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5:16pm

Mon June 4, 2012
Author Interviews

The 'Truth' About Why We Lie, Cheat And Steal

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 8:49 pm

Chances are, you're a liar. Maybe not a big liar — but a liar nonetheless. That's the finding of Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. He's run experiments with some 30,000 people and found that very few people lie a lot, but almost everyone lies a little.

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5:08pm

Mon June 4, 2012
Middle East

Israel Presents Itself As Haven For Gay Community

Originally published on Sun June 10, 2012 8:56 am

The sun is setting, gay pride flags wave next to the water, same-sex couples kiss and cuddle on the beach. This is Tel Aviv — which the government of Israel is now pushing as one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world — and gay tourism is booming.

"It's a place you have to go, good parties, nice people, beautiful people and just different from all the other tourist destinations you can go to," says Jorg Grosskopf, a German tourist who, together with his partner, Peter, is on his seventh vacation in Israel.

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4:53pm

Mon June 4, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

Mental Illness Is Up Close In One Actor's Family

Oscar-nominated actor Glenn Close is known for her roles in movies like Fatal Attraction and Air Force One and now the hit TV show Damages. But she's also playing a more prominent role raising awareness about mental illness.

She was inspired by her sister Jessie Close, who lives with bipolar disorder, as well as her nephew Calen Pick, who has schizo-affective disorder.

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4:38pm

Mon June 4, 2012
The Two-Way

Syrian Rebels Say They No Longer Respect U.N.-Backed Truce

Syrian rebels said they are no longer holding their fire. Reuters reports that the rebels are walking away from the United-Nations-backed truce with the regime of Bashar Assad.

"We have decided to end our commitment to this (ceasefire)," Free Syrian Army spokesman Major Sami al-Kurdi told Reuters. "We have resumed our attacks but we are doing defensive attacks which means we are only attacking checkpoints in the cities."

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3:54pm

Mon June 4, 2012
American Dreams: Then And Now

After The Housing Bust, Revisiting Homeownership

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 7:44 pm

For generations, owning a home has been a key part of the lifestyle most Americans aspire to. But when the mortgage crisis exploded in 2007, it brought down the U.S. housing market — and the entire economy along with it.

The ensuing recession was an assault on the American dream of homeownership itself. The tidal wave of foreclosures, the crash in home prices and tighter lending standards have left some Americans unable or simply too nervous to buy a house.

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3:51pm

Mon June 4, 2012
It's All Politics

California's Top-Two Primary System Faces First Statewide Test

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 5:45 pm

Credit Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Abel Maldonado, a former California state senator and current congressional candidate, pushed for the change to the top-two primary system. He says he thinks the system will lead to "more open-minded and more reasonable" officials.

When voters go to the polls in California's primary on Tuesday, instead of only being able to vote for candidates in their own party, they will be able to vote for anyone they please.

Tuesday will be the first statewide test of California's new open primary system, where the top two candidates move on to the general election, regardless of party. Backers hope this system will favor moderates.

In California, there aren't very many purple areas. The state has strongly Democratic regions and strongly Republican regions — and the Democrats dominate.

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3:51pm

Mon June 4, 2012
Music Reviews

'Personal Space': Relics From Synth Soul's Early Days

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 7:44 pm

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Electronic soul artist Jeff Phelps with his synthesizers.

Early synthesizers were supposed to imitate or re-create other existing sounds, but as anyone can tell you, they mostly sounded like synthesizers. That distinctive whine and wheeze captivated all manner of pop artists, from prog-rockers to classical composers to soul musicians. However, back then, synthesizers were so expensive and bulky, you needed a major-label budget and an entire studio wall to install them.

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3:48pm

Mon June 4, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

Potty Talk For The Greater Good

Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A makeshift latrine hangs over the water at the edge of Cite de Dieu, a slum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

How do you get people interested in the difference something as simple as a toilet can make for health?

If you're the head of the World Toilet Organization (yes, there is one), or the author of a page-turner about sanitation, or you're part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, you talk toilets up. A lot.

And, it turns out, if you're in Seattle, which considers itself the home for new ideas on global health, talking about poop and toilets will pack an 842-seat theater on a Friday night.

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3:33pm

Mon June 4, 2012
It's All Politics

Supreme Court Backs Secret Service Agents In Dick Cheney Case

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 6:36 pm

Credit Jason Hunt / AP
Vice President Dick Cheney speaks at a 2006 Republican rally in Idaho.

In a case involving then-Vice President Dick Cheney's Secret Service detail, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that agents accused of a politically motivated arrest are immune from suit. But the court's unanimous ruling did little more than resolve this particular case.

The decision stems from an incident in 2006 in the Colorado resort town of Beaver Creek, where Cheney was shaking hands at a shopping mall. Steven Howards got in line and when his turn came, he told the vice president that the Bush administration's Iraq policies were "disgusting."

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3:22pm

Mon June 4, 2012
All Tech Considered

Do These Pants Make Me Look ... ? Body Scans For A Better Fit

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 7:44 pm

3:13pm

Mon June 4, 2012
The Two-Way

This Past May Is The First Since 2005 Without A Tornado Fatality

This tweet from Justin Kenney, of the Pew Environment Group, caught our attention:

"This was the first May without a #tornado fatality in US since 2005"

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2:43pm

Mon June 4, 2012
The Two-Way

Report: Facebook Weighing Access For The Under 13 Crowd

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 3:14 pm

Perhaps in a effort to widen its reach, Facebook is exploring ways in which to officially open up its services to kids younger than 13.

That's what The Wall Street Journal reported today adding that Facebook is already used by millions of kids who lie about their age.

The Journal reports:

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1:58pm

Mon June 4, 2012
The Two-Way

'Cricket Comes First,' India's Tendulkar Says After Joining Parliament

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 2:19 pm

Since we've followed cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar's heroics on the pitch, we should note that he's now a member of India's upper house of parliament.

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1:31pm

Mon June 4, 2012
The Two-Way

A New Record: Cyclist Finishes 'Around The World' Ride In 92 Days

Credit Johnny Green / Barcroft Media /Landov
Mike Hall, 30, who hails from North Yorkshire, is one of nine cyclists competing in an epic unassisted race around the globe, beginning the challenge on February 18 from the Greenwich Meridian at the Royal Observatory in south-east London.

As part of the World Cycle Racing, Mike Hall, 31, rode into the Greenwich royal observatory today 92 days after he left. The Guardian explains that to come full circle, he travelled 24,900 miles and biked 18,000 of them through "20 countries and four continents to raise money for the Newborn Vietnam charity."

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12:39pm

Mon June 4, 2012
The Two-Way

Prince Philip Hospitalized As Precaution, Diamond Jubilee Festivities Continue

Credit Adrian Dennis / AFP/Getty Images
On Saturday, Prince Philip was at the second day of the Epsom Derby horse racing festival.

Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, has been taken to a London hospital to be treated for a bladder infection, the BBC and other news outlets are reporting.

The Duke of Edinburgh, 90, has been admitted as a "precautionary measure" and will likely be in the hospital for a few days, a "palace spokesman" tells the BBC.

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12:11pm

Mon June 4, 2012
The Two-Way

Flights Diverted As Libyan Militia Surrounds Tripoli Airport

Using tanks and armored vehicles a militia has surrounded the Tripoli international airport in Libya. Commercial flights have been cancelled and some of them were diverted to the city's military airport.

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11:59am

Mon June 4, 2012
National Security

'Obama's Secret Wars' Against America's Threats

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 12:51 pm

Last week, The New York Times reported that Stuxnet, the computer worm that infected computers around the world in 2010, was developed by the United States in conjunction with Israel to destroy Iran's nuclear centrifuges.

"It appears to be the first time the United States has repeatedly used cyberweapons to cripple another country's infrastructure, achieving, with computer code, what until then could be accomplished only by bombing a country or sending in agents to plant explosives," wrote David Sanger, the paper's chief Washington correspondent.

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11:54am

Mon June 4, 2012
Election 2012

Gay GOP Candidate Reveals Closeted History

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 12:56 pm

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin.

Coming up, George Zimmerman is back behind bars. We'll find out why. NPR's Greg Allen is with us for the latest in the case against the man who killed Trayvon Martin.

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11:54am

Mon June 4, 2012
Law

New Questions About Zimmerman's Credibility

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 12:56 pm

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. Coming up, Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close recently spoke with us about her decision to get involved in advocacy for people struggling with mental illness. Today, we hear from the people who inspired her, her sister Jessie and Jessie's son Calen. They talk candidly with us about how mental illness has shaped their lives. We'll have that conversation in just a few minutes.

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11:54am

Mon June 4, 2012
Television

'Bachelor' Lawsuit Charges Racism

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 12:56 pm

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The latest edition of ABC's reality television show, "The Bachelorette," is underway. And this season, former winner Emily Maynard, who did not end up living happily ever after with Brad the bachelor, is back to try to find a husband again. And we don't know who she'll choose, but what we do know is he won't be black.

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