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Parallels
3:13 am
Sat May 18, 2013

Afghan Mineral Treasures Stay Buried, Hostages To Uncertainty

Originally published on Sat May 18, 2013 5:23 am

For years, reports have suggested that Afghanistan is sitting on massive deposits of copper, gold, iron and rare earth minerals valued up to $3 trillion. This provides hope for a future economy that would not have to rely so heavily on foreign donations.

But with an uncertain political, regulatory and security environment, international investors are hesitant. And it could be many years before Afghanistan begins extracting its mineral wealth.

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The Salt
10:53 am
Fri May 17, 2013

Flax Seed: The Next Superfood For Cows And Beef?

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 11:41 am

Flax is the oily seed usually spotted in the nutritional supplement or cereal aisles. It's marketed as a superfood because of its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber.

Omega-3s may do all kinds of good things for humans — like protect against Alzheimer's, heart disease and even cancer — so it seems reasonable to think they could also protect the health of animals.

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Business
9:31 am
Fri May 17, 2013

How Best To Encourage Black 'Teenpreneurs'

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 10:51 am

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. Michel Martin is away. I'm Celeste Headlee. Coming up, it's National Bike to Work Day, but many millennials prefer two wheels to four. Why more 20-somethings are driving less. That's just ahead.

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Around the Nation
9:31 am
Fri May 17, 2013

Millennials Choosing Buses And Bikes Over Buicks

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 10:51 am

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

From teens with drive, we turn now to young people who have no interest in driving. This is National Bike to Work Day, and a substantial number of millennials choose bikes or public transportation or their feet to get around instead of cars. That's according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, or PIRG, which concluded that the 20th century driving boom is over.

Paul Eisenstein has written about this trend. He's the editor of TheDetroitBureau.com, and he joins me now. Welcome.

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TED Radio Hour
7:59 am
Fri May 17, 2013

Giving It Away

Credit TED
"If you have something to give, give it now." – Mark Bezos

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 8:13 am

"It feels good to be able to change something. It feels good to give." -- Ron Finley

You can give away almost anything — your time, money, food, your ideas. Giving helps define who we are and helps us connect with others. And thanks to the Internet and a rise in social consciousness, there's been a seismic shift not only in what we're giving, but how. In this hour, stories from TED speakers who are "giving it away" in new and surprising ways, and the things that happen in return.

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TED Radio Hour
7:55 am
Fri May 17, 2013

Do We Have The Wrong Idea About Charity?

Part 3 of the TED Radio Hour episode Giving It Away.

About Dan Pallotta's TEDTalk

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The Two-Way
6:57 am
Fri May 17, 2013

Book News: Amazon May Be Called Before Parliament Over Taxes

Credit David McNew / Getty Images
Amazon's U.K. unit racked up sales of $6.5 billion last year, but only paid $3.7 million in corporate taxes.

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 7:39 am

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

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Business
3:25 am
Fri May 17, 2013

Obama Names OMB Controller As Acting IRS Commissioner

On Thursday, President Obama named Daniel Werfel, 42, acting IRS commissioner. The announcement comes a day after the resignation of Steven Miller, who got caught up in the controversy over the IRS targeting Tea Party groups.

Around the Nation
3:14 am
Fri May 17, 2013

First U.S. Company To Enter Export Market For Natural Gas

With supplies high and prices at historic lows, there's debate whether companies should be allowed to export the gas overseas for a higher price. Many energy companies have applied for government approval to ship liquefied natural gas worldwide. So far, only one company has gotten a license to do that in the past 30 years..

Business
3:14 am
Fri May 17, 2013

Business News

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 4:43 am

A 79 percent drop in earnings — That's what the computer maker reported to investors Thursday. The reason, analysts say, it's harder to sell PCs these days with the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets

Business
3:14 am
Fri May 17, 2013

Google Lays Out Its Future For Everyone

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 4:15 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep. This week in San Francisco, Google held its annual developers conference. The Internet search giant debuted updates for just about everything from Google+ to Maps, and gave talks on gadgets like Google Glass. And, as NPR's Steve Henn reports, Google laid out its vision for its future, as well as our future.

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Business
3:14 am
Fri May 17, 2013

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 1:46 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And let's go from small claims to false claims. Our last word in business is all about faking it and not making it to work.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SEINFELD")

JASON ALEXANDER: (as George) Shouldn't you be at work by now?

WAYNE KNIGHT: (as Newman) Work? It's raining.

ALEXANDER: (as George) So?

KNIGHT: (as Newman) So I called in sick. I don't work in the rain.

ALEXANDER: (as George) You don't work in the rain? You're a mailman. Neither rain nor sleet nor - it's the first one.

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The Salt
3:47 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

Congress: Where Food Reforms Go To Die?

Credit Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 4:17 pm

Two seemingly common-sense, bipartisan food reforms have gotten mugged on Capitol Hill in recent days. If you're a loyal reader of The Salt, you've heard of them.

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The Salt
3:17 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

No More Smuggling: Many Cured Italian Meats Coming To America

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 9:36 am

American gourmets and lovers of Italian food products, your days as food smugglers are over.

No more stuffing your suitcases with delicacies bought in Italy, hoping the sniffer dogs at JFK or other American airports won't detect the banned-in-the-USA foodstuffs inside your luggage.

In the U.S., they're called cured meats, the French say charcuterie and in Italy, the word for cured-pork products is salumi.

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Business
2:29 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

Disabled Workers' Victory Exposes Risks To Most Vulnerable

Credit John Schultz/Quad-City Times / ZUMAPRESS.com
For decades, Hill County Farms, also known as Henry's Turkey Service, housed a group of mentally disabled men in squalor in this former schoolhouse in Atalissa, Iowa. The EEOC won a judgment against the company for exploiting the men.

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 11:35 am

Four years ago, 21 men with intellectual disabilities were emancipated from a bright blue, century-old schoolhouse in Atalissa, Iowa. They ranged in age from their 40s to their 60s, and for most of their adult lives they had worked for next to nothing and lived in dangerously unsanitary conditions.

Earlier this month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission won a massive judgment against the turkey-processing company at which the men worked. The civil suit involved severe physical and emotional abuse of men with intellectual disabilities.

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