A New NPR T-Shirt Designed By Listener Jessica Roush

NPR Marketing, Branding and Communications intern Johnny Kaufman took a turn as a shirt model to show off the newest NPR tee. It features the winning design from the NPR + Threadless "My Sound World" challenge.

Katie Burk/NPR

NPR Marketing, Branding and Communications intern Johnny Kaufman took a turn as a shirt model to show off the newest NPR tee. It features the winning design from the NPR + Threadless "My Sound World" challenge.

Katie Burk/NPR

This week NPR is debuting its newest t-shirt, and it's unlike any other we've had before. NPR teamed up with Threadless earlier this year and challenged designers all around the world to create the ultimate NPR t-shirt. More than 80,000 votes later, we have a winner, a new shirt and a new way for people to support public radio.

NPR Threadless design challenge winner Jessica Roush.

Emily Davidson/courtesy of Jessica Roush

NPR Threadless design challenge winner Jessica Roush.

Emily Davidson/courtesy of Jessica Roush

So who is the winning designer? Meet Jessica Roush - a Milwaukee artist and proud public radio listener of her local station WUWM Milwaukee and hometown signal out of WUNC Raleigh.

Hi Jessica! How about a quick introduction?
Hello! I grew up in North Carolina and went to NC State for a double major in Textile Technology and Art & Design. Now, I'm a textile artist at Kohl's in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I do hand-painted and vector art for all sorts of home product - table linens, dinnerware, bedding, bath stuff, decor, etc. I also like to do some illustration at home too.

Congratulations on your winning design, NPR: Plugged In! What was it like to receive the notification that you won?
Thanks!! A few excited expletives may have escaped my mouth. And I was at work at the time, so I drew a little crowd around my cubicle when I started yelling. It was a wonderful surprise. I still half-thought it was some sort of elaborate hoax until I got the prize box in the mail a few days ago.

Could you tell us more about how your design came about? What about NPR influenced your design? Can you share any process photos with us?
This one was a challenge. Not only is it about SOUND, which isn't easily expressed visually, but also about NPR, which has a scope so broad that it would be impossible to illustrate all of the topics that it covers. I decided to illustrate instead its effect on me, in that I get lost in thought and imagination and wonder when I listen. I'm absorbed by the current events stories, and feel closer to the world around me. I tried to include country, suburban, and cityscapes (along with a little capitol building!), and the NPR colors (red, black and blue).

When did you first start listening to NPR?
I really can't remember! Ever since I was a little kid, my parents have listened to NPR in the car, so I did too. We would listen to it on the way back from my grandparents house, and now I listen on the way back from work.

As part of your grand prize, you're getting a private tour of NPR HQ. First, who are you taking with you? Second, is there anyone you're especially hoping to run into during your visit?
My dad and my boyfriend both really want to go. Maybe I'll make them compete by arm wrestling or rock-paper-scissors or something. When we (whoever we ends up being) get there, I would love to see Steve Inskeep, Renee Montagne, or Bob Boilen. A girl can dream.

Do you have any favorite NPR shows?
Not having cable and being slightly addicted to Netflix can be a nuisance when you try to keep up with current events. I most often listen to NPR on the way to and from work for news, but I also like to catch This America Life, Car Talk, Tiny Desk Concerts, and RadioLab.

Shout out time! Want to show some love for your #1 NPR station?
Since I grew up in North Carolina, my first NPR love was the Raleigh, NC station - WUNC 91.5 - but I also love the Milwaukee station, WUWM 89.7.

Given your design, are headphones your favorite way to listen?
At work they definitely are. Sometimes that's the only way I can get work done, with an open cubicle and lots of foot traffic. I have the over-the-ear headphones, and I can just tune out everything and get stuff done.

What's it like to be able to design for an organization like NPR on Threadless?
I LOVED IT. I don't think I would ever have had a chance to design for them otherwise, so Threadless gave me the perfect opportunity. Getting a design on Threadless was awesome enough, then add NPR on top of it.... I seriously lucked out.

Read Jessica's full interview at Threadless.com, and check out more of her work on Tumblr and at her website, jessicaroush.com.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thisisnpr/2013/10/15/234780471/a-new-npr-t-shirt-designed-by-listener-jessica-roush?ft=1&f=
Category: Ink Master   Battlefield 4 beta   Government Shutdown 2013   Lucas Cruikshank   Betty Pino  

Fed better prepared now than in 2011 for possible U.S. default: Fisher

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve is better prepared for a possible U.S. government default now than the last debt-ceiling scare in 2011, a top central banker said on Tuesday.

"I'm more confident that we, my colleagues and I, are better prepared than we were in 2011," Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher told Reuters, citing an "informational feeling."

Fisher added he expects U.S. economic data to be "sloppy" for a couple more months due to the partial government shutdown.

(Reporting by Jonathan Spicer, Ann Saphir and Pedro da Costa; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fed-better-prepared-now-2011-possible-u-default-151105370--business.html
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Another One Bites The Dust: Boston Court Denies Preliminary Injunction Against Aereo

Refusing to pipe down today, Aereo has just confirmed that a federal judge has ruled in favor of Aereo in its legal battle with Hearst Stations in Boston, one of three currently ongoing lawsuits between the streaming TV startup and major network broadcasters, the other in New York and most recently Utah.

Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton issued a ruling that denies the plaintiff a motion for preliminary injunction, which would force Aereo to cease business in Boston while the case is being evaluated. This would be a terrible outcome for Aereo, which the company has already avoided in New York. Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/mI8eDqEi-Os/
Tags: pirate bay   constitution day   FedEx Cup standings   911   vince young  

Gold in tight range amid US budget talks, fund outflows

By A. Ananthalakshmi

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Gold hovered near three-month lows on Tuesday as outflows from gold funds continued and as lawmakers made some progress towards resolving the U.S. budget impasse.

Gold, whose safe-haven appeal is usually burnished during times of geopolitical and economic uncertainty, has failed to gain despite protracted wrangling over the fiscal deadlock in the United States.

It has dropped about 4 percent to below $1,300 an ounce since a partial government shutdown began on October 1.

"Based on historical analysis, we think the weeks following a (possible) default would be the time for gold to rally," said Amber MacKinnon, an analyst at Nomura Securities in Sydney.

"Unless we actually see that, gold will be in a holding pattern. The upside is more likely if we get a (credit) downgrade."

During the last fiscal debate over raising the U.S. debt ceiling in 2011 - when a deal was only reached at the last minute - gold did not react sharply until after Standard & Poor's downgraded the U.S. credit rating, MacKinnon said. Prices eventually hit an all-time high of $1,920 in September that year.

"It appears that gold doesn't rally on a safe-haven basis in times of political tensions in the U.S. until after the event has occurred," MacKinnon said.

Spot gold had slipped 0.2 percent to $1,270.70 an ounce by 0641 GMT, after snapping a four-day losing streak in the previous session.

SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 1.85 tonnes to 889.13 tonnes on Monday to hit fresh four-year lows - reflecting diminishing investor confidence.

A month of combat in the U.S. Congress over government spending showed signs of giving way to a Senate deal to reopen shuttered federal agencies and prevent an economically damaging default on federal debt.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, ended a day of constant talks with optimistic proclamations, as details leaked out of the pact they were negotiating.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gold-tight-range-amid-us-budget-talks-fund-073229385--finance.html
Category: nfl standings   liberace   jennette mccurdy   burn notice   david cassidy  

Ramirez and Ethier to play against Cardinals

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hanley Ramirez will start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the NL championship series despite a broken left rib.

"I'd do anything for this team," he said.

Ramirez was set to bat third and play shortstop Monday night against the St. Louis Cardinals, and Andre Ethier was slated to hit fifth and play center field.

Ramirez, who sat out Game 2 in St. Louis, wore a lightweight flak jacket as he took swings during batting practice and fielded grounders before Game 3. The Cardinals entered with a 2-0 series lead.

"It's just for protection. They told me that if I want to play, I've got to wear it," Ramirez said. "They don't want anything worse to happen, so I'm just going to wear it."

The three-time All-Star said team medical director Stan Conte left it up to him whether to play.

"I'm not feeling 100 percent, but I feel good enough to go out there tonight and get our first win," Ramirez said. "I took some painkiller to make it feel batter."

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said a CT scan revealed Ramirez has a hairline fracture of his ribcage.

"It's not dangerous if he tries to play," Mattingly said. "It's just a painful thing and it could be a week, it could be two weeks before this thing is gone."

Mattingly said it was a busy 48 hours trying to do everything possible to get Ramirez on the field, including talking to the NFL about using the kind of padded protective gear worn by running backs.

Ramirez said he couldn't sleep Sunday night.

"I know it's going to be a tough game," he said. "I'm going to keep everybody relaxed, and keep Mattingly relaxed. He needs to laugh."

Ramirez got hit by a pitch in Game 1, but stayed in for the entire 13 innings as the Dodgers lost 3-2. He missed a 1-0 loss in Game 2 on Saturday.

Ramirez batted .500 with six RBIs in the NL division series against Atlanta and tied the club's postseason record with six extra-base hits.

Ethier, put in the lineup following a batting practice evaluation, has been bothered by shin splints and was limited to pinch-hitting duty in Game 2. Ethier has a .300 career batting average against Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ramirez-ethier-play-against-cardinals-221838386--spt.html
Tags: zach mettenberger   chrissy teigen   diana nyad   true blood   Lincoln Memorial  

'Bionic man' walks, breathes with artificial parts

NEW YORK (AP) — Gentlemen, we can rebuild him, after all. We have the technology.

The term "bionic man" was the stuff of science fiction in the 1970s, when a popular TV show called "The Six Million Dollar Man" chronicled the adventures of Steve Austin, a former astronaut whose body was rebuilt using artificial parts after he nearly died.

Now, a team of engineers has assembled a robot using artificial organs, limbs and other body parts that comes tantalizingly close to a true "bionic man." For real, this time.

The artificial "man" is the subject of a Smithsonian Channel documentary that airs Sunday, Oct. 20 at 9 p.m. Called "The Incredible Bionic Man," it chronicles engineers' attempt to assemble a functioning body using artificial parts that range from a working kidney and circulation system to cochlear and retina implants.

The parts hail from 17 manufacturers around the world. This is the first time they've been assembled together, says Richard Walker, managing director of Shadow Robot Co. and the lead roboticist on the project.

"(It's) an attempt to showcase just how far medical science has gotten," he says.

The robot making appearances in the U.S. for the first time this week. Having crossed the Atlantic tucked inside two metal trunks — and after a brief holdup in customs — the bionic man will strut his stuff at the New York Comic Con festival on Friday.

Walker says the robot has about 60 to 70 percent of the function of a human. It stands six-and-a-half feet tall and can step, sit and stand with the help of a Rex walking machine that's used by people who've lost the ability to walk due to a spinal injury. It also has a functioning heart that, using an electronic pump, beats and circulates artificial blood, which carries oxygen just like human blood. An artificial, implantable kidney, meanwhile, replaces the function of a modern-day dialysis unit.

Although the parts used in the robot work, many of them are a long way from being used in humans. The kidney, for example, is only a prototype. And there are some key parts missing: there's no digestive system, liver, or skin. And, of course, no brain.

The bionic man was modeled after Bertolt Meyer, a 36-year-old social psychologist at the University of Zurich who was born without his lower left arm and wears a bionic prosthesis. The man's face was created based on a 3D scan of Meyer's face.

"We wanted to showcase that the technology can provide aesthetic prostheses for people who have lost parts of their faces, for example, their nose, due to an accident or due to, for example, cancer," Meyer says.

Meyer says he initially felt a sense of unease when he saw the robot for the first time.

"I thought it was rather revolting to be honest," he says. "It was quite a shock to see a face that closely resembles what I see in the mirror every morning on this kind of dystopian looking machine."

He has since warmed up to it, especially after the "man" was outfitted with some clothes from the U.K. department store Harrods.

And the cost? As it turns out, this bionic man comes cheaper than his $6-million-dollar sci-fi cousin. While the parts used in the experiment were donated, their value is about $1 million.

__

Associated Press reporters David R. Martin in New York and Hannah Buchdahl in Washington contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bionic-man-walks-breathes-artificial-parts-151617572.html
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What Do You Call Home?

“ It's only by stepping out of your life and the world, that you can see what you most deeply care about and find a home.

- Pico Iyer

Part 4 of the TED Radio Hour episode Identities.

About Pico Iyer's TEDTalk

Country and culture used to serve as the cornerstones of identity, but what does "home" mean to someone who comes from many places? Writer Pico Iyer talks about the meaning of home in a world where the old boundaries of nation-states no longer apply.

About Pico Iyer

Acclaimed writer Pico Iyer began his career documenting a neglected aspect of travel — the disconnect between local tradition and imported global pop culture.

Since then, he has written a dozen books including topics such as the cultural consequences of isolation, whether writing about the exiled spiritual leaders of Tibet or the embargoed society of Cuba.

Iyer's latest focus is on how travel can help us regain our sense of stillness and focus in a world where our devices and digital networks increasing distract us?

He says "Almost everybody I know has this sense of overdosing on information ... Nearly everybody I know does something to try to remove herself to clear her head and to have enough time and space to think. ... All of us instinctively feel that something inside us is crying out for more spaciousness and stillness."

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/11/229893758/what-do-you-call-home?ft=1&f=1004
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