1:32pm

Tue October 18, 2011
Politics

Obama Takes Aim At Republican Jobs Plan

President Obama's bus tour rolled into Virginia on Tuesday afternoon, after a day and a half in North Carolina.

The president has been using the tour to promote his jobs plan, and to criticize an alternative plan put forward by Senate Republicans.

Another Day, Another Diner

Earlier Tuesday, the president stopped at Reid's House Restaurant in Reidsville, N.C., bypassing the special — spaghetti and Texas toast — in favor of a cheeseburger and sweet tea.

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1:12pm

Tue October 18, 2011
The Two-Way

VIDEO: Lubbock Goes Dark As Dust Storm Swallows City

As we've seen before this year, when a "haboob" rolls over a city the results can be awesome — and not in a good way if you're caught in it.

Monday afternoon in Lubbock, Texas, a massive dust storm turned day into night in less than a minute. Check this video from local TV station KLBK and The Associated Press (which loops once).

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1:06pm

Tue October 18, 2011
Shots - Health Blog

Experimental Malaria Vaccine Slashes Infection Risk By Half

Originally published on Tue October 18, 2011 3:33 pm

After decades of disappointment, researchers think they're finally on track to unleash the first practical vaccine against malaria, one of mankind's ancient scourges.

In the world's first large field trial of an experimental malaria vaccine, several thousand young children who got three doses had about 55 percent less risk of getting the disease over a year than those who got a control vaccine against rabies or meningitis.

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11:52am

Tue October 18, 2011
Business & Technology

Study: Great Lakes shipping important to economy

Credit cseeman

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - A newly released study says the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway maritime industry supports 227,000 jobs and generates billions of dollars in wages, tax revenue and purchases.

The industry-funded analysis released Tuesday describes shipping in the region as essential to the economy.

Collister Johnson of the U.S. St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. says the industry provides waterfront jobs like piloting vessels and working at terminals. But it also supports steelworkers, miners, grain farmers and construction workers.

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11:50am

Tue October 18, 2011
Politics

Ohio election chief upholds Nov. 4 end to early voting

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio's elections chief says early voting won't be allowed at county elections boards on the weekend before the Nov. 8 election.

Secretary of State Jon Husted has issued an advisory stating that voters who want to cast an absentee ballot in person before Election Day will have to do it at their local elections office by 6 p.m. on Nov. 4.

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11:50am

Tue October 18, 2011
Nature

Poor Will's Almanack: October 18 - 24, 2011

Credit Flickr Creative Commons user Buttersweet

Poor Will’s Almanack for the Second Week of Middle Fall

"As the afternoons grow shorter and the early evening drives us home to complete our chores," wrote Henry David Thoreau, "we are reminded of the shortness of life, and become more pensive…..  We are prompted to make haste and finish our work before the night comes.

All across the northern half of the United States, the chemical changes in the foliage that became noticeable six weeks ago now accelerate until the fragile landscape turns all at once, reinforcing Thoreau’s reminder.

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11:46am

Tue October 18, 2011
The Two-Way

Goldman Sachs Lost $428 Million In Third Quarter

Bank of America's report of a $6.2 billion profit in the third quarter, as we said earlier, has many analysts pointing out that it was mostly due to one-time accounting changes and asset sales. Still, BofA's stock is up slightly at this hour.

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11:12am

Tue October 18, 2011
Books

Book Nook: Word Freak, by Stefan Fatsis

Ten years ago Stefan Fatsis came to WYSO to talk about his book "Word Freak - Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive SCRABBLE Players."

The book chronicles the author's immersion in a game that can become an obsession for some players. During the course of his research Fatsis became an excellent player.

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11:09am

Tue October 18, 2011
All Tech Considered

DeLorean Goes Electric: Company Plans New Model Of Iconic Gullwing Car

There's a new DeLorean DMC-12 coming out — or rather, there's a new version of the same stainless steel wedge of a sportscar that became an icon (and perhaps the lone representative) of '80s cool. But it won't run on gas — it'll be electric.

And unlike the DeLorean that played a vital role in Back to the Future, this one won't require a nuclear reaction that generates 1.21 gigawatts.

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11:09am

Tue October 18, 2011
The Salt

Curbing Cooking Smoke That Kills More People Than Malaria

Environmental hazards sicken or kill millions of people — soot or smog in the air, for example, or pollutants in drinking water. But the most dangerous stuff happens where the food is made — in peoples' kitchens.

That's according to the World Health Organization, which says that the smoke and gases from cooking fires in the world's poorest countries contribute to nearly two million deaths a year — that's more than malaria.

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