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The Two-Way
8:30 am
Thu October 11, 2012

It's Vice Night: Biden, Ryan Set For Face-off In Only Vice Presidential Debate

Credit Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images
Crews put finishing touches on the stage for the vice presidential debate at the Norton Center at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.

Originally published on Thu October 11, 2012 9:37 am

Tonight, Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan are set for a one-on-one, 90-minute debate in Danville, Ky. It's the one and only VP candidate debate of the campaign and after what has been conclusively deemed a bad performance by President Obama during the first presidential debate, all eyes are on Biden.

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The Two-Way
7:32 am
Thu October 11, 2012

Chinese Author, Mo Yan, Awarded 2012 Nobel Prize In Literature

Credit J. Kolfhaus, Gymn. Marientha
Mo Yan.

Originally published on Thu October 11, 2012 7:53 am

Mo Yan, the Chinese author, was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature this morning.

Mo Yan, the Nobel committee wrote, uses his "hallucinatory realism" to merge "folk tales, history and the contemporary."

"Through a mixture of fantasy and reality, historical and social perspectives, Mo Yan has created a world reminiscent in its complexity of those in the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel García Márquez, at the same time finding a departure point in old Chinese literature and in oral tradition," the committee explained in its citation.

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The Two-Way
6:49 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Honoring Slain SEAL's Mom's Request, Romney Will Drop Story On Stump

Credit AP
This undated photo provided by Mark and Kate Quigley shows Glen Doherty, who died in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya.

The campaign of Gov. Mitt Romney says the Republican presidential candidate will no longer tell the story of meeting Navy SEAL Glen Doherty, who was killed during the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Romney revealed during his stump speeches that he met Doherty at a Christmas party he crashed in his San Diego neighborhood.

In a campaign event in Iowa, yesterday, Romney choked up when he retold the story.

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The Two-Way
6:22 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Man Involved With Muhammad Film Denies He Violated Probation

Credit Mona Shafer Edwards / AP
This Sept. 27, file courtroom sketch shows Mark Basseley Youssef, right, talking with his attorney Steven Seiden in court.

A man who admitted he was involved in the making of the film Innocence of Muslims says he did not violate his probation.

Mark Basseley Youssef made a court appearance today not for making the film that resulted in protests throughout the Muslim world but for his 2010 conviction of bank and credit card fraud, The Los Angeles Times reports.

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Shots - Health Blog
5:48 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Romney's Remarks On Abortion Cause A Stir

Credit Evan Vucci / AP
Mitt Romney's comments on abortion have surprised those on both sides of the issue.

Originally published on Thu October 11, 2012 9:22 am

Just how many abortion positions does Mitt Romney have? Once again, that answer is unclear.

This time the confusion began Tuesday, during a meeting with the editorial board of the Des Moines Register.

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The Two-Way
5:24 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

A Rare Case: Canadian Navy Officer Pleads Guilty To Selling Secrets To Russians

Credit Mike Dembeck / AP
Sub.-Lt. Jeffrey Delisle is escorted into Nova Scotia provincial court in Halifax in June.

Canada is not used to high profile spy cases. But today there is news that the country has tried its first successful case using the Security of Information Act. And it's quite the case.

The CBC reports that a Navy sub lieutenant pleaded guilty to selling secrets to Russia. Canadian Forces Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle, the CBC reports, simply walked into the Russian Embassy in Ottawa and offered to work for them.

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The Two-Way
4:49 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

JPMorgan Chase CEO: 'I Should Have Caught' $5.8 Billion Error

JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, wearing a dark suit possibly made of sackcloth, didn't hold back when discussing the derivative trades that led to massive losses for his company.

"We made a stupid error," he said before a lunchtime audience at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington on Wednesday. "We screwed up."

Then he got more specific: "I should have caught it ... I didn't."

The company estimates it lost $5.8 billion, thanks to a London-based trader, nicknamed the "London whale," who took large, risky positions in credit derivatives.

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Shots - Health Blog
3:40 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

How Do Public Data About Heart Attack Treatment Change It?

Credit Clayton Hansen / iStockphoto.com
Too risky to fix?

Originally published on Thu October 11, 2012 7:38 am

Measurement has long been a cornerstone of quality improvement, whether it's on the factory floor or the hospital ward.

And making the quality scores of doctors and hospitals publicly available is central to the idea that health care can become a service that patients shop for intelligently. The results can also ratchet up professional peer pressure for improvement.

But does public reporting lead doctors and hospitals to game the system by withholding care from the sickest patients?

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The Two-Way
3:16 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

'Human Hamster Wheel' Sinks; Here's Video Of How It Used To Work

Credit Facebook.com/IrishSeaCrossing
The hamster wheel, before she sank.

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 6:57 pm

As our friends at All Things Considered say, "it's been a frustrating week for daredevils."

Felix Baumgartner had to postpone his attempt to rise 23 miles high in the sky and then jump from a balloon to see if he can break the speed of sound on the way down.

And maybe you haven't heard, but Chris Todd had to give on his "walk" across the Irish Sea in a human hamster wheel.

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The Two-Way
2:30 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

'Sweatt Vs. Texas': Nearly Forgotten, But Landmark Integration Case

Credit Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
Heman Sweatt in line for registration at the University of Texas in 1950.

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 2:48 pm

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in the affirmative action case of Fisher v. the University of Texas at Austin, as NPR's Nina Totenberg will report later today on All Things Considered.

But we want to take a moment to remember another landmark case that brought the University of Texas to the Supreme Court 62 years ago.

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The Two-Way
1:55 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Record-Breaking Skydive Attempt Scrapped For Second Day

Credit Getty Images
In this photo provided by Red Bull, Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria steps in the capsule during the second manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in July.

In case you were wondering, Felix Baumgartner, who was scheduled to jump out of a capsule floating at 120,000 feet, has cancelled his attempt for a second day in a row.

The BBC reports that like yesterday gusty winds in Roswell, New Mexico, halted Thursday's plans.

Baumgartner is trying to break the speed of sound using only his body.

The BBC adds:

"Baumgartner is trying to topple records that have stood for more than 50 years.

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The Two-Way
1:30 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Sharp Criticism, Some Words In Defense At Hearing On Benghazi Attack

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 6:57 pm

Two very different views from two different witnesses today as the House House Oversight and Government Reform Committee opened its probe into the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed.

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The Salt
12:57 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Liquid Nitrogen Cocktails: Smoking Hot Trend Or Unnecessary Risk?

Credit John Joh/star5112 / Flickr.com
A bartender prepares cocktails using liquid nitrogen at Bourbon and Branch in San Francisco.

Originally published on Wed October 10, 2012 3:21 pm

Doctors use liquid nitrogen — a substance registering a wickedly cold 321 degrees below zero Fahrenheit — to freeze warts so they dry up and fall off. Yes, folks, this stuff kills tissue. So imagine what it might do to your stomach if you drink some.

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The Two-Way
12:56 pm
Wed October 10, 2012

Report: Solitary Confinement For Minors Could Have Lasting Consequences

A new report warns thousands of young people held in solitary confinement each year inside adult jails and prisons could suffer lasting consequences including hallucinations and mental illness.

The study by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch reached out to 125 juveniles in 19 states. Many of them reported being isolated for weeks at a time, in small cells with little natural light, no access to education, and minimal opportunities to exercise.

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