It's All Politics
1:33 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

Obama's Top Advisers Have Dissed His Debate Chops Before

Originally published on Thu October 4, 2012 2:03 pm

Despite President Obama's celebrated gift for oratory, the Obama supporters least surprised by his underwhelming performance against Mitt Romney may have been two of his top advisers.

Senior strategists David Plouffe and David Axelrod have long doubted Obama's debating skills. Their concerns date back to the 2008 presidential campaign, as Plouffe wrote in his book, The Audacity to Win. He put it plainly: "Historically, Obama was not a strong debater."

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The Two-Way
1:33 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

Go To Jail For A Retweet? Filipino Lawmaker Tries To Ease Concern

Credit Ted Aljibe / AFP/Getty Images
Does he need to watch what he likes? Facebook's logo is reflected in the glasses of a student in Manila.

This headline at Global Post is an eye-opener:

"Philippines: Click 'like,' go to prison. Cybercrime law threatens 12 years behind bars for 'liking' or re-Tweeting libel."

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Author Interviews
1:17 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

Colbert: 'Re-Becoming' The Nation We Always Were

Originally published on Tue October 9, 2012 7:56 am

Stephen Colbert has no idea how other news pundits find time to write books. But he felt certain that his character on his Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report, needed to have another one.

"My character is based on news punditry, the masters of opinion in cable news, and they all have books," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "We don't have time to write a book and feed and wash ourselves, so something has to go out the window. And [for me] it was family, friends and hygiene for the past year."

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Planet Money
12:16 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

The Accountant Who Changed The World

Originally published on Fri October 5, 2012 1:04 pm

The story of the birth of accounting begins with numbers. In the 1400s, much of Europe was still using Roman numerals, and finding it really hard to easily add or subtract. (Try adding MCVI to XCIV.)

But fortunately, Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) started catching on, and with those numbers, merchants in Venice developed a revolutionary system we now call "double-entry" bookkeeping. This is how it works:

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NPR Story
12:05 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

Chef Jose Garces Follows His 'Latin Road Home'

Originally published on Wed April 10, 2013 2:40 pm

Jose Garces is among the most talented and innovative chefs in America. He opened his first restaurant, Amada, in 2005, and since then his Garces Group has opened 14 other restaurants across the country.

In 2009, he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region, and he's also a Food Network Iron Chef, rubbing elbows with the likes of Bobby Flay, Cat Cora and Michael Symon.

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Education
11:28 am
Thu October 4, 2012

New CSU Chancellor Is Fresno State Alumnus

Credit UC Riverside
Timothy P. White, the new chancellor of the CSU system

The California State University Board of Trustees has named Timothy P. White  as the new chancellor of the 23 campus system. White is currently the chancellor of UC Riverside.

He succeeds Charles B. Reed, who retired earlier this year after leading the system for the past 14 years. White will be just the seventh chancellor in the system's history.

White graduated from Fresno State in 1970 with a degree in physical education. He went on to receive a master's degree from CSU Hayward and a doctorate from UC Berkeley. 

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Shots - Health Blog
11:28 am
Thu October 4, 2012

Scientists Create Fertile Eggs From Mouse Stem Cells

Credit Katsuhiko Hayashi
Each of these mouse pups was born from an egg scientists created using embryonic stem cells. It's possible the technology could change future treatment for human infertility.

Originally published on Thu October 4, 2012 5:45 pm

Scientists in Japan report they have created eggs from stem cells in a mammal for the first time. And the researchers went on to breed healthy offspring from the eggs they created.

While the experiments involved mice, the work is being met with excitement — and questions — about doing the same thing for humans someday.

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Children's Health
11:17 am
Thu October 4, 2012

How To Help Kids Handle Death And Grieving

Originally published on Thu October 4, 2012 1:47 pm

In the aftermath of death, many adults struggle with how to talk to kids while dealing with their own grief. Often, the instinct is to protect children from pain and loss. That can sometimes leave kids out of the family grieving process, which can leave them feeling lonely and misunderstood.

The Two-Way
11:16 am
Thu October 4, 2012

Friday's Jobs Report Is Campaign's Next Key Moment, Here's What To Expect

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
The welcome sign at a job fair earlier this year in Washington, D.C.

With the first presidential debate now behind us, what's the next big item on the campaign calendar?

It's Friday's 8:30 a.m. ET release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics about the September unemployment rate and how many jobs were added to payrolls last month.

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It's All Politics
11:14 am
Thu October 4, 2012

That's Why Incumbents Used To Say No

Credit Getty Images
Mitt Romney makes his point as President Obama listens during Wednesday's debate in Denver.

Originally published on Thu October 4, 2012 3:44 pm

In case anyone was wondering, this week's presidential debate demonstrated why incumbent presidents and others leading in the polls used to refuse to debate their challengers.

After John F. Kennedy used the first TV debates to boost his campaign against incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon in 1960, there simply were no debates until 1976. Running again with a big lead in 1968 and 1972, Nixon declined to debate and won both times. Lyndon B. Johnson also demurred in 1964 without damage en route to a landslide.

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