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Movie Reviews
10:38 am
Fri October 12, 2012

'Argo': Too Good To Be True, Because It Isn't

Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 11:01 am

Ben Affleck's Argo is two-two-TWO movies in one, and while neither is especially original, by merging them Affleck pulls off a coup. First, he gives you espionage with the You Are There zing of a documentary. Then he serves up broad showbiz satire. For his final feat, he blends the two into a pulse-pounding nail-biter of a climax. And this all really happened. Most of it. Except for that climax.

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The Two-Way
10:11 am
Fri October 12, 2012

Consumer Confidence Jumps To Pre-Recession Level, Survey Shows

Credit Michael Nagle / Getty Images
"Black Friday" 2011 in Manhattan: Retailers hope to see shoppers out again in force this holiday season. If confidence stays high, they may get their wish.

"U.S. consumer sentiment unexpectedly rose to its highest in five years in October as consumers became more optimistic about the economy in a possible boost to President Obama's reelection hopes," Reuters reports.

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World
9:58 am
Fri October 12, 2012

Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, And Now The EU?

Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 10:46 am

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

This morning, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the winner of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize and they chose the European Union.

THORBJORN JAGLAND: The European Union is currently undergoing grave economic difficulties and (unintelligible) social unrest. The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to focus on what it sees as the EU's most important result, the successful struggle for peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human rights.

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Election 2012
9:58 am
Fri October 12, 2012

Biden Debate Coach On VP's Performance

Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 10:46 am

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Celeste Headlee. Michel Martin is away. Coming up, President Obama honored late labor and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez earlier this week but a new book questions whether the full story of his life and legacy isn't perhaps more complicated. That's in a moment.

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U.S.
9:56 am
Fri October 12, 2012

Casinos Not An Easy Bet For Local Governments

More states and cities are turning to casinos to generate revenue and plug budget holes.

The latest to try its luck is Maryland, where groups are waging an expensive campaign over a ballot question that will be put to voters next month. Proponents promise jackpots of jobs and funding for public schools, but analysts say the gamble doesn't always pay off at the levels promised for public coffers.

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Krulwich Wonders...
9:18 am
Fri October 12, 2012

Sun Goes Down. Up Comes A Mystery

Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 9:53 am

Here's a question you probably didn't know was a question: Why is the sky dark at night?

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Author Interviews
8:45 am
Fri October 12, 2012

The Man Who Tracks Viruses Before They Spread

Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 10:53 am

This interview was originally broadcast on Oct. 11, 2011. The Viral Storm will be published in paperback on Oct. 16.

The New Yorker once called virologist Nathan Wolfe "the world's most prominent virus hunter." Wolfe, the director of the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, spends his days tracking emerging infectious diseases before they turn into deadly pandemics.

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The Two-Way
8:30 am
Fri October 12, 2012

Panetta: 'Foreign Cyber-Actors Are Probing America's Critical Infrastructure'

Credit AFP / AFP/Getty Images
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 11:14 am

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta delivered a policy speech that he said was a "clarion call" for Americans to take cyber security seriously. Attacks that can cripple a country, he said, are no longer theoretical.

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The Picture Show
8:11 am
Fri October 12, 2012

'Vintage Black Glamour' Exposes Little-Known Cultural History

Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 3:03 pm

I was scrolling through my Tumblr feed a year or so ago, when I saw a photo of Joyce Bryant. The caption said she was once dubbed the "black Marilyn Monroe" and was mentioned many times in Walter Winchell's gossip column.

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The Two-Way
7:36 am
Fri October 12, 2012

You Thought The VP Debate Was Feisty? Things Got Physical In California

Credit YouTube
Democratic Reps. Howard L. Berman and Brad Sherman face off in a debate.

Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 8:25 am

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