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'Wallflower' Film Puts Adolescence On Screen

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Originally published on Sun September 23, 2012 11:43 am

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Now, from the small screen to the big one, and the story of a teenage boy about to begin his freshman year of high school.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER")

LOGAN LERMAN: (as Charlie) Dear Friend, I haven't really talked to anyone outside of my family all summer. But tomorrow is my first day and I really want to turn things around this year.

6:54 am

Sun September 23, 2012

In 'Mad River,' A Friendly Cop Tackles Rural Crime

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Credit Courtesy of Riverhead Hardcover

Credit David Burnett / Courtesy of Riverhead Hardcover

John Sandford is the pseudonym of Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist John Roswell Camp.

By editor

Originally published on Sun September 23, 2012 11:43 am

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John Sandford has written his own five-foot shelf of novels and thrillers, most of them as part of the "Prey" series. Almost all of the books are set in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

His cast of characters has changed and shifted somewhat over time, but largely features Minnesota cops. The plots are centered around Lucas Davenport, a kind of superstar investigator who ages a little from book to book and has a checkered career with a bit of a bad boy reputation – one that has not prevented him from becoming a high ranking official in state law enforcement.

6:53 am

Sun September 23, 2012

Doubts Creep In GOP Stronghold In Va.

By Linda Wertheimer

Originally published on Sun September 23, 2012 11:43 am

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

President Barack Obama has pulled ahead of Governor Romney in another battleground state - Virginia. That's according to recent polls. This past week, we drove west from Washington, D.C. to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to talk to voters about the presidential election. On the way, we stopped at an apple barn to see some of the other choices Virginians face.

5:08 am

Sun September 23, 2012

Gherkin, Diphthong, Hornswoggle And Kerfuffle: Best Words Ever?

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Credit Ted McCagg / Questionable Skills

By Robert Krulwich

"Gherkin" — I like saying it. It's vaguely Indian sounding. "Kerfuffle." That's just fun, with so many F's packed into three syllables. "Diphthong" is sly because it's hiding a silent H, the H right after the P; it's there, but you wouldn't know it. And "hornswoggle?" Just hearing it, I'm on the deck of a frigate, there are seagulls soaring above, and someone is playing a jig.

One of these four words, the "Final Four" in Ted McCagg's "Best Word Ever" contest, became a champion this week.

4:38 am

Sun September 23, 2012

At School, Overweight Children Carry A Heavy Burden

By Kavitha Cardoza

Originally published on Sun September 23, 2012 4:42 pm

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One in three children in the United States is overweight or obese. Significant numbers of those young people are grappling with health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Those conditions can be difficult for children to manage in any setting, but they can pose particular challenges for children during the school day.

Dr. Yolandra Hancock used to be an elementary school teacher, and it shows. She's patient, encouraging and has an endearing way of ending her sentences with "my love" and "my sweet."

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