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The Salt
4:11 pm
Fri February 3, 2012

The Surprising Story Of A Super Bowl Snack

Credit malloreigh / flickr.com
Presented on a gourmet plate or eaten out of the bag the chips came in, Frito Pie is an American standard.

This Super Bowl Sunday, millions of Americans will watch the game with bowls of corn-based snacks at their side. Whether you prefer Doritos, Cheetos, or even Funyuns, you owe the pleasure of that crunchy munchy to the humble corn curl that started it all: the Frito.

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Author Interviews
3:51 pm
Fri February 3, 2012

'Best Practices': Learning To Live With Asperger's

When he was 30 years old, David Finch's wife, Kristen, sat him down and asked him a series of odd questions:

"Do you notice patterns in things all the time?"

"Do people comment on your unusual mannerisms and habits?

"Do you feel tortured by clothes tags, clothes that are too tight or made in the 'wrong material'?"

"Do you sometimes have an urge to jump over things?"

David's answers to all of these questions — and more than 100 others — was an emphatic yes.

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The Two-Way
3:50 pm
Fri February 3, 2012

Senator Demands Answers from Freddie Mac's Regulator

Sen. Robert Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, sent a list of questions about Freddie Mac's controversial trades to the mortgage giant's regulator, highlighting how much remains unknown even after a flurry of statements from the regulator.

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The Two-Way
3:38 pm
Fri February 3, 2012

Vermont Inmates Hide Image Of Pig On Police Decals

It took Vermont officials four years to notice a little creative editing by one or more inmates. Look at this police decal:

Look at the cow underneath the tree. Embedded within the cow's spots is an image of a pig, which as the Burlington Free Press reminds us is the '60s-era epithet used by protesters to refer to police.

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Health
3:23 pm
Fri February 3, 2012

Can Komen Recover From Controversy?

Credit Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Nancy G. Brinker, CEO and founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation has had one of the worst weeks in terms of public relations of any organization in recent memory.

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The Two-Way
3:20 pm
Fri February 3, 2012

Winklevoss Twins May Reap $300 Million From Facebook IPO

Credit Thomas Samson / AFP/Getty Images
Tyler (left) and Cameron Winklevoss.

Before we finish the week, we have to pass on at least one more story related to Facebook's plan to raise about $5 billion with its first sale of shares to the public.

It seems that Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss — the "Winklevii" twins — could get up to $300 million worth of Facebook shares when the deal goes through.

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Afghanistan
3:18 pm
Fri February 3, 2012

Afghans View Peace Talks With Hope, Suspicion

Credit Aref Karimi / AFP/Getty Images
Taliban fighters walk with their weapons after joining Afghan government forces during a ceremony in Herat province, last month. Thirty fighters left the Taliban to join government forces in western Afghanistan. The Taliban announced recently that they would open a political office in Qatar ahead of talks with Washington.

The surprise announcement last month that the U.S. and the Taliban could soon begin peace talks in the Gulf state of Qatar may have increased the chances of a negotiated settlement in Afghanistan.

But Afghans are treating the prospect with equal measures of hope and suspicion — perhaps more of the latter from the government of President Hamid Karzai.

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Movie Interviews
3:02 pm
Fri February 3, 2012

Sharon Van Etten: Learning How To Rock

Credit Dusdin Condren
Sharon Van Etten says that when she writes music, "it's to heal."

Sharon Van Etten was once an aspiring songwriter in Tennessee, but she had no idea how the music industry worked. So she moved to New York City and took an unpaid internship working for a record label.

"I started doing mail orders and then learned my way around the music blogs," Van Etten says in an interview with Weekend All Things Considered host Guy Raz. "I didn't know what a music blog was at the time."

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NPR Story
3:00 pm
Fri February 3, 2012

The Physics Of A Football Player's Performance

The New York Giants' Brandon Jacobs is a 6'4", 270 pound running back. And with that kind of size, you think he'd be able to run right through would-be tacklers, especially when he only needs to pick up a few yards. But he often can't — Jacobs's stats are below average in those situations. A couple NFL greats and a physics professor have the answer.

Economy
3:00 pm
Fri February 3, 2012

Jobs Numbers May Boost Obama Re-election Effort

The Obama administration got some got good news early in an election year with the latest jobs numbers and the lowest unemployment rate in three years.

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