Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Credit card reward boosts Target's bottom line, consumers' loyalty
  For the nine months ending in October, Target shoppers put about 5 percent of their purchases on Target REDcards -- nearly $2.4 billion. Based on Target's REDcard sales, a 5 percent discount could add up to $200 million in savings for consumers.6:20 a.m.
• Mark Seeley: Warmer weather on the way
  MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley about the consequences from a recent ice storm, and the forecast which includes warmer weather.6:50 a.m.
• High school football games become tougher to schedule
  Dozens of high school football teams across Minnesota are struggling with a growing problem -- scheduling games.7:20 a.m.
• Essay: Minnesota winters a rite of passage
  For people who move to Minnesota from warmer climates, the winters can be a trying time. But for poet Phillip Bryant, they were also a rite of passage. Bryant is a professor of English at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, and he sent us this essay.8:40 a.m.
• A painful history retold through jazz music
  Growing up, jazz guitarist David Becker heard stories of how the Japanese captured his Dutch grandparents during the invasion of Indonesia in World War II. On his new album "Batavia," he retells his family's adventures through music.8:45 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Leaks Help 'Black Friday' Shoppers Strategize
  It's "Black Friday" -- the day many retailers count on to lift them out of the red, and hopefully make a profit. It's also a day when holiday shoppers have come to expect big bargains. This year, some of the mystery was lost after scores of 'Black Friday" specials were leaked onto the Internet.
• Principal Underestimates Cost To Build New School
  Back in June, NPR's Planet Money team profiled a school in Haiti that was struggling. Listeners responded by donating $3,000 for a new building. And yet, months later, there's little more than a foundation.
• Will He? Won't He? Egypt's Voters Focus On Mubarak
  The president is not on Sunday's ballot in Egypt -- it is a vote to choose a new parliament. But the campaign has been dominated by questions of whether Hosni Mubarak will run again next year, and whether anyone can break the ruling party's lock on power.
• U.S.' Afghan Presence As Long As Soviet's Campaign
  The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan, as of Friday, has been fighting there for as long as the Soviets did in their attempt to build up a socialist state. The Soviet campaign lasted nine years and 50 days.
• Grocery Bag Lead Test Results Flummox Shoppers
  Recent reports about lead in reusable grocery bags have caused lots of dismay for consumers. Some are wondering if they should junk the bags and go back to paper or plastic.
• Siblings Find Support And Friendship In Each Other
  When Shannon Siegler asked her brother to move in and help with her new baby, she never anticipated their relationship would grow into the friendship they have today.
• Brotherly (And Sisterly) Love In The Animal World
  Like humans, sibling relationships in the animal world are often complex and surprising. Older elephants take care of youngsters, armadillos are born as identical quadruplets, and cattle egrets sometimes kill their siblings.
• Irish Bailout Pushes Euro Lower Against U.S. Dollar
  The Euro has fallen more than three cents against the dollar this week, after Ireland accepted an international bailout to help cover its massive debt. And now, the worry has shifted to Portugal and Spain. European officials insisted Friday that those countries will not require a bailout.
• Decades Later, Chinese Consumers' Tastes Change
  Chinese consumers are spending. Karl Gerth, a professor at Oxford University, tells Steve Inskeep that Chinese consumerism already is changing the world. He writes about it in a new book called As China Goes, So Goes the World: How Chinese Consumers are Transforming Everything.
• Firms Use Satellites To Monitor Shoppers' Spending
  If you're out hunting for bargains at the mall this "Black Friday," look up at the sky and wave for the camera. There are actually satellites, monitoring how enthusiastically shoppers are spending their money this holiday season.

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