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Saturday, February 16, 2013

U.S.

In Hometown Visit, Obama Advocates 'Common Sense' Approach To Guns

President Obama speaks about strengthening the middle class and the nation's struggle with gun violence at Hyde Park Academy in Chicago on Friday.

February 16, 2013 President Obama was in Chicago on Friday to address the scourge of gun violence that's plaguing that city and so many other parts of the country. It was one of several trips the president made this week to promote his second-term agenda.

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StoryCorps

In Loving Memory Of A Wife, Daughter And Fallen Soldier

Tracy Johnson and her mother-in-law, Sandra Johnson.

February 16, 2013 Tracy Johnson lost her wife to war, but she didn't lose her family.

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Europe

Activists Offer Protest Tour Of Spain's Modern Ruins

A protest banner in Valencia, Spain, reflects the view that the city's economic woes are a result of political corruption.

February 16, 2013 A new form of alternative tourism is cropping up across Europe, with people eager to see the shattered remains of the continent's boom-and-bust economy. In Valencia, Spain, those tours take tourists past the city's many deserted construction projects.

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The Papal Succession

Pope's Resignation An Opportunity For Africa's Cardinals

Priest Anthony Obanla says Mass at a church in Lagos, Nigeria. In Africa, where the Catholic Church continues to grow, worshipers and clergy hope to see one of their own rise to lead the faithful.

February 16, 2013 Pope Benedict's resignation kicks off a closely watched process to choose his successor. Some have put the odds on the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church coming from the Southern Hemisphere, and possibly from Africa, the fastest growing region for Catholicism in the world.

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Oscars 2013: The 85th Annual Academy Awards

'Argo': What Really Happened In Tehran? A CIA Agent Remembers

Ben Affleck played CIA agent Tony Mendez in Argo. The real Mendez says the movie is mostly spot on, even if the rescue at the end wasn't quite what the film depicts.

February 16, 2013 The political drama Argo is based on the real story of a CIA-planned rescue in revolutionary Iran. Experts say it gets most of the story right — but two men who were actually there say the end of the story was more complicated than Hollywood might think.

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Around the Nation

The 'Baby Dolls' Of Mardi Gras: A Fun Tradition With A Serious Side

The Baby Doll Ladies pose during Mardi Gras in New Orleans on Tuesday.

February 16, 2013 The baby dolls were born from racial segregation in New Orleans in 1912. A group of African-American prostitutes decided to express themselves through dance and costumes, challenging taboo by parading during Mardi Gras.

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The Two-Way

Coroner Says Dorner Died From Single Gunshot To Head

February 16, 2013 At a news conference, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon revealed new details about the final showdown with ex-cop Christopher Dorner that left one deputy dead and another seriously wounded. It's unclear whether the wound was self inflicted.

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Friday, February 15, 2013

The Two-Way

For Australian Observatory, Asteroid 2012 DA14 Was Their Time In The Spotlight

This image shows asteroid 2012 DA14 and the Eta Carinae Nebula, with the white box highlighting the asteroid's path. The image was taken using a 3" refractor equipped with a color CCD camera. The telescope is located at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia and is maintained and owned by iTelescope.net.

February 15, 2013 NASA TV transmitted a live feed of their telescope and they were tracking the asteroid — moving at 17,450 miles per hour — without the aid of a computer, which is not an easy task.

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The Salt

Romanian Horse Meat In British Lasagna Reveals Complex Global Food Trade

Not all countries in Europe shun horse meat, as the sign above this butcher shop in Paris attests. But horse-eating Europeans still don't like being swindled.

February 15, 2013 What's that horse meat doing in the Norwegian lasagna? The growing European food scandal shows that in a world where food trade seems borderless, old-fashioned quality controls remain critical.

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Shots - Health News

What Nuclear Bombs Tell Us About Our Tendons

Nuclear bomb tests like this one, conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1957, are helping scientists understand how the human body works.

February 15, 2013 The fallout from Cold War bomb tests is shedding light on why the Achilles tendon heals so poorly after injuries. By looking at carbon-14, scientists have found that tendon tissue in people who were alive during the tests hasn't changed much since they were youngsters.

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The Two-Way

Jesse Jackson Jr. Charged With Illegally Spending Campaign Funds

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) in 2009.

February 15, 2013 Jackson, the son of civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson, resigned from Congress last November. Prosecutors claim he spent some $750,000 of campaign funds on personal things like a Rolex watch and fur coats.

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The Two-Way

Caught Their Attention: House Committee Will Hold Hearing On Asteroids

In this photo provided by Chelyabinsk.ru a meteorite contrail is seen over Chelyabinsk on Friday.

February 15, 2013 Rep. Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas, said the meteor that hit Russia and the asteroid that buzzed Earth are a "stark reminder of the need to invest in space science."

Summary

Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond

After Sandy, Not All Sand Dunes Are Created Equal

Daniel Riscoe, Jenna Hart, Anthony Chau and Caroline Lloyd (all students from the Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J.) carry donated Christmas trees across Island Beach.

February 15, 2013 In New Jersey, thousands of discarded Christmas trees have dodged the wood chipper and hit the beach instead. They're being used to jump-start new dunes, but scientists warn that these man-made dunes could be less sturdy than dunes that form naturally.

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Shots - Health News

Popular Workout Booster Draws Safety Scrutiny

Some sports supplements contain the ingredient DMAA. The FDA has warned that DMAA may not be safe.

February 15, 2013 Exercise buffs who take dietary supplements with the ingredient know as DMAA say the stimulant gives them a boost of energy. But some researchers and the Food and Drug Administration are worried that these products could be dangerous.

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It's All Politics

President's New Voting Commission Greeted With Skepticism

Lines of voters wait to cast their ballots as the polls open in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Nov. 6.

February 15, 2013 So far, there are few details about the new commission aimed at fixing problems at the polls. But the reaction from voting-rights advocates has been lukewarm at best, while Republicans have been dismissive.

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