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'It's All Politics': NPR's Weekly News Roundup
12:54 pm
Fri October 26, 2012

It's All Politics, Oct. 25, 2012

Credit Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
  • Listen to the Roundup

Now comes the debate over the debates. No matter who "won" or "lost," it's clear that there has been momentum building toward Mitt Romney since he first debated President Obama early this month in Denver. Plus, a look at the competitive Senate races. And the comment by Indiana Republican Richard Mourdock about rape, pregnancy and God has put a GOP Senate seat in jeopardy.

Join NPR's Ron Elving and Ken Rudin for this week's political roundup.

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Music Interviews
12:53 pm
Fri October 26, 2012

'Moogfest' Celebrates The Synthesis Of New Sounds

Credit Courtesy of the Bob Moog Foundation
Bob Moog, namesake of the annual Moogfest music festival in Asheville, N.C.

Originally published on Thu November 8, 2012 6:53 pm

This interview was originally broadcast on Feb. 28, 2000.

Follow NPR's All Songs Considered (@allsongs) this weekend for reports and photos from the 2012 Moogfest. Check NPR Music next week for concert recordings from the festival and explore our 2011 archive here.

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Movie Reviews
11:43 am
Fri October 26, 2012

'Cloud Atlas': You're Better Off Reading The Book

First I need to talk about the book, because it's not as if Cloud Atlas the movie came from nowhere — and if you think it's only the movie you want to know about, I think you need a context for what's onscreen.

Author David Mitchell writes exquisite pastiches, and Cloud Atlas is in the form of six distinct and enthralling novellas set in six different eras with six different literary styles.

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Music Reviews
11:43 am
Fri October 26, 2012

George Cables: A Heartfelt Tribute To His 'Muse'

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Saxophonist Art Pepper called George Cables his favorite pianist.

In the 1970s and '80s, George Cables was the pianist of choice for saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper; Pepper called him his favorite pianist.

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Books
10:08 am
Fri October 26, 2012

The SciFri Book Club Falls For Mr. Feynman

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

Time for our monthly meeting of the SCIENCE FRIDAY Book Club. Here with me are SCIENCE FRIDAY's multimedia editor, Flora Lichtman, and our senior producer, Annette Heist. And this month we have the physics - physics on our to-do list, right? A classic book by Richard Feynman, Annette?

ANNETTE HEIST, BYLINE: That's right. It is called "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character."

FLATOW: How did we pick that one?

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Digital Life
10:05 am
Fri October 26, 2012

In Twitter We Trust: Can Social Media Sway Voters?

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. There it was in big, bold type on the Fox News website, how Twitter may have tipped the election for Romney. A column written by Juan Williams, who points out that Twitter reported there were, quote, a whopping 10.3 million tweets during the first debate, unquote.

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Science
10:03 am
Fri October 26, 2012

Medusa's Gaze And Vampire's Bite

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

Next up, the science of monsters. Like most myths, there are some real-world phenomena behind the stories. Take vampires, for example. Let me read you a passage from Bram Stoker's "Dracula," where Professor Van Helsing describes the monster.

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Mental Health
10:03 am
Fri October 26, 2012

Scared To Death... Literally

Earthquakes, terrorist attacks and muggings have all scared people to death. Sporting events, too, sometimes cause frenzied fans to drop dead. Neurologist Martin Samuels of Brigham and Women's Hospital explains how positive or negative excitement can lead to a heart-stopping surge of adrenaline.

Mental Health
10:03 am
Fri October 26, 2012

Plunging Into the Science of BASE Jumping

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

Up next, time for our Video Pick of the Week. Flora Lichtman, our multimedia editor is here.

Hi, Flora.

FLORA LICHTMAN, BYLINE: Hi, Ira.

FLATOW: You have a super-duper, super-duper this week.

LICHTMAN: Yes, and we have one of our listeners to thank. It is about - this week's video is about humans who fly.

FLATOW: Humans who - well, you get in the plane and you fly.

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The Salt
9:50 am
Fri October 26, 2012

Citing Food Safety Risks, Kroger Chain Calls It Quits On Sprouts

Credit Stephanie Phillips / iStockphoto.com
Red clover sprouts are pretty, but they and other sprouts have been linked to too much foodborne illness for major grocers to continue carrying them.

Originally published on Fri October 26, 2012 9:37 am

Sprouts have taken one step closer to culinary oblivion, with the big grocery chain Kroger saying that as of this week, it's banishing sprouts from its 2,425 stores because they pose too big a food safety risk.

The crunchy green microplants have long been touted as raw food chock full of nutrients. But that very freshness is also why they've caused more than 54 disease outbreaks since 1990, including a mega-outbreak of E. coli in Germany in 2011 that killed 53 people.

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