Shots - Health Blog
12:20 pm
Fri August 3, 2012

The Science Behind Olympic Six-Pack Abs

Credit Leon Neal / AFP/Getty Images
Swimmers Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte deploy their muscles to win medals for the United States at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Originally published on Thu August 9, 2012 4:27 pm

Every four years, we look forward to watching the jaw-dropping athleticism of the Summer Olympic Games. But — let's be frank — we also tune in to ogle the athletes' impressively toned physiques.

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The Torch
11:54 am
Fri August 3, 2012

Federer Wins Epic Semifinal, Taking More Than Four Hours To Do So

Credit Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Roger Federer of Switzerland returns a shot against Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina in their Olympic semifinal played at Wimbledon. Federer won the match, which took more than 4 hours to play.

Originally published on Fri August 3, 2012 12:25 pm

Swiss tennis star Roger Federer kept his Olympic dream alive Friday, when he won the longest tennis singles match in Olympic history. He defeated Juan Del Potro of Argentina, in a semifinal played on Wimbledon's Centre Court.

The final score of the three-set match, which lasted more than four hours and 20 minutes, was 3-6, 7-6, 19-17. Federer will next face the winner of Friday's semifinal between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in the final.

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Planet Money
11:37 am
Fri August 3, 2012

Actually, The U.S. Lost 1.2 Million Jobs Last Month

Originally published on Mon August 6, 2012 3:02 pm

Everyone (including us) is saying this morning that the U.S. economy gained 163,000 jobs last month. Strictly speaking, this is a lie.

In fact, the U.S. economy actually lost 1.2 million jobs last month. There were 134.1 million jobs in June, and 132.9 million jobs in July. (The numbers are in this PDF.)

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The Two-Way
11:11 am
Fri August 3, 2012

Stories Of The Colorado Victims: Thinking Of Alex Teves, 'You Smile'

Credit Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
In Aurora, Colo., last week, among the memorials to victims of the shooting was one for Alex Teves. It includes a photo of him with girlfriend Amanda Lindgren. Teves protected her with his body.

Originally published on Fri August 3, 2012 11:40 am

As they're being told, we're pointing to some of the stories about the 12 people who died and the 58 who were wounded when a gunman opened fire on July 20 at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. Click here to see more. As you see others, please share the links in the comment threads.

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The Salt
10:59 am
Fri August 3, 2012

Canning History: When Propaganda Encouraged Patriotic Preserves

Originally published on Mon October 15, 2012 11:11 am

Recently, home canning has seen a rush in popularity, and even upscale retailers like Williams-Sonoma want a share of the idea that a pint of home-canned jam is a fun gift idea. But during both world wars, canning saw another surge, this time prompted by colorful propaganda sponsored by the United States government.

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The Torch
10:54 am
Fri August 3, 2012

Olympics Energize Britain's Patriots, Even (Perhaps) In Scotland

Credit Quinn Rooney / Getty Images
Great Britain, By Jingo!: Fans cheer Team GB at a rowing event in Windsor, England.

Any claim the British have to their fabled "stiff upper lip" is being destroyed by these Olympic Games. The Brits' lips are wobbling like jellies; their tears are flowing faster than the summer rain; their crowds are cheering themselves hoarse.

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David Aquila ("Quil") Lawrence is an award-winning correspondent for NPR News, covering the millions of Americans who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as they transition to life back at home.

Previously, Lawrence served as NPR's Bureau Chief in Kabul. He joined NPR in 2009 as Baghdad Bureau Chief – capping off ten years of reporting in Iraq and all the bordering countries. That experience made the foundation for his first book Invisible Nation: How the Kurds' Quest for Statehood is Shaping Iraq and the Middle East, published in 2008.

Before coming to NPR, Lawrence was based in Jerusalem, as Middle East correspondent for The World, a BBC/PRI co-production. For the BBC he covered the fall of the Taliban in December 2001 and returned to Afghanistan periodically to report on development, the drug trade and insurgency.

Lawrence began his career as a freelancer for NPR and various newspapers while based in Bogota, Colombia, covering Latin America. Other reporting trips took him to Sudan, Morocco, Cuba, Pakistan and Iran.

A native of Maine, Lawrence studied history at Brandeis University, with concentrations in the Middle East and Latin America. He is fluent in Spanish and conversant in Arabic.

The Two-Way
10:27 am
Fri August 3, 2012

First Batch Of Family's Rare Baseball Cards Fetches $566,000

Credit Heritage Auctions
Two of the most valuable cards in the collection: Ty Cobb (left) and Honus "Hans" Wagner.

That lucky Ohio family that found some very rare and very valuable baseball cards in granddad's attic has sold part of the treasure for more than $566,000.

We posted about the discovery back in July. Today, The Toledo Blade updated with news of the first sale.

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Around the Nation
10:20 am
Fri August 3, 2012

A New Generation Of Vets Faces Challenges At Home

Originally published on Fri August 3, 2012 6:06 pm

Homeless veterans of the Vietnam War have been a face of American poverty for decades, and now some veterans of a younger generation are dealing with the same difficult issues.

"I had my apartment up until 2011," says Joshua, a 28-year-old Navy vet, who asked not to give his last name because of the stigma of being homeless. "[I] couldn't keep up with the rent; I did a little couch surfing and then ended up on the street for a while."

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The Torch
9:30 am
Fri August 3, 2012

Let's Catch Up: IOC Targets Rogue WiFi; A Rower In A Row; And A Rifle Record

Credit Marwan Naamani / AFP/Getty Images
Gold medalist Sergei Martynov of Belarus competes in the 50m rifle prone final, in which he set a new world record, at the Royal Artillery Barracks in London.

Originally published on Fri August 3, 2012 9:39 am

It's Day 7 of competition at the London Olympics, and America has found a new contestant in its continual quest for a sweetheart: Gabby Douglas, the only gymnast who already has two gold medals before individual rounds begin. And still, it seems, some folks prefer to talk about Douglas' hair.

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