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Health
2:03 am
Mon May 20, 2013

Bans Of Same-Sex Marriage Can Take A Psychological Toll

Credit Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images
Opponents of same-sex marriage participate in the March for Marriage in Washington, D.C., on March 26, as the Supreme Court hears arguments on California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage.

As the country awaits two important Supreme Court decisions involving state laws on same-sex marriage, a small but consistent body of research suggests that laws that ban gay marriage — or approve it — can affect the mental health of gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans.

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Around the Nation
2:01 am
Mon May 20, 2013

Seeing The (Northern) Light: A Temporary Arctic Retirement

By all the laws of anything, Winston Chen should not have quit his well-paying, mid-career job at a software company. But one day he was watching a TED Talk, one of those popular online video presentations, delivered by a New York designer.

"He presented this absolutely irresistible idea," Chen says. "He said, 'Why don't we take five years out of retirement and spread them throughout your working life?' "

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The Two-Way
5:41 pm
Sun May 19, 2013

Syrian Troops Target Key Rebel-Held Town

Dozens of people are dead in heavy fighting around the Syrian rebel-held city of Qusair where troops loyal to President Bashar Assad are making a strong push.

News reports say as many as 50 people are dead.

NPR's Jonathan Blakley, who is in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, is reporting on the fighting for our Newscast Unit:

"Qusair is a strategically important town that lies between the city of Homs, where the Syrian uprising began two years ago, and the Lebanese border. The area has been under siege for weeks.

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Parallels
4:25 pm
Sun May 19, 2013

Young Kenyans Build Mobile Apps For Local Use

Credit Gregory Warner / NPR
Kenyans watch a presentation at the "mobile apps garage showcase" this in Nairobi.

Originally published on Sun May 19, 2013 8:59 pm

You're out navigating the jammed sidewalks of Kenya's capital city when you suddenly realize you're in desperate need of a toilet. You crane your neck over the crowds, vainly seeking a McDonalds, a Starbucks — no such luck. What next?

There could be an app for that. Twendeloo, which is Swahili for "Let's Go to the Loo," would allow you to use your phone to locate the nearest public restroom in Nairobi's business district, then give it a rating for cleanliness.

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The Two-Way
4:04 pm
Sun May 19, 2013

Two Excerpts You Should Read From Obama's Morehouse Speech

Credit Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images
President Obama delivers the commencement address during a ceremony at Morehouse College on Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia.

President Obama, on Sunday, delivered a rare, very personal commencement address at Morehouse College, the historically black, all-male insitution that is the alma mater of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It was a short speech, but Obama did not shy away the subject of race and responsibility. We've embedded video of the address above, but here are two excerpts you should read. They are taken from his prepared remarks:

On Personal Responsibility:

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