Ryan Benk
Stories
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Tracy Chapman on re-releasing her self-titled 1988 debut album on vinyl
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with Tracy Chapman about standing the test of time and the re-release on vinyl of her self-titled 1988 debut album.
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Black cat adoptions are up. An Oscar-winning animated movie may have helped
The Oscar-winning animated movie "Flow," which stars a black kitty, may be causing an increase in black cat adoptions. Superstitions about bad luck have often caused these felines to be overlooked.
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Male octopuses are usually killed by females after mating. Now, they may have found a way out
A male blue-lined octopus often becomes their partner's meal after mating but the University of Queensland's Fabio Cortesi tells NPR's Ayesha Rascoe some males have found a way to survive.
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Dear listeners: "Bambi" is whatever the band Anxious says it is
We hear from musicians Grady Allen and Dante Melucci from the band Anxious, about their second album "Bambi." The young hardcore act says it's their most authentic outing yet.
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Director Christopher Andrews discusses his thriller 'Bring Them Down'
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with director Christopher Andrews about his new thriller, set in rural Ireland, "Bring Them Down."
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A program in Chicago lends rare musical instruments to young, gifted musicians
Promising violinists can get their hands on a Stradivarius and other 18th century instruments through a lending program out of Chicago.
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50 years after they disbanded, British funk outfit Cymande is back with a new album
NPR's Scott Simon talks with Patrick Patterson and Steve Scipio of the British funk band Cymande about their new album and about reconstituting the band after decades.
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Read cursive? The National Archives wants you!
A lot of old records at the National Archives are written in longhand, but fewer people can read cursive. The institution is looking for volunteers to help decipher and digitize them.
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States that voted for Trump saw some of the biggest surges in ACA signups
The number of people enrolled in Affordable Care Act health insurance plans has doubled over the last four yeas. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with healthcare navigator Katie Roders Turner about the reasons.
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These workers don't take the holidays off
Many folks enjoy a few days off for the end-of-the-year holidays, but there are some workers who don't take the time off or can't. We hear from a few of them.
