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5:32 am
Sun October 21, 2012

A Celebration Of Janis Joplin And All Her Swagger

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 7:03 am

The countercultural revolution of the 1960s may have been all about sex drugs and rock 'n' roll, but for one young Texas singer it was all about the blues. No one sang the blues quite like Janis Joplin.

Joplin was part of a legendary line-up of musicians at Woodstock in 1969: Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Joan Baez. She wasn't on the music scene long, though. Joplin died in 1970 of a drug overdose. She was only 27 years old, but in that short time her bluesy rasp helped define the music of a generation.

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It's All Politics
5:23 am
Sun October 21, 2012

Libya Has Become The Flash Point Of Foreign Policy Debate

Credit Gianluigi Guercia / AFP/Getty Images
An empty bullet shell in the U.S. Consulate compound in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 13, after the attack on the building late on Sept. 11, in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed.

Originally published on Sun October 21, 2012 11:24 am

In the end, it's an argument about competence.

The Obama administration's response to the Sept. 11 killings at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, has become a staple of the campaign. It's bound to come up again during Monday's debate about foreign policy.

Mitt Romney will use the event — which left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Chris Stevens — to question President Obama's veracity and his handling of foreign policy in general.

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Sunday Puzzle
12:59 am
Sun October 21, 2012

'Poked' And 'Tummy' Become 'Poker' And 'Rummy'

Credit NPR Graphic

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 7:03 am

On-air challenge: You will be given two words. Change one letter in each of them to make two new words that name things that are in the same category. (Hint: In each pair, the letter that you change to — that is, the new letter — is the same in each pair.) For example, given the words "poked" and "tummy," the answer would be "poker" and "rummy."

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Kee Facts: A Few Things You Didn't Know
4:12 pm
Sat October 20, 2012

The Strangely True Tale Of Johnny Appleseed

Credit Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image
He's legend now, but Johnny Appleseed was as odd as his myth.

Originally published on Sun October 21, 2012 2:07 pm

Apples — right off the tree, baked in a pie, pressed into cider or mashed into sauce — are a basic element of American culture. October is the month to celebrate them, thanks, in part, to Johnny Appleseed.

You've probably heard of the legendary character who traveled the Midwest planting trees, but he's not a myth. Johnny Appleseed's real name was John Chapman, and he was born in Massachusetts in either 1774 or 1775.

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Presidential Race
4:00 pm
Sat October 20, 2012

Tales From The Trail: Who's Undecided And Why?

Host Guy Raz speaks with NPR's Don Gonyea, who has just spent two weeks on the campaign trail. Along the way, he met some undecided voters. In swing states, undecided voters are being bombarded by advertising, and Gonyea explains what is keeping them from making up their minds.

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