NPR Story
1:30 am
Fri November 23, 2012

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Fri November 23, 2012 10:53 am

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Today's last word in business is busting the doorbusters.

Shoppers are heading out to stores today. Many went shopping overnight to seize those Black Friday bargains. But are the deals really unbeatable?

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

No. Not according to an analysis by pricing research firm Decide Incorporated and The Wall Street Journal. They found that many products with so-called doorbuster deals had deals that were available at even lower prices at other times of the year - even at the same retailer.

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Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond
12:18 am
Fri November 23, 2012

Cuomo, Christie And Building Consensus

Credit Carolyn Kaster / AP
President Obama, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (center) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie visit the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's World Trade Center site for a briefing on construction progress in June. The Republican Christie and Democrat Cuomo will have to find consensus on the plan for rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy, together and with a divided Congress.

Originally published on Fri November 23, 2012 10:53 am

The governors of New York and New Jersey are beginning to plan for the rebuilding of their states after Superstorm Sandy.

Before the storm, Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Chris Christie of New Jersey were known for their forcefulness — and big ambitions.

But their massive task comes at a time of political transition for both of them.

'It's Got To Be Done'

The ongoing storm response has kept the governors in the national spotlight for weeks now.

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Environment
12:18 am
Fri November 23, 2012

An Arbor Embolism? Why Trees Die In Drought

Originally published on Fri November 23, 2012 10:53 am

Scientists who study forests say they've discovered something disturbing about the way prolonged drought affects trees.

It has to do with the way trees drink. They don't do it the way we do — they suck water up from the ground all the way to their leaves, through a bundle of channels in a part of the trunk called the xylem. The bundles are like blood vessels.

When drought dries out the soil, a tree has to suck harder. And that can actually be dangerous, because sucking harder increases the risk of drawing air bubbles into the tree's plumbing.

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Author Interviews
12:00 am
Fri November 23, 2012

'Unorthodox' Book Of 'Jewish Jocks' Puts Stereotypes Aside

Originally published on Fri November 23, 2012 10:53 am

There have been a number of books about great Jewish athletes, starring legendary baseball players like Sandy Koufax or Hank Greenberg, the "Hebrew Hammer." But a new book doesn't focus only on Jewish players — it looks at the myriad ways Jews have contributed to the American athletic landscape. Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame is a collection of essays compiled and edited by Franklin Foer and Marc Tracy of The New Republic magazine.

Foer and Tracy join NPR's Linda Wertheimer to discuss the rise of Jews in big-league sports.

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StoryCorps' National Day Of Listening
11:58 pm
Thu November 22, 2012

A Father Remembers The Son He Lost To War

Originally published on Fri November 23, 2012 10:53 am

Army Spc. Matthew Bolar was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq five years ago. He was 24 years old.

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Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond
1:57 pm
Thu November 22, 2012

Sandy Victims Get Bird's-Eye View Of Homelessness

Credit Ailsa Chang / NPR
Maurice Geddie of Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood picks up a free turkey donated by a local grocery store. He's hoping his wife will be willing to cook it, though she's been stuck cooking for storm victims at shelters for weeks.

Originally published on Thu November 22, 2012 2:09 pm

It's been almost a month since Superstorm Sandy slammed into the Northeast, and for many people, it means the first Thanksgiving outside of their destroyed homes or without the friends or family they usually visit.

In New York City, Thanksgiving has been mass-produced in shelters, churches and community centers where thousands upon thousands of storm victims can find free meals.

Many of them are sharing their first post-storm Thanksgiving with people who are hungry year-round.

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The Two-Way
1:49 pm
Thu November 22, 2012

Israel Makes Arrests For Tel Aviv Bus Bombing

Credit Oded Balilty / AP
Israeli police officers examine a blown up bus at the site of a bombing in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

Originally published on Sun November 25, 2012 7:04 am

Israel has arrested several people, including an Arab Israeli, in connection with the Tel Avis bus bombing that wounded 27 people on Wednesday.

The arrests were made Wednesday, but details were only revealed Thursday because of a gag order, the Haaretz newspaper reported, citing security sources.

Here's more from the newspaper:

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The Two-Way
1:26 pm
Thu November 22, 2012

100-Vehicle Pileup In Southeast Texas Kills 2, Injures Dozens

At least two people are dead and dozens injured in a 100-vehicle pileup on Interstate 10 in southeast Texas that's being blamed on early morning fog on Thanksgiving Day.

KFDM TV reports that the dead included a man and a woman in a Chevy Suburban that was crushed by a tractor trailer. State troopers told the TV station that between 80 and 120 people were hurt; they were taken to hospitals in Beaumont, Port Arthur and Winnie. The crash occurred southwest of Beaumont, 80 miles east of Houston.

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From Our Listeners
12:48 pm
Thu November 22, 2012

Missing: Loved Ones On Thanksgiving

It's a tradition for many of us to gather with family and friends on Thanksgiving. The menu and the festivities are often the same: A look at the big parade in New York City on TV, maybe a game of touch football. But some friends may not be able to make it to dinner: the loved ones serving in the military overseas, a family member who's passed away since this time last year, or maybe someone who has to work today. Host Neal Conan takes calls from listeners who want to share stories about who's not at their Thanksgiving table this year.

Around the Nation
12:48 pm
Thu November 22, 2012

Listening To Service Members, Veterans

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan, in Washington. For the fifth year now, the oral history project StoryCorps has put special attention on the day after Thanksgiving, the day often called Black Friday, StoryCorps transforms into the National Day of Listening.

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