The Two-Way
6:07 pm
Thu July 12, 2012

Opposition Forces Say At Least 100 Killed By Assad Regime In Syria

Al Arabiya is calling it another "massacre." Quoting the opposition, they report that "scores of dead bodies were scattered in houses and in farms in al-Tremsa, while more than 150 dead bodies have been piled up in the al-Tremsa mosque."

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Middle East
5:44 pm
Thu July 12, 2012

Report: Violence Against West Bank Palestinians Is Up

Credit Jaafar Ashtiyeh / AFP/Getty Images
Jewish settlers in the West Bank throw stones during clashes with Palestinians near the city of Nablus on May 19. A new report says violence by settlers directed at West Bank Palestinians is up sharply over the past three years.

Originally published on Sat July 14, 2012 8:47 am

Farming is the mainstay of the Palestinian communities around the West Bank village of Yanoun. Animals graze the land, and Palestinians make their living by harvesting citrus fruits and olives.

Last Saturday, Palestinians say, a group of Jewish settlers killed some of the sheep belonging to the Bani Jabr family. Palestinians say its part of a regular pattern of harassment in the area by settlers.

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Credit Gary Knight/VII / Gary Knight/VII

Shankar Vedantam is a science correspondent for NPR. The focus of his reporting is on human behavior and the social sciences, and how research in those fields can get listeners to think about the news in unusual and interesting ways.

Before joining NPR in 2011, Vedantam spent 10 years as a reporter at The Washington Post. From 2007 to 2009, he was also a columnist, and wrote the Department of Human Behavior column for the Post. Vedantam writes an occasional column for Slate called "Hidden Brain."

Throughout his career, Vedantam has been recognized with many journalism honors including awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors, the South Asian Journalists Association, the Asian American Journalists Association, the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, and the American Public Health Association.

In 2009-2010, Vedantam served as a fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. He participated in the 2005 Templeton-Cambridge Fellowship on Science and Religion, the 2003-2004 World Health Organization Journalism Fellowship, and the 2002-2003 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowship.

Vedantam is the author of the non-fiction book, The Hidden Brain: How our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars and Save Our Lives. The book, published in 2010, described how unconscious biases influence people.

Outside of journalism, Vedantam has written fiction and plays. His short story-collection, The Ghosts of Kashmir, was published in 2005. The previous year, the Brick Playhouse in Philadelphia produced his full-length, comedy play, Tom, Dick and Harriet.

Vedantam has served as a lecturer at many academic institutions including Harvard University and Columbia University. In 2010, he completed a two year-term as a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. Since 2006, he has served on the advisory board of the Templeton-Cambridge Fellowships in Science & Religion.

Humans
5:24 pm
Thu July 12, 2012

'Stereotype Threat': Why Women Quit Science Jobs

Credit Ayodhya Ouditt / NPR

Originally published on Thu July 12, 2012 8:29 pm

Walk into any tech company or university math department, and you'll likely see a gender disparity: Fewer women than men seem to go into fields involving science, engineering, technology and mathematics.

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Movie Reviews
5:03 pm
Thu July 12, 2012

Whatever The Country, No Such Thing As 'Easy Money'

Credit Weinstein Company
Mrado (Dragomir Mrsic) is the enforcer for a Serbian drug cartel that controls business in Sweden, and one of three characters who clash in Easy Money.

Originally published on Wed July 18, 2012 9:57 am

Easy Money is a fine title for a film, but to truly savor the tang of this top-drawer Scandinavian thriller, try rolling its original Swedish title off your tongue. Say hello to Snabba Cash.

Director Daniel Espinosa starts his splendid crime story all in a rush, throwing us right into the middle of a trio of chaotic situations.

Introduced first is Jorge, a Chilean living in Sweden — in fact in a Swedish prison. Making his escape, Jorge promptly goes into hiding, as much from other local bad guys as from the police.

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Shots - Health Blog
4:48 pm
Thu July 12, 2012

WHO Says Virus Caused Illnesses In Cambodia

Credit Khem Sovannara / AFP/Getty Images
Cambodian children and their parents sitting at Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital in Phnom Penh on July 5.

Originally published on Thu July 12, 2012 5:01 pm

Where do things stand with the outbreak of illnesses in Cambodia that landed scores of children in the hospital and was implicated in the deaths of more than 50? Here's a roundup of the latest info.

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Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Mom And Dad's Record Collection
4:46 pm
Thu July 12, 2012

Glen Hansard: Musical Comfort In A Troubled Home

Credit Conor Masterson
Glen Hansard's latest album is Rhythm and Repose.

Originally published on Thu July 12, 2012 6:10 pm

All summer long, All Things Considered has been talking to politicians, musicians and others about one song they remember their parents listening to, and how it influenced them.

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The Two-Way
4:45 pm
Thu July 12, 2012

Sen. Reid On 'Made In China' U.S. Olympic Uniforms: 'Burn Them'

Credit AP
This product image released by Ralph Lauren shows U.S. Olympic athletes, from left, swimmer Ryan Lochte, decathlete Bryan Clay, rower Giuseppe Lanzone and soccer player Heather Mitts modeling the the official Team USA Opening Ceremony Parade Uniform.

Originally published on Thu July 12, 2012 6:21 pm

Yesterday, ABC News made a curious discovery about the U.S. Olympic uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren: The pride of America, as they put it, will be wearing red, white and blue attire made in China.

"Every item in the uniforms that the U.S. athletes will be wearing at the opening ceremony in London will carry an overseas label," ABC reported.

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Business
4:35 pm
Thu July 12, 2012

Lobster Glut, Low Prices Leave Boats High And Dry

Credit Robert F Bukaty / AP
A lobster on a boat off Mount Desert, Maine, is measured to see if it is a legal size. There has been a glut of lobster this season, driving down prices.

Originally published on Thu July 12, 2012 6:10 pm

This summer is shaping up to be a record season for lobster landings in Maine. That sounds like good news for a state where lobstering makes up a large part of the economy.

It may be welcome news for consumers and food retailers, but for the state's 5,000 lobstermen, it's a different story.

Hard To Make A Living

On Portland's waterfront, about five lobster boats are tied up at one of the piers. Half a dozen lobstermen stand around discussing the current problem of oversupply.

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Poverty In America: The Struggle To Get Ahead
4:26 pm
Thu July 12, 2012

Turning Trash Into Cash To Help Nation's Poor

Originally published on Thu July 12, 2012 6:10 pm

The bad economy has hurt many nonprofits around the country, even as demands for their services have grown. That's certainly the case in Reading, Pa., which has been labeled the poorest city in America, with a poverty rate of more than 41 percent.

Now, one local nonprofit, Opportunity House, hopes to salvage some of its services by salvaging junk.

Looking For Help

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