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Saturday, May 11, 2013

Simon Says

Mom's X-Ray Vision Also Sees The Best In Us

Mothers somehow know when we've been bad, but when times are tough, they also have our back.

May 11, 2013 Mothers know us better — sometimes better than we know ourselves. As any child will tell you, they really do have eyes in the back of their heads. When times are tough, they also have our back.

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Saturday, May 04, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013

Simon Says

A 'Tough, Smart, Proud Town' Meets Terror With Determination

Boston residents celebrated Friday night after law enforcement officers captured one of the two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings.

April 20, 2013 The bombing attack at the Boston Marathon Monday could have caused scrambling and panic. Instead, the tragedy revealed the city's character as people rushed to help each other.

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Saturday, April 13, 2013

Remembrances

How Did All Those People Get Inside Jonathan Winters?

Comedian Jonathan Winters in a scene from the 1967 film Eight on the Lam. Winters died on Friday at his Montecito, Calif., home. He was 87.

April 13, 2013 Winters was best known for creating a repertory company of characters that he carried around in his head. In 2000, he told NPR's Scott Simon how he built that cast, after taking some advice from another performer.

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Simon Says

At The Spelling Bee, Spelling Is No Longer Enough

Frank Cahill, 14, of Parker, Colo., spells a word correctly during the third round of the National Spelling Bee in 2012. This week the Bee announced that competitors will have to know the definitions of words in addition to the spelling.

April 13, 2013 Starting this year, competitors in the National Spelling Bee will not only have to know how to spell a word, but they'll also have to know what it means.

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Saturday, April 06, 2013

Simon Says

Roger Ebert: Elegance And Empathy

The iconic Chicago photographer Art Shay took portraits of presidents, prizefighters, prose poets — and in the person of Roger Ebert, at least one Pulitzer-winning critic.

April 6, 2013 Roger Ebert wrote simply, abundantly, gorgeously — and on deadline for 46 years at the Chicago Sun-Times. Over the years, his work reminded us that empathy is the grace note of a good life, not just great art.

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Simon Says

Humble Gestures Are New Pope's Symbol Of Service

Pope Francis washes the feet of a prisoner at the Casal Del Marmo Youth Detention Center during the mass of the Lord's Supper on Thursday in Rome.

March 30, 2013 Pope Francis surprised many this week by washing the feet of young inmates in prison instead of priests in a grand basilica. The ceremony emulates the way Jesus washed the feet of his 12 disciples. On this Easter weekend, we consider the meaning behind Pope Francis' break with tradition.

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Saturday, March 23, 2013

Simon Says

Resurrected Frog Gives Us Cause To Brood

This week scientists announced they have reproduced the genome of an extinct amphibian, the gastric brooding frog.

March 23, 2013 This week scientists announced they have reproduced the genome of an extinct amphibian, the gastric brooding frog. But animals are more than just their genomes, so NPR's Scott Simon wonders if it's necessary — or kind — to bring them back.

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Saturday, March 16, 2013

Simon Says

The Power Of A Father's Love Overturns His Beliefs

Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio announced Friday that he has reversed his stance against same-sex marriage.

March 16, 2013 Knowing his son was gay prompted Republican Sen. Rob Portman to reconsider his position on same-sex marriage. NPR's Scott Simon reflects on how children can cause their parents to see issues in a new light.

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Saturday, March 09, 2013

Simon Says

Snowquester Fizzles, But We're Humbled Anyway

The failed Snowquester reminds us, during a time of national debate, that experts can still be wrong.

March 9, 2013 After Snowquester fizzled, Scott Simon muses that snow forecasts falling so flat is a sound reminder, during a time of national debate, that experts can be wrong.

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Saturday, March 02, 2013

Simon Says

Pianist Van Cliburn, Warmed Russian Hearts During Cold War

Van Cliburn accepts flowers from the audience in the Moscow Conservatory in April 1958, after a performance during the first International Tchaikovsky Competition, which he won.

March 2, 2013 The Texan won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 — and wooed Russians in the process. Van Cliburn died Wednesday at 78.

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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Simon Says

Is Honest Abe's Stovepipe Hat A Fake?

Abraham Lincoln's iconic stovepipe hat is on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill.

February 16, 2013 State officials in Illinois want to conduct DNA tests on the top hat on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to see if he ever really wore it. Museum officials think the idea is worse than bad.

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