR Story
2:55 am
Tue July 3, 2012

The History Of Pie

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 12:11 pm

It's Pie Week on Morning Edition, and we wanted to know more about where pie comes from. Linda Wertheimer talks to food anthropologist Deborah Duchon about the history of pie.

Middle East
1:31 am
Tue July 3, 2012

Can Sanctions Force Iran To Change Its Policies?

Credit Vahid Salemi / AP
Iranian workers make repairs to a unit at Tehran's oil refinery in November 2007. It's estimated that a Western oil embargo is costing Iran about $4.5 billion each month in lost revenue.

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 6:17 am

Whether economic sanctions can force a government to change course is far from clear, but Iran should be a good test case.

A European Union embargo on Iranian oil took full effect this week, complementing U.S. measures that have grown much more severe in recent weeks. Other Western sanctions now in place target Iranian banks, foreign companies that provide shipping insurance for Iranian oil tankers, and foreign firms that invest in the Iranian oil industry.

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Science
1:30 am
Tue July 3, 2012

When Ice Cream Attacks: The Mystery of Brain Freeze

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 12:12 pm

If it hasn't happened to you, count yourself as lucky. For many people, eating ice cream or drinking an icy drink too fast can produce a really painful headache. It usually hits in the front of the brain, behind the forehead.

The technical name for this phenomenon is cold-stimulus headache, but people also refer to it as "ice cream headache" or "brain freeze."

The good news is that brain freeze is easy to prevent — just eat more slowly. The other bit of good news is these headaches don't last very long — a minute at the outside.

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Money & Politics
1:29 am
Tue July 3, 2012

Gay Donors Open Wallets On Both Sides Of The Aisle

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 6:26 am

In politics, money talks. And money from gay and lesbian donors is talking louder than ever in this election cycle.

That's partly a result of President Obama endorsing same-sex marriage, and it's partly because Republicans are starting to see contributions as well.

That's a huge change from just a few decades ago.

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Space
1:28 am
Tue July 3, 2012

Fledgling NASA Nonprofit Starts To Liftoff

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 8:24 am

A new nonprofit organization that's supposed to take charge of expanding scientific research on the International Space Station has had a rocky first year but now is starting to show what it can do.

The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space just signed one agreement with a company not traditionally linked to research in space: the sporting goods company Cobra Puma Golf.

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Asia
1:19 am
Tue July 3, 2012

Cheered In Europe, Suu Kyi Faces Crises In Myanmar

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 8:23 am

There are few opposition leaders who are welcomed abroad with the same pomp and ceremony as heads of state. But that's the sort of star treatment lavished on Aung San Suu Kyi, opposition leader of Myanmar, also known as Burma, on her three-week tour of Europe.

But pressure is increasing on her to address simmering political crises at home, and to move her country's democratic changes forward.

In Geneva, Oslo, Dublin, London and Paris, Suu Kyi issued eloquent pleas for ethical foreign investment in Myanmar and foreign support for her country's ongoing reforms.

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The Two-Way
5:15 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

From Our Readers: If A Tweet Is Sent In The Forest...

When Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Matthew A. Sciarrino Jr. ruled that Twitter owns tweets made by OWS protester Malcolm Harris, and, furthermore, that these tweets would not be considered private in the eyes of the law, his opinion invoked the following metaphor:

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The Two-Way
4:50 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Turkey Says Syrian General, 85 Soldiers Have Defected

Credit AFP/Getty Images
A handout image released by the Syrian opposition's Shaam News Network on Monday shows a girl flashing the sign for victory in a destroyed street flooded with water in the restive central city of Homs.

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 5:10 pm

Turkey's state TV is reporting that a Syrian general and 85 soldiers have defected and are seeking refuge in Turkey.

The AP reports that this just adds to a growing wave of defections. The AP adds:

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Planet Money
3:51 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Scandal That Cost Barclays Chairman His Job Threatens To Spread

Credit Oli Scarff / Getty Images
London-based Barclays Bank agreed to pay a $453 million fine over charges it manipulated the London Interbank Offered Rate — LIBOR — a key global interest rate.

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 10:24 am

Every day at 11 a.m., a few big banks tell the British Bankers' Association what it costs them to borrow. Out of that comes LIBOR — the London Interbank Offered Rate, a dull but vital interest rate that underpins trillions of dollars of transactions globally, from home mortgages and personal credit cards to major corporate lending.

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Shots - Health Blog
3:31 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

A Parasite Carried By Cats Could Hurt Humans' Sanity

Credit Hans Martens / iStockphoto.com
What's the link between cats and madness?

Originally published on Wed July 4, 2012 2:31 am

There's fresh evidence that cats can be a threat to your mental health.

To be fair, it's not kitties themselves that are the problem, but a parasite they carry called Toxoplasma gondii.

A study of more than 45,000 Danish women found that those infected with this feline parasite were 1.5 times more likely to attempt suicide than women who weren't infected.

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Election 2012
3:29 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Obama's 'Clean Coal' Fighting Words To W.Va. Dems

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 9:34 am

Mingo County, deep in the southwest corner of West Virginia, has sent a "protest vote" to the attention of President Obama. In the May 8 Democratic primary, voters chose a man named Keith Judd to run for president. He got 61 percent of the vote.

Judd won't be available. He's serving a 17-year sentence for extortion. From prison in Texas, he managed to file the papers, pay the fee and get on the West Virginia ballot.

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Education
3:00 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Online Classes Cut Costs, But Do They Dilute Brands?

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 6:15 am

The University of Virginia may have settled its most urgent controversy by reinstating President Teresa Sullivan after initially forcing her out. But still unresolved is one issue underlying her ouster: whether the university was too slow to join the stampede of schools into the world of online education.

Many other schools share the concern and wonder if the technology will live up to its hype.

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Digital Life
3:00 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Tech Week Ahead: Another Nail In Kodak's Coffin

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 4:35 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 and it's time now for All Tech Considered.

(SOUNDBITE OF THEME MUSIC)

BLOCK: In this week's Look Ahead with NPR's Laura Sydell, another nail in the coffin for Kodak.

LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE: You know, I feel like you should bring on the violins for that one.

BLOCK: Cue the sad music.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SYDELL: Today begins this very sad process. It's really the end of an era.

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The Salt
2:52 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Cleaner, 'Greener' Cookstoves Need Better Marketing In Bangladesh

Credit UN Foundation
A woman at home in Bangladesh with an improved cookstove

Cooking can be hazardous to your health and to the environment, particularly if you are cooking indoors over an open fire and burning wood and dung, as many people in poor, rural areas of the world do every day.

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The Two-Way
2:44 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Phelps Will Not Try For 8 Medals This Year

Credit Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images
Michael Phelps reacts after winning the men's 200m Butterfly semifinal on day six of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials on Saturday.

Michael Phelps, the American Olympic swimming star, will not try to repeat his incredible feat of Beijing. Phelps collected eight gold medals in 2008, which essentially cemented his place as the the best swimmer the world has seen.

The New York Times reports that Phelp's coach, Bob Bowman, announced today that Phelps will not compete in the 200-meter freestyle in London, which reduces his event load to seven.

The Times adds:

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NPR Cities: Urban Life In The 21st Century
2:25 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Filling In New Orleans' Future, One Blank At A Time

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 7:19 pm

New Orleans became a blank slate after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. And ever since, entrepreneurs have rushed in to experiment with new ideas for building and running a city.

Among them is a startup called Neighborland.com, a social media tool for sharing ideas to make your neighborhood better. After signing in to Neighborland, you can find your neighborhood and post your idea. The posts all start with "I want," and you fill in the rest.

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Business
2:25 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

As Strikes Wane, Caterpillar Workers Hold the Line

Credit Joseph P. Meier / Sun-Times Media Photo
Striking workers picket outside a Caterpillar plant in Joliet, Ill. The work stoppage is now entering its third month.

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 4:35 pm

Whenever a car or truck turns off busy Channahon Road onto the long drive to the Caterpillar plant in Joliet, Ill., a handful of union workers on a picket line scream, "Scab! Scab!!"

As strikers try shaming the few workers and managers who cross the line, even a clearly marked sandwich delivery car gets shouted down.

Approximately 800 workers at this plant, which makes hydraulic systems for Caterpillar's heavy construction and mining equipment, are about to enter their third month on strike.

Negotiations Fail

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NPR Story
2:25 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Millions Remain Without Power As Heat Rises

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 4:35 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel. Hundreds of thousands of people from New Jersey to North Carolina and as far west as Illinois were still without power today, three days after a violent storm swept through the region. And it could well be the weekend before many get their power back. Up to 22 deaths have been attributed to the weather.

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NPR Cities: Urban Life In The 21st Century
1:58 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Do You Live In A City? Hm. Let's Find Out

Originally published on Wed July 11, 2012 9:37 am

Urban life is multifaceted and complex. But, sometimes you need to just go with the flow and this chart may (or may not) show you if you're really an urbanite.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

NPR Cities: Urban Life In The 21st Century
1:58 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

At Work And At Play, How Cities Stack Up

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 2:50 pm

There is increasing awareness of cities as a defining trait of humanity and their importance to our health, economy and the environment. Here, some basic nuts and bolts about cities and the people who live, drive, work and play in them

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

It's All Politics
1:35 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Romney Adviser Seems To Undercut GOP Health Care Tax Argument

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 9:35 am

There apparently isn't a unified Republican message on whether President Obama has introduced a big new tax through the Affordable Care Act.

Eric Fehrnstrom, a top aide to Mitt Romney, said Monday that the Republican presidential candidate's position is that the penalty under the new law — the one for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but don't — is not a tax.

The Supreme Court last week upheld the health care law's individual mandate on the grounds that it is a permissible tax, in a 5-4 opinion authored by Chief Justice John Roberts.

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Afghanistan
1:12 pm
Mon July 2, 2012

Lack Of Electricity Dims Afghan Economic Prospects

Originally published on Thu July 5, 2012 3:38 pm

Afghanistan desperately needs to jump-start its economy if it hopes to stand on its own after NATO's drawdown in 2014. But there's a major constraint for a country trying to build a modern economy: electricity shortages.

Afghanistan ranks among the countries with the lowest electricity production per capita in the world. Despite billions of dollars in projects over the past decade, at best one-third of the population has access to regular power.

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