The Two-Way
4:40 pm
Tue September 18, 2012

Did Jesus Have A Wife? Newly Discovered Ancient Text Reignites Debate

Credit Karen L. King / Harvard
The front of the papyrus fragment.

Originally published on Wed September 19, 2012 8:30 am

An ancient piece of text is reviving an equally ancient debate: Was Jesus Christ married?

Of course, most Christians believe that he wasn't. But today, Harvard Professor of Divinity Karen King presented a scrap of papyrus that dates back to the fourth century. She told a gathering of scholars in Rome that written in Coptic was this surprising sentence: "Jesus said to them, 'My wife...' "

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Education
4:29 pm
Tue September 18, 2012

Chicago Teachers Union Delegates Vote To End Strike

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 5:09 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

In Chicago, teachers have suspended their strike. That means teachers and students could be back to class as soon as tomorrow. The strike lasted seven days.

And with us to explain what has transpired in Chicago is NPR's Claudio Sanchez. And, Claudio, teachers, as we've said, have suspended the strike. What has the reaction been?

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It's All Politics
3:20 pm
Tue September 18, 2012

'Mother Jones' Journalist: Video Not Attempt To 'Catch Mitt Romney'

Originally published on Wed September 19, 2012 7:43 am

The Mother Jones journalist behind the release of a surreptitiously shot fundraising video says the source "did not go there looking to catch Mitt Romney in the act."

David Corn, the magazine's Washington bureau chief, tells NPR's Michel Martin on Tell Me More:

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Presidential Race
3:07 pm
Tue September 18, 2012

Romney Conflated Different Groups With '47 Percent'

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 5:09 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney admits he could've used more elegant language, but he's not backing down. Romney was secretly recorded speaking at a fundraiser in May and his comments were publicized yesterday by the liberal magazine, "Mother Jones." Here he is telling wealthy backers that President Obama has a built-in base of support.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

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NPR Cities: Urban Life In The 21st Century
3:00 pm
Tue September 18, 2012

With Hats And Umbrellas, Senegalese Fill A City Niche

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 5:09 pm

Careful planning can transform the shape and life of a city. But sometimes, a city's features develop spontaneously — like the immigrant enclaves that grow around certain jobs and trades in urban centers like New York.

Occupational cliches have been a fact of life in the Big Apple for generations. Historically, New Yorkers thought of Jewish tailors, Italian greengrocers or Irish policemen, says Philip Kasinitz, a sociologist with the City University of New York.

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Jon Hamilton is a correspondent for NPR's Science Desk. Currently he focuses on neuroscience, health risks, and extreme weather.

Following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Hamilton was part of NPR's team of science reporters and editors who went to Japan to cover the crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.

Hamilton contributed several pieces to the Science Desk series "The Human Edge," which looked at what makes people the most versatile and powerful species on Earth. His reporting explained how humans use stories, how the highly evolved human brain is made from primitive parts, and what autism reveals about humans social brains.

In 2009, Hamilton received the Michael E. DeBakey Journalism Award for his piece on the neuroscience behind treating autism.

Before joining NPR in 1998, Hamilton was a media fellow with the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation studying health policy issues. He reported on states that have improved their Medicaid programs for the poor by enrolling beneficiaries in private HMOs.

From 1995-1997, Hamilton wrote on health and medical topics as a freelance writer, after having been a medical reporter for both The Commercial Appeal and Physician's Weekly.

Hamilton graduated with honors from Oberlin College in Ohio with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. As a student, he was the editor of the Oberlin Review student newspaper. He earned his master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, where he graduated with honors During his time at Columbia, Hamilton was awarded the Baker Prize for magazine writing and earned a Sherwood traveling fellowship.

Shots - Health Blog
2:49 pm
Tue September 18, 2012

Link Between BPA And Childhood Obesity Is Unclear

Credit Maggie Starbard / NPR
Canned food is a source of BPA exposure, but researchers aren't sure whether it causes childhood obesity. Above, the soup isle at a grocery store in Washington, D.C.

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 6:23 pm

BPA could be making kids fat. Or not.

That's the unsatisfying takeaway from the latest study on bisphenol A — the plastic additive that environmental groups have blamed for everything from ADHD to prostate disease.

Unfortunately, the science behind those allegations isn't so clear. And the new study on obesity in children and teens is no exception.

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The Two-Way
2:42 pm
Tue September 18, 2012

In Fox Interview, Romney Doubles Down On '47 Percent' Comments

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 3:31 pm

"This is a message I'm carrying day in and day out and will carry over the coming months."

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The Record
2:14 pm
Tue September 18, 2012

Listen To A Long Conversation With Bonnie Raitt

Credit Susan Bibeau / Folk Alley
Bonnie Raitt accepts her Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americana Music Awards in Nashville on Sept. 12, 2012.

Originally published on Thu October 11, 2012 11:12 am

  • Listen to Bonnie Raitt and Ann Powers at the 2012 Americana Music Conference

Last Wednesday I had the enormous privilege of sitting down with the masterful Bonnie Raitt for the keynote conversation at the annual Americana Music Conference and Festival in Nashville. Actually, I stood while blues fusion matriarch sat — I'd aggravated an old back injury moments before we took the stage, and my mentioning this to the crowd set Bonnie up for her first zinger of the chat: "What was his name?" she teased.

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Deceptive Cadence
2:08 pm
Tue September 18, 2012

Trifonov's Triumph: Tchaikovsky, Twice Over

Originally published on Mon September 24, 2012 9:22 am

At just 21 years old, Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov, the most recent winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition, is zooming into the classical music stratosphere — and with his new album he's out to prove he's here to stay.

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