speech news stories on Newser

China's Tibet Leader Makes Rare Speech

Matt Cantor — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:28:05 CDT

Tibetan Buddhism's second-highest leader—selected by China but not recognized by the Dalai Lama's supporters—spoke today in Hong Kong, appearing for the first time outside the Chinese mainland. The 22-year-old Gyaltsen Norbu, picked by China at age 6, offered thoughts on Buddhist philosophy as China works to gain Tibetan...

'Speechjammer' Gun Will Shut You Up

Evann Gastaldo — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:20:05 CST

Wouldn't it be nice if you could somehow force the people behind you at the movies to stop talking? With the "Speechjammer," a new "weapon" developed by Japanese scientists, you could. The speech-jamming gun works by recording speech, then playing it back after a delay of about 0.2 seconds—...

Scientists Get Step Closer to Decoding Our Thoughts

Rob Quinn — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:44:03 CST

Scientists have taken a big step toward being able to decode our thoughts. Researchers working with brain surgery patients taught computers to decipher the brain activity that takes place when words are heard. The brain, they found, breaks sounds down into their consistent acoustic frequencies. Using that computer model, they...

Finally, the Obama We Elected

Kevin Spak — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:50:09 CST

The speech President Obama gave last night in Osawatomie, Kansas, was the "most important economic speech of his presidency," writes former labor secretary Robert Reich. "Here, finally, is the Barack Obama many of us thought we had elected in 2008," one who actually fights Big Money the way Teddy and...

Obama Speech Echoes Teddy Roosevelt

Matt Cantor — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:28:23 CST

President Obama's latest role model appears to be Teddy Roosevelt, observes both CNN and Politico . Speaking today in the same city in Kansas where Roosevelt called for a "New Nationalism," Obama encouraged Americans to unite despite differences. "I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when...

Obama to GOP: Keep Your Word on Taxes

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:08:50 CST

President Obama continued his onslaught on congressional Republicans today, saying that Congress needs to extend a payroll tax cut in light of an economic recovery that's "still fragile" and middle class families who need the money. In a statement given from the White House this afternoon, Obama urged Republicans to...

Hey, Palin: Mock Polls at Your Own Risk

Matt Cantor — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 09:45:32 CDT

Sarah Palin took a moment to ridicule polls during her Iowa speech : “They’re for strippers and cross-country skiers,” she said. But “Palin (R-Snarklaska)” is in for a rude awakening, writes Jonathan Capehart in the Washington Post . “If the half-term Alaska governor gets into the race for president,, she’ll discover something...

Gay or Straight? How Vowels Can Out You

Tim Karan — Sun, 29 May 2011 09:22:55 CDT

If high-tech gaydar equipment existed, you probably wouldn't need it. People can pick up on male sexual orientation based solely on how men pronounce the letters a, e, i, o, and u, reports US News . Researchers at Ohio State University conducted a study to see whether strangers could tell if...

'Low Profile'? Bush Talks Rake in $15M

Matt Cantor — Fri, 20 May 2011 09:48:05 CDT

George W. Bush says he wants to stay under the radar these days—hence his refusal of Barack Obama's invitation to attend a Ground Zero ceremony following Osama bin Laden’s death. But that’s not keeping him from accepting six-figure speaking engagements, and plenty of them, the Daily Beast reports. Bush...