3:06am

Mon May 20, 2013
Arts & Life

Nostalgia For Sale As Captain Kangaroo's Pals Are Auctioned Off

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 10:38 am

The classic children's show Captain Kangaroo aired on TV for nearly 30 years, starting in 1955. After its creator and star, Bob Keeshan, died in 2004, his estate donated a few of his beloved hand puppets to the Smithsonian.

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3:05am

Mon May 20, 2013
Parallels

Children Of China's Wealthy Learn Expensive Lessons

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 7:07 am

In China, having too much money is a relatively new problem. But the rapidly growing country is second only to the U.S. in its number of billionaires, according to Forbes magazine. And now an enterprising company has set up a course for kids born into wealthy families, who are learning how to deal with the excesses of extraordinary wealth.

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3:04am

Mon May 20, 2013
Shots - Health News

If Your Shrink Is A Bot, How Do You Respond?

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 5:19 pm

3:03am

Mon May 20, 2013
Health

Bans Of Same-Sex Marriage Can Take A Psychological Toll

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 9:25 am

Credit Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images

As the country awaits two important Supreme Court decisions involving state laws on same-sex marriage, a small but consistent body of research suggests that laws that ban gay marriage — or approve it — can affect the mental health of gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans.

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3:01am

Mon May 20, 2013
Around the Nation

Seeing The (Northern) Light: A Temporary Arctic Retirement

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 11:03 am

By all the laws of anything, Winston Chen should not have quit his well-paying, midcareer job at a software company at age 40. But one day he was watching a TED Talk, one of those popular online video presentations, delivered by a New York designer.

"He presented this absolutely irresistible idea," Chen says. "He said, 'Why don't we take five years out of retirement and spread them throughout your working life?' "

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6:35pm

Sun May 19, 2013
The Two-Way

Syrian Troops Target Key Rebel-Held Town

Originally published on Sun May 19, 2013 6:41 pm

Dozens of people are dead in heavy fighting around the Syrian rebel-held city of Qusair where troops loyal to President Bashar Assad are making a strong push.

News reports say as many as 50 people are dead.

NPR's Jonathan Blakley, who is in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, is reporting on the fighting for our Newscast Unit:

"Qusair is a strategically important town that lies between the city of Homs, where the Syrian uprising began two years ago, and the Lebanese border. The area has been under siege for weeks.

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6:18pm

Sun May 19, 2013
Author Interviews

Decades Later And Across An Ocean, A Novel Gets Its Due

Sometimes you need some distance to appreciate a classic.

That was certainly the case for John Williams' novel Stoner. When it was originally published in 1965, the only publication to mention the book at all was The New Yorker, in its "Briefly Noted" column. The novel received admiring reviews over the years, but sold just 2,000 copies and was almost immediately forgotten.

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5:25pm

Sun May 19, 2013
Parallels

Young Kenyans Build Mobile Apps For Local Use

Originally published on Sun May 19, 2013 9:59 pm

Credit Gregory Warner / NPR

You're out navigating the jammed sidewalks of Kenya's capital city when you suddenly realize you're in desperate need of a toilet. You crane your neck over the crowds, vainly seeking a McDonalds, a Starbucks — no such luck. What next?

There could be an app for that. Twendeloo, which is Swahili for "Let's Go to the Loo," would allow you to use your phone to locate the nearest public restroom in Nairobi's business district, then give it a rating for cleanliness.

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5:02pm

Sun May 19, 2013
The Two-Way

Two Excerpts You Should Read From Obama's Morehouse Speech

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 12:35 pm

Credit Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images

President Obama, on Sunday, delivered a rare, very personal commencement address at Morehouse College, the historically black, all-male insitution that is the alma mater of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It was a short speech, but Obama did not shy away from the subjects of race and responsibility. We've embedded video of the address above, but here are two excerpts you should read. They are taken from his prepared remarks:

On Personal Responsibility:

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4:58pm

Sun May 19, 2013
Music Interviews

Deke Sharon Makes A Cappella Cool Again

Originally published on Sun May 19, 2013 6:18 pm

Credit Courtesy of the artist

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