Asia
2:00 pm
Sat October 20, 2012

Tourist Deaths Raise Poison Expert's Suspicions

Credit Stephen Shaver / AFP/Getty Images
The Phi Phi Islands in Thailand are a tourists' paradise. In June, sisters Noemi and Audrey Belanger were found dead in their hotel room there.

Originally published on Sat October 20, 2012 3:20 pm

Thailand's Phi Phi Islands are famous for the sun during the day and beach-side cocktail parties at night. This summer, two Canadian sisters set off for a rite-of-passage trip to the islands' white sands. They never came back.

Noemi, 25, and Audrey, 20, Belanger were found dead in their hotel room. Their deaths were among the latest in a series of mysterious deaths in Southeast Asia. Over the past few years, nearly a dozen young travelers, mostly Western women, have inexplicably died while traveling in the region.

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Presidential Race
2:00 pm
Sat October 20, 2012

The Undecided Voter: Just Like The Unicorn?

Credit Emmanuel Dunand / AFP/Getty Images
President Obama and Mitt Romney answer questions from undecided voters at the second presidential debate, at Hofstra University on Long Island, N.Y., last Tuesday.

Originally published on Sun October 21, 2012 10:35 am

Palm Beach Post columnist Frank Cerabino heard something strange on the radio last Tuesday. A local sports show host, Marc Hochman of The Ticket, said that while he might tune in to the Yankees vs. Tigers game that night instead of the presidential debate, he would definitely watch the third and final debate.

"That will really decide my vote at this point because I'm one of those undecided voters," Hochman said.

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Religion
2:00 pm
Sat October 20, 2012

More Americans To Join The Ranks Of Saints

Sunday, Pope Benedict canonizes seven Catholics. Among them are two Americans, putting the total number of Americans among the thousands of officially recognized saints at 12. Host Guy Raz talks about the newly recognized saints with the Rev. James Martin, contributing editor at Catholic magazine America and author of the book My Life With the Saints.

Presidential Race
2:00 pm
Sat October 20, 2012

Tales From The Trail: Who's Undecided And Why?

Host Guy Raz speaks with NPR's Don Gonyea, who has just spent two weeks on the campaign trail. Along the way, he met some undecided voters. In swing states, undecided voters are being bombarded by advertising, and Gonyea explains what is keeping them from making up their minds.

Asia
2:00 pm
Sat October 20, 2012

China Criticized In U.S. Debates, But Stays Close

With the final presidential debate on Monday tackling foreign policy issues, surely China will be a familiar topic. It seems every four years, the U.S. relationship with China takes a beating during campaign events. Host Guy Raz speaks with James Fallows of The Atlantic about why candidates attack China yet presidents always balance their rhetoric.

Technology
2:00 pm
Sat October 20, 2012

French Tweet Sweep Shows Twitter's Local Struggles

Originally published on Sat October 20, 2012 3:35 pm

Friday, Twitter agreed to pull racist tweets after a French organization threatened to sue. The company has resisted efforts to police its content. But hate speech is illegal in many European countries, and anti-hate groups there are grappling with how to deal with the challenge of social media.

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The Salt
10:53 am
Sat October 20, 2012

This Candy Is From Heaven (But Don't Eat It)

Originally published on Sat October 20, 2012 11:15 am

Pop quiz: What is this thing?

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It's All Politics
7:48 am
Sat October 20, 2012

They Call The Election A Horse Race; It Has Real Bettors, Too

Credit NPR/Intrade screen grab
The Dublin-based prediction market site Intrade lets users bet money on whom they expect to win a variety of U.S. political races, including the presidential race.

Originally published on Fri October 19, 2012 4:12 pm

By this point in the campaign season, the presidential polls may have your head spinning. Romney's up 7 points in one, Obama's up 3 in another ... and on any given day, a dozen other polls are swirling, each offering a different take.

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Author Interviews
7:45 am
Sat October 20, 2012

'John Lennon Letters' Reveal A Life As It Happened

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 1:21 pm

John Lennon loved word play; he wrote songs that have not only become standards, but also milestones, like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "Strawberry Fields," which he wrote with the Beatles, and "Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance," which he wrote on his own. For most of his life, he also composed letters to friends and family; then lovers, as he grew up; and strangers, as he grew famous. His notes, letters and postcards often contained small, funny drawings and self portraits.

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Movies
7:20 am
Sat October 20, 2012

A Look At 'The Girl' Who Caught Hitchcock's Eye

Originally published on Thu October 25, 2012 6:24 am

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