NPR Story
1:46 am
Mon May 14, 2012

Presbyterians' Views On Gay Marriage Vary

Originally published on Mon May 14, 2012 3:44 am

Twenty years ago, few Americans approved of homosexuality or thought gay marriage should be legal. Now, nearly half of all Americans support same-sex marriage, though most Christians are still opposed to it.

NPR Story
1:46 am
Mon May 14, 2012

An Update On Syrian Violence

Originally published on Mon May 14, 2012 3:44 am

Over the weekend, Syrian troops continued their brutal campaign against those who oppose the regime of President Bashar Assad. And a questionable video has been released by a group claiming responsibility for massive explosions that shook Syria's capital last week.

Election 2012
12:53 am
Mon May 14, 2012

Republicans Zero In On Nebraska's U.S. Senate Seat

Originally published on Mon May 14, 2012 6:24 am

Republicans hope to wrest control of the U.S. Senate in November from the majority Democrats, who have twice as many seats to defend this year. One state where the GOP has high hopes is Nebraska, where two-term incumbent Ben Nelson, a Democrat, is retiring. Voters from both parties will select their nominees Tuesday, and the Republican winner is likely to face a familiar face: former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey.

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The Picture Show
12:29 am
Mon May 14, 2012

Dear Photograph: New-Age Nostalgia

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 7:47 am

You may have heard of Dear Photograph, a website that invites readers to submit photos of photos — images from the past, set in the present. Over the past year, the website received thousands of submissions. In fact, enough for a book, also called Dear Photograph, which was released earlier this month.

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Fine Art
12:28 am
Mon May 14, 2012

Even Under Threat, Syrian Artists Paint In Protest

Originally published on Mon May 14, 2012 3:44 am

In Syria, anyone who speaks out against the regime of President Bashar Assad risks harassment, detention and sometimes worse. One famous cartoonist who'd lampooned Assad was pulled out of his car last summer by pro-regime thugs and had his hands broken.

Public figures like singers and actors are under much pressure to keep silent. Even a small and critically acclaimed group of Syrian painters is not immune — but that might be attracting buyers outside Syria to their work.

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Shots - Health Blog
12:27 am
Mon May 14, 2012

Doctors' Due Diligence: Measuring Kids' Blood Pressure

Credit Sean Locke / iStockphoto.com
Doctors often overlook taking a child's blood pressure during routine visits.

Originally published on Mon May 14, 2012 5:37 am

There have been hints that the obesity epidemic's rise has slowed a bit among certain populations, but for the most part, it continues to dominate American health. One third of children and teenagers are now overweight or obese. And researchers forecast as many as half of our nation's population could be obese — not overweight but obese — by 2030.

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Shots - Health Blog
12:26 am
Mon May 14, 2012

Alzheimer's Patients Turn To Stories Instead Of Memories

Originally published on Mon May 14, 2012 3:44 am

Ask family members of someone with Alzheimer's or another dementia: Trying to talk with a loved one who doesn't even remember exactly who they are can be very frustrating.

But here at a senior center in Seattle, things are different.

On one recent day, 15 elderly people were forming a circle. The room is typical — linoleum floors, cellophane flowers on the windows, canes and wheelchairs, and walkers lined up against the wall.

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Election 2012
12:18 am
Mon May 14, 2012

In Florida, Registering Voters A Whole New Game

Credit Greg Allen / NPR
Melli Romero (right), a canvasser with the National Council of La Raza, works outside La Mia Supermarket in Miami on May 9.

Originally published on Mon May 14, 2012 5:05 am

Six months before the presidential election, the Florida ground game is already under way.

In political terms, the ground game is the process of mobilizing voters and getting them to the polls. And the first step is registering people to vote.

But in Florida this year, there are tough new restrictions on groups that conduct voter registration drives. The restrictions already appear to be having an impact on the number of people who are registering to vote.

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Around the Nation
12:17 am
Mon May 14, 2012

Santa Cruz Surfers Make Coastline A Reserve

Credit Stephen Dunn / Getty Images
A surfer rides a wave at Steamer Lane, with the Santa Cruz Wharf in the background. A long swath of Santa Cruz's coast has been designated a World Surfing Reserve.

Originally published on Mon May 14, 2012 3:44 am

You may think of surfers as slackers. But in Santa Cruz, Calif., they're city council members and business owners. And they're also conservationists — who just got their piece of the central California coast named a World Surfing Reserve.

Long before surf music topped the charts and long before surfers had crazy nicknames, surfers have been riding the waves in Santa Cruz.

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Movies
2:41 pm
Sun May 13, 2012

Johnny Carson: 'King Of Late Night,' A Man Unknown

Originally published on Sun May 13, 2012 3:52 pm

Fifty years ago, Johnny Carson became the host of The Tonight Show. During his 30 years as host, he reached a nightly audience of 15 million people and became one of the most trusted and famous men in America.

But Carson was intensely private off-screen, and very few people — including members of his own family--really knew him. Documentary filmmaker Peter Jones wanted to try and change that. Once a year, for 15 years, Jones sent Carson a letter, begging him for permission to make a documentary on his life.

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