Strange News
5:42 am
Mon March 11, 2013

Widow Sues Church Over Sports-Themed Headstone

Originally published on Mon March 11, 2013 6:23 am

An Indiana woman wanted to honor her late husband with a headstone shaped like a couch, and featuring Indianapolis Colts and NASCAR logos. St. Joseph's Catholic Church said the headstone is completely inappropriate — so the widow sued.

Strange News
5:08 am
Mon March 11, 2013

Tattoo Gets Man Free Netflix For A Year

Originally published on Mon March 11, 2013 6:23 am

Myron Robinson managed to score a year of free Netflix videos and online streaming by tweeting a photo of his new Netflix tattoo. The company tweeted back, "No way! Free year for you!"

Art & Design
4:10 am
Mon March 11, 2013

For John Baldessari, Conceptual Art Means Serious Mischief

Originally published on Tue March 12, 2013 1:14 pm

Business
4:10 am
Mon March 11, 2013

Alabama Weighs Protections To Entice Airbus

Originally published on Mon March 11, 2013 6:23 am

It's not unusual for states to offer up tax breaks and other incentives to lure industry. Now, Alabama is adding a new enticement for European airplane maker Airbus and its suppliers: protection from legal liability.

World
4:10 am
Mon March 11, 2013

Suspect In Indian Gang Rape Commits Suicide, Officials Say

Originally published on Mon March 11, 2013 6:23 am

In India, an investigation is under way into the death of the man who police say was the lead accused in the gruesome gang rape of a young woman on a bus in New Delhi last December. Authorities at the Tihar jail in Delhi say he was found early Monday morning hanging in his cell. For more, Steve Inskeep speaks with NPR's Julie McCarthy.

Shots - Health News
3:41 am
Mon March 11, 2013

New Voices For The Voiceless: Synthetic Speech Gets An Upgrade

Originally published on Wed March 13, 2013 12:23 pm

Ever since she was a small child, Samantha Grimaldo has had to carry her voice with her.

Grimaldo was born with a rare disorder, Perisylvian syndrome, which means that though she's physically capable in many ways, she's never been able to speak. Instead, she's used a device to speak. She types in what she wants to say, and the device says those words out loud. Her mother, Ruane Grimaldo, says that when Samantha was very young, the voice she used came in a heavy gray box.

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All Tech Considered
3:41 am
Mon March 11, 2013

Controlling Your Computer With A Wave Of Your Hand

Credit Elise Hu / NPR
Festival attendees experiment with Leap Motion technology.

Originally published on Mon March 11, 2013 7:48 am

If you've had wrist and shoulder pain from clicking a mouse, relief may be in sight. This spring, a new motion sensing device will go on sale that will make it possible for the average computer user to browse the Web and open documents with a wave of a finger.

The Leap Motion Controller is on display at the South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin, Texas, for the first time. It's one of the most talked about startups at the conference, where some 26,000 people have gathered to see emerging tech companies.

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Author Interviews
3:40 am
Mon March 11, 2013

'Lean In': Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg Explains What's Holding Women Back

Credit / Courtesy Knopf

Originally published on Tue March 12, 2013 3:37 pm

Of all the posters plastered around Facebook's Silicon Valley headquarters — "Move Fast and Break Things," "Done Is Better Than Perfect" and "Fail Harder" — Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg has a favorite: "What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?"

"[It's] something that I think is really important and I think very motivating," Sandberg tells NPR's Renee Montagne. " ... I wrote in my book, what I would do if I wasn't afraid is, I would speak out more on behalf of women."

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Shots - Health News
3:40 am
Mon March 11, 2013

Depression And Anxiety Could Be Fukushima's Lasting Legacy

Originally published on Mon March 11, 2013 6:23 am

Two years ago today, an earthquake and tsunami triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Hundreds of thousands of people living near the plant were forced to flee. The World Health Organization recently predicted a very small rise in cancer risk from radioactive material that was released. For the nuclear refugees, though, anxiety and depression could be the more persistent hazard. Correspondent Geoff Brumfiel traveled to Fukushima prefecture and met victims of the accident to see how they are coping.

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Shots - Health News
3:34 am
Mon March 11, 2013

Aspirin Vs. Melanoma: Study Suggests Headache Pill Prevents Deadly Skin Cancer

Credit Spencer Platt / Getty Images
A doctor checks for signs of skin cancer at a free cancer screening day in New York City.

Originally published on Tue March 12, 2013 9:22 am

It's not the first study that finds the lowly aspirin may protect against the deadliest kind of skin cancer, but it is one of the largest.

And it adds to a mounting pile of studies suggesting that cheap, common aspirin lowers the risk of many cancers — of the colon, breast, esophagus, stomach, prostate, bladder and ovary.

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