The Two-Way
4:25 pm
Mon April 9, 2012

Here's How And Why Bubba Watson Hit The Shot That Won The Masters

  • Jaime Diaz on Watson's swing
  • Jaime Diaz on how Watson learned to do that
  • Jaime Diaz on Watson's ADD

Hours and hours of hitting little plastic golf balls and learning to make them twist and turn and bend and bounce in almost any direction.

That's one reason why golfer Bubba Watson was able to hit a shot Sunday that most duffers could never make — and do it to win this year's Masters Tournament.

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Africa
4:10 pm
Mon April 9, 2012

For The First Time, Mr. Gay World Crowned In Africa

At a golf resort in suburban Johannesburg, a group of men lounged by the pool. They cheered as five competitors sprinted around a grassy field — in Speedo swimsuits — to the sounds of "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini."

This was sports day at Mr. Gay World 2012.

Gay men from 22 countries took part, and this year's competition was noteworthy because it was the first time it was held on African soil. It addition, it also marked the first time that black African men participated, though there were just two.

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Shots - Health Blog
4:01 pm
Mon April 9, 2012

With Cancer Care, The U.S. Spends More, But Gets More

Credit iStockphoto.com
Newer cancer treatment drugs have raised the cost of treatment even more.

Originally published on Mon April 9, 2012 4:03 pm

By now it's hardly news that the U.S. spends more than every other industrialized country on health care. But a new study suggests that at least when it comes to cancer care, Americans may actually be getting decent value.

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Europe
3:28 pm
Mon April 9, 2012

Lack Of Graduates Hampers Portugal's Recovery

Credit Armando Franca / AP
A group of young Portuguese protest at Lisbon's Rossio square last month to vent their frustration at grim career prospects amid an acute economic crisis that shows no signs of abating.

As Portugal tries to dig out of its financial mess, it's confronted with a sobering fact: Fewer than 30 percent of adult Portuguese have graduated from high school. Not college. High school.

And in a country that's been hit so hard by the economic crisis, even those with an education are struggling.

Ana Dias and Ruth Cardozo, both 27, are lifelong friends who now work together at a shoe store in Lisbon, the Portuguese capital. Cardozo dropped out of high school 10 years ago to take this job.

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Music Interviews
2:12 pm
Mon April 9, 2012

M. Ward: Sounds Of A Different Time And Place

Credit Courtesy of the artist
M. Ward's latest album, A Wasteland Companion, comes out April 10.

Originally published on Tue April 10, 2012 12:01 am

M. Ward's music inspires a sense of wonder — it recalls many sounds from a different time and place.

"I get most of my inspiration from older records and older production styles," Ward says, "and that ends up rearing its head in the records that I make. One of the great things about music is that it has the capability of time travel — you smell a certain smell in the room and it takes you back to your childhood. I feel like music is able to do that, and it happens to me all the time."

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The Salt
1:42 pm
Mon April 9, 2012

Fast Food Chains In Cafeterias Put Hospitals In A Bind

Credit Tony Dejak / AP
The McDonald's inside the Cleveland Clinic, 2004, in Cleveland.

On one side of a wall inside the Truman Medical Center cafeteria in Kansas City, Missouri, the menu features low-calorie, low-fat and low-sodium meals. On the other side of the wall is a McDonald's, featuring hamburgers and french fries.

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The Two-Way
1:30 pm
Mon April 9, 2012

Facebook Is Buying Instagram

"I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook," Mark Zuckerberg just announced.

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Music Interviews
12:44 pm
Mon April 9, 2012

Adam Cohen: On Intimacy, Antagonism And Influence

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Adam Cohen says he's proud to be the son of singer Leonard Cohen.

Originally published on Mon April 9, 2012 5:14 pm

During the course of his career, singer-songwriter Adam Cohen says he has twisted himself into creating commercially successful music — but not this record, not this song. "What Other Guy," from his third album Like A Man, didn't seem likely to generate mainstream popularity. And yet it did, more than any other song he has ever recorded.

The son of iconic singer Leonard Cohen, Adam Cohen says his latest record is a celebration and demonstration of his father's influence on his music.

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Music Reviews
12:28 pm
Mon April 9, 2012

The Toure-Raichel Collective: A Collaboration By Accident

Credit Nitzan Treystman
Vieux Farka Toure (left) and Idan Raichel, collaborating as The Toure-Raichel Collective, released The Tel-Aviv Session on March 26.

Originally published on Mon April 9, 2012 5:14 pm

Idan Raichel is one of Israel's top-selling pop musicians. Vieux Farka Toure is a virtuoso guitarist from Mali. The two met by chance in a German airport, and when Toure played a concert in Tel Aviv, Raichel sat in. He enjoyed himself so much that he invited Toure and two other musicians to come to a studio the next day and jam. The music they created is now an album called The Tel Aviv Session.

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The Two-Way
12:18 pm
Mon April 9, 2012

Trayvon Martin Prosecutor: Investigation Continues, No Grand Jury

Originally published on Mon April 9, 2012 1:53 pm

The special prosecutor investigating the Feb. 26 shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin announced this morning she will not be taking the case to a grand jury this week.

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