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World News

Former Guatemalan Dictator Found Guilty Of Genocide

7:23pm May 10, 2013

by Carrie Kahn

The genocide trial of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt ended Friday with a conviction. A panel of judges found him guilty after a six-week proceeding. Rios Montt, however, denies responsibility for massacres and other crimes committed against Mayans during his 1982-1983 rule.

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One contemporary analysis links the increase in gender equality in a society with increased sexual empowerment of women and less sexual coercion. But there's more to it than that.

Science

What Does 'Sexual Coercion' Say About A Society?

11:46am May 10, 2013

by Shankar Vedantam

Anthropologists have long documented the differences in the extent of sexual coercion — including rape — in different human societies. But is it a vestige of evolutionary history, indicative of cultural activity or governed by power dynamics between females and males?

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Students associated with the group Brown Divest Coal protested in front of the Brown University president's office during a rally May 3. The group is demanding that the university stop investing in certain oil and coal companies.

College Divestment Campaigns Creating Passionate Environmentalists

11:04am May 10, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

Taking a page from the playbook of decades past, college students are once again pressuring schools to pull investment funding from specific sectors. This time it's big oil and coal companies. But these campaigns have effects beyond the university — they're launching a new generation of activists.

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Carol Kirsch and her daughter, Rebecca Posamentier, visited StoryCorps in 2008. Posamentier visited again recently.

Preserving The Motherhood Advice And Memories Of A Mom

8:10am May 10, 2013

by NPR Staff

When Rebecca Posamentier was pregnant with her first child, she visited StoryCorps with her mother, Carol Kirsch. The soon-to-be mother tried to glean all she could about parenting from her own mother, before it was too late.

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Economy

Peers Find Less Pressure Borrowing From Each Other

8:10am May 10, 2013

by Wendy Kaufman

The Internet has managed to disrupt many industries, from publishing to music. So why not lending? Google's recent investment in Lending Club has raised the profile of peer-to-peer lending, which gets borrowers and lenders together outside the conventional banking system.

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There's no better deal than getting polio cases down to zero, philanthropist Bill Gates says.

Why Bill Gates Thinks Ending Polio Is Worth It

4:28pm May 09, 2013

by Michaeleen Doucleff

The Microsoft founder and philanthropist is putting his money and time where his passion is: eradicating polio. Gates talks with NPR's Robert Siegel about why it makes sense to spend an estimated $5.5 billion to wipe out the disease once and for all.

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National

Consumers Facing Subscription Service Overload Will Only Get More Choices

4:02pm May 09, 2013

by Laura Sydell

Consumers already have an abundance of choice when it comes to entertainment and news subscriptions. But analysts say it's still early days for all the digital subscription offerings we'll have to pay for.

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National

What We Can Learn From The Viral Spotlight On Charles Ramsey

2:40pm May 09, 2013

A compelling television interview with Charles Ramsey, who helped save three women held in captivity in Cleveland, quickly became an online meme in the vein of Antoine Dodson and Sweet Brown. Slate's Aisha Harris and Jonathan Capehart of The Washington Post discuss what Harris has called the viral trend of the "hilarious black neighbor."

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Deward Cawthon, a plant operator at the Federal Helium Reserve, walks through the Federal Crude Helium Enrichment Unit near Amarillo, Texas, in 2011.

Congress Considers Patch To Keep Helium Supply Afloat

2:39pm May 09, 2013

by Ailsa Chang

The Senate is considering legislation to prevent a global helium shortage from worsening in October. That's when the Federal Helium Program is set to terminate.

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Sports

Ladies, Want Women's Sports To Get More Attention? Pony Up

11:47am May 09, 2013

by Frank Deford

Some critics say that women's sports aren't treated the same as men's sports when it comes to coverage, marketing and advertising. Frank Deford has some thoughts about why that is, and how it can change.

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