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Author Interviews
2:31 pm
Tue September 4, 2012

An Individualist Approach To The Hebrew Bible

Originally published on Tue September 4, 2012 2:35 pm

Hebrew scripture is a "message in a bottle," says Yoram Hazony, and in The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture, he tries to decipher that message. Hazony's new book makes the case for a different reading of the ancient texts — and argues that the Hebrew Bible is a work of philosophy in narrative form.

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NPR Cities: Urban Life In The 21st Century
2:17 pm
Tue September 4, 2012

Bridging The Gap Between Two Neighborhoods

Originally published on Thu September 6, 2012 5:19 pm

Cities around the nation have tried a variety of approaches to revitalizing their urban cores. Some have turned to repurposing old infrastructure to breathe new life into neighborhoods.

One such effort is under way in the nation's capital, where the redevelopment of a bridge linking a wealthy part of the city with a lower-income one may present an opportunity — if an ambitious park plan can be brought to fruition.

A '21st Century Playground'

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It's All Politics
1:28 pm
Tue September 4, 2012

Are You Better Off? Democrats In Charlotte Say It's Complicated

Originally published on Tue September 4, 2012 3:21 pm

Are you better off than you were four years ago?

As Mark reported earlier, that's the question Republicans want Americans to ask themselves as they head to the polls this November.

The question was brought to the forefront after Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley was asked that question on CBS' Face the Nation.

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Africa
1:26 pm
Tue September 4, 2012

Decades Later, South African Miners Sue Employers

Originally published on Tue September 4, 2012 2:35 pm

South Africa's mining industry is under heavy scrutiny after 44 people died during protests at a platinum mine near Johannesburg. Now, the industry is facing challenges on another front: Lawyers have filed a class-action lawsuit against three of the country's biggest gold mining companies.

They're suing on behalf of miners who worked during the apartheid era and now have lung disease.

A settlement in the case — and another like it — could reach into the billions of dollars.

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The Two-Way
1:15 pm
Tue September 4, 2012

State Must Grant Murder Convict A Sex Change Operation, Judge Rules

Credit Lisa Bul / AP
Michelle Kosilek, formerly known as Robert, in 1993.

A federal judge in Boston today "ordered state prison officials to provide a taxpayer-funded sex-reassignment surgery to a transgender inmate serving life in prison" for murder, The Associated Press writes.

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Education
1:15 pm
Tue September 4, 2012

Can A New Building Save A Failing School?

Credit iStockphoto.com
Research shows that students who attend school in buildings that are in disrepair score lower on state tests than students in satisfactory buildings.

Originally published on Tue September 4, 2012 3:59 pm

When students and teachers at School 16 in Rochester, N.Y., start the new school year in a newer school building, they'll leave their old building's laundry list of infrastructure problems behind.

As teachers finish unloading boxes and setting up their new classrooms, they hope the newer, nicer digs will give students renewed pride in their school. Education experts say the move could also bring a bump to the school's flagging test scores, because better school buildings actually improve academic performance.

A Drain On Spirit And A Drain On Grades

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Music News
12:39 pm
Tue September 4, 2012

Why We're Happy Being Sad: Pop's Emotional Evolution

Credit R. McPhedran / Getty Images
A less complicated time? Petula Clark holds her 1965 gold record for "Downtown," an uptempo song in a major key.

Originally published on Tue September 4, 2012 2:35 pm

The Record
12:19 pm
Tue September 4, 2012

Requiem For A Monster Hit

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 5:15 pm

The Two-Way
12:18 pm
Tue September 4, 2012

There's A 'Bear Epidemic' Out West, And It's 'About To Get Worse'

Credit U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Perhaps not the sight you want to see when you come home: A black bear.

As Aspen Public Radio's Marci Krivonen has reported for All Things Considered, encounters between humans and bears are up sharply across the western U.S. The bears are having to cover more territory because of droughts that have dried up some of their natural foods, including berries.

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Author Interviews
12:15 pm
Tue September 4, 2012

Mickey Edwards On Democracy's 'Cancer'

Credit Gia Regan / Yale University Press
Mickey Edwards served as a Republican congressman for Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District from 1977 to 1993.

Originally published on Tue September 4, 2012 12:48 pm

In his 16 years in Congress, Republican Mickey Edwards came to a strong conclusion: Political parties are the "cancer at the heart of our democracy," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.

In his new book, The Parties Versus the People, the former Republican congressman from Oklahoma details how party leaders have too much control over who runs for office, what bills make it to the floor and how lawmakers vote.

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