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Why Bill Gates Thinks Ending Polio Is Worth It

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Credit Marie McGrory / NPR

There's no better deal than getting polio cases down to zero, philanthropist Bill Gates says.

Credit Marie McGrory / NPR

There's no better deal than getting polio cases down to zero, philanthropist Bill Gates says.

Originally published on Thu May 9, 2013 3:28 pm

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Some critics say that ending polio has become Bill Gates' "white whale."

Why not just settle for the huge drop in polio cases that we've seen over the past decade and then spend money on other things that kill so many more kids, like diarrhea and malnutrition?

"Polio is special," Gates tells NPR's Robert Siegel on All Things Considered. "Once you get it done, you save $2 billion a year that will be applied to those other activities. There's no better deal economically to getting to zero."

2:57 pm

Wed May 8, 2013

On Two New R&B Albums, An Old Soul Sound That Glows

Credit Darren Bastecky / Courtesy of the artist

Charles Bradley was signed by Daptone Records partly because of a James Brown act he used to perform. His new album is Victim of Love.

By Oliver Wang

Originally published on Wed May 8, 2013 4:55 pm

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It's tempting to describe the voices of Charles Bradley and

2:27 pm

Wed May 8, 2013

31 Suspects In 3 Nations Nabbed In $50 Million Diamond Heist

Credit Yves Herman / Reuters /Landov

By Mark Memmott

Originally published on Wed May 8, 2013 4:55 pm

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Remember that brazen, right-out-of-the-movies diamond heist at Brussels' international airport on Feb. 18?

Now there's word from The Associated Press that "police on Wednesday claimed a major breakthrough in their investigation ... detaining 31 people in a three-nation sweep."

2:05 pm

Wed May 8, 2013

Phosphorescent On World Cafe

Credit Steve Gullick / Courtesy of the artist

Phosphorescent.

By David Dye

It's easy to hear the steady growth in the music of Phosphorescent's Matthew Houck since the release of his band's 2009 Willie Nelson tribute album, To Willie. In 2011, Here's to Taking It Easy was a sprawling, languid epic written with his road band's performances in mind.

1:11 pm

Wed May 8, 2013

The Role Of Trials In The Process Of Catharsis

Originally published on Thu May 9, 2013 9:33 am

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2:58 pm

Wed May 8, 2013