Strange News

An anonymous artist started placing the hand-painted gnomes on the bases of utility poles all over Oakland.

Painted Gnomes Allowed To Roam On Oakland Utility Poles

7:55pm January 31, 2013

by NPR Staff

Over the past year, small, elfin creatures started springing up all around Oakland, Calif., on the base of utility poles. The local utility had vowed to remove them but now says the paintings can stay.

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Another Think Coming? Scrutinizing An Oft-Misused Phrase

9:59am January 05, 2013

When President Obama addressed the country on New Year's Eve in the middle of negotiations over the "fiscal cliff," he warned Republicans that any government spending cuts would have to be accompanied by tax increases. If they thought otherwise, the president said, "then they've got another thing coming." According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase was originally "to have another think coming."

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Chiara Andolina, a malaria researcher in Thailand, feeds her mosquito colony by letting the insects bite her right arm. These mosquitoes are picky and will dine only on live human blood.

Health & Safety

Mosquito Maven Takes Bites For Malaria Research

11:47am January 02, 2013

by Jason Beaubien

A scientist in Thailand raises mosquito colonies so she can study a new malaria drug. The insects are quite spoiled — they'll eat only live human blood. So she feeds them "breakfast" each day from her right arm.

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While the Office of Malaria Control in War Areas focused on stopping malaria in the U.S. during War World II, the U.S. Army launched an aggressive campaign to combat the parasite among troops. In 1945, it distributed a monthly pinup calendar to soldiers i

Health & Safety

How The U.S. Stopped Malaria, One Cartoon At A Time

1:28pm December 20, 2012

by Jason Beaubien

With publicity campaigns, radio jingles and pinups, the government helped eliminate the parasitic disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still fighting malaria at home and abroad.

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French journalists film the Pic of Bugarach, a mountain in the village that is said to have magical powers.

World News

In A French Village, Protection From The Apocalypse

11:37am December 20, 2012

by Eleanor Beardsley

Friday marks the end of the Mayan calendar — and the end of the world if you believe doomsayers. But a rumor circulating online says the village of Bugarach, population 200, will be spared. That has the village bracing for an influx of believers.

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This photograph from 1934 shows the Carnegie Museum's Apatosaurus skeleton on the right — wearing the wrong skull.

Science

Forget Extinct: The Brontosaurus Never Even Existed

7:09pm December 09, 2012

by NPR Staff

Even if you knew that, you may not know how the fictional dinosaur came to star in the prehistoric landscape of popular imagination for so long. The story starts 130 years ago, in a time known as the "Bone Wars."

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'Hey Bird, What Are You Doing With That Butt?'

7:38am December 08, 2012

Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon notes that a new study finds that in addition to twigs and branches, birds are also using cigarette butts to build their nests — and they are actually proving to be helpful.

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Woman Turns To Facebook To Help Find Beloved Hat

7:05am November 30, 2012

The floppy brown hat belonged to Bridget Hughes' late mother, who wore it during cancer treatment. Hughes lost it at the Phoenix airport this week, and asked friends on Facebook to help her find it. Her post has been shared over 100,000 times.

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Toilet-Paper Thief Returns 80 Rolls To University

7:05am November 30, 2012

The holidays bring out the spirit of giving, and giving back ... what you've pilfered. Like the recent story about a 1930s silver-trimmed teapot returned to the Waldorf-Astoria, this morning brings a tale of toilet paper. Eastern New Mexico University received a gift box filled with 80 rolls of toilet paper, and a Christmas card apologizing for stealing rolls from a dorm years ago.

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Start Your Day With Bacon ... Shaving Cream

9:18am November 29, 2012

Looking for that perfect gift for a man who hates to shave? He may reconsider his morning routine with a new product from "Bacontrepreneurs" Justin and Dave of J&D Foods in Seattle (makers of Baconnaise, Bacon Lip Balm and Mmmvelopes). Their latest concoction, Bacon Shaving Cream, has no meat in it but it's the "highest-quality meat-scented shaving cream on the market today."

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