Hansen Community Library

As we get older, our muscles get weaker and the nerves undergo some decay. This makes us more prone to muscle cramps. Despite a good deal of study, there's not an easy treatment for the issue — but some tried-and-true prevention techniques seem to help.

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Researchers believe that humanity's extraordinary ability to adapt to different environments and build tools was in part the result of drastic shifts in the Earth's climate. From centuries of drought to devastating monsoons, humans found a way to adjust to nearly everything.

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The Senate will take up the House's reconciliation bill within days, at which point Republicans will try any and all strategies to delay and, if possible, derail the legislation. In other words, it's business as usual for this chamber.

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Capping a year of legislative activity and ending decades of Democratic frustration, the House approves a pair of bills that would extend health care coverage to more than 30 million Americans. One bill goes to Obama's desk, the other heads for a final showdown in the Senate.

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Obama administration officials and wonks call them "early deliverables." They're the benefits of the health legislation that would kick in this election year.

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The health overhaul package passed by the House Sunday and sent to the Senate for final action is the most far-reaching health legislation since the creation of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. A look at the impact of the entire package.

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In two interviews airing Sunday night, Tiger Woods acknowledged living "a lie," saying he alone was responsible for the sex scandal that caused his downfall, and that no one in his inner circle was aware of his misdeeds.

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Democrats appear confident they will have the 216 votes needed to pass a pair of bills designed to provide near-universal health insurance coverage. Republicans — unanimous in their opposition — describe the bills as "a disgrace."

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Frustrated with the lack of action to overhaul the country's immigration system, thousands of demonstrators rallied on the National Mall and marched through the streets of the capital Sunday, waving American flags and holding homemade signs in English and Spanish.

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Israel will not restrict construction in east Jerusalem, Israel's prime minister said Sunday hours before leaving for Washington, despite a clear U.S. demand that building there must stop and a crisis in relations between the two longtime allies.

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No. 1 seeds Syracuse, Duke and Kentucky will play on. But so will No. 12 seed Cornell, No. 11 seed Washington and No. 10 seed Saint Mary's — not to mention Kansas-killer Northern Iowa. Eight more teams advanced Sunday, including three from the Big Ten: Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue.

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Kansas is shocked in NCAA mens' basketball tournament, losing to Northern Iowa.

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Supporters of immigration overhaul are rallying on the National Mall in hopes their cause will be the next Congressional battle. They want a comprehensive rewrite of the immigration laws that would provide a path to citizenship for the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the country. But the politics of the immigration issue are complicated for both parties.

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No. 1-seeded Kansas was knocked out of the NCAA men's basketball tournament by 9th-seed Northern Iowa Saturday, and 11th-seed Washington ousted No. 3 New Mexico State. Host Liane Hansen talks to NPR's Tom Goldman about what has become a tournament filled with upsets.

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When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn him that an Israeli housing project in East Jerusalem is harming U.S. interests, a pro-Israel lobby in Washington was quick to accuse Clinton of blowing things out of proportion. AIPAC, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, called on the Obama administration to tone down the rhetoric. The Obama administration did get support, though, from a new pro-Israel lobby, J Street, which says Israel has to take steps to improve relations. It is against this backdrop that AIPAC opens its annual policy conference, a meeting where both Clinton and Netanyahu are expected to speak.

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It has been 30 years since one of the world's great puzzles came to this country. The multicolored device was called the Magic Cube when it first went on sale in a Budapest toyshop. But by 1980, the puzzle carried the name of its inventor, Hungarian architecture professor Erno Rubik. Host Liane Hansen takes a moment to note the toy's anniversary.

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Scientists have calculated that it actually makes sense to start intentional fires to keep down debris and undergrowth. Even though these prescribed fires do put carbon into the atmosphere, the scientists calculate it's less than what would go up in big wildfires.

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The Internal Revenue Service has always been a source of consternation for many Americans, but in tough economic times like these, the anger seems more strident. Anti-tax forces have called for the abolition of the agency; one man took out his rage by flying his small plane into an IRS building, killing himself and one employee. Host Liane Hansen speaks with Douglas Shulman, the IRS Commissioner, about what the agency is doing to help people struggling financially, as well as the IRS' efforts to keep employees safe.

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Host Liane Hansen speaks to Connie Hedegaard, the European Union Commissioner for Climate Action, about the EU's attempts to move forward on climate talks. Commissioner Hedegaard tells Liane how Europe has benefited from climate legislation, and what it might mean for the U.S.

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Saturday was the vernal equinox, the first moment of spring, and a time when the periods of light and dark are equal. Last year, Donna Henes greeted the spring equinox in a snowstorm at around 4 in the morning. But this year was different.

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