World
12:14 pm
Wed December 21, 2011

2011 Has Been A Rough Year For Dictators

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 11:11 am

Dictators suddenly seem to have a lot less longevity. This year, several of the world's longest-serving autocrats have either died or been ousted from power.

The death of North Korea's Kim Jong Il from heart failure had nothing to do with the Arab uprisings that ousted four leaders who had been in power for decades — Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Moammar Gadhafi of Libya, Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia.

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Shots - Health Blog
12:02 pm
Wed December 21, 2011

After 25 Years In Woman's Stomach, A Pen Still Writes

Originally published on Tue December 27, 2011 10:32 am

You might have heard about the case on Wednesday's Morning Edition.

Twenty-five years ago, a British woman who saw a spot on a tonsil tried to get a better look using a pen and a mirror. She slipped and the pen went down her throat.

Neither the woman's husband nor her doctor believed her. X-rays at the time didn't detect the pen. Now, "they are eating their words," as NPR's Linda Wertheimer put it.

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Anti-Government Protests Roil Egypt
11:40 am
Wed December 21, 2011

A Foreign Correspondent Reflects On The Arab Spring

Veteran war correspondent Anthony Shadid spent much of the past decade in Baghdad covering the Iraq war, first for The Washington Post and then for The New York Times. Last December, Shadid left Baghdad for his home in Beirut, Lebanon, where he's been based for more than a decade.

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The Two-Way
11:20 am
Wed December 21, 2011

Criminal Charges For English Soccer Star John Terry Over Alleged Racial Abuse

Credit Nick Potts / AP
John Terry, right, and opponent Anton Ferdinand during the English Premier League on Oct. 23 in which it's alleged that Terry hurled a racial slur at Ferdinand. Terry denies doing that. He's going to face criminal charges.

Originally published on Wed December 21, 2011 11:22 am

One of England's biggest soccer stars is going to face criminal charges for allegedly aiming a racial slur at an opponent.

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Presidential Candidates: Did You Know?
10:52 am
Wed December 21, 2011

5 Things You May Not Know About Jon Huntsman

He is former governor of Utah and the namesake of a very rich man. His father, a Salt Lake City bazillionaire, owns a chemical company that really blossomed when it created packaging for McDonald's Big Macs. His father also served in the Nixon administration, so Jon Huntsman Jr. lived in Washington as a young boy.

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Shots - Health Blog
10:49 am
Wed December 21, 2011

Patients Want To Read Doctors' Notes, But Many Doctors Balk

Credit iStockphoto.com
Wouldn't you love to know what she's jotting down? Of course you would.

Doctors write about their patients all the time, in notes detailing office visits and treatments. But for patients, those notes are a closed book.

Maybe the doctor has scribbled that the patient was "difficult," as Elaine discovered when she peeked at her chart in a memorable Seinfeld episode. When her dermatologist saw her snooping, he grabbed the chart out of her hands.

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The Two-Way
10:30 am
Wed December 21, 2011

Sales Of Existing Homes Rose In November; Previous Years Revised Down

Credit David McNew / Getty Images
A "sold" sign outside a home in Pasadena, Calif., in September 2009. New data show fewer such sales that year.

While it says sales of existing homes rose 4 percent in November from October and were 12.2 percent above the level of November 2010, the National Association of Realtors also reported today that revisions to its data show there were about 2.9 million fewer homes sold from the start of 2007 through the end of 2010 than previously thought.

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The Salt
9:57 am
Wed December 21, 2011

South Dakota Buffalo Farmers Relish Bison Meat Boom

Credit Charles Michael Ray/SDPB
Shane Brown, a butcher with the Wild Idea Buffalo Company, labels packages of ground bison.

2011 wasn't a banner year for the stock market, and anyone heavily invested in the Euro zone might be biting their nails right now. But if your business is buffalo, you may be looking at some very happy holidays.

The buffalo market is booming. Look no further than the buffalo ambling across the wide open South Dakota prairie munching on grass as they go. Bison raised on grass don't require corn or grains to fatten up. That's part of why they're seen by many as better for the environment.

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The Two-Way
9:45 am
Wed December 21, 2011

Army Charges 8 Soldiers In Connection With Private's Death In Afghanistan

Charges including negligent homicide, involuntary manslaughter and dereliction of duty have been brought against eight American soldiers in connection with what was thought to be the Oct.

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