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Morning Edition

1. Doctor Blames U.S. Weapons for Birth Defects in Falluja
   Locals claim the medium-sized town, where drinking water comes from a river polluted by war fallout, is home to 1,000 birth defects a year.
   Read original story in BBC | Thursday, March 4, 2010

2. Ads Intended to Curb Binge Drinking Cause Binge Drinking
   A new study shows that trying to capitalize on feelings of guilt or shame is likely to backfire.
   Read original story in Advertising Age | Thursday, March 4, 2010

3. China Slows Military Growth
   The move is seen as an attempt to ease tensions with Taiwan, calm outside fears over China's rapidly growing military and avoid criticism that comes with big budget hikes during a time of economic hardship.
   Read original story in AFP | Thursday, March 4, 2010

4. Singapore: Terrorists Planning Oil Tanker Attack Off Malaysia
   The Malacca Straights are one of the busiest shipping lanes for oil, but are especially vulnerable to attack as they are only 1.7 miles wide at their narrowest.
   Read original story in The Associated Press | Thursday, March 4, 2010

5. Earthquake Rocks Taiwan
   The 6.4-magnitude quake is the biggest to hit Taiwan's southern region in more than a century. Troops have been dispatched to the area to determine the extent of the damage.
   Read original story in Xinhua | Thursday, March 4, 2010

6. Students Trade Bibles for Porn
   Atheist Agenda, a student group on a San Antonio campus, ran a program where people could trade in religious texts in exchange for high-grade pornography.
   Read original story in Boing Boing | Thursday, March 4, 2010

7. Anheuser Busch Posts Huge Profits Despite Zero Growth
   Beer executives say global demand for beer is neither growing nor shrinking, but expect to expand operations into emerging economies over the next year.
   Read original story in The Associated Press | Thursday, March 4, 2010

8. New Study Shows Dinosaurs Older Than Thought
   Dinosaurs probably walked the earth 10 million years -- during the middle Triassic period -- earlier than originally thought.
   Read original story in National Geographic | Thursday, March 4, 2010

9. Barbara Walters Ends Oscars Special on a High Note
   The long-time television personality will air her last -- and, she says, her best -- Oscars special, featuring Sandra Bullock and Mo'Nique, this Sunday.
   Read original story in The Associated Press | Thursday, March 4, 2010

10. Obama to Congress: Finish Your Work
    Obama urges the House and the Senate to finish work on health care reform legislation by the end of the month and hints that reconciliation will be used to get fixes to the Senate bill passed in the Senate.
    Read original story in The Washington Post | Wednesday, March 3, 2010

11. Accused of Harrassment, Rep. Eric Massa Announces He Won't Seek Re-Election
    The one-term congressman said he was retiring for health reasons, but Politico reports that the married Massa has been accused of sexually harassing a male staffer.
    Read original story in Politico | Wednesday, March 3, 2010

12. Harkin: Senate Dems Will Use Reconciliation To Pass Health Care Reform
    After a meeting with the Senate majority leader and five other top Dems, Harkin says the House will vote on the Senate bill and the Senate will fix its legislation via reconciliation.
    Read original story in Politico | Wednesday, March 3, 2010