The Salt
2:18 pm
Mon September 24, 2012

Lawsuit Claims Pork Producers Council Scammed $60 Million From Farmers

Credit ugod / Flickr.com
"The Other White Meat" slogan has been a popular promotion for pork since the 1980s. But a recent lawsuit raises questions about who owns it and who pays.

You know that ad campaign for pork, the one that called it "the other white meat?" There's a fascinating behind-the-scenes story about that slogan, revealed in a new lawsuit that was just filed this morning by the Humane Society of the United States.

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'Another Thing': Test Your Clever Skills
2:16 pm
Mon September 24, 2012

'Another Thing': A Toothpaste Worthy Of A Caveman

Originally published on Mon October 15, 2012 10:56 am

Each week, All Things Considered and Lenore Skenazy, author of the book and blog Free-Range Kids, bring you "Another Thing," an on-air puzzle to test your clever skills. We take a trend in the news and challenge you to help us satirize it with a song title, a movie name or something else wacky.

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Election 2012
2:09 pm
Mon September 24, 2012

Early Voting Grows In Popularity Across Country

Originally published on Tue September 25, 2012 2:11 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

So six weeks to go before Election Day, but in-person early voting has already started in a handful of states. Many others will begin soon, and more and more of us are choosing to vote early. In Colorado, for example, where we just heard from Ari Shapiro, nearly 80 percent of votes were cast early in the 2008 presidential election.

Michael McDonald tracks these trends with the U.S. Elections Project at George Mason University and he joins me now. Welcome to the program.

MICHAEL MCDONALD: Oh, thank you for having me.

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Middle East
1:51 pm
Mon September 24, 2012

U.S. Naval Exercises Send Message In The Tense Gulf

Originally published on Thu October 4, 2012 8:44 am

The U.S. military, along with more than 30 allied countries, has just launched a new round of naval exercises in the Persian Gulf at a time when tensions in the region are running particularly high.

But U.S. officials say the aim is not to increase anxiety, but rather to ensure stability. More specifically, the exercises are designed to deal with mines that could hamper shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil supply transits.

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The Record
1:51 pm
Mon September 24, 2012

An American Punk-Rock Band On Tour In The Land Of The Arab Spring

Credit Courtesy of Biz3 Publicity
The Black Lips, not in Cairo.

Originally published on Tue September 25, 2012 2:11 pm

Last year, after the Atlanta rock band Black Lips released the album Arabia Mountain, its members planned a trip to tour the Middle East, but the wave of Arab Spring protests forced them to change plans. Yet even with simmering anti-Americanism persisting throughout the region, singer-guitarist Ian St. Pe was determined to see this through. Cairo, where I spoke with them on Friday, was the band's second stop.

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Asia
1:41 pm
Mon September 24, 2012

In Singapore, The Voices Of Dissent Grow Louder

Originally published on Tue September 25, 2012 2:11 pm

After decades of enforced silence, Singaporeans who spent years in jail without charges or trial are shattering a political taboo by speaking out about their detention — and the colonial-era security laws that made it possible.

The affluent trading hub — known for its solid rule of law — still allows the government to detain citizens indefinitely.

But people who say that the laws were used to abuse them and silence their dissenting voices are now talking — which many see as a foreshadowing of bigger political changes for Southeast Asia's wealthiest nation.

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The Message Machine
1:35 pm
Mon September 24, 2012

Colorado Springs Soaks In Triple The Political Ads

Originally published on Tue September 25, 2012 2:11 pm

Second of a two-part series

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All Tech Considered
1:24 pm
Mon September 24, 2012

Tesla's Big Gamble: Can The Electric Car Go Mainstream?

Credit Paul Sakuma / AP
Tesla workers cheer on one of the first Tesla Model S cars sold, during a rally at the Tesla factory in Fremont, Calif., in June. The company is now unveiling a new network of refueling stations for the vehicles.

Originally published on Tue October 16, 2012 1:33 pm

Starting a new car company from scratch isn't tried often in the United States. The last time one was truly successful was about 100 years ago. And Tesla Motors, a startup from Silicon Valley, faces some unusual hurdles.

Still, despite the challenges Tesla faces, the electric car company and its CEO, Elon Musk, have gotten further than most automotive entrepreneurs.

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It's All Politics
1:18 pm
Mon September 24, 2012

Todd Akin Bets He Still Has A Chance

Originally published on Mon September 24, 2012 1:22 pm

Say what you want about Rep. Todd Akin, he's no quitter.

Tuesday is the last day Akin can remove his name from the Missouri ballot as the Republican nominee for Senate. As the deadline approached, he made it clear he has no intention of dropping out.

"For about the hundredth time or so, I am in this race," Akin said at a news conference Monday at the Amtrak station in Kirkwood, a suburb of St. Louis. "The people of Missouri chose me to do a job."

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Shots - Health Blog
12:49 pm
Mon September 24, 2012

Experimental Drug Is First To Help Kids With Premature-Aging Disease

Credit Courtesy of the Progeria Research Foundation
Sam Berns, 15, who has the very rare premature-aging disease progeria, plays the drums in his high school's marching band.

Originally published on Tue September 25, 2012 2:11 pm

Researchers have found the first drug to treat progeria, an extremely rare genetic disease that causes children to age so rapidly that many die in their teens.

The drug, called lonafarnib, is not a cure. But in a study published Monday of 28 children, it reversed changes in blood vessels that usually lead to heart attacks and strokes.

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