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The Salt
10:28 am
Wed June 19, 2013

The Martini: This American Cocktail May Have An International Twist

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 10:50 am

There's no cocktail more distinctly American than the martini. It's strong, sophisticated and sexy. It's everything we hope to project while ordering one.

Baltimore-born satirist H.L. Mencken is said to have called the martini "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet." But is the martini perfectly American? Maybe not entirely.

So in honor of National Martini Day on Wednesday, we decided to dig into the drink's muddled past.

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Shots - Health News
10:04 am
Wed June 19, 2013

AMA Says It's Time To Call Obesity A Disease

Credit NPR

While the American Medical Association may not have the clout it once did, it's still the largest single group of doctors making waves about health and the practice of medicine.

So it's not nothing when the AMA's House of Delegates approves a measure to label obesity a disease. The group's deliberative democratic body passed a measure in Chicago Tuesday that broadly, if vaguely, says obesity is a medical condition:

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It's All Politics
8:34 am
Wed June 19, 2013

IRS Staffer: "What I Did Was Not Targeting"

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 10:18 am

Another interview with a key IRS employee, another oblique connection to Washington, D.C., and yet still no explosive revelations in the scandal surrounding the agency's targeting of Tea Party groups.

That, it seems, was precisely the point of Rep. Elijah Cummings' decision to release 205 pages of redacted interview transcripts Tuesday (here and here).

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What's New?
8:13 am
Wed June 19, 2013

Isn't That King David? Nope, It's Just Dave

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 11:48 am

Usually they're naked, ancient and stony. But all of a sudden, they could live next door.

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The Two-Way
8:13 am
Wed June 19, 2013

In Germany, Obama Defends NSA Surveillance Programs

Credit Timur Emek / Getty Images
President Obama speaks on the Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate on Wednesday in Berlin.

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 10:25 am

Update at 10:20 a.m. ET. 'Peace With Justice':

Speaking at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin — the same spot where John F. Kennedy made his famous speech almost 50 years ago — President Obama on Wednesday called on the global community to fight for democracy and freedom everywhere.

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What's New?
8:12 am
Wed June 19, 2013

A Photography Phone Call: On Life, Faith And Trains

Credit Christopher Chadbourne
From the series: WONDERLAND: How The Railroad Right-Of-Way Shaped And Reveals The American Landscape

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 12:52 pm

Over the past few years I've been to a few photography festivals to review portfolios. When I first met Christopher Chadbourne in New Orleans about two years ago, he was showing some photos from a project about state fairs. I liked the photos and that was pretty much all we talked about.

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What's New?
8:12 am
Wed June 19, 2013

Amazon Cuts Ties In Minnesota Ahead Of New Sales Tax

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 8:55 am

Weeks before Minnesota's new sales tax law takes effect, online retailer Amazon is cutting its ties to members of its Associates program who live in the state. The new law requires businesses that have a presence in Minnesota to collect sales tax.

Amazon has taken similar steps in other states that have passed laws like Minnesota's, ending the contracts of Associates — people and businesses that are paid for sending customers to the retailer.

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What's New?
8:11 am
Wed June 19, 2013

Stalking The Elusive, Worthy Apricot

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 9:40 am

Apricots are the finest of summer's fruits, with dense, juicy flesh and delicate, velvety skins. Piled in baskets in farmers market stalls, they seem to glow in the early morning light. The prettiest ones have a celestial blush and a sweet, floral fragrance.

That's why it is so disheartening when you bite into one only to find it is mealy and flavorless. I can't count the number of times this apricot lover has been the victim of just such an injustice. You probably have been, too.

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What's New?
8:11 am
Wed June 19, 2013

How A Used Bottle Becomes A New Bottle, In 6 Gifs

Credit Lam Thuy Vo / NPR

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 10:47 am

The rise of curbside recycling programs in the last few decades has meant more glass recycling. But for a long time, many recycling centers didn't have the technology to turn recycled glass into the raw material for new bottles. Instead, recycled glass often wound up being used as a cheap construction material, or even to cover landfills.

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The Two-Way
8:11 am
Wed June 19, 2013

In Brazil, Protests Continue As Some Cities Cut Bus Fares

Credit Daniel Guimaraen / AFP/Getty Images
Students block an avenue in São Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday night, during a protest against a recent rise in public bus and subway fare.

Originally published on Wed June 19, 2013 10:33 am

For a second night in a row, tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets to protest everything from the cost of living to government corruption.

The AP reports that during Tuesday's demonstrations:

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