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Internet memes used to stick around for months on end (remember "Charlie Bit My Finger"?). But in 2012, the shelf-life of an Internet sensation became increasingly fleeting. Funny videos and games are now enjoying only brief moments in the cultural spotlight before they're forgotten.

NPR's Ron Elving and Don Gonyea join Weekend Edition Saturday guest host Linda Wertheimer to review seven-term Congressman Paul Ryan's record.

A power blackout recently disrupted electrical service across North India. While much of the area was without power, those who had generators went about their normal business. One generator company says business is so brisk because the state supply of energy is so weak.

Remember the command from TV ads through the spring and summer? "Tell President Obama to" stop spending, or increase oil production, or whatever. Those three little words are now largely gone, and for the same reason they were ever used: so groups running the ads can keep their donors secret.

A Facebook message, distributed during the 2010 United States congressional elections, influenced the voting behavior of millions of recipients and their friends. New research in the journal Nature highlights the potential of online social networks for shaping real-world behavior on a massive scale. Melissa Block talks to Shankar Vedantam.

As summer heads for fall: Serena Williams is poised to win again; football opens in earnest; and the real Olympic spirit is still on display. Host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Tom Goldman.

Some parts of the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa have HIV rates that are more than twice the national average. And clinics in the region are seeing another major problem: thousands of cases yearly of multi-drug-resistant TB.

What does the Internet look like? Journalist Andrew Blum decided to find out. His new book, Tubes, is a journey into the Internet's physical infrastructure — where our data is stored and transmitted.

California's state-run developmental centers are home to hundreds of developmentally disabled men and women. Reports of patient abuse at the centers jumped 40 percent between 2008 and 2010, and advocates say that abuse complaints — and even deaths — are not properly investigated.

Los Angeles has some 2 million uninsured residents. It has long had one of the most disorganized public health systems, too. Now, Dr. Mitch Katz is looking to reshape the system and match patients with their own doctors.