Author Interviews
1:25 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

'Signal' And 'Noise': Prediction As Art And Science

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 1:56 pm

No one has a crystal ball, but Nate Silver has perfected the art of prediction. In 2008, he accurately predicted the presidential winner of 49 of the 50 states, and the winners of all 35 Senate races. Before he focused on elections, Silver developed a sophisticated system for analyzing baseball players' potential and became a skilled poker player — which is how he made his living for a while.

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Krulwich Wonders...
1:08 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Obama's Secret Weapon In The South: Small, Dead, But Still Kickin'

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 3:10 pm

Look at this map, and notice that deep, deep in the Republican South, there's a thin blue band stretching from the Carolinas through Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. These are the counties that went for Obama in the last election. A blue crescent in a sea of red.

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The Salt
12:57 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Liquid Nitrogen Cocktails: Smoking Hot Trend Or Unnecessary Risk?

Credit John Joh/star5112 / Flickr.com
A bartender prepares cocktails using liquid nitrogen at Bourbon and Branch in San Francisco.

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 3:21 pm

Doctors use liquid nitrogen — a substance registering a wickedly cold 321 degrees below zero Fahrenheit — to freeze warts so they dry up and fall off. Yes, folks, this stuff kills tissue. So imagine what it might do to your stomach if you drink some.

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The Two-Way
12:56 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Report: Solitary Confinement For Minors Could Have Lasting Consequences

A new report warns thousands of young people held in solitary confinement each year inside adult jails and prisons could suffer lasting consequences including hallucinations and mental illness.

The study by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch reached out to 125 juveniles in 19 states. Many of them reported being isolated for weeks at a time, in small cells with little natural light, no access to education, and minimal opportunities to exercise.

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Intelligence Squared U.S.
12:19 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Better To Elect Islamists Than Have Dictators?

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 12:48 pm

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"Politics is the art of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable," economist John Kenneth Galbraith once said. In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, dictators have been toppled and new leaders have begun to emerge. Islamists, once marginalized, have been voted into power. Which leadership scenario is better?

The argument for dictators is that a number have been reliable allies for the United States. But under their rule, dictators use repressive means to squash opposition and stay in power.

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The Two-Way
12:11 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Doping Agency Says 11 Teammates Testified Against Lance Armstrong

Credit Steve Ruark / AP
Lance Armstrong competes in the Rev3 Half Full Triathalon Sunday in Ellicott City, Md. Armstrong joined other cancer survivors in the event, which raised funds for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 6:57 pm

The United States Anti-Doping Agency has made public all the evidence it has against cyclist Lance Armstrong. This is the culmination of a battle that has raged for years: The USADA has said its evidence proves beyond doubt that the now-dethroned seven-time Tour de France winner doped, and Armstrong has always maintained his innocence.

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The Two-Way
12:06 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Member Of Russia's Pussy Riot Freed; Two Others Remain In Jail

Credit Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP/Getty Images
Yekaterina Samutsevich of Pussy Riot after her release from prison today in Moscow.

One member of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot was set free by a Moscow court today. But two others who were given two-year prison sentences after being convicted of "hooliganism connected to 'religious hatred' " will remain in prison.

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Education
12:02 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Former 'No Child' Supporter Says It's A Failure

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 3:03 pm

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Our next guest spent years allied with key conservatives on education reform. Diane Ravitch is the former assistant secretary of education under George H.W. Bush. During her time in that administration and afterwards, she advocated standardized testing and expanding school choice through charter schools. Those would later become key elements of No Child Left Behind under President George W. Bush, but she eventually became a critic of these approaches.

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Education
12:02 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Margaret Spellings: Too Many Still 'Left Behind'

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 3:03 pm

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Now we turn to the former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. She served under President George W. Bush. She's now the founder and leader of Margaret Spellings and Company. That's a consulting firm in the Washington D.C. area. Madam Secretary, welcome to you. Thank you so much for joining us.

MARGARET SPELLINGS: Glad to be here, Michel. I'm sorry I'm not seeing you face to face. Hurry back.

MARTIN: I know. We'll have to rectify that.

SPELLINGS: We will.

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Education
12:02 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Can Online Education Tackle Achievement Gap?

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 3:03 pm

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. We are continuing TELL ME MORE's first Twitter Education Forum. Join in on Twitter at hash tag NPREdChat. Coming up, we'll hear the voices of people you could argue have the most invested in America's schools, the students, but first, we turn to online education. If you or your child have ever been stumped by homework, then you probably already know about the Kahn Academy.

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