All Tech Considered
1:59 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

Google's Privacy Shift Powers New Customized Maps

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 11:15 am

This week, Google, already a leader in mapping, created more space between itself and its competitors by more deeply mining the data users provide the company when using its various services.

At the Google developers' conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, Daniel Graf, director of Google Maps, crowed about the company's mapping app for the iPhone — and couldn't quite stop himself from taking a dig at Apple.

"People called it sleek, simple, beautiful, and let's not forget, accurate," he said.

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The Two-Way
1:22 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

Obama: 'I Certainly Did Not Know' What The IRS Was Doing

Credit Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images
Rain fell Thursday during part of President Obama's joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Rose Garden of the White House.

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 7:39 pm

Update at 5:38 p.m. ET. One More IRS Official To Leave

Another official is out at the embattled agency.

The Associated Press reports that Joseph Grant, commissioner of the IRS' tax exempt and government entities division, will retire June 3. The division scrutinized Tea Party groups when the applied for tax-exempt status.

Update at 4:45 p.m. ET. Obama Names New IRS Acting Chief

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The Salt
1:15 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

How Trace Amounts of Arsenic End Up In Grocery Store Meat

Credit iStockphoto
Roxarsone, a drug linked to elevated levels of inorganic arsenic in chicken meat, is no longer used in broiler chicken farming, producers say. But another arsenic-based drug is still used to raise turkeys.

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 11:18 am

A study published online recently in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives documented slightly elevated levels of arsenic in samples of chicken purchased at grocery stores in 10 cities in the U.S.

So how did trace amounts of this toxin end up in supermarket poultry?

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Shots - Health News
1:04 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

Everybody In The Pool! But Please Leave The Poop Behind

Credit iStockphoto.com
Is it safe? The water in many public pools is contaminated with E. coli, a study finds.

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 12:53 pm

Perhaps you've noticed a toddler's sagging swim diaper and wondered if it's really keeping the poop out of your neighborhood pool.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has the answer for you: no.

Last summer, researchers at the federal public health agency collected 161 filter samples from public swimming pools in the Atlanta area. More than half of those samples, 58 percent, were contaminated with E. coli.

That, the CDC reported today, "signifies that swimmers introduced fecal matter into pool water."

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The Two-Way
12:37 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

After Daughter Is Taken, Mother Rams Abduction Suspect's Car

Credit Albuquerque Police
Police in Albuquerque say they want to question David Jesus Hernandez, 31, about the brief abduction of a little girl Wednesday.

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 3:41 pm

Police in Albuquerque, N.M., are interviewing a man they say is a "person of interest" in the abduction of a five-year-old girl. After the girl was taken Wednesday evening, her mother chased down and rammed the car she had been in; a suspect fled on foot. Authorities say the girl is safe; she was pushed out of the car shortly after being taken.

Update at 3:30 p.m. ET. 'Person Of Interest' Found:

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Parallels
12:26 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

Women In Combat: Some Lessons From Israel's Military

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 7:24 pm

As the U.S. moves to open up combat positions to women, it's catching up with other countries that have been doing it for years.

But the experience in these countries, including Israel, suggests that access to combat jobs doesn't lead directly to equal treatment within the ranks.

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The Two-Way
11:55 am
Thu May 16, 2013

Almost Nerd Wars: 'Doctor Who' & 'Star Wars' Fans Have Spat

Credit Lewis Whyld/Andrew Matthews / PA Photos/Landov
Darth Vader or The Doctor? Pick your champion.

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 4:20 pm

Some stories are indeed too good to be true.

This BBC headline had us punching the Two-Way control board to go to light speed in pursuit of appropriate puns:

"Star Wars and Doctor Who fans clash at Norwich convention"

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Shots - Health News
11:52 am
Thu May 16, 2013

Humans Scent Is Even Sweeter For Malaria Mosquitoes

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 1:13 pm

People smell yummy to mosquitoes.

So yummy, in fact, that our scent is a big way the pesky insects track us down.

But just how much mosquitoes like Eau de Human may not be entirely up to the bugs.

Mosquitoes are more attracted to human odors when they're infected with the malaria parasite, scientists reported Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE.

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The Two-Way
10:58 am
Thu May 16, 2013

David Beckham Retires From Soccer, Ending Storied Career

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 1:37 pm

David Beckham, who starred for Manchester United, Real Madrid and England's national team before heading to the United States and Paris, is retiring. The news was confirmed Thursday by England's Football Association.

The midfielder played his first game for Manchester United in 1992 and eventually rose to become captain of England's international team for more than 50 games, including several World Cup tournaments. He appeared in 115 matches for the squad.

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The Two-Way
10:53 am
Thu May 16, 2013

Berkshire Hathaway's Credit Rating Knocked Down A Notch

Credit Donald Bowers / Getty Images for Fortune
Warren Buffett.

Billionaire investment legend Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has had its credit rating lowered from AA+ to AA by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services.

In a statement, S&P says that even though Berkshire Hathaway has an "excellent business profile," the lower credit rating "better reflects our view of BRK's dependence on its core insurance operations for most of its dividend income." (S&P's statement is posted on its website, but you have to register to view it.)

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