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12:18 am
Fri October 5, 2012

Not Everyone In Spain Eager To Wager On EuroVegas

Credit Gustavo Cuevas / EPA/Landov
Spaniards protest the construction of the EuroVegas gambling complex at Puerta del Sol in Madrid last month.

Originally published on Fri October 5, 2012 1:03 pm

American billionaire, casino mogul and Republican donor Sheldon Adelson has a new project: a $35 billion gambling megacity in Europe. He has chosen debt-ridden Spain as the location for "EuroVegas," which is expected to bring up to 250,000 much-needed jobs.

But many Spaniards are divided over whether they want casinos in their backyard.

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The Salt
12:16 am
Fri October 5, 2012

Shake It Up, Baby: Are Martinis Made The Bond Way Better?

Originally published on Fri October 5, 2012 5:12 am

In the movie Goldfinger, a minion of bad guy Auric Goldfinger asks 007: "Can I do something for you, Mr. Bond?"

"Just a drink," Sean Connery's Bond replies, deadpan. "A martini. Shaken, not stirred," he intones.

From Connery to Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, this preference is repeated again and again in 007 flicks. (Check out this video montage for the full Bond effect.)

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The Salt
12:15 am
Fri October 5, 2012

In Haiti, Aid Groups Squabble Over Rival Peanut Butter Factories

Originally published on Fri October 5, 2012 1:00 pm

Can there be too much life-saving peanut butter?

In Haiti, two different humanitarian groups have built new factories to make this product, which is used to treat severe malnutrition and maybe someday prevent it. The problem is, Haiti doesn't appear to need two of them. Each factory, all by itself, could satisfy Haiti's current demand.

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Shots - Health Blog
11:29 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

Rare Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Spreads To Six States

Credit Dr. Lucille K. Georg / CDC
The fungus Aspergillus niger shows up as a black mold on decaying vegetation and food.

Originally published on Fri October 5, 2012 6:33 am

It's a troubling story authorities think will unfold over the next month or so. An untold number of Americans who got steroid injections in their spine to relieve back pain may end up with a rare fungal meningitis. The drug was contaminated with the spores of a common leaf mold — nobody knows how.

So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 35 cases of the fungal meningitis in six states: Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Maryland and Indiana. Five patients have died.

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StoryCorps
7:03 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

For Special Education Teacher, 'Every Day Is Precious'

Credit StoryCorps
Ken Rensink found his calling, teaching special education, after a debilitating accident when he was 19. Now 47, he talked about his journey with friend and colleague Laurel Hill-Ward at StoryCorps in Chico, Calif.

Originally published on Fri October 5, 2012 6:04 am

Ken Rensink's path to special education teaching began when he was 19, just one day after he completed his training for the U.S. Army Reserves. He fell asleep at the wheel of his car, hit a telephone pole and nearly lost his life.

"I was paralyzed from the waist down," Ken told friend Laurel Hill-Ward, a Chico State University professor who trains special education teachers. "My left arm was so weak, I could barely hold a plastic cup of water."

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It's All Politics
4:26 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

Obama Aims Post-Debate Barbs At Romney As Many Ask: Why'd He Wait?

Credit Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images
President Obama drew a crowd in Madison, Wis., the day after his widely panned first debate against GOP challenger Mitt Romney.

Originally published on Thu October 4, 2012 4:39 pm

For President Obama, Thursday appeared to have its share of what the French call staircase wit.

We've all experienced it. Heading up the stairs to bed, you think of the perfect response to something someone else said earlier. Of course, it's too late.

The day after his widely panned presidential debate performance, Obama delivered the sort of retorts to his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, that were mainly absent the night before.

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The Two-Way
2:35 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

FBI Team Spends 12 Hours In Benghazi

Originally published on Thu October 4, 2012 2:46 pm

Three weeks after the attack on the U.S. consulate that left U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans dead, a team of FBI investigators got to the site in Benghazi, Libya, on Wednesday and departed today after about 12 hours on the ground, The Associated Press reports.

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Asia
2:33 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

Pakistan Heartthrob Trades Pop For Political Protest

Originally published on Thu October 4, 2012 5:35 pm

It's All Politics
2:31 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

Voter Registration Deadlines Begin Passing This Week

Credit Matt Sullivan / Reuters/Landov
A voter registration form and absentee ballot application at a Franklin County polling place in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday. The deadline to register to vote in Ohio is Oct. 9.

If you want to vote in the November elections and you aren't registered yet — you'd better hurry. The registration deadline in five states is this weekend. By the following weekend, the deadline will have passed in more than half the states.

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Shots - Health Blog
2:12 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

Ketamine Relieves Depression By Restoring Brain Connections

Scientists say they have figured out how an experimental drug called ketamine is able to relieve major depression in hours instead of weeks.

Researchers from Yale and the National Institute of Mental Health say ketamine seems to cause a burst of new connections to form between nerve cells in parts of the brain involved in emotion and mood.

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