NASA Announces Permanent Homes For Shuttles

The lucky museums are New York's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum; the California Science Center; the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum; and the Kennedy Space Center. Some family members of astronauts who died in shuttle tragedies said they were heartbroken by the fact that Space Center Houston was left out.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/12/135343702/nasa-announces-permanent-homes-for-shuttles?ft=1&f=1003

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Big shakeup coming in Obama's national security team

The Obama administration is considering Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, as the next possible CIA director, an administration official confirms to CNN. The official would not be identified because no announcements have been made about upcoming personnel decisions.

The move would be just one of a complex shuffle set to take place through the rest of the year as key members of the president's national security team are set to depart, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has long wanted to retired, and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whose term is set to end this year.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/s_rIb1rkQ5w/index.html

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Groups Reach Out To A New Generation Of Veterans

Given the higher rates of substance abuse among the current generation of veterans, the idea of meeting up with other vets over a beer is increasingly outdated. Moreover, these younger vets are joining traditional veterans groups in fewer numbers each year. So a new generation of vets groups, including Dryhootch in Milwaukee, are trying to draw these young vets in — and keep alcohol out of the equation.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/12/135354930/new-generation-of-groups-targets-todays-vets?ft=1&f=1003

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How The Wild Hamster Was Tamed

In the spring of 1930, a biologist named Israel Aharoni ventured into Syria on a mission. He was searching for a rare golden mammal.

Its name in Arabic translates roughly as "Mr. Saddlebags." Thanks to Aharoni, the little rodent with the big cheeks can now be found in many grade-school classrooms, running on a little wheel in a little cage.

That's right. Aharoni's big find was the hamster.

Of course, Aharoni didn't set out looking for a schoolchild's pet, biologist Rob Dunn tells NPR's Linda Wertheimer. Dunn, an assistant professor at North Carolina State University, wrote about the hamster's discovery in a recent article on Smithsonian.com.

One of Aharoni's colleagues, Saul Adler, thought the animal might be similar enough to humans to use for medical research. "Aharoni saw this as a chance to both to discover this organism in the wild and to bring them back to Adler so he could make major discoveries about humans," Dunn says.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/10/135268583/how-the-wild-hamster-was-tamed?ft=1&f=1007

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In The Fight Against Flooding, Sandbags Have A Rival

Sandbags have been a common sight in communities in Minnesota and North Dakota along the Red River. The Red River is now slowly receding after cresting over the weekend. But the sandbag has gotten some competition. The AquaDam, a tube filled with water, is a new flood barrier that's being put to use. Robert Siegel talks with David Doolaege, inventor of the AquaDam, about how it works.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/11/135324886/in-upper-midwest-floods-sandbags-have-a-rival?ft=1&f=1007

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Libyan Woman Tells Her Story Of Rape, Uncensored

More than two weeks ago, Iman al-Obeidi burst into a Tripoli hotel and told assembled journalists there that she had been gang-raped by members of forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi after being stopped at a checkpoint in the capital.

NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro snuck out of her guarded hotel Monday with another reporter and went to visit Obeidi at her home. They were the first reporters to independently speak with her in person. Because journalists are unable to report freely in Tripoli, NPR cannot verify her claims.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/12/135326966/libyan-woman-tells-her-story-of-rape-uncensored?ft=1&f=1004

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