Shots - Health Blog
3:18 pm
Thu April 5, 2012

Fox In Socks! Dartmouth Names Its Medical School After Dr. Seuss

Credit Adam Cole / NPR
An imagined new facade for Dartmouth's school of medicine (with apologies to Dr. Seuss).

Originally published on Thu April 5, 2012 5:04 pm

At the college of Dartmouth, in the year '24
There lived a young humorist named Theodor.
Though boozing was banned as a crime and a sin,
Theo hosted a party with plenty of gin.
But then in through the door without even a knock
Burst the grinch who stole gin-mas: Dean Craven Laycock.

The dean started shouting. His face turned bright red.
"Put down your tumbler and listen up, Ted!
I'm kicking you out of those clubs that you're in.
Your work won't be published at Dartmouth again!"

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It's All Politics
3:16 pm
Thu April 5, 2012

Craigslist Founder Takes On Voter ID Laws By Infographic

Originally published on Thu April 5, 2012 3:19 pm

It's about a week after it became available on the Internet but no less interesting now than it was then is the infographic by Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, which skewers voter ID laws cropping up in various states. One of his points — the cure is far worse than the disease.

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Animals
3:01 pm
Thu April 5, 2012

White-Nose Syndrome: A Scourge In The Bat Caves

A disease that has killed more than 5.5 million bats in the eastern United States and Canada is making its way west. White-nose syndrome has now been diagnosed in three Missouri bats — the first confirmed cases west of the Mississippi. And scientists say it won't stop there.

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Environment
2:54 pm
Thu April 5, 2012

Feds Interview New Witnesses In Polar Bear Probe

Credit Paul J. Richards / AFP/Getty Images
Two polar bears spar on the shoreline of the Hudson Bay in November 2007.

Federal agents interviewed new witnesses this week in an ongoing investigation of government scientists that's been called "polar bear-gate," according to the scientists' lawyer.

The controversial probe, now entering its third year, is looking into allegations of scientific misconduct related to a 2006 report by wildlife researchers Charles Monnett and Jeffrey Gleason, who described seeing dead polar bears floating in Arctic waters.

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The Spark
2:49 pm
Thu April 5, 2012

The Wayne-Saver

Bill Hausrath waxes poetic about tourist dollars, play-writing, the Wayne Theatre building, and Confederate General Jubal Early.

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The Two-Way
2:32 pm
Thu April 5, 2012

No One's Claimed Mega Millions Win, Maryland Lottery Official Says

We still don't know who bought the three winning tickets in Friday's $656 million Mega Millions lottery drawing — one in Illinois, one in Kansas and one in Maryland.

And we still don't know what's going on with Mirlande Wilson, the Maryland woman who has made headlines by claiming to have purchased a big winner, but who hasn't yet provided any proof.

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The Spark
2:23 pm
Thu April 5, 2012

Cheetah Chrome Roars Again

Cheetah Chrome (Mercy Harris) from an image by QuickDrawPhoto.com

Housewife and mommy Mercy Harris is also roller derby queen "Cheetah Chrome."  She recently got a rollerworld promotion:  now she's a "jammer."

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Shots - Health Blog
2:17 pm
Thu April 5, 2012

Across America, The Grip of Prescription Painkillers Tightens

Credit Sue Ogrocki / AP
Hydrocodone is a key ingredient in the prescription painkiller Vicodin.

Originally published on Sat April 7, 2012 8:58 am

Tens of millions of Americans turn to powerful painkillers to ease their sufferings. But an analysis on the sales of two prescription drugs over a decade is particularly worrisome.

Check out The Associated Press' interactive map at the end of this post. It uses data from the Drug Enforcement Agency to show how sales of oxycodone and hydrocodone ballooned from 2000-10.

You can click on individual states to see which areas had the biggest increases.

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The Spark
2:09 pm
Thu April 5, 2012

Monticello Road Project's Peter Krebs

 New York City Marathon photographer Peter Krebs moved to Charlottesville's Belmont neighborhood and got entranced by the story and the people of the historic Monticello Road.   He's been photographing the people --including Mysterious Kroger Man.

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The Two-Way
1:58 pm
Thu April 5, 2012

'Three Cups' Author Mismanaged Charity, Will Repay $1 Million

Credit Central Asia Institute
Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stone Into Schools, with schoolchildren in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.

The author of Three Cups of Tea has agreed to repay $1 million to a charity he founded, after the Montana Attorney General's office found that he had mismanaged the nonprofit by spending charity money on personal items.

The AP reports that Greg Mortenson misspent Central Asia Institute funds on "family vacations and millions on charter flights."

The AP adds Mortenson pretty much had unchallenged control of the non-profit:

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