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Participation Nation
10:33 am
Wed August 29, 2012

Reading For Life In South Bend, Ind.

Credit Courtesy of RFL
A stack of Reading For Life favorites.

Originally published on Thu August 30, 2012 5:08 pm

Seven years ago, Alesha Seroczynski became a central character in an incredible story about second chances for juvenile offenders in South Bend. With the University of Notre Dame, she developed Reading for Life, a program that combines reading literature, studying seven classic virtues — Justice, Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, Fidelity, Hope, Charity — and being mentored to help students make better life choices.

Alesha and more than 30 volunteer mentors have graduated 150 juveniles from the program — 97 percent have not re-offended.

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Monkey See
10:18 am
Wed August 29, 2012

The Eternal Leonard Maltin: The Movie Guide That Gives And Gives

Credit Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for AFI
Seen here in 2010, film critic Leonard Maltin has been dishing out his reviews in capsule form since 1969.

Originally published on Wed August 29, 2012 4:00 pm

When I was a kid, I awaited the annual publication of Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide with the awe and dread of a Parent/Teacher interview. Sure, film criticism is a subjective thing, but to my young eyes, the 16,000+ capsule reviews in Maltin's yearly reference book carried the weight of absolute truth. Each year, with the austerity of a poet and the precision of a diamond-cutter, Maltin and his army of cowriters pass swift, one-to-ten-paragraph judgment on hundreds of new films, and a small part of me will always believe the Guide is blessed with objectivity.

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All Songs Considered Blog
10:10 am
Wed August 29, 2012

Vote For The Albums Everyone Can Love, For Aug. 29

Credit iStock

Originally published on Wed October 17, 2012 9:59 am

Bob Boilen and I were out in Portland and Seattle last week on our summer listening party tour, so we didn't post a new poll of albums everyone can love. Fear not: To make up for the week off, this week we've got 40 albums for you. In the coming weeks we'll let you know which records have been doing the best and have some sort of runoff between the highest vote-getters to come up with a top ten we all can agree on (well, most of us, anyway).

Here's this week's double-size poll. Just tell us whether you love, don't love or haven't really heard each album.

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NPR Story
10:04 am
Wed August 29, 2012

Fairfield, Iowa: Where 'Art Belongs To Everyone'

Originally published on Fri August 31, 2012 9:50 am

This summer, NPR's Destination Art series went off the beaten path to visit small to mid-sized North American cities that have cultivated lively arts scenes. We asked you, our NPR audience, to tell us about your favorite art towns. Several visitors and residents wrote in to recommend Fairfield, Iowa.

What's it like in Fairfield?

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Mountain Stage
9:46 am
Wed August 29, 2012

Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit On Mountain Stage

Credit Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit on Mountain Stage.

The North Alabama rock band Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit makes its second appearance on Mountain Stage here. As a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, Isbell was responsible for some of the band's most memorable work, including "Never Gonna Change" and "Outfit." Out on his own since 2007, Isbell has released three studio albums with his band The 400 Unit, the most recent being Here We Rest.

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The Two-Way
9:24 am
Wed August 29, 2012

Former Navy SEAL's Account Of Bin Laden Raid Differs From Govt. Version

Credit AFP/Getty Images
This image courtesy of publisher Dutton, a member of Penguin Group USA, show the cover of the upcoming book "No Easy Day."

Originally published on Wed August 29, 2012 10:45 am

The Associated Press and The Huffington Post have gotten their hands on early copies of No Easy Day. As Mark wrote earlier this month, the book is a firsthand account of the secret military raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

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Shots - Health Blog
9:18 am
Wed August 29, 2012

When Flu Hits, Kids With Neurological Problems Are Vulnerable

Credit Gerry Broome / AP
People wait in line at the Durham County Health Department for the H1N1 flu vaccination in Durham, N.C., in November 2009.

Flu is most deadly for children with neurologic problems and disorders, an analysis of swine flu fatalities finds.

The results come from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers who looked at childhood fatalities during the H1N1 flu pandemic of 2009, when there were five times the usual number of deaths.

In all, 43 percent of the deaths occurred in children who had neurologic diseases, such as cerebral palsy and epilepsy, or developmental disorders.

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It's All Politics
9:03 am
Wed August 29, 2012

Convention Lineup Aside, Minority Votes Still A Tough Sell For GOP

Credit Mark Wilson / Getty Images
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. Earlier in the day, she said: "It's offensive to me as a woman and as a minority that Democrats can go and say, 'That party hates you,' and can get away with that."

It's become a perennial problem for Republicans, but not one that the party yet knows how to solve.

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The Two-Way
8:53 am
Wed August 29, 2012

Top Stories: Isaac Arrives In Louisiana; Getting Ready For Ryan's Speech

Originally published on Wed August 29, 2012 7:12 am

Election 2012
8:21 am
Wed August 29, 2012

Transcript: Gov. Chris Christie's Convention Speech

Credit Scott Olson / Getty Images
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers the keynote address at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. Tuesday.

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 10:55 pm

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