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Mongolia Booms
9:47 am
Wed May 23, 2012

Old Ways Disappearing In The New Mongolia

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Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A baby Bactrian camel is tied up at the edge of the Badam family's small farmstead. Bactrian camels — like all Mongolian mammals — have thick fur to withstand the winters.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
The Badam family raises sheep and goats and camels in the South Gobi.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Workers brush cashmere goats in South Gobi on the Badam family's farm. Cashmere wool, milk and meat are the main commodities for Mongolia's herders.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A freshly slaughtered sheep carcass hangs inside the family's ger, or yurt, to dry. Meat — usually mutton — and noodles are the main foods for most Mongolians.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Bat-Erdene Badam stands inside his animal corral, made of wood and compressed animal dung. He says none of his children are interested in continuing to work as herders.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A veterinarian rides in on a motorcycle to check on the family's animals.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Bat-Erdene's son, Uuganbaatar Badam, works at a coal mine in South Gobi. He lives in one of these gers near the open-pit mine and makes about $500 a month.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Uuganbaatar says does not miss the herding life of his father and enjoys the salary, friends and amenities at the mining camp.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Workers brush cashmere goats in South Gobi on Bat-Erdene Badam's family farm. Cashmere wool, milk and meat are the main commodities for Mongolia's herders.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Bat-Erdene Badam's family raises sheep, goats and camels in the South Gobi region of Mongolia. But his three children have no interest in continuing the family business.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A baby Bactrian camel is tied up at the edge of Bat-Erdene's small farmstead. Bactrian camels, like all Mongolian mammals, have thick fur to withstand temperatures of 40 degrees below zero in winter. Even in spring, temperatures regularly dip below freezing.
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Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 8:57 pm

Mongolia, the land of Genghis Khan and nomadic herders, is in the midst of a remarkable transition. Rich in coal, gold and copper, this country of fewer than 3 million people in Central Asia is riding a mineral boom that is expected to more than double its GDP within a decade. The rapid changes simultaneously excite and unnerve many Mongolians, who hope mining can help pull many out of poverty, but worry it will ravage the environment and further erode the nation's distinctive, nomadic identity.

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The Two-Way
9:34 am
Wed May 23, 2012

Wall Street Titans, Behaving Badly

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Television correspondent Sabrina Quagliozzi reports from inside the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York's Times Square on Monday.
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Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 10:30 am

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Music Interviews
9:24 am
Wed May 23, 2012

Jeremy Denk: Playing Ligeti With A Dash Of Humor

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Jeremy Denk has recently written for The New Yorker and The New York Times Book Review.
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Originally published on Thu November 8, 2012 9:03 pm

Not many classical pianists maintain blogs where they ruminate on everything from eating a terrible bowl of meatballs while on tour with Joshua Bell to seeing Twilight: New Moon (twice) and hearing strains of a Schubert song.

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The Two-Way
9:21 am
Wed May 23, 2012

As Talks Begin, Iran And World Powers Stake Out Positions

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  • Tom Gjelten reporting
  • Mike Shuster reporting

As talks opened in Baghdad today, "diplomats from six world powers offered Iran new proposals Wednesday to ease international concerns about its nuclear program, but appeared to reject Tehran's appeals to ease economic sanctions to help move along talks," The Associated Press reports.

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Shots - Health Blog
8:55 am
Wed May 23, 2012

Dangerous Gut Bacteria Move Outside Hospitals, Infect Kids

Credit CDC
Colonies of Clostridium difficile look awfully nice, but they're definitely something you'd be advised to keep at a safe distance.
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Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 9:55 am

Infections with the bacterium Clostridium difficile hit record numbers in recent years. Now there's evidence the hard-to-treat infections are becoming a problem for children.

The infections often strike the elderly, especially those who've been taking antibiotics that clear out competing bacteria in people's intestines. People sickened by the bug have persistent diarrhea that can, in severe cases, lead to dehydration.

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