12:13am

Thu March 29, 2012
Business

National Trend 'Mobs' Local Businesses With Cash

Originally published on Thu March 29, 2012 3:36 am

You may have heard of "flash mobs," where a mass of people invade a public space to make a scene. Now the idea has been turned on its head by "cash mobs," where large crowds of consumers show up at small businesses to spend money. But it's not just about propping up the local economy.

It's 5 o'clock on a Friday, and mostly quiet in the Lander's Men's Store, a mom-and-pop clothing store in Jamestown, N.Y. But shop owner Ann Powers is anticipating a mob.

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12:11am

Thu March 29, 2012
Around the Nation

Can A Small Town Survive Without Its Bank?

Credit Sarah Harris / VPR

Alburgh, Vt., is a town with unusual geography: It's on a peninsula that borders Quebec and is surrounded by Lake Champlain. Even though the town is small and isolated, its residents have always had somewhere to do their banking.

But in January, the People's United Bank branch on Main Street announced it was closing its doors. When Irene Clarke heard the news, she decided to do something about it.

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12:05am

Thu March 29, 2012
Planet Money

The $200,000-A-Year Nanny

Credit iStockphoto.com

I met Zenaide Muneton in the offices of the Pavillion Agency in New York, which specializes in hiring house staff for some of the richest folks in the country. Muneton says she knows how to make everything fun for kids, even homework, and that's why she is one of the better paid nannies at the agency. I asked her what that means.

"It means over $150,000 a year," Muneton said.

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12:00am

Thu March 29, 2012
Obama's record

Today on Your Call: How do you rate President Obama’s record so far?

On the next Your Call, with the election cycle well under way, we'll have a debate about President Obama’s record on healthcare, the environment, and US foreign policy. We'll be joined by Joshua Frank, co-editor of Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion, and Faiz Shakir, vice president of the Center for American Progress. How do you assess President Obama's record thus far? Join us at 10 or email feedback@yourcallradio.org.

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8:59pm

Wed March 28, 2012
Bluegrass Signal

Earl Scruggs remembered on "Bluegrass Signal"

On Saturday (3/31) from 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Bluegrass Signal producer Peter Thompson hosts Bay Area banjo players Larry Cohea, Bill Evans, Avram Siegel, and Ryan Breen to honor and reflect on the contributions of Earl Scruggs, who died on Wednesday.  As a member of Bill Monroe's "classic" Blue Grass Boys, co-leader with Lester Flatt of the music's most influential band, the Foggy Mt.

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6:40pm

Wed March 28, 2012
The Record

Bluegrass Legend Earl Scruggs Has Died

6:00pm

Wed March 28, 2012
YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS

Employment Law - Mandatory Arbitration

Chuck Finney is joined by Employment Law attorneys Cliff Palefsky and Fred Alvarez.

4:21pm

Wed March 28, 2012
Crosscurrents

Crosscurrents: March 28, 2012

A special Crosscurrents on the 1990 bombing of Earth First activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney.

4:11pm

Wed March 28, 2012
The Two-Way

Female Volleyball Players Can Cover Up For Olympics

Shorts and long-sleeved tops will be OK at the London Olympics' beach volleyball tournament.

That's what the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has decided: Women won't have to wear the bikinis and bodysuits that have been the norm at previous Olympics.

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3:33pm

Wed March 28, 2012
The Two-Way

FBI Pulls Offensive Counterterrorism Training Materials

The FBI has completed a review of offensive training material and has purged 876 pages and 392 presentations, according to a briefing provided to lawmakers.

The office of Sen. Richard Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, made the briefing public when it sent a letter addressed to Robert Mueller, the director of the FBI.

According to the letter (pdf), which is dated March 27, the FBI gave the senator an opportunity to review a "handful" of the material.

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