All Things Considered
The Unsuccessful Quest For A Universal Language
Within science circles, trying to come up with a new universal language was a trendy past-time in the 17th Century. Even the man who discovered gravity, Sir Isaac Newton, took a stab at it. Arika Okrent, editor-at-large at TheWeek.com, talks about its failure to catch on with Weekends on All Things Considered host Jacki Lyden.
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Three-Minute Fiction: 'Ten Ring Fingers' And 'Ghost Words'
NPR's Bob Mondello and Susan Stamberg read excerpts of two of the best submissions for Round 11 of our short story contest. They read Ten Ring Fingers by Tamara Breuer of Washington, D.C., and Ghost Words by Matheus Macedo of Winthrop, Mass.
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New 'Trek' Goes 'Into Darkness,' But Not Much Deeper
NPR's Bob Mondello says J.J. Abrams' latest Star Trek film knows how to make the sparks and feelings fly, but doesn't bother making the sparks and feeling matter very much.
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Alzheimer's Cases Rise, But Hope Remains
More than 5 million Americans currently have Alzheimer's disease, and the number is only going to increase — in part, due to aging baby boomers. But researchers say increased awareness and early detection is helping patients live with the disease.
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Three-Minute Fiction Reading: 'Plum Baby'
NPR's Susan Stamberg reads an excerpt of one of the best submissions for Round 11 of our short story contest. She reads Plum Baby by Carmiel Banasky of Portland, Ore.
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Internships: Low-Paid, Unpaid Or Just Plain Illegal?
Fed up with working for free, some interns are suing their employers. Last week, a judge ruled that interns could not sue the Hearst Corp. as a class action, which could be a legal setback for young workers tired of exploitative unpaid internships.
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Impossible Choice Faces America's First 'Climate Refugees'
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the tiny town of Newtok, Alaska, could be completely underwater by 2017. Its 350 residents must relocate or stay to face the floods, but a move is easier said than done.
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'Waiting To Be Heard' No More, Amanda Knox Speaks Out
Less than two months into her study abroad program in Italy, Amanda Knox was accused and eventually convicted of murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher. After her conviction was overturned, Knox returned home to Seattle — and now faces a potential retrial. Knox tells her story in a new memoir.
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Week In News: A Rough Week For The White House
With the White House embroiled in three concurrent scandals this week, Weekends on All Things Considered host Jacki Lyden speaks with James Fallows, national correspondent with The Atlantic, about the way forward for the president and for Congress, with recent history as their guide.
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Draco Rosa: A Pop Survivor Returns From The Brink, With Friends
In the 1980s, he was Robi Rosa, the lead singer of Menudo at the boy band's peak of popularity. Rosa went on to write hits for bandmate Ricky Martin and develop a solo career. When Rosa was diagnosed with cancer several years ago, some of the biggest names in Latin music assembled to support him.
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'Venus And Serena': An Extraordinary Story, Told On Film
The amazing tale of two sisters from a poor neighborhood — who play tennis unlike anyone before them and each reach No. 1 in the world — is one we're not likely to see again.
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Boston Bombings Prompt Fresh Look At Unsolved Murders
Authorities are revisiting a triple murder in the Boston suburb of Waltham. One of the victims may have been a friend of bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Tsarnaev would sometimes spar at the same mixed martial arts gym where the victim worked as an instructor.
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Michigan LGBT Youth Center Does Outreach With A Dance 'Hook'
The Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park, Mich., is making an effort to meet its clients where they are — on the dance floor, specifically with the dance form known as "vogue." From there, the center can connect them with counseling, health services, tutoring and clean clothes.
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Obama U: What Graduation Speeches Say About The President
President Obama's commencement speeches often seem more about the big-picture state of the union than do his State of the Union addresses, which read like to-do lists. And his assessment of where the country stands and where it's going has changed over the past four years.
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Quinto Turns Inward To Find Spock's Soul
Playing the famous half-Vulcan requires a little meditative depth and a lot of brow-shaving. Heroes villain Zachary Quinto plays Spock in the reboot of the Star Trek franchise, with the blessing of original Spock Leonard Nimoy. Quinto tells NPR about befriending Nimoy, shaping eyebrows and more.
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Bobby McFerrin: Spirituals As Sung Prayers
On Spirityouall, McFerrin performs classic black spirituals with roots in enslaved communities, as well as songs he composed himself. Throughout the album, he says, he hears the influence of his father, Robert McFerrin Sr., a renowned operatic baritone.
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After Deadly Chemical Plant Disasters, There's Little Action
Proposals for chemical plants to use "inherently safer" design practices have been blocked by industry executives and their allies in Congress, despite deadly accidents and the risk of a potential terrorist attack that could harm an entire community or city.
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Week In Politics: IRS, Benghazi Emails, AP Phone Logs
Audie Cornish speaks with political commentators E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution and David Brooks of The New York Times. They discuss controversial IRS audits, the release of White House emails on Benghazi talking points and the Justice Department's seizure of AP phone logs.
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Hi-Tech Catamarans Criticized After Sailor Dies
As America's Cup officials investigate the tragic drowning of Olympian Andrew Simpson last week in San Francisco, some in the sailing community are questioning the safety of the ultra-fast high tech catamarans featured in the upcoming race.
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Scientists Agree On Climate Change, Why Doesn't The Public?
A new study confirms that the vast majority of scientists who research the climate accept that the planet is warming and human beings are largely responsible. Yet a large slice of the American public believes that scientists are deeply split about global warming.
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