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It's All Politics
2:22 pm
Tue November 6, 2012

In Guam, 'Non-Binding Straw Poll' Gives Obama A Commanding Win

The polls in Guam have closed and the results are in.

President Obama managed a big victory, garnering 72 percent of the votes. That's about 23,067 votes compared to 8,443 votes for Gov. Mitt Romney.

Now for the disclaimers: Guam, 6,000 miles and 18 times zones away from California, is a territory of the United States, so their votes don't count. The presidential part of the vote is considered a "non-binding straw poll." But if you believe in bellweathers, listen up.

Here's what R. Todd Thompson of NPR member station KPRG in Guam told us:

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The Salt
2:20 pm
Tue November 6, 2012

Restaurant Meals Mean More Calories And Soda For Kids And Teens

Credit Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
When they eat out at a restaurant, kids consume more calories than they do at home. Here, members of the Long Island Gulls hockey team enjoy a lunch at TGI Friday's back in 2007 in Marlborough, Mass.

Walk into a fast food restaurant and it's probably safe to assume that whatever deep-fried deliciousness you eat, you'll consume more calories than you would if you ate a well-rounded home cooked meal. That's common sense.

But, public health officials are sounding the alarm about the effect that eating out often – whether at fast food or full service restaurants – is having on our diets, especially in children.

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The Two-Way
1:35 pm
Tue November 6, 2012

Russia's Putin Sacks Defense Minister Amid Corruption Scandal

Credit Andrey Smirnov / AFP/Getty Images
A Russian Army officer walks past Defence Ministry offices in Moscow, on Tuesday. Putin fired defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov over a corruption scandal, the most dramatic change to the government since he returned to the Kremlin for a third term.

Russian President Vladimir Putin today fired his defense minister, who is embroiled in a real estate corruption scandal.

The New York Times reports:

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Africa
1:16 pm
Tue November 6, 2012

All Aboard South Africa's High-Speed Train

Originally published on Tue November 6, 2012 7:37 pm

Public transit in South Africa can be a bit of a nightmare. Many South Africans have had to depend on the ubiquitous taxivans, which are often overcrowded, dirty and driven recklessly.

But the continent's first rapid rail service, built to ease traffic congestion in South Africa's economic heart, is changing that.

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Movies
12:55 pm
Tue November 6, 2012

Cast Your Ballot For Your Favorite Election Movies

Originally published on Tue November 6, 2012 2:26 pm

Talk of the Nation's favorite film buff Murray Horwitz lobbies for his picks for the best Election Day movies of all time. From Reese Witherspoon's Tracy Flick running for student council president in Election, to Chris Rock playing a fictional first black president in Head of State, cast your vote.

Election 2012
12:55 pm
Tue November 6, 2012

If You Voted Election Day, Tell Us What You Saw

Originally published on Tue November 6, 2012 2:25 pm

The most expensive election in U.S. history could be decided by one a tight margin. As results begin to roll in, all eyes are on Ohio, Florida and other swing states that are still too close to call. And both campaigns have lawyers at the ready in case of recounts or problems at polling places.

History
12:55 pm
Tue November 6, 2012

History's Best Victory And Concession Speeches

Originally published on Tue November 6, 2012 2:25 pm

The candidates' speechwriters are busy crafting two different sets of remarks for two different outcomes: A victory speech and a concession speech. Former Clinton White House speech writer Paul Glastris and former Reagan White House speech writer Peter Robinson talk about the art of the speech.

Author Interviews
12:54 pm
Tue November 6, 2012

Oliver Sacks, Exploring How Hallucinations Happen

Originally published on Thu November 8, 2012 11:58 am

In Oliver Sacks' book The Mind's Eye, the neurologist included an interesting footnote in a chapter about losing vision in one eye because of cancer that said: "In the '60s, during a period of experimenting with large doses of amphetamines, I experienced a different sort of vivid mental imagery."

He expands on this footnote in his new book, Hallucinations, where he writes about various types of hallucinations — visions triggered by grief, brain injury, migraines, medications and neurological disorders.

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Shots - Health News
12:23 pm
Tue November 6, 2012

Drug-Resistant Malaria On The Rise In Southeast Asia

For malaria in Southeast Asia, there's good news and bad news right now. Overall, the number of cases is down, but there's a growing problem of drug resistance in the cases that do crop up.

Researchers worry that superstrains of the parasite — strains immune to the most common medications — could wipe out the recent progress against malaria.

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The Salt
11:41 am
Tue November 6, 2012

Ready-To-Eat Meals Feed Thousands In Wake Of Superstorm Sandy

Credit John Minchillo / AP
A young woman helps bag ready-to-eat meals for distribution to the residents of the Lower East Side who remain without power due to Superstorm Sandy on Friday.

When we think of ready-to-eat meals, we usually think of those packets of nutrient-dense soldiers' rations, like the Army sandwich that stays fresh for two years. These pouches of food are typically deployed in the field, and are consequently designed to withstand the abuses of temperature and time that would destroy fresh fare.

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