Morning Edition archive

Thursday, May 17, 2012

The Salt

How To Make Healthy Eating Easier On The Wallet? Change The Calculation

Dried beans and legumes are healthy and cheap.

Legumes, lentils and beans are good for you, and end up costing less than unhealthy food when you calculate the price per average amount consumed. A new USDA study shows eating healthy is not more expensive, people just need to make the right calorie choices.

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Middle East

After Palestinian Prison Deal, A Push For Nonviolence

Israeli soldiers stand in front of Palestinian and foreign activists during a demonstration on the 64th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel, at the Hawara checkpoint outside Nablus, West Bank, on Tuesday.

Palestinian prisoners ended a mass hunger strike aimed at improving conditions in Israeli prisons after reaching a deal with Israeli authorities this week. The success has some Palestinians calling for a greater emphasis on nonviolence in their opposition to Israeli policies.

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Europe

'Dire Consequences' If Greece Exits Euro

People walk past the Bank of Greece headquarters in Athens.

Depositors in Greece are nervous about the possibility, and euros are being drained from the country's banks at a rate of up to $1 billion a day this week. The new election scheduled for June isn't boosting much confidence, either. But with so much at stake, is it possible for leaders to prevent an exit?

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Shots - Health Blog

Alaska Targets An Old Foe: Tuberculosis

Kotzebue, Alaska, is a remote arctic community of some 3,000 people. Alaska public health official Dr. Michael Cooper says that when he worked here three years ago, he occasionally saw patients with classic symptoms of tuberculosis — but he failed to make the connection.

APRNUntil 1950, tuberculosis was the No. 1 cause of death in Alaska. Today, many Alaskans still carry the bacteria that can cause the disease. That helps explain why last year, the state had the highest TB rates in the nation. A small team of health workers is trying to turn that around.

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The Salt

Betting Better Fake Chicken Meat Will Be As Good As The Real Thing

Those who've tried it say fake chicken salad looks and tastes like the real thing.

A new Maryland company is betting that its mixture of soy, pea powder, carrot fiber and gluten-free flour tastes a lot like real chicken. Beyond Meat plans to expand into fake pork and ground beef next.

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The Fracking Boom: Missing Answers

Fracking's Methane Trail: A Detective Story

A natural gas drilling rig's lights shimmer in the evening light near Silt, Colo.

Four years ago, an atmospheric scientist near Boulder, Colo., stumbled on surprising air pollution data: The region's levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, were far higher than anyone would have expected. What was going on? The search for an answer led straight to the natural gas and oil fields of northern Colorado.

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Afghanistan

Afghan Justice: A Brief Trial, A Lengthy Sentence

Afghanistan is struggling to develop its court system, and public trials are still relatively rare. Here, an Afghan man named Mahmood (standing, right) listens to a court judge during his trial in the western city of Herat on Jan. 24. He had photos of NATO bases in Afghanistan and was sentenced to 16 years for spying for Iran.

After decades of war, Afghanistan doesn't have much of a legal system. The Afghan government is struggling to set up a court system and public trials. But it's a slow effort, and the Taliban sometimes offer their own brand of justice.

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