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Middle East
4:02 pm
Fri December 2, 2011

After Fleeing, Syrian Activists Regroup In Turkey

In a matter of months, Turkey has gone from one of Syria's strongest allies to one of its sharpest critics as the uprising in Syria has been met with a harsh crackdown by President Bashar Assad.

Turkey has become a haven for Syrian refugees, a base for Syrian army defectors and a home for Syria's main political opposition group. And on Friday, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was in Turkey for talks that included the deteriorating conditions in Syria.

On the streets of Istanbul, Akram Asaf, a 31-year-old lawyer who fled Syria, says he feels safe, but not yet free.

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Music Interviews
4:02 pm
Fri December 2, 2011

Olof Arnalds: An Icelandic Take On Heartland Rock

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Ólöf Arnalds.

Ólöf Arnalds was born and raised in Iceland, and has been part of its experimental rock scene for years.

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The Two-Way
4:01 pm
Fri December 2, 2011

Study Finds Turtle Embryos Communicate To Synchronize Hatching

Credit Judy Cebra-Thomas and Scott Gilbert / National Science Foundation
A turtle embryo.

We were pretty impressed by this piece of news reported by Wired about Australian turtles:

"Murray River turtles communicate with their siblings while they are still in their shells, buried under the soil, in order to coordinate when they hatch."

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The Salt
4:01 pm
Fri December 2, 2011

Turning To Big Business To Solve The Obesity Epidemic

Credit Doug Van Sant
Cory Booker is mayor of Newark, New Jersey and honorary vice-chair of the Partnership for a Healthier America.

The Partnership for a Healthier America is a Washington-based group and it has Washington's most prestigious woman as its honorary chair: first lady Michelle Obama.

But this coalition to fight childhood obesity is focused on what needs to happen outside this town, namely in the private sector, to halt the epidemic. And in the last 12 months, it has managed to ink almost 20 deals with some of the biggest food companies in the country.

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Music Interviews
3:59 pm
Fri December 2, 2011

For The Queen Of Hip-Hop Soul, A Sequel About Strength

Credit Markus Klinko and Indrani
Mary J. Blige's new album is My Life II.

Seventeen years ago, Mary J. Blige shook up the world of R&B when she released the record My Life. It ushered in a new sound: soul music over hip-hop beats. Instantly, Blige became known as the queen of hip-hop soul.

My Life was about pain — about Blige's rough childhood, abusive relationship and battles with addiction and depression. Seventeen years on, she's revisited that album. Her new record is called My Life II ... The Journey Continues. She says it's about strength.

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