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The Two-Way
2:20 pm
Thu May 3, 2012

Finish This Sentence: 'Before I Die, I Want To ...'

Credit Candy Chang
From the Before I Die wall in New Orleans.

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 2:47 pm

Artist Candy Chang turned the wall of an abandoned house in New Orleans into "a giant chalkboard where residents can write on the wall and remember what is important to them."

And since putting up that public art project in February 2011, "Before I Die" walls have spread to at least 19 cities around the world. Friday, a wall goes up in Denver.

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NPR Story
2:16 pm
Thu May 3, 2012

'Be Richer' By Learning From Parents' Mistakes

Credit iStockphoto.com
Money — how to make it, and what to do with it when you have it — can be problematic for recent graduates.

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 11:29 am

College seniors graduating in 2012 face a sluggish economy, bleak job prospects and a mountain of student loan debt. To make matters worse, many don't have the first clue about how to manage their personal finances.

Author Zac Bissonnette, a recent college graduate himself, learned how to handle money by watching his parents' mistakes and ignoring most of their advice. He put himself through college without loans, scholarships or help from his parents.

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National Security
1:50 pm
Thu May 3, 2012

Bin Laden Papers Show Him Frustrated, Marginalized

Credit Sajjad Qayyum / AFP/Getty Images
Pakistanis walk past the rubble of bin Laden's demolished compound this week.

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 2:50 pm

Documents found at Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan reveal an al-Qaida leader who had come to feel marginalized and frustrated with actions taken by affiliated terror groups he had helped inspire.

The man responsible for the 9/11 terror attacks is seen struggling to limit attacks that killed mostly Muslims, and to keep the international jihad movement focused on what he viewed as the main target: the United States.

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Religion
1:48 pm
Thu May 3, 2012

Nuns And The Vatican: A Clash Decades In Making

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 4:42 pm

When Harvard divinity professor Harvey Cox arranged to meet with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the Vatican in 1988, a group of nuns thought he was wasting his time.

"I was chatting and having dinner with a number of Dominican sisters who were staying there for a 30-day retreat," Cox says. "They were incredulous that I wanted to bother seeing Ratzinger. 'Why do you want to do that?' they asked. 'Who pays any attention to him?' "

Flash forward a few decades, and nuns are more than paying attention.

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Shots - Health Blog
1:44 pm
Thu May 3, 2012

CDC Says Helmets Are No Match For Tornadoes, But They Might Not Hurt

Credit Courtesy of the Stewart family
Noah Stewart shelters in the closet just 15 minutes before an April 2011 tornado demolished his house. Wearing the helmet may have saved his life, one doctor says.

Can a helmet protect you in a tornado?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there's no research on how effective helmets are in preventing head injuries during tornadoes.

But, in what looks like a first, the agency says, in effect, that it's not out of the question that they might help.

Last year, tornadoes claimed the lives of more than 500 people in the U.S. Some safety advocates say protecting your head with a sturdy helmet could help reduce injuries and deaths.

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The Two-Way
1:40 pm
Thu May 3, 2012

Syrian Security Forces Attack Aleppo University

Credit AFP/Getty Images
A handout picture released by the Syrian opposition's Shaam News Network shows anti-regime graffiti sprayed on the walls of Aleppo University.

Syrian security forces stormed Aleppo University today, killing at least four. The incident underlines the continued violence in the country and signals that the unrest is spreading to cities that had remained peaceful.

Reuters reports that security personelle were joined by students wielding knives to attack a protest calling for the ouster of President Bashar Assad. Reuters reports:

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The Two-Way
1:23 pm
Thu May 3, 2012

With Chen's Fate Uncertain, Online 'Dark Glasses' Campaign Continues

Credit ichenguangcheng.blogspot.com
The Dark Glasses blog.

Before his escape from house arrest, his stay at the U.S. embassy in Beijing and now his plea that he be allowed to go to the U.S., Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng was the focus of a "Dark Glasses" campaign aimed at drawing attention to his plight.

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Around the Nation
1:12 pm
Thu May 3, 2012

OWS: A Case Study In Social Movements

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 2:16 pm

On May Day, the Occupy Wall Street movement re-emerged to try to reestablish its message and place in the national conversation. Thousands marched in New York City, Oakland and other cities, then quickly faded from national view. Guests consider what sustains social movements, and why some fail.

On Aging
1:12 pm
Thu May 3, 2012

Confronting Your Crown: Male Pattern Baldness

Credit Max Nash / AFP/Getty Images
"Macho types are inspired by the likes of Jason Statham," pictured here, writes Daniel Jones.

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 10:33 am

Men dealing with male pattern baldness have decisions to make — go with a comb over, take medication, get hair plugs or a toupee, or do nothing at all.

When New York Times contributing editor Daniel Jones started losing his hair, he chose what he considers a "cooler alternative" — head shaving.

"Losing your hair," he tells NPR's Neal Conan, "is a little bit like a girlfriend who's sort of drifting away, and you're clinging to her as she goes off and sees other people. ... It gets worse and worse. So it's better to take some sort of pre-emptive move."

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Around the Nation
1:12 pm
Thu May 3, 2012

What's So Compelling About Skyscrapers

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 1:56 pm

After the terrorist attacks that brought down the twin towers in Manhattan, many said it was the end of an era for skyscrapers. New York City proved them wrong. The building constructed to replace the towers, 1 World Trade Center, has risen above 1,250 feet and surpassed the Empire State Building as the tallest in New York.

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