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The object, dubbed 2020 SO by astronomers, will come within “just” 31,605 miles of our planet at 3:50 a.m. ET on December 1, according to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS.) This is an “extremely close,” albeit safe, approach, with the object passing at a distance equivalent to around 13 percent of the average distance between our planet and the moon, astronomer Gianluca Masi from the Virtual Telescope Project told Newsweek....

Over the years hundreds of journalists have quoted Marshall’s famous study—including me, in the pages of NEWSWEEK. But last month a reader sent me a copy of a March 1989 article from American Heritage magazine that set me straight. In fact, there is no real evidence that so few soldiers open fire, writes Frederick Smoler in “The Secret of the Soldiers Who Don’t Shoot.” “It just may be,” concludes Smoler, “that Samuel Lyman Marshall made the whole thing up....

“The Mambo Kings” didn’t turn the Spanish actor into an overnight U.S. sensation, but it was the beginning of an international odyssey that has brought him, this August morning, to the poolside of the Spanish-style Brentwood home he shares with actress Melanie Griffith and her kids. The street happens to be the same one O. J. Simpson lives on, his landlord happens to be Michelle Pfeiffer and Banderas, now in possession of fluent if somewhat idiosyncratic English, happens to be the busiest, and perhaps the hottest, new star in town....

Many of Hanoi’s prospective partners are beginning to share some of its apprehensions about China. When Beijing recently occupied a reef off the coast of the Philip-pines–800 miles from the nearest point in China–Manila and the other members of ASEAN (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei) surprised the Chinese by protesting as a group. No one wants trouble in the South China Sea, the pathway for 80 percent of Japan’s imported oil and a strategic link between the Pacific and Indian Oceans....

The Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to bring back Johnson, their most popular player ever, as coach was a true stunner. Since Magic retired after testing HIV-positive in 1991, the team’s fabled “Showtime” has shut down, a fact reflected in sagging attendance and the dearth of Hollywood superstars on Jack Nicholson row. L.A. appears destined to miss the playoffs for the first time in 18 years. Johnson, 34, declared his virus a nonfactor along with his lack of coaching experience....

GILES: Based on the articles I’ve read, journalists seem scared to meet you because you wrote such unsettling stuff early on–and then they seem shocked that you’re just a nice intellectual. McEWAN: Yes. They’re all disappointed that I’m not, you know, dripping in blood. Did you ever figure out what drew you to such dark material as a young man? I can’t give you a very profound answer. What I can say is that there was something quite reactive about those early stories....

Now, a new study shows that a low-quality diet is linked to an increased risk, regardless of a person’s genetic risk. Although there is data that suggests following a healthy diet and lifestyle is linked to a reduced type 2 diabetes risk, regardless of genetic risk factors, various limitations have made it difficult to definitively determine whether these interventions can truly impact diabetes risk. “Previous studies have shown that both genes and diet are associated with the risk of diabetes,” Jordi Merino, PhD, a research associate in the diabetes unit and center for genomic medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and lead study author, told Verywell....

Her ordeal didn’t end there. After being raped and dumped at the yard, one of the soldiers came back to bring S. to his commander. “He told me to take off my clothes and to lie down on the bed,” she says. “Then he did the same thing. He started to kiss and to caress me. He saw that I didn’t feel anything. I looked into his eyes and asked him if he had a wife....

Tip: Ditch the six-speed for the five-speed automatic and save about $2,400.

It’s easy to remember the 55-point outburst just five games into the superstar’s return to the NBA. Jordan, wearing No. 45, broke the record he previously set for most points by an opposing player at MSG. He scored 50 against the Knicks on Nov. 1, 1986. You remember all that. You might have forgotten how the Bulls won that 113-111 thriller against New York. MORE: That time a young Kevin Garnett talked trash to Michael Jordan...

This question originally appeared on Quora. Ask a question, get a great answer. Learn from experts and access insider knowledge. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Answer by Greg Gordon, professional soccer scout: There’s no point in giving you false hope. Basically, if you are not in the system in some form from age 10-12 and have not been playing at a good level since age 7-8, you can forget it....

Why does the bull keep raging through the economic briar patch? Over the short term, investors are betting that a slowing economy will keep inflation in check and persuade the Federal Reserve to let interest rates drift lower. In the long run, most economists believe, new investment, export growth and government spending will push overall growth for the rest of this year a little faster than the 1 percent pace of the last six months....

In nothing less than a minor miracle, the euro zone is back. The Continent’s major economies beat GDP expectations in the second quarter of the year, resulting in the strongest growth in six years. The euro zone grew almost 1 percent last quarter, outperforming the United States, Britain and Japan. The upshot is that the euro zone will likely grow about 2.5 percent this year–up from 1.3 percent in 2005....

Steely Dan’s gone back into hibernation (sorry, old-timers) and Eminem didn’t come out with an album. Last year, the many nominations for the cantankerous white rapper made the Grammys seem “with it,” and even added a bit of controversy to the mix (someone so mean can’t win for best album!). Steely Dan’s win fulfilled the Grammy promise of staying unflappably irrelevant–no one knew the 1970s group had even made an album in 2000....

After 10 months of civil war in what used to be Yugoslavia, perhaps 1.5 million people are homeless. At least 700,000 citizens of Bosnia and Hercegovina have been dispossessed in the last month alone. The Serbian attacks were particularly savage on Bosnia’s Muslims–44 percent of the population. But every ethnic group is suffering. In the former Yugoslav state as a whole, half a million Croats have been uprooted from areas overrun by Serbs....

Valium may be the healthier choice. Yes, anthrax is a deadly germ with real potential as a weapon. But our fear now poses a greater health threat than the bacterium itself. Despite recent events in Florida, New York and Nevada, a typical civilian’s chances of getting infected are still vanishingly small. Taking Cipro may help us feel less vulnerable, but the drug itself can have a range of adverse effects, especially in children....