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Simon Says
5:43 am
Sat September 29, 2012

Searching For Jimmy Hoffa

Credit CT / AP
James Hoffa was last seen in the parking lot of a Detroit restaurant in 1975

Originally published on Wed October 3, 2012 2:28 pm

Police outside Detroit dug up a spot under a driveway yesterday and took some soil samples. No official findings have been announced.

An unidentified man recently told police he saw a guy bury something there in the summer of 1975 shortly after Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, and after he was supposed to have lunch with Tony Provenzano, a Teamster officer, and Tony Jack Giacalone, a Detroit mobster, at the Machus Red Fox restaurant.

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NPR Story
5:43 am
Sat September 29, 2012

U.S. Increases Aid To Syria As Violence Rages On

Originally published on Sat September 29, 2012 1:17 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States will give another $45 million in aid to Syria. That aid will mostly go toward humanitarian assistance, but it will also include communications equipment for the opposition in Syria. The news came at the end of a week of speeches at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where many raised alarms about the bloodshed in Syria. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

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NPR Story
5:43 am
Sat September 29, 2012

'Instant' Recounts The Magic Of Polaroids

Originally published on Sat September 29, 2012 1:17 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

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NPR Story
5:43 am
Sat September 29, 2012

Online And In The Open: Transparent Novel Writing

Originally published on Sat September 29, 2012 1:17 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Writing's often depicted as a private act - scribbling, crossing out, then crumpling two sheets into a fireplace; trial, error and angst - all of which is best kept private. Silvia Hartmann is now writing on a kind of electronic stage - in an open document, a Google doc - so that readers can see her story appear line by line, edit by edit. Silvia Hartmann joins us from the south coast of England. Thanks so much for being with us.

SILVIA HARTMANN: Hi.

SIMON: So what are you trying to do here, write a novel?

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Favorite Sessions
5:18 am
Sat September 29, 2012

Sallie Ford: New Songs From An Old Soul

Credit opbmusic.org
Sallie Ford performs for opbmusic.org.

Originally published on Wed October 17, 2012 9:59 am

We first saw Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside a few years back, opening for The Avett Brothers at Portland's Crystal Ballroom. What caught our attention then — the group's fresh approach to old country and rockabilly styles, as well as its disarming stage presence — has only gotten stronger through touring and the release of the band's first record, Dirty Radio, in 2011.

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Health
4:38 am
Sat September 29, 2012

Why Tylenol Bottles Are Hard To Open

Originally published on Sat September 29, 2012 1:17 pm

Opening a new package of Tylenol can take some effort. There's the cardboard packaging, plus the push-and-twist top and the safety seal.

It used to be a matter of just popping off a cap. Thirty years ago, seven people died in Chicago suburbs after taking poisoned Tylenol. Pharmacies pulled Tylenol off the shelf in a panic, and the nation was in shock.

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The Salt
4:37 am
Sat September 29, 2012

Bouillabaisse: From Humble Beginnings To High-Class Tourist Meal

Credit Eleanor Beardsley / NPR
The ingredients for a vrai bouillaibaisse at Le Miramar in Marseille, France.

Originally published on Sat September 29, 2012 1:17 pm

The southern French city of Marseille on the Mediterranean Sea has long been famous for its spicy fish soup, known as bouillabaisse. The soup started as a poor man's meal, made with leftover fish scraps, but these days, it's evolved to the point that it can run connoisseurs about $75 for a generously sized meal.

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Music Interviews
4:23 am
Sat September 29, 2012

Frankie Valli On Hair Products And Finding His Falsetto

Credit Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
The Four Seasons pose for a portrait circa 1963 in New York City. They are, clockwise from the top, Nick Massi, Tommy DeVito, Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio.

Originally published on Mon October 1, 2012 6:31 am

Deceptive Cadence
4:14 am
Sat September 29, 2012

Leonard Bernstein's 'Kaddish' Symphony: A Crisis Of Faith

Originally published on Tue October 16, 2012 1:46 pm

I can't think of anything I loved more than talking to Leonard Bernstein. Or, more accurately, listening to him talk — about music or any topic under the sun. I remember a long discourse we had about one of my favorite books, Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, and Bernstein's summarizing statement: "Well, of course, every author spends his whole life writing the same book."

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Author Interviews
4:11 am
Sat September 29, 2012

'Listening In' To JFK's Secret White House Recordings

Originally published on Mon October 1, 2012 5:41 pm

In the spring of 1963, as the U.S. was mired in conflicts with Vietnam and Cuba and the Soviet Union, President John F. Kennedy called his old friend David Hackett to express his frustration at the U.S. men's ice hockey team — and their miserable record overseas.

JFK: Dave, I noticed that in the paper this morning that the Swedish team beat the American hockey team 17-2.
Hackett: Yeah, I saw that.
JFK: Christ! Who are we sending over there? Girls?

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