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The Two-Way
1:33 pm
Wed December 21, 2011

EPA Issues Rule Limiting Arsenic, Mercury Emissions From Power Plants

New regulations issued by the Obama administration will force the country's coal- and oil-fired power plants to reduce the emission of pollutants such as arsenic and mercury or shut down.

In a statement, the Environmental Protection Agency said the new standards "will protect millions of families and children from harmful and costly air pollution and provide the American people with health benefits that far outweigh the costs of compliance."

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Shots - Health Blog
1:27 pm
Wed December 21, 2011

Lack Of Autopsies After Elderly Die Conceals Health Flaws

Credit Andres Cediel / Frontline
Death investigations among seniors are often skipped, leaving the growing population vulnerable to neglect and abuse.

Abuse in nursing homes and suspicious deaths among seniors often go undetected because postmortem examinations are becoming few and far between.

Earlier this year, an NPR News investigation found that many jurisdictions stopped doing autopsies on people who died over the age of 60, unless it was obvious that a violent death occurred. A lack of resources, both financial and staffing, was often to blame.

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Politics
1:11 pm
Wed December 21, 2011

Mass. Senate Race A Battle Over Who's More Populist

Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts made a point of calling Ted Kennedy's old U.S. Senate seat the "people's seat," and he won it in large part by casting himself as the opposite of that glamorous and privileged dynasty.

Brown won in a special election in 2010. Now, Democrat Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard Law professor and Wall Street watchdog, is raising Democrats' hopes they can win the seat back. Just months after announcing her first-ever candidacy, polls show Warren pulling out ahead of Brown.

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The Two-Way
1:00 pm
Wed December 21, 2011

For First Time, Women Share 'First Kiss' At A Navy Homecoming

When Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta kissed Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell today in Virginia Beach, a little bit of history was made.

As The Virginian-Pilot explains:

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Monkey See
12:55 pm
Wed December 21, 2011

Callin' Oates: The Hotline You Don't Need (But Might Call Anyway)

Credit Dave Hogan / Hulton Archive/Getty Images
John Oates (left) and Daryl Hall (right) of pop duo Hall & Oates, seen here in 1987. These days, they're available on your phone.

Originally published on Thu December 29, 2011 5:08 pm

Is it pure whimsy that makes something like "Callin' Oates" appealing?

If you pick up your phone and call 719-26-OATES — at least as of this writing — you'll get a computerized woman's voice telling you what numbers to press to hear one of four Hall & Oates songs.

The question, of course, is ... why?

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