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Saturday, November 17, 2012

Simon Says

If The Pretzel Chicken Isn't Awesome, Why Review It?

Food Network star Guy Fieri just opened a new restaurant in Times Square. New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells isn't a fan, so why did he eat there in the first place?

November 17, 2012 In a week in which the news has been filled with a fiscal cliff, rockets, sex and security, a restaurant review also raised a ruckus. New York Times critic Pete Wells took on Food Network star Guy Fieri's new restaurant, but his motives for doing so remain elusive.

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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Simon Says

Making A Case For Closer Contact In Congress

From left, Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) await President Obama's State of the Union address in January 2011, when a bipartisan seating arrangement symbolically suggested a more cooperative spirit among lawmakers.

November 10, 2012 The term "congressional gridlock" suggests that people in Congress at least run into each other. But I've begun to think a more critical problem might be that politicians of opposing parties are almost strangers to one another.

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Saturday, November 03, 2012

Simon Says

Emergency Workers Heroes Even Before Sandy

First responders rescue flood-stranded people from a sodden neighborhood in Little Ferry, N.J., on Tuesday.

November 3, 2012 On Halloween night this week, millions of children tumbled into their neighborhoods dressed as superheroes. But that night, true superheroes were at work in uniforms, not costumes.

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Saturday, October 27, 2012

Simon Says

WWII Veteran Fought To Cast His Last Vote

Frank Tanabe votes via absentee ballot with the help of his daughter, Barbara (left) and wife, Setsuko, in Honolulu on Oct. 17. He died the following week.

October 27, 2012 Japanese-American Frank Tanabe was sent to an internment camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Even so, he volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army and fought for his country. Tanabe's last battle was living long enough to cast one last ballot.

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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Simon Says

The Pirate Prince Of Sealand, Remembered

British pirate radio broadcaster Paddy Roy Bates with his wife, Joan, and daughter, Penny, in 1966.

October 13, 2012 Paddy Roy Bates,the self-proclaimed prince of Sealand, died this week at the age of 91. In 1965, Bates boarded an artillery platform seven miles off the English coast and set up Radio Essex, a "pirate" music station. But he didn't stop there.

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Saturday, October 06, 2012

Simon Says

Does Voting Early Prompt Hasty Choices?

Voters cast their ballots during early voting in Bowling Green, Ohio. Early voting began Oct. 2 in the battleground state, five weeks before Election Day on November 6.

October 6, 2012 Voting can be a chore, but getting more people to vote by allowing early voting may not be doing the candidates or the electorate any favors.

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Saturday, September 29, 2012

Simon Says

Jimmy Hoffa: Still Searching. Still Waiting.

James Hoffa was last seen in the parking lot of a Detroit restaurant in 1975

September 29, 2012 "What happened to Jimmy Hoffa?" is one of the great persisting questions of the past generation. The latest tip has lead to a spot under a driveway outside Detroit, in the long search for the former teamster union head.

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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Simon Says

The Emoticon Turns 30, Seems Happy About It :-)

The emoticon turns 30 this week.

September 22, 2012 Using three keystrokes to suggest a smile may not be a great scientific advance, but the emoticon has been simple, useful and enduring.

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Saturday, September 15, 2012

Simon Says

Putin Turns Photo Ops Into Soviet-Style Agitprop

Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to pilot a hang glider to lead a flock of cranes to their winter habitat.

September 15, 2012 The Russian president admitted this week that many of his highly publicized stunts are staged. Critics charge that state-run media may have returned to a time when Russians don't turn to the news for news so much as clues to what people in power expect them to think.

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Saturday, September 08, 2012

Simon Says

Go On, 'Curate' This Commentary, Too

In recent years the word "curate" has been plucked out of museums and become ubiquitous.

September 8, 2012 In recent years the word "curate" has been plucked out of museums and pasted onto everything from cosmetics, furniture and fashion lines to recipes, music- and photo-sharing websites and cat videos.

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Saturday, September 01, 2012

Simon Says

Without A Career, How Do We Know Who We Are?

September 1, 2012 A lot of Americans identify themselves by their work. It used to be a kind of identity stamp, but the economic crisis may have hastened a change that was already under way: more people living with a series of short-term jobs instead of lifetime occupations.

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Saturday, August 25, 2012

Simon Says

Phyllis Diller: Showing, And Celebrating, Her Age

Phyllis Diller attends an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences event in North Hollywood, Calif., in 2008. The comedic legend died this week at 95.

August 25, 2012 Phyllis Diller, who died at the age of 95 this week, broke down doors in comedy — not just for women, but for the middle-aged.

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Television

Meet Peter Lassally, Late Night 'Host Whisperer'

Longtime late night producer Peter Lassally tells Scott Simon that being interviewed for NPR is a "big, frightening experience." "I'm not a performer," he says. "I'm a quiet person who doesn't like to blow his own horn."

August 25, 2012 From Johnny Carson to Jon Stewart, producer Peter Lassally has helped make many a talk show host. Still, he says, just because you're funny doesn't mean you'd be good at late night. "The gift that I keep looking for in people, whether they're hosts or guests, is likeability," he says.

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