Arts Archives
10:54 am
Wed December 14, 2011

Audio test

The Two-Way
10:35 am
Wed December 14, 2011

Reports: Afghan Rape Victim Freed, Unclear If She Must Marry Attacker

Credit Shah Marai / AFP/Getty Images
Burqa-clad Afghan women wait to buy chickpeas from a shop in Kabul earlier this year.

Gulnaz, the young Afghan woman whose story has spread around the world because she was imprisoned after being raped by a relative, is now free, CNN and the BBC are reporting.

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Shots - Health Blog
10:34 am
Wed December 14, 2011

Medicaid Takes Growing Slice Of States' Spending

Credit Kaiser Family Foundation
Medicaid enrollment climbs.

Medicaid sure is popular. And that's a big problem for state budgets.

These days the health program for the poor is claiming a bigger slice of states' spending than even K-12 education, says a report from the National Association of State Budget Officers.

All told, Medicaid is expected to grab 23.6 percent of states' spending in fiscal 2011, up from 22.3 percent the year before.

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The Salt
10:29 am
Wed December 14, 2011

Putting Farmland On A Fertilizer Diet

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a document yesterday that got no attention on the nightly news, or almost anywhere, really. Its title, I'm sure you'll agree, is a snooze: National Nutrient Management Standard.

Yet this document represents the agency's best attempt to solve one of the country's — and the world's — really huge environmental problems: The nitrogen and phosphorus that pollute waterways.

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Education
10:16 am
Wed December 14, 2011

Brownback Unveils School Finance Proposal

Credit kansas.gov
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback spelled out the details of his school finance overhaul Wednesday. It would allow local taxpayers to raise property taxes as high as they wanted for education. Currently, school districts can only raise  a limited amount of funding from property taxes: a maximum of 30 percent of the funding they receive from the state.

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The Two-Way
9:55 am
Wed December 14, 2011

Jiminy Cricket! Just What We Need: A Cockroach That Jumps

We should have jumped on this story earlier, but it's too creepy not to mention:

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Central Standard
9:24 am
Wed December 14, 2011

Saving Up For A Future

Today on Central Standard, a look at the United Way of Greater Kansas City, and how they're partnering with area non-profits to teach financial literacy.

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The Salt
9:12 am
Wed December 14, 2011

Norway Braces For A Christmas Without Butter

Credit iStockphoto.com
Because of a butter shortage, there will be fewer krumkake cookies eaten in Norway this Christmas.

Christmas without cookies sounds like something the Grinch would dream up. But that may be the sad fate of many Norwegians, with a national butter shortage less than two weeks before the holiday. No krumkaker. No Berlinerkranser. No sandbakkel. In short, no delicious, butter-infused treats.

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Iraq
9:03 am
Wed December 14, 2011

As U.S. Departs, Iraq Faces An Uncertain Future

As the last U.S. troops prepare to leave Iraq this month, what kind of country are they leaving behind?

Iraq's economy, the security system and the political structure are all functioning to varying degrees, yet all appear fragile.

No one expects Iraq to serve as a beacon of Jeffersonian democracy to the region or the world. The more relevant question at this point is how well it will function as a democracy, period.

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Music Reviews
8:57 am
Wed December 14, 2011

'Three Views' Of Trumpeter Dave Douglas

Credit Zoran Orlic
Dave Douglas' Three Views box set collects three very different quintet albums, featuring So Percussion, his Brass Esctasy band and a group featuring Ravi Coltrane and Vijay Iyer.

Originally published on Fri August 3, 2012 1:18 pm

There's a nice contrast among the three quintets heard on Dave Douglas' Three Views, sketching out some of his interests. There's no overlapping repertoire or personnel. The Orange Afternoons session features the elastic rhythm trio of pianist Vijay Iyer, Linda Oh on bass and drummer Marcus Gilmore.

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