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The Two-Way
2:13 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Foxxconn Resolves Dispute With Workers Who Threatened Suicide

Earlier this month, a group Chinese workers at Foxxconn spent two days on the roof of one of the companies factories in central China. As The Telegraph reported, the workers were threatening to commit suicide to protest their working conditions.

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The Salt
2:08 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Why X-Rayed Food Isn't Radioactive, And Other Puzzles

Credit Lui Kit Wong / MCT /Landov
Irradiation is most often used to kill insects, parasites, or bacteria in or on spices, which are typically dried outdoors in before being shipped.

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 3:23 pm

Earlier this week, we were surprised to learn that food manufacturers increasingly X-ray foods to screen for foreign objects that can break a tooth. That sounds like a good idea.

But the notion of X-rayed food also sparked a lively debate in The Salt's comments section on whether this poses a health threat. After all, we do know that some X-rays can damage DNA in the human body. So what does radiation mean for food?

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The Two-Way
2:04 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Court Martial Recommended For Bradley Manning In WikiLeaks Case

Credit Patrick Semansky / AP
Army Pvt. Bradley Manning last month.

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 2:28 pm

An investigating officer has recommended that Army private Bradley Manning face court-martial on multiple criminal charges related to the downloading of nearly 1 million war logs and secret diplomatic cables. Manning is accused of taking the files and them passing them on to WikiLeaks.

If he does face a court martial and is convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

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Movie Reviews
2:02 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

An 'Iron Lady' Fully Inhabited By Meryl Streep

I admit I was biased against the Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady. Not, you understand, against Thatcher and her Tory politics. Against Meryl Streep and her accents. Which are great, no doubt. But I went in resolved not to fall for her pyrotechnics yet again. I wanted realism.

Well, it didn't take long to realize that I was watching not only one of the greatest impersonations I'd ever seen — but one that was also emotionally real.

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NPR Story
2:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Some Say The U.N. Should Control The Internet

Credit mipan / iStockphoto.com
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, known as ICANN, is forging ahead with plans to sell new domain categories despite vocal opposition. The decision raises questions about who should govern the Internet.

For the first time, organizations can apply for an Internet address all their own, marking the start of a new era in the growth of the Internet.

For example, ".com" and ".org" could be replaced by ".starbucks" or ".newyork."

The expansion was planned by the one organization empowered to regulate the global Internet — the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN.

Debate over the new policy has highlighted the key issue of who, if anyone, should control the Internet.

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NPR Story
2:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Letters: Weissenberg Remembrance; Twinkies

Melissa Block and Audie Cornish read emails from listeners.

World
2:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Walton Discusses Aftermath Of Haiti Quake

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 9:12 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Now a snapshot of public health in Haiti two years after the earthquake.

I'm joined by Dr. David Walton of the non-profit group Partners in Health. He's directing the construction of a new hospital about 30 miles north of Port-au-Prince in Mirebalais.

Dr. Walton, welcome to the program.

DR. DAVID WALTON: Thank so much for having me.

BLOCK: Sounds like a big hospital that you're in the process of building; 320 beds, 180,000 square feet. What are your hopes for that hospital?

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Around the Nation
2:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Old South Rings Again In Boston

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 9:12 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. Today at noon, America's oldest working clock tower rang out for the first time since the 1800s.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL RINGING)

CORNISH: Old South Meeting House in Boston was a Puritan gathering place. Ben Franklin was baptized there and the Boston Tea Party was planned there, but the belfry has been silent since 1876, after the brick building was nearly destroyed in the great Boston fire.

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Remembrances
2:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Former S.D. Gov., U.S. Rep. William Janklow Dies

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 9:12 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish.

William Janklow, a former Republican governor and congressman from South Dakota, died today at a Sioux Falls hospice center. He was 72 years old. Janklow announced in November he had an inoperable brain tumor.

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The Two-Way
1:40 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

In Alaska: Nome Still Waits For Fuel, Big Shovels Headed To Cordova

Credit Spc. Balinda O'Neal, Alaska National Guard / AP
A member of the Alaska National Guard clearing a walkway in Cordova earlier this week.

Originally published on Mon January 16, 2012 7:55 am

  • Tony Gorman, reporting from Valdez

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