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The Two-Way
3:08 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

Ring Nebula Is More Like A Jelly Doughnut, NASA Says

The Ring Nebula, whose iconic shape and large size make it a favorite of amateur astronomers, can now be seen in new detail, after NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a sharp image of the nebula. Researchers say the new clarity reveals details that were previously unseen, and a structure that's more complex than scientists had believed.

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Around the Nation
3:02 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

Battered Jersey Shore Pins Recovery Hopes On Summer Season

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 5:03 pm

Memorial Day weekend marks the start of the summer travel season, and it's particularly important for the resort communities along the Jersey Shore still suffering the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

In the popular tourist spot Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., it has taken seven months and more than $1 million to make repairs along Jenkinson's Boardwalk.

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The Two-Way
2:42 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

Ex-Guatemalan President Extradited To U.S.

Credit AFP/Getty Images
Former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo speaks with journalists in Guatemala City before boarding a plane for the U.S. on Friday.

Former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo has been extradited to the United States, where he faces charges of laundering tens of millions of dollars through U.S. banks.

Portillo, who served as president from 2000 to 2004, was snatched from a hospital bed in Guatemala City, where he was recovering from liver surgery. He was placed on an airplane bound for New York, according to his lawyer, Mauricio Berreondo.

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Mountain Stage
2:04 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

Overmountain Men On Mountain Stage

Overmountain Men makes its first appearance on Mountain Stage, recorded live at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, W.Va. Taking its name from the soldiers of the American Revolution who lived west of (or "over") the Appalachians, Overmountain Men began as a collaboration between North Carolina singer, songwriter and attorney David Childers and Avett Brothers bassist Bob Crawford. Crawford had written a song about a real-life prison rodeo for a documentary, and sought out Childers to sing it.

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The Salt
1:41 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

The Great Charcoal Debate: Briquettes Vs. Lumps?

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 3:30 pm

A lot of things about grilling can ignite a fight, including the meaning of "barbecue." And with the proliferation of fancy equipment — from gas grills to pellet smokers to ceramic charcoal cookers — amateur cooks are growing more knowledgeable, and opinionated, about how to best cook food outdoors.

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Deceptive Cadence
1:41 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

The Cocktail Party Guide To Igor Stravinsky

Credit Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Don't be caught "Stravinsky deficient" as the big centennial of his Rite of Spring approaches.

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 3:21 pm

The Two-Way
1:33 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

Google Reportedly Faces Antitrust Probe Over Display Ads

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 1:52 pm

The Federal Trade Commission is in the early stages of opening an antitrust probe into how Google runs its online display advertising business, according to a report by Bloomberg News, citing sources who want to remain anonymous because the FTC has not announced the probe.

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The Two-Way
1:12 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

News Corp. Board Approves Company Split

Credit Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images
The head of News Corp., Rupert Murdoch, arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in February.

Media empire News Corp., parent of Fox and The Wall Street Journal, will be cleaved into two businesses starting June 28: a publishing arm and one for entertainment.

The plan was first announced a year ago. As we reported at the time:

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The Two-Way
12:40 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

New Jersey Shore Is Ready For Visitors, Gov. Christie Says

Credit Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie earlier this month.
The Two-Way
12:05 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

Amphibians' Population Decline Marked In New U.S. Study

Credit Karen Bleier / AFP/Getty Images
Populations of frogs and other amphibians are declining at an average rate of 3.7 percent each year, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 12:37 pm

Populations of frogs, salamanders and other amphibians are declining at an average rate of 3.7 percent each year, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study released this week. Researchers say the study is the first to calculate how quickly amphibians are disappearing in the United States.

"If the rate observed is representative and remains unchanged, these species would disappear from half of the habitats they currently occupy in about 20 years," according to the USGS.

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