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Thursday, February 07, 2013

The Two-Way

Mr. Bean's Supercar Crash Racks Up $1.4 Million Repair Bill

Rowan Atkinson (in character as Mr. Bean) in 2007.

February 7, 2013 Rowan Atkinson crashed his McLaren F1 in 2011. It's been repaired and the bill set what news outlets say is a U.K. record.

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The Two-Way

NOAA Names Louis W. Uccellini As National Weather Service Director

Louis W. Uccellini.

February 7, 2013 Uccellini is a 24-year veteran of the service. He takes over at a time when the service is reeling from budget and personelle controversies.

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Science

Blocking Iran With A Global Game Of Nuclear 'Keep Away'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (center) visits a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, Iran, in 2008. Enriching uranium requires many fast-spinning centrifuges, arranged in what's called a cascade.

February 7, 2013 Obtaining the materials to make weapons-grade uranium or separated plutonium is harder than making a nuclear weapon, experts say. That's why the U.S. is engaged in a global effort to try to keep the specialized products out of hands it deems dangerous, like Iran.

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Art & Design

New York's Grimy Garment District Hatches Designers' Dreams

From West 24th to West 42nd Street, New York's Seventh Avenue is also known as "Fashion Avenue." It's home to major designers as well as those who are just starting out, like Ann Yee and Daniel Vosovic.

February 7, 2013 As Fashion Week opens in New York on Thursday, all eyes will be on the Lincoln Center catwalk. But the real business of fashion will be happening a short distance away in the city's Garment District, the resource-rich laboratory that has launched the careers of countless designers.

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Asia

Move Over James Bond, China Has An Unlikely Box-Office Champ

The surprise hit Lost in Thailand, a road comedy that cost less than $5 million to make, has become China's highest-grossing domestic film.

February 7, 2013 Hollywood blockbusters usually do well in China. But last year, Lost in Thailand, a scrappy, slapstick comedy that cost less than $5 million to make, raked in $200 million in just seven weeks. It's now the highest-grossing Chinese film ever. It begins a limited run in the U.S. on Friday.

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It's All Politics

Rubio's Job: Play Second Fiddle To The President, And Don't Mess Up

Sen. Marco Rubio, shown in November, has been chosen to deliver the GOP response to President Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday.

February 7, 2013 The State of the Union address has always been a tough act to follow, no matter who delivers the opposing party's response. Since the first response was televised in 1966, it has often seemed doomed to be ignored and forgotten.

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Science

Fresh Clues In Dinosaur Whodunit Point To Asteroid

Scientists have confirmed that the impact of a giant asteroid and the mass extinction of the dinosaurs happened at the same time.

February 7, 2013 What killed the dinosaurs? It's history's ultimate murder mystery, and for decades the prime suspect has been a giant asteroid. New data suggest that it struck right before the extinction. But scientists say it still may not tell the full story of what happened to the dinosaurs.

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Shots - Health News

Catholic Bishops Reject Compromise On Contraceptives

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the administration's attempted compromise on contraceptive coverage is unacceptable.

February 7, 2013 The administration's proposal calls for insurance companies to provide contraceptive and sterilization coverage, rather than hospitals, universities and charities affiliated with religious groups. The approach failed to satisfy leaders of the Catholic Church.

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Asia

American Woman Gives Domestic Abuse A Face, And Voice, In China

Lee, the American wife of "Crazy English" founder Li Yang, leaves court after a session for her divorce trial in Beijing last March. Earlier this month, she was granted a divorce, as well as a restraining order against Li.

February 7, 2013 Kim Lee posted a photo of her battered face online, and has become a national icon in China. She won a divorce, a financial settlement and a restraining order against her Chinese husband, a famous author and English teacher.

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The Two-Way

Makeup Artist Who Created Yoda Dies; Stuart Freeborn Was 98

One of makeup artist Stuart Freeborn's best-known characters, Yoda.

February 7, 2013 Though he may be best known for his work on Star Wars, Freeborn was already a makeup legend before those movies were made. He worked on Oliver Twist, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey and other classics.

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Shots - Health News

Botulism From 'Pruno' Hits Arizona Prison

If you must make pruno, avoid potatoes.

February 7, 2013 Inmates at a maximum security prison in Arizona were stricken with botulism after consuming homemade hooch that's called "pruno" inside the big house. Potatoes appear to be the source of the problem in two separate outbreaks.

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The Two-Way

Oh, Poop! Animal Shelter May Still Need More Newspapers

A dog eagerly awaits adoption in an animal shelter.

February 7, 2013 San Francisco's library system responded to the city shelter's need for newspapers with donations of its used copies. But dogs are "poop machines," as a shelter spokesman says. So the problem may not be quite solved.

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The Two-Way

NTSB Says Regulators Should Reconsider Approval Of Dreamliner Battery

Pieces of damaged electrode coils from a battery cell that resulted in a fire aboard a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane at Logan International Airport in Boston.

February 7, 2013 What Boeing told the FAA about the risks involving the lithium-ion battery aboard the plane have proved different in practice. Because of the battery issue, the 50 Dreamliners in service around world have been grounded.

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The Two-Way

NFL's Gregg Williams, Who Orchestrated Bounty Program, Is Reinstated

Gregg Williams, then a coach with the New Orleans Saints, in August 2011.

February 7, 2013 The Tennessee Titans have hired the former Saints defensive coordinator as a senior assistant coach. Last year, the league vacated the punishments of four players involved in "bountygate."

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The Two-Way

What Nations Were The Most Forward-Looking In 2012?

The Future Orientation index shows a strong correlation between Internet activity and its gross domestic product. Countries in blue are deemed forward-looking.

February 7, 2013 Germany was the world's most future-oriented country in 2012, followed by Switzerland and Japan, according to the "Future Orientation Index," which is based on Google searches. Scientists say the index is "strongly correlated" to economic health.

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