Sports
2:40 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Olympians Are Faster And Stronger, But How?

Originally published on Tue August 21, 2012 2:54 pm

The Olympic motto says it all. It translates to: "Faster, Higher, Stronger." But as athletes come up against the limits of human potential, writer Emily Sohn wondered, how do they continue to improve? The answer, she found, has to do with technology, psychology and access to a range of sports.

From Our Listeners
2:24 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Letters: Duty To Warn And Hate Groups

NPR's Neal Conan reads from listener comments about mental health professionals and their "duty to warn," and about what we know about hate groups. And we remember comedian Phyllis Diller who died Monday at her home in Los Angeles.

Politics
2:23 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Akin's Remarks Highlight Political Cynicism

Originally published on Tue August 21, 2012 2:55 pm

After Rep. Todd Akin's remarks about rape, the Washington Post's Ruth Marcus posed a question: "Is it any wonder Americans hate politics?" Republicans, she says, reacted just strongly enough to serve their own interests. And Democrats, Marcus argues, do their own part by driving voter cynicism.

Monkey See
2:12 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

'Persona 4 Arena' Digs Deep Into The Teenage Heart Of Battle

Persona 4 Arena
Atlus
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Reviewed on PlayStation 3

The quirky, the odd and the eerie. As a videogame publisher, Atlus has become the expert in making the strange into the popular. It released Demon's Souls, a horror-filled role playing game that was so unrepentantly unforgiving, even hard core gamers complained (even as they continued playing). Last year, Atlus' Catherine was a long meditation upon the nightmarish angst and fear that can emerge when trust fails a young relationship.

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Remembrances
2:10 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Fresh Air Remembers Comedian Phyllis Diller

Credit Central Press/Getty Images
Phyllis Diller plays peekaboo with the cameraman before the start of her television show Bonkers in 1979.

Originally published on Tue August 21, 2012 2:35 pm

Phyllis Diller, one of the first and one of the few female comic headliners of her generation, died Monday at the age of 95.

Diller performed in the persona of a crazed housewife. She usually dressed in outlandish, bad-fitting clothes with her hair teased into a disheveled mop. Then she'd fire off long strings of self-deprecating gags. She was so unattractive, she used to tell her audiences, that Peeping Toms asked her to pull her window shades down. Onstage, she called her husband Fang. Diller told Fang jokes like her male counterparts told wife jokes.

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Author Interviews
2:10 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Student 'Subversives' And The FBI's 'Dirty Tricks'

Originally published on Wed August 22, 2012 1:21 pm

In 1964, students at the University of California, Berkeley, formed a protest movement to repeal a campus rule banning students from engaging in political activities.

Then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover suspected the free speech movement to be evidence of a Communist plot to disrupt U.S. campuses. He "had long been concerned about alleged subversion within the education field," journalist Seth Rosenfeld tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.

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Presidential Race
2:05 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Romney's VP Pick Puts Focus On Medicare

Originally published on Tue August 21, 2012 2:34 pm

Paul Ryan's controversial plan to reshape Medicare has provoked conversation, some of it confusing, about entitlement reform. Traditionally a campaign rallying cry for Democrats, Republicans seem to be putting President Obama on the defensive about Medicare and the new health law.

Asia
1:58 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

China's Increased Investment Upsets Some Pakistanis

Originally published on Thu August 23, 2012 5:08 pm

With all its current troubles, Pakistan has not been attracting much foreign investment recently. In fact, China seems to be the only country that's prepared to pour money into Pakistan in a big way.

But a boost in Chinese investment has sparked resentment in southern Pakistan, where activists accuse China of trying to be a new colonial power. A bomb blast recently hit near the Chinese Consulate in Karachi — an ominous sign of the rising tensions.

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The Two-Way
1:08 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Roger Clemens Returns To Pro Baseball Saturday; Majors Next?

Credit David J. Phillip / AP
Roger Clemens in 2007, as he was throwing batting practice for the Houston Astros. Could he be back in an Astros' uniform next month?

The Rocket is going to be pitching again Saturday night.

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The Two-Way
1:02 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Nike's New Frontier: LeBron X Sneakers Will Sell For $315

Credit Nike
Nike's new Lebron X. Fully loaded, they will retail for $315.

Despite tough economic times, Nike is about to go where it has never gone before: Its Lebron X sneakers are expected to retail for $315. That's the first time a pair of its kicks breaks the $300 barrier.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the price hike comes after the company saw some steep drops to its gross margins. But the company may be taking its customers too far. The Journal reports:

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