The Two-Way
11:00 am
Wed February 27, 2013

Van Cliburn, Renowned American Concert Pianist, Dies

Credit Evening Standard / Getty Images
U.S. pianist Van Cliburn in 1963.

Originally published on Wed February 27, 2013 11:22 am

The American concert pianist Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn has died, according to the Associated Press, who is quoting a representative.

Cliburn achieved worldwide recognition when he won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow as a 23-year-old. What's more he did so in 1958, at the height of the Cold War.

The Dallas Morning News reports that Cliburn died in his mansion in Fort Worth, Texas. He had been diagnosed with bone cancer.

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The Salt
10:19 am
Wed February 27, 2013

Germans Are Drinking Less Beer These Days, But Why?

Credit Johannes Simon / Getty Images
A waiter carries beer mugs during the 2012 Oktoberfest in Munich.

Originally published on Wed February 27, 2013 3:57 pm

For centuries, Germany has been synonymous with beer. Tourists flock from around the world to take part in the country's many beer festivals, including the famous Oktoberfest.

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Economy
10:15 am
Wed February 27, 2013

Economists See Budget Cuts Putting The Recovery At Risk

Credit Charles Dharapak / AP
Shipyard workers wait for President Obama to speak about looming automatic federal budget cuts Tuesday in Newport News, Va.

Originally published on Thu February 28, 2013 2:52 pm

Getting economists to agree with each other isn't easy. But Congress and the White House have managed to unite them.

More than 95 percent of top U.S. economists believe growth is "likely to be negatively affected" by the automatic federal spending cuts that are scheduled to kick in Friday, according to the latest survey by the National Association for Business Economics.

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The Two-Way
10:14 am
Wed February 27, 2013

Highest Bidder Will Get DNA Pioneer's Nobel Medal

Credit Denis Poroy / AP
Francis Crick in 2003, the year before his death, at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego.

Originally published on Wed February 27, 2013 4:43 pm

This is no ordinary family heirloom.

The granddaughter of English scientist Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who passed away in 2004, is putting his Nobel Prize medal up on the auction block.

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The Two-Way
10:09 am
Wed February 27, 2013

Rosa Parks 'Helped Change America,' Obama Says At Statue Dedication

Credit Jason Reed / Reuters /Landov
President Obama reached out to touch the statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks during Wednesday's dedication ceremony in the U.S. Capitol. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was behind the president.

With words of high praise from Republicans and Democrats, the nation's leaders on Wednesday dedicated a statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks — a statue that now stands in the U.S. Capitol "where many fought to prevent a day like this," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said.

President Obama said of Parks that she was "a seamstress slight in stature but mighty in courage" who lived a life "of dignity and grace."

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Shots - Health News
10:00 am
Wed February 27, 2013

When Sizing Up Childhood Obesity Risks, It Helps To Ask About Random Kids

Credit David Gilkey / NPR
A poll needs to ask about randomly selected children in households across the country to bring context to what's happening with kids like 7-year-old Henry Condes in Los Angeles.

Originally published on Wed February 27, 2013 10:17 am

To understand the challenges around childhood obesity in the U.S., you need to take a close look at the lives of children and the households in which their habits are formed.

NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health, where I'm a researcher, created a unique poll to do that.

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Author Interviews
10:00 am
Wed February 27, 2013

'Behind The Scenes' At The Vatican: The Politics Of Picking A New Pope

Originally published on Wed February 27, 2013 11:54 am

The years of his papacy had seen "moments of joy and light, but also difficult moments," Pope Benedict XVI told some 100,000 spectators gathered in St. Peter's Square Wednesday during his final address. "There have been times when the seas were rough and the wind against us ... and the Lord seemed to sleep."

As Benedict becomes the first pontiff to resign in nearly 600 years and cardinals gather in Rome to choose his successor, a series of scandals — child sex abuse, mismanagement at the Vatican bank, the leaking of secret church documents — has left the Vatican reeling.

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Beauty Shop
9:56 am
Wed February 27, 2013

Do We Still Need A Women's Movement?

Originally published on Wed February 27, 2013 10:03 am

100 years ago, thousands of women marched on Washington D.C. to demand the right to vote. Host Michel Martin asks the Beauty Shop ladies about that moment in history, and where the women's rights movement stands today.

Race
9:56 am
Wed February 27, 2013

Students Vote To Drop 'Redskins'

Originally published on Wed February 27, 2013 10:03 am

Students at Cooperstown Central School recently voted to stop calling their sport teams the Redskins. In turn, an Indian tribe offered to pay for new team uniforms. Host Michel Martin talks about the gesture with Ray Halbritter, of the Oneida Nation.

Politics
9:56 am
Wed February 27, 2013

Is There Really A 'Line' For Immigration?

When it comes to immigration reform, politicians on both sides of the aisle talk about sending undocumented immigrants to the 'back of the line.' But for many people seeking legal entry, it's not as simple as getting in line. Host Michel Martin talks with Matt Cameron, immigration lawyer and creator of thereisnoline.com.

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