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Statewide Races
3:50 pm
Thu April 26, 2012

N.C. Gay Marriage Amendment Has Unlikely Foes

Originally published on Thu April 26, 2012 5:27 pm

North Carolina is the only Southern state without a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. But that could change next month.

On May 8, voters will decide whether to change the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, as well as civil unions and domestic partnerships. Leading Republican lawmakers think it's one of the most important issues facing voters.

But some conservatives worry that the measure goes too far.

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Environment
3:48 pm
Thu April 26, 2012

Countries Losing Steam On Climate Change Initiatives

Credit Lars Baron / Getty Images
Germany plans to take all of its nuclear power plants offline by 2022, which means coal-fired power plants like the Kraftwerk Westfalen, in Hamm, Germany, will be a key component of the country's energy infrastructure.

Originally published on Thu April 26, 2012 5:27 pm

Energy ministers from around the world met in London this week and got a scolding. The International Energy Agency warned the ministers that they are falling way behind in their efforts to wean the world from dirty sources of energy. Nations are nowhere near being on track to avert significant climate change in the coming decades.

It turns out that right now, just about everything is conspiring to make it harder to clean up the world's energy supply.

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The Salt
3:15 pm
Thu April 26, 2012

Stone Age Mediterranean Farmer ISO Hungry Nordic Hunter-Gatherer?

Credit Swedish Heritage Board
A family near Karsta, Sweden, in the 1930s. Did their ancient forebears hail from the Mediterranean?

Farming transformed Europe when it arrived from the Near East about 6,000 years ago. But was it the agricultural know-how that traveled, or the farmers themselves?

By comparing DNA from Stone Age farmers and hunter-gatherers, Swedish researchers say it's clear that the farmers traveled north through Europe, bringing their agrarian skills with them.

How else would a farmer with Mediterranean DNA end up in Sweden?

I'm imagining suave dark-eyed farmers seeking out Nordic maidens tired of all that berry picking and hide scraping.

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Africa
3:06 pm
Thu April 26, 2012

At Last, Egypt Settles On Presidential Candidates

Originally published on Thu April 26, 2012 5:27 pm

After months of anticipation, and just a few weeks before the voting, Egypt now has a list of 13 officially approved presidential candidates.

Amr Moussa, the former secretary-general of the Arab League, is one of the 13, and he is ahead in most opinion surveys in advance of the May 23-24 election.

And in a reversal, Egyptian election officials agreed Thursday to let one of Hosni Mubarak's former prime ministers run for president.

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The Salt
2:56 pm
Thu April 26, 2012

Nutella Maker May Settle Deceptive Ad Lawsuit For $3 Million

Credit STEFANO RELLANDINI / Reuters /Landov
The fact that Nutella's parent company, Ferrero, is known for its chocolates might be a tip-off that the sweet hazelnut spread isn't exactly "health" food.
The Two-Way
2:52 pm
Thu April 26, 2012

PHOTO: Like Hawaii, Mars Has Coils Likely Formed By Volcanic Flow

Credit AP
This image provided by NASA shows lava flows in the shape of coils located near the equatorial region of Mars.

Take a look at this picture:

Those same coils — the ones that look like the side of a snail — are also found on the Big Island of Hawaii, which were formed by lava flows.

As Wired reports, the difference is that some of the Martian coils are 100 feet across — giant compared the Earth-bound ones.

Still scientists found that they are "morphologically consistent with terrestrial lava coils."

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Shots - Health Blog
2:50 pm
Thu April 26, 2012

Colorado Extends Medicaid To Some Adults Without Kids

Credit Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless runs the Stout Street Clinic in Denver, helped Dale Miller get a CT scan.

Originally published on Thu April 26, 2012 5:27 pm

Dale Miller spends his days on the streets of downtown Denver selling a newspaper called The Homeless Voice. He's been having some health problems, but he can't afford to see a doctor on the $10 to $15 a day he makes selling papers.

A local charity clinic called the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless recently helped him get a CT scan at no cost to him. Miller fully understands, though, that someone has to pay for his care.

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Shots - Health Blog
2:34 pm
Thu April 26, 2012

Health Insurers Set To Pay $1.3 Billion In Rebates

Credit JS Callahan/tropicalpix / iStockphoto.com
Come summer, mailboxes of 1 in 3 buyers of individual health insurance buyers could get rebate checks.

Originally published on Thu April 26, 2012 2:51 pm

If you buy your own health insurance, there's nearly a 1 in 3 chance that come this summer you'll get a nice little surprise in the mail: money back from your health insurance company.

At least that's the prediction from an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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The Two-Way
2:07 pm
Thu April 26, 2012

Court Says Florida Governor's Order To Drug Test Employees Is Unconstitutional

Originally published on Thu April 26, 2012 2:54 pm

A district judge ruled that Florida Gov. Rick Scott cannot mandate random drug testing for state employees.

CNN reports:

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Theater
1:43 pm
Thu April 26, 2012

'Best Man' John Larroquette Takes Broadway

Credit Joan Marcus /
Sen. Joseph Cantwell, played by Eric McCormack (left), is an ambitious striver who throws mud at his rival, Secretary William Russell, played by John Larroquette, who debates whether to use some dirt of his own in The Best Man.

Originally published on Fri April 27, 2012 9:38 am

Perhaps most recognizable for his role as despicable but lovable lawyer Dan Fielding on Night Court, John Larroquette has recently taken to the stage. He earned a Tony Award for his role in the 2011 production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

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