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The Two-Way
8:34 am
Wed February 6, 2013

Book News: Chick-Lit Icon Bridget Jones Returns

Credit Universal Studios
Renee Zellweger in a scene from Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 9:53 am

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

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The Two-Way
7:27 am
Wed February 6, 2013

Boy Scouts Debate Accepting Gays; Pentagon May Extend Some Benefits

Credit Tom Pennington / Getty Images
A statue outside the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas.

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 10:48 am

  • From 'Morning Edition': Kathy Lohr on the Boy Scouts' debate

(We updated the top of this post at 10:45 a.m. ET.)

The Boy Scouts of America now intends to vote in May about whether its troops should be allowed to accept gay members and leaders, a spokesman says.

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Around the Nation
7:27 am
Wed February 6, 2013

Manti Te'o Deletes Twitter Account

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 10:51 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm David Greene.

Manti Te'o won't be tricked again - at least not on Twitter. Te'o's the Notre Dame football player who says he met his girlfriend online. The woman wasn't real, and Te'o says he was the victim of a hoax. He's now deleted his Twitter account. The page had included a quote from author Alexander Dumas: "Life is a storm. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes."

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Around the Nation
7:23 am
Wed February 6, 2013

Conn. Congressman Wants Correction To 'Lincoln'

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 10:51 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep.

The movie "Lincoln" has many fans in Washington. It's reassuring, since the film's politicians shaving the truth and bending the law are doing it for a higher purpose. But Connecticut Joe Courtney is not happy. The film shows Connecticut lawmakers voting to uphold slavery. Courtney looked it up. He found his state's real-life lawmakers voted to abolish slavery in 1865. So he's asking director Steven Spielberg for a correction.

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Around the Nation
5:36 am
Wed February 6, 2013

In Dallas, Boy Scouts Debate Opening Membership To Gays

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 10:51 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Leadership of the Boy Scouts of America may take an important vote today. The organization's executive board is wrapping up a meeting in Dallas, and they're talking about whether to drop their policy banning gay leaders and gay scouts. Activists delivered petitions with more than 1.4 million signatures to the national headquarters this week calling for the Boy Scouts to open up the organization.

NPR's Kathy Lohr reports that the issue has ignited a passionate debate about what the 100-year-old group should do.

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Around the Nation
5:36 am
Wed February 6, 2013

Feds Bust Huge Credit Fraud Ring

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 10:51 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We're also tracking a story that federal authorities call one of the biggest credit card fraud rings in U.S. history. Eighteen people are alleged to have created an elaborate web of fake identities and sham companies to steal hundreds of millions of dollars.

NPR's Dan Bobkoff has more.

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Economy
5:36 am
Wed February 6, 2013

Cities Must Strategize To Boost Service Workers' Pay

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 10:51 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Let's look at the economy in another way. The urban scholar Richard Florida has found a problem with the way our cities are evolving.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

He's famous for studying the creative class, his term for millions of entrepreneurs, writers, thinkers, engineers, the innovators who make an economy grow.

INSKEEP: Florida says cities become more prosperous when those innovators are concentrated there.

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All Tech Considered
3:05 am
Wed February 6, 2013

Using 3-D Printers To Make Gun Parts Raises Alarms

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 2:48 pm

You may have heard about 3-D printing, a technological phenomenon that uses a robotic arm to build objects one layer at a time. As people get imaginative and create items in a one-stop-shop fashion, one more creation has been added to the printing line: gun parts.

On the West Side of Manhattan, behind large glass windows, a dozen 3-D printers build plastic toys and jewelry. Hilary Brosnihan, a manager at 3DEA, an events company that sponsored a print pop-up store, says things are moving rapidly.

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All Tech Considered
3:01 am
Wed February 6, 2013

Is Online Gambling Legal If Bitcoins, Not Dollars, Are At Stake?

Credit NPR
An image depicts the SatoshiDice website, which exclusively uses Bitcoin, not dollars, for gambling.

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 10:51 am

With no government ties, Bitcoin is used to buy everything from blogging services to Brooklyn-made cupcakes. Theoretically, millions of dollars are being kept in the digital currency, and it's increasingly being used by specialized online gambling websites. But is Bitcoin gambling legal?

Purely in the interests of journalism, I decided to get my hands on some of the currency. When I did so, Bitcoin, which has been around for a few years now, was fetching around $17 on most exchange sites. It has since risen to more than $20.

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Puerto Rico: A Disenchanted Island
2:58 am
Wed February 6, 2013

Puerto Rico's Battered Economy: The Greece Of The Caribbean?

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 10:51 am

Puerto Rico's population is declining. Faced with a deteriorating economy, increased poverty and a swelling crime rate, many citizens are fleeing the island for the U.S. mainland. In a four-part series, Morning Edition explores this phenomenon, and how Puerto Rico's troubles are affecting its people and other Americans in unexpected ways.

Edward Bonet's mom no longer tries to convince him to join her in Florida. Unlike his family, the 23-year-old from Puerto Rico refuses to leave the island and its shattered economy.

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The Salt
2:56 am
Wed February 6, 2013

New Hampshire Cuts Red Tape To Put Nanobreweries On Tap

Credit Emily Corwin / NHPR
Throwback Brewery co-owner Nicole Carrier and assistant brewer Chris Naro pour beer for customers at their North Hampton, N.H., taproom.

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 10:51 am

As beer drinkers demand increasingly obscure beers with ingredients like jalapenos or rhubarb, smaller and smaller breweries are stepping up to the plate. New Hampshire is one state helping these brewery startups get off the ground, with new laws that make it easier for small-scale breweries to obtain licenses and distribute their craft beers.

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Sweetness And Light
2:01 am
Wed February 6, 2013

It's The Dog Days For America's Sports Dynasties

Credit John Moore / Getty Images
Maltipoo Shaggy is dressed as a Yankees fan at the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York City last year. Commentator Frank Deford says the Yankees are turning into a home for the assisted living.

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 10:51 am

Since that devilish little morality saga with Linda Evans and Joan Collins left television in 1989, there have been no dynasties in our world outside of sports.

Today, nobody says that William and Kate are continuing a dynasty or the Kennedys are a dynasty, or the Rockefellers, or even that dreadful ugly chubby family in North Korea.

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Business
7:17 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

S&P Lawsuit Puts Ratings Firms Back In The Spotlight

Credit Henny Ray Abrams / AP
In a lawsuit, the Justice Department alleges Standard and Poor's misled investors with fraudulent credit ratings. The agency could seek more than $5 billion in damages.

The Justice Department said Tuesday it could seek more than $5 billion in damages from Standard & Poor's, the nation's biggest credit ratings company, a day after it sued the company, alleging that S&P defrauded investors by giving triple-A ratings to risky subprime mortgage investments.

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It's All Politics
6:03 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Viral Story About Free WiFi Spotlights Mostly Hidden Policy War

Credit Jacquelyn Martin / AP
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski last year warned of a "war on Wi-Fi."

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 12:48 pm

(Revised on 2/6/1013 at 12:28 pm ET to include FCC comment.)

In Washington, there's always one kind of alleged war or another against some group or idea — the war on women, the war on religion and the war on the Second Amendment come quickly to mind.

This week, many of us became aware of another supposed conflict we had never heard of: essentially, a war on Wi-Fi.

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Europe
6:02 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Bulgaria Links Hezbollah To Deadly Attack On Israelis

Originally published on Sun February 10, 2013 8:51 am

Bulgarian authorities say they have evidence the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah financed and carried out a bomb attack at a Black Sea resort town last year, killing five Israeli tourists and one Bulgarian citizen.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov said it was an extremely intensive investigation.

"The results of that investigation leads to a number of persons who are connected to the military wing of Hezbollah," he said.

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Middle East
5:38 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

For The First Time In Decades, Iran's President Visits Egypt

Credit Amr Nabil / AP
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits an Islamic shrine Tuesday in Cairo. He became the first Iranian leader to visit Egypt since the 1970s.

Originally published on Tue February 5, 2013 6:36 pm

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday became the first Iranian leader to visit Egypt since the 1970s, the latest sign of the thawing of relations between the rival Muslim nations.

Ahmadinejad received a red-carpet welcome as Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi greeted him on the tarmac at Cairo International Airport with a kiss on each cheek.

Under Egypt's former leader, Hosni Mubarak, a visit like this would never have happened.

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It's All Politics
5:02 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Even When They Qualify For Citizenship, Few Mexican Immigrants Seek It

While a path to citizenship is a central component of proposed changes to the nation's immigration laws, most Mexican immigrants now eligible for U.S. citizenship don't obtain it, according to a new study.

The Pew Hispanic Center report found that only about 36 percent of eligible Mexicans take the steps to become U.S. citizens, compared to 68 percent of all other immigrants.

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Shots - Health News
4:59 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Aggressive Care Still Common For Dying Seniors, Despite Hospice Uptick

Credit J. Pat Carter / AP
Joe Takach comforts his friend Lillian Landry, as she spends her last days in the hospice wing of a hospital in Oakland Park, Fla., in 2009.

Although federal data show that fewer Medicare beneficiaries are dying in hospitals that doesn't mean they're getting a lot less medical care in their final days, new research suggests.

Even as deaths in acute-care hospitals declined between 2000 and 2009, the use of intensive care units in the final 30 days of life increased, as did short-term hospice use. The rate of changes to care for these patients, such as transfers within the last three days of life, also increased.

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The Record
4:56 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Reg Presley, The Voice Of 'Wild Thing,' Dies

Credit Petra Niemeier — K & K / Redferns
Reg Presley in Hamburg, circa 1965.

Originally published on Tue February 5, 2013 6:36 pm

The Two-Way
4:49 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Did Ninjas Use Throwing Stars? A Conversation About Ninja Realities

Credit Toshifumi Kitamura / AFP/Getty Images
An authentic master of ninjutsu martial art, Kazuki Ukita poses in Ninja costume at the Ninja museum's Ninja residence in the small ancient city of Ueno.

Originally published on Tue February 5, 2013 5:31 pm

Our friends at On Point had a fascinating discussion today with the author of a new book about ninjas.

Here's what Sam Gale Rosen, On Point's producer, told us:

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Business
4:48 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Why Is It So Hard To Make A 100 Percent American Hand Dryer?

Originally published on Tue February 5, 2013 8:17 pm

Fifteen years ago, Denis Gagnon bought a company that made a product nobody really liked: hand dryers. But he quickly managed to turn Massachusetts-based Excel Dryer into an innovator with the Xlerator — a high-speed dryer that cut drying time from more than 30 seconds to less than 15.

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Music Reviews
4:48 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Reissued And Relevant, Marcos Valle's '70s Bossa Nova Returns

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Marcos Valle in Los Angeles in 1968.

Originally published on Tue February 5, 2013 6:36 pm

Marcos Valle wasn't identified with Brazil's influential Tropicalia movement during the 1960s and 1970s. But, like his peers Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, he made ambitious and subversive pop music during those years, mixing American soul and rock with samba, bossa nova and other Brazilian styles.

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The Two-Way
4:39 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

White House Says Obama Will Visit Israel This Spring

Originally published on Sun February 10, 2013 8:49 am

President Obama will make his first presidential visit to Israel this spring, the White House announced this afternoon.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney did not give an indication of date, but he said that Obama will also visit the West Bank and Jordan during the trip.

As The Washington Post points out, the trip comes at a time when Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations have stalled. The Post reports:

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Shots - Health News
4:19 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Exercise Can Be Good For The Heart, And Maybe For Sperm, Too

Credit David M. Phillips / Science Source
Human sperm race to fertilize an egg.

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 10:39 am

Guys, it may be time to get off the couch and hit the treadmill — especially if you want to have kids.

Okay, we all know that exercise is good for us. It can reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, to name a few benefits. Now researchers say physical activity may also help keep sperm healthy and happy.

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The Salt
4:19 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Mixing Alcohol With Diet Soda May Make You Drunker

Credit iStockphoto
The rum in that Cuba libre will hit your bloodstream faster if it's mixed with diet cola.

Originally published on Mon February 11, 2013 4:36 pm

Looking to cut back on the calories in your cocktail by mixing, say, diet soda and rum? Well, get ready for the buzz.

According to the results of a new study, this combination will leave you drunker than if you'd mixed the liquor with a sugary, caloric mixer.

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The Two-Way
3:52 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

U.S. Says It Has No Plans To Charge Lance Armstrong

Credit Getty Images
Lance Armstrong during a January interview with Oprah Winfrey regarding the controversy surrounding his cycling career.

The Department of Justice said today that it was sticking by its decision not to pursue any charges against cyclist Lance Armstrong.

"We made a decision on that case a little over a year ago. Obviously, we've been well aware of the statements that have been made by Mr. Armstrong in other media reports. That does not change my view at this time," André Birotte, a U.S. attorney based in Los Angeles, said according to Reuters.

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The Two-Way
3:50 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

5 Questions About Memo On Targeted Killings

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 6:48 am

A confidential Justice Department memo obtained by NBC News outlines legal theories the Obama administration has used to justify killing American citizens abroad. Here are five key questions and answers about the document:

1) What is it?

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Middle East
2:57 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

Through Social Media, Tracking Rape In Syria

Credit John Cantlie / AFP/Getty Images
Syrian women walk through a market area in the northern city of Aleppo last November. A new website is documenting the use of rape in the Syrian conflict.

Originally published on Tue February 5, 2013 8:17 pm

Rape has long been a weapon of war, but documenting sexual violence usually happens after a conflict is over. Researchers are taking a new path with the Syrian conflict: tracking the incidents of rape as they occur.

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The Two-Way
2:46 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

British House Of Commons Passes Bill Legalizing Gay Marriage

Credit Oli Scarff / Getty Images
Snow falls on the Houses of Parliament in London in January.

By an overwhelming majority, the British House of Commons passed a bill that legalizes gay marriage. The bill is expected to become law because it is supported by Prime Minister David Cameron.

The House passed the bill with a vote of 400 to 175.

The CBC reports:

"Same-sex civil partnerships have been allowed in the U.K. for eight years. One of the more high-profile unions is between musician Elton John and his Canadian partner, David Furnish.

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It's All Politics
2:40 pm
Tue February 5, 2013

In Florida, An Email Trail On Redistricting Raises Questions

Originally published on Tue February 5, 2013 3:42 pm

Florida voters in 2010 approved constitutional amendments by nearly 2-to-1 margins that forbade state legislators from coordinating with political parties or favoring incumbents when drawing new congressional districts.

So what did lawmakers in Tallahassee do? The Republican leaders in charge of drawing new maps coordinated with Republican Party consultants to protect Republican incumbents.

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