Ongoing Coverage:
The Two-Way
12:45 pm
Mon November 21, 2011

Reports: Egyptian Cabinet Members Submit Resignations

From NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson and The Associated Press, both in Cairo:

State TV in Egypt is reporting that Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and his cabinet have submitted their resignations to the nation's military council.

It isn't known, Soraya says, whether the interim government's resignations will be accepted.

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The Two-Way
12:35 pm
Mon November 21, 2011

It's Still OK To Text 'Offensive' Words In Pakistan

Credit Farooq Naeem / AFP/Getty Images
Pakistani families walk past an advertisement for a cellular telephone company in Rawalpindi.

Originally published on Mon November 21, 2011 12:40 pm

You can still text the name "Jesus Christ" and the word "naked" if you're a Pakistani with a cellphone.

Also still safe for texting: damn, nude and poop.

Those are among more than 1,600 words and phrases that the Pakistan Telecommunications Agency had reportedly ordered mobile companies in the country to block by today.

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Award-winning science journalist Alison Richards is deputy supervising senior editor for NPR's science desk.

On a daily basis, she manages the desk's output of science, environmental and technical stories; edits Robert Krulwich’s pieces; and helps bring highlights of WNYC's Radiolab to Morning Edition.

Richards initiates major science features and series for NPR. She was the architect and lead editor of the year long “Climate Connections” series with National Geographic. In 2008, this global series was a finalist for the prestigious Grantham Prize and the National Academies Communication Award. In addition, Richards shared the top award in 2009 from the National Academies for the digital and multimedia presentation of this series.

In 2010, Richards worked with NPR Science Correspondent Richard Harris on his groundbreaking reporting of the amount of oil spilling from BP’s Deepwater Horizon Well in the Gulf of Mexico. She was the lead editor on the 20-part series on human evolution called the “Human Edge,” which explored the key changes that give modern humans the competitive edge over early ancestors through a variety of storytelling formats on air and on npr.org.

Before joining NPR in 1998, Richards worked for the Smithsonian. She came to the United States after working for many years with the BBC’s radio science unit in London. Prior to the BBC, Richards worked on museum exhibits for the Royal Shakespeare Theater and the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff.

Richards’ books include A Passion for Science and Passionate Minds, both co-authored with Lewis Wolpert, and A Paradise out of a Common Field and The New Book of Apples, both co-authored with Joan Morgan.

Born in the United Kingdom, Richards has a master’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Oxford.

The Salt
12:22 pm
Mon November 21, 2011

For The Origins Of Pie, Look To The Humble Magpie

Originally published on Mon November 21, 2011 2:26 pm

This is the month when the stately, voluptuous turkey takes a place of pride on most dinner tables. But when it comes to dessert, it's worth considering the relevance of another bird — the humble magpie.

That's because, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "pie" — defined as a baked dish topped with and sometimes also surrounded by pastry — may well derive from the Latin word pica, meaning magpie.

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Shots - Health Blog
12:22 pm
Mon November 21, 2011

Does Diabetes Need A Blue Button To Establish Its Disease Cred?

Credit iStockphoto.com
Is there room for a blue diabetes button?

Breast cancer has a pink ribbon. Cystic fibrosis has a purple ribbon. Heart disease has a red ribbon.

Would diabetes be easier for people to talk about if it had a blue circle?

Some advocates think so and have been pushing various diabetes groups to unite behind the color blue. The idea has a lot of traction outside the United States.

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The Two-Way
12:19 pm
Mon November 21, 2011

Israeli Defense Minister: 'Time Has Come' To Act On Iran

Credit Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press
Israel's Minister Defence Ehud Barak responds to a reporters question as he takes part in a press conference with Canada's Minister of Defence Peter MacKay in Ottawa.

A report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which concluded Iran was working on nuclear weapons, continues to reverberate internationally. Yesterday, in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak was asked bluntly if Israel would attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

Here's how Barak answered:

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Opinion
12:00 pm
Mon November 21, 2011

Op-Ed: 'Sympathy' For Pepper-Spraying Policeman

A video showing an officer methodically spraying pepper spray in the faces of seated protesters has created an uproar. While some say the incident represents a wider problem with the way police confront protesters, Santa Clara University professor Marc Bousquet argues that misses the point.

Law
12:00 pm
Mon November 21, 2011

Sexual Predators Often Elude Casual Profilers

After allegations of child sexual assault at Penn State, many wonder why more people didn't see warning signs. Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole says many predators spend years grooming victims and parents and gaining their trust. O'Toole and forensic psychiatrist Dr. Harold Burszatajn explain.

World
12:00 pm
Mon November 21, 2011

Can Sanctions End Iran's Nuclear Ambitions?

The U.S., Canada and the U.K. are expected to impose new sanctions aimed at halting Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program. Stephen Walt, co-author of The Israel Lobby and Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, discuss whether stronger sanctions and diplomacy will work.

NPR Story
12:00 pm
Mon November 21, 2011

Fallout Expected Without Debt Agreement

After months of deliberations, the so-called deficit supercommittee is poised to admit failure. The 12-member bipartisan group was charged with cutting more than one trillion dollars from federal spending over ten years. Without an agreement, automatic spending cuts are set to take effect in 2013.

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