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Shots - Health News
2:28 am
Mon November 19, 2012

Caffeine Gives Endurance Athletes A Third And Fourth Wind

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Credit Murray Carpenter for NPR
Sarah Piampiano holds two energy gels, one with caffeine and one without, as she runs in this year's Ironman World Championship.
Credit slgckgc / Flickr
GU energy gels, pictured above, come in caffeinated and noncaffeinated flavors. Of the gels pictured above, Chocolate Outrage, Mint Chocolate, Island Nectar and Just Plain all contain caffeine, while Peppermint Stick doesn't.
Credit Murray Carpenter for NPR
Last month, triathlete Sarah Piampiano competed in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Piampiano and many other endurance athletes are relying on caffeinated gels in their races.
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Originally published on Tue November 20, 2012 9:38 am

The Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, is an extreme event — a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride, topped off by a marathon.

Throughout the event, racers drink plenty of fluids and eat energy bars or gels. Most also take a performance-enhancing substance that is legal and effective — caffeine.

"While I'm racing, caffeine is actually a pretty important part of my day, particularly in the Ironman, where it's such a long race," says Sarah Piampiano, a professional triathlete.

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Business
2:27 am
Mon November 19, 2012

The Past And Future Of America's Biggest Retailers

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Credit Courtesy of Target
This is among the first Target stores. The company now operates 1,782 stores across the United States.
Credit Tim Boyle / Getty Images
Wal-Mart, Target and Kmart all celebrate 50 years of business this year.
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Originally published on Tue November 20, 2012 9:38 am

It's an anniversary that most Americans can celebrate — the birthday of the big-box store. Discount shopping as we know it began 50 years ago. In 1962, enterprising retailers invented Wal-Mart, Target and Kmart.

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Shots - Health News
2:26 am
Mon November 19, 2012

Can You Move It And Work It On A Treadmill Desk?

Credit Salo LLC
Employees at at Salo, a Minneapolis-based financial consulting firm, walk while working on treadmill desks. The firm offers treadmill desks for employee use and encourages an active workplace environment.
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Originally published on Tue November 20, 2012 9:38 am

As we've reported, there's a backlash brewing to sedentary office life as more people realize how sitting all day can do a body wrong.

I work at home and often sit in front of my computer doing research and writing. So I thought I'd give a treadmill desk a try.

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It's All Politics
2:25 am
Mon November 19, 2012

In Fiscal Cliff Talks, Higher Taxes Vs. Closing Loopholes

Credit Carolyn Kaster / AP
President Obama, accompanied by House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, speaks to reporters at the White House on Friday during a meeting to discuss the fiscal cliff.
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Originally published on Tue November 20, 2012 9:38 am

The White House and Congress continue to work on a deal that avoids the fiscal cliff and cuts deficits in the long run. One of the biggest hurdles is President Obama's proposal to raise tax rates for the wealthy.

Republicans think a better course would be to raise revenue by closing loopholes and limiting deductions for high-income people. The question is, could that method raise enough money.

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The Salt
2:23 am
Mon November 19, 2012

At Burmese Dissident's Cafe, A Taste Of Politics And Salad

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Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
Myat Thu, who owns the Aiya restaurant, takes a break at the bar with his chef Ney Minn. They both grew up in the Burmese capital, Rangoon.
Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
Paintings of Burmese street scenes decorate the walls of Aiya. Patrons who come for the Burmese and Thai food can also find portraits of Che Guevara and Aung San Suu Kyi, and bumper stickers declaring "Peace in Burma Now."
Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
Myat Thu, who owns the Aiya restaurant, takes a break at the bar with his chef Ney Minn. They both grew up in the Burmese capital, Rangoon.
Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
The decor of Aiya includes several portraits of Che Guevara. Thu says the Marxist revolutionary represents for him a symbol of international rebellion.
Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
Myat Thu's dogs laze about the restaurant, keeping patrons company.
Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
The restaurant features live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Myat Thu plays percussion during the band's rendition of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind."
Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
To prepare Aiya's Burmese and Thai dishes, the kitchen staff use a variety of spices and ingredients, including fish sauce, garlic, chili, bean powder, shallots, mushroom sauce, oyster sauce and soy bean sauce.
Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
The menu features Indian curries and Thai noodles, but the restaurant's marquee items are fresh Burmese salads. In the foreground is a ginger salad.
Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
Myat Thu's wife created the Thai dishes on the menu. Thu says chicken panang curry is his wife's best dish. Chili peppers and Thai basil serve as flavorful garnishes.
Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
The Aiya restaurant in Mae Sot, a small Thai city on the border with Myanmar, is run by Myat Thu, a Burmese dissident.
Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
One of the restaurant's most popular dishes is the Burmese green tea leaf salad with crunchy fried nuts.
Credit Ben de la Cruz / NPR
Myat Thu owns Aiya, a restaurant in Mae Sot, Thailand.
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Originally published on Mon November 26, 2012 12:53 pm

Early in life, Myat Thu knew that his destiny as a cook lay in salads. Not the light, leafy green salads that are so common in American restaurants, but heavy, hearty Burmese salads.

Myat Thu grew up in Burma, also known as Myanmar. He was just 14 when his mother placed him in charge of making dinner. Unsure of what to prepare, he studied the salad vendors on the streets of Rangoon.

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