Public Radio East

Apple, Tech Giants And An Industrial-Age Tax Code

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:07:00 +0000

Apple CEO Timothy Cook made a rare appearance on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, testifying after congressional investigators revealed that Apple avoided billions in taxes. Reporter Charles Duhigg of The New York Times and guest host Jennifer Ludden talk about how, as Duhigg writes, "technology giants have taken advantage of tax codes written for an industrial age."

The Art And Science Of Motivation

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:05:00 +0000

Graduation season is upon us and that means a slew of uplifting commencement speeches trying to motivate young adults to greatness. Science and experience tell us that everyone is motivated differently, so how do speakers, coaches and business managers inspire people?

Would Lowering The Drunk Driving Threshold Make Us Safer?

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:03:00 +0000

The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended reducing the legal limit for blood alcohol content for drivers from .08 to .05. Critics say it won't significantly help prevent drunken driving. Guest LZ Granderson argues that without more checkpoints, a lower threshold would do nothing.

China Builds Museums ... But Will The Visitors Come?

Frank Langfitt — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:58:00 +0000

Shanghai did something last fall that few other cities on the planet could have even considered. It opened two massive art museums right across the river from one another on the same day.

The grand openings put an exclamation point on China's staggering museum building boom.

When Tornadoes Are A Way Of Life

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:56:00 +0000

Monday's tornado tore through parts of Oklahoma City at 200 miles per hour and killed at least 24 people. Many more are missing orinjured. Guest host Jennifer Ludden talks to KOSU reporter Michael Cross and to meteorologist Paul Douglas about why it's so hard to track tornadoes.

A Mother And Daughter Confront Their Breast Cancer Risk

Tell Me More Staff — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:53:00 +0000

Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie has been in the headlines, by her own choice for a change.

Genetic testing showed she was at high risk for breast cancer, so she decided to have a double mastectomy to improve her odds.

Why Don't We Pay (More/Any) Attention To Los Angeles Mayoral Elections?

Ken Rudin — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:52:00 +0000

Horace Greeley may have suggested at one point that going west might be a good idea, but he probably wouldn't be happy to see what's going on with Los Angeles as of late. The Dodgers are in last place in the National League West, the Angels are hovering near the bottom of the American League West, and the Lakers' appearance in the playoffs was brutally short.

'Nanogardens' Sprout Up On The Surface Of A Penny

Michaeleen Doucleff — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:28:00 +0000

April showers bring May flowers. But in this case, the blossoms are too small for even a bumblebee to see.

Engineers at Harvard University have figured out a way to make microscopic sculptures of roses, tulips and violets, each smaller than a strand of hair.

To get a sense of just how small these flower sculptures are, grab a penny and flip it on its back. Right in the middle of the Lincoln Memorial, you'll see a faint impression of Abraham Lincoln.

Airbnb Stays Are Illegal In New York, Court Rules

Bill Chappell — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:55:00 +0000

People who use Airbnb, the web company that pairs travelers with residents who rent out their homes on a short-term basis, are breaking New York City's laws, according to an administrative law judge. The vacation rental business was found to run afoul of the city's occupancy code; it also doesn't conform with a state law.

As CNET reports, New Yorkers who break those rules are likely to face legal proceedings only if a complaint is filed against them.

VIDEO: Tears Flow As Mom Finds Son After Tornado

Mark Memmott — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:52:00 +0000

We don't need to say much.

JPMorgan Shareholders Vote To Keep Dimon As Chairman, CEO

Eyder Peralta — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:46:00 +0000

JPMorgan Chase shareholders voted on Tuesday to allow Jamie Dimon to continue being their chairman and CEO.

The AP reports:

"At the bank's annual meeting, 32 percent of shareholders voted for a measure that would have required the bank to split the roles.

Soderbergh's Liberace, 'Behind The Candelabra'

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:00 +0000

Director Steven Soderbergh had been looking for a way to frame a film about the extravagant entertainer Liberace for years when a friend recommended the book Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace.

The book — a memoir — is by Scott Thorson, who for five years was Liberace's lover, though that wasn't publicly disclosed at the time.

Thorson was 40 years younger than Liberace and still in his teens when they met in 1977.

Who Becomes The Face Of A Horrific Attack?

Matt Thompson — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:00 +0000

The spate of headlines that drew them to our attention has died down. Yet I still find myself thinking about the faces of a certain 19-year-old man and his elder brother, accused by police of bringing about a tragic end to what should have been a day of joy and celebration.

The two brothers are Akein and Shawn Scott, accused of shooting into a crowd of revelers celebrating Mother's Day in New Orleans.

First Listen Live: Queens Of The Stone Age, '...Like Clockwork'

Stephen Thompson — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:41:00 +0000

Queens of the Stone Age's first album in six years follows an unusually chaotic stretch for the band: Lineup and label changes, frontman Josh Homme's lengthy stint in the hit supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, and what Homme calls "a manic year" all inform the brooding, stormy sound of ...Like Clockwork.

'Tornado Emergency': A Rare, Dire Warning Born In Oklahoma

Eyder Peralta — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:28:00 +0000

If you were watching news coverage on Monday, before a monster EF-4 tornado barreled through Moore, Okla., you probably heard the term "tornado emergency."

The warning is used rarely by forecasters to flag the deadliest of situations.

Rick Smith, the warning coordination meteorlogist at the Norman, Okla., office of the National Weather Service, tells us the term was born on the fly in t

Market At Record Highs, Why Is Investment At Record Lows?

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:25:00 +0000

The stock market is hitting record highs. But stock ownership is at record lows, according to a Gallup poll. Host Michel Martin speaks with Roben Farzad of Bloomberg Businessweek about how low participation rates could hurt struggling Americans.

Getting Rid Of My Breasts, A Lot Of People Didn't Understand

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:17:00 +0000

The news that Angelina Jolie had a preventative double mastectomy has many women thinking about how far they'd go to protect their bodies. Cleveland journalist Regina Brett has written about how she and her daughter Gabe went through the same surgery. They share their story with host Michel Martin.

Gods And Monsters: 5 Unforgettable Wagner Moments

Tom Huizenga — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:08:00 +0000

How much do you know about Richard Wagner? Probably two unfavorable facts: He wrote very long, grandiose operas and was Hitler's favorite composer. As true as they are, those simple examples barely hint at the complexity of this endlessly creative and confounding artist.

Two centuries after Wagner's birth (he was born in Leipzig May 22, 1813), the man and his music continue to beguile and bewilder fans, detractors and critics.

My Social Security Number Is Posted Where?

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:05:00 +0000

Sensitive personal information belonging to thousands of applicants to a government phone program was exposed to the public on the Internet, according to a new investigative report from Scripps Howard News Service.

The federal program is called Lifeline, and it reimburses phone companies for providing service to low-income Americans.

Scripps reporter Isaac Wolf says he was able to access more than 100,000 records from one of those private

The Difficulties Of Proving Racial Profiling

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:05:00 +0000

Closing arguments have wrapped up in a lawsuit challenging the New York Police Department's stop-and-frisk policy. Plaintiffs say the majority of the stops involved black and Hispanic men. But New York City says there's no racial motivation whatsoever. Host Michel Martin asks the tricky question: how exactly do you prove racial profiling?