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Solve This
3:21 am
Fri October 5, 2012

Romney, Obama Far Apart On Closing Budget Gap

Credit Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images
President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney finish their debate at the University of Denver on Wednesday.

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

Here's one thing President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney could agree on during their first debate this week: Something has to be done about the enormous gap between what the federal government collects in taxes and what it spends.

But the two men fundamentally disagree on what to do about that budget deficit.

The Problem

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Europe
3:18 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 4:03 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
3:16 am
Fri October 5, 2012

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

Originally published on Fri October 5, 2012 8:12 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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Author Interviews
3:15 am
Fri October 5, 2012

Preventing Silicon Valley's 'Immigrant Exodus'

Originally published on Fri October 5, 2012 4:02 pm

A new study from the Kauffman Foundation shows that the number of immigrant entrepreneurs in the United States has fallen slightly. But according to Vivek Wadhwa, an author of the study, the drop is especially steep in Silicon Valley, long a magnet for the brightest and most ambitious minds from around the world.

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The Salt
3:15 am
Fri October 5, 2012

In Haiti, Aid Groups Squabble Over Rival Peanut Butter Factories

Originally published on Fri October 5, 2012 4:00 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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StoryCorps
10:03 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 9:04 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
7:39 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.

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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Movie Reviews
5:42 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

No Contest: Everything Is Better With 'Butter'

Originally published on Thu October 4, 2012 6:20 pm

Unless you've attended a Midwestern state fair — or perhaps a Renaissance-era banquet — you might be unfamiliar with the ephemeral but much beloved art of butter sculpture.

Yes, the creamy dairy spread, when chilled to between 32 and 60 degrees, achieves a consistency ripe for carving, and artisans working with hundreds of pounds of the stuff can fashion almost anything: cows, the Liberty Bell, cows being milked, Mount Rushmore, cows jumping over moons, Yoda, Newt Gingrich on a horse.

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The Two-Way
5:35 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

FBI Team Spends 12 Hours In Benghazi

Originally published on Thu October 4, 2012 5:46 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
5:33 pm
Thu October 4, 2012

Pakistan Heartthrob Trades Pop For Political Protest

Originally published on Thu October 4, 2012 8:35 pm

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