Commentary : NPR

After a museum conservator's lover dies, she becomes consumed with reanimating a 19th-century silver swan automaton. Critic Heller McAlpin says that Peter Carey's new novel is part historical, part fanciful and completely wonderful.

Summary

NPR Double Take

Double Take 'Toons: Da Do Ron Run?()

Ron Paul issued a statement saying "we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted." John Deering took it that Paul had suspended his run, but his campaign has denied it. It's crystal clear to Joel Pett why the Texas congressman hasn't dropped out.

Summary

Sweetness And Light

The American Way: Winners And Losers, And No Ties()

Real Salt Lake's Jonny Steele (right) trips Chicago Fire's Sebastian Grazzini during a Major League Soccer matchup. The game ended without a score — one of 11 ties each MLS team is likely to record this season.

It's not whether you win or lose — it's how you play the game. But Frank Deford says its downright un-American to have a tie in sports.

Summary

Krulwich Wonders...

Too Many Cooks, Not Enough Fish. What's The Solution?()

Aleksandra Kurzak, seated center, as Gretel in a scene from the opera "Hansel and Gretel" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

May 15, 2012 If we don't notice that animals are in deep decline, do we keep eating and eating until what is disappearing is gone permanently? Or do we unconsciously adjust?

Summary

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Liberating Embrace Of Uncertainty()

Mountains rise, mountains fall: change is constant.

May 15, 2012 In spite of all evidence to the contrary, we exhaust ourselves in an endless search for solidity and certainty. Commentator Adam Frank says, however, that release and happiness are the reward for people who accept the uncertain, ever-changing nature of the universe.

Summary

Opinion

Foreign Policy: Is A Greek Exit From The EU Possible?()

A euro coin and an old Greek drachma rest on a map of Greece. Some observers have predicted a Greek exit from the eurozone.

May 15, 2012 Remember when breaking up the eurozone was unthinkable? Uri Friedman of Foreign Policy has noticed several European officials who have "crossed the rubicon" and started discussing the possibility of a Greek exit, or, a Grexit.

Summary