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Fans of Middle Earth tend to fall in love with The Hobbit as children, says self-described "Tolkien professor" Corey Olsen. But once they move on to The Lord of the Rings, they never come back. That's a great shame, he says, so he's written his own book to honor the classic fantasy novel.

Three-Minute Fiction is getting ready to wrap up as graduate students from across the country comb through nearly 4,000 submissions and pass the best of the best on to judge Brad Meltzer, author of The Inner Circle. NPR's Susan Stamberg reads an excerpt from one of their favorites, Executive Copy, by Cori Schattner of New York.

As the presidential candidates prepare for Monday night's foreign policy debate, they'll probably think about Iran, Israeli-Palestinian talks and China. Each case would require a balance of alliance-building and tough talk. But how much of what the candidates say will they actually pursue if elected?

Preliminary new evidence suggests diet drinks don't increase appetite in the short term — contrary to popular belief — and may help keep weight off down the road. But experts say water is still the best zero-calorie hydration for the body.

Reports over the weekend said the U.S. and Iran had agreed to face-to-face negotiations, but both countries deny that's the case. Still, symptoms of economic and social instability may be pushing Iran toward the negotiating table.

Last week's debate was ostensibly about domestic issues, but that didn't stop China from being mentioned numerous times. Tonight's debate, focused on foreign policy, is sure to see relations with Beijing get airplay.

Kids exposed to laundry detergent pods appeared more likely to have vomiting, drowsiness or lethargy than those who were exposed to other forms of laundry detergent. An analysis of reports of poisoning by detergent pods finds they represent "an emerging public health hazard."

Third-party candidates could end up affecting the outcome of the presidential race, as Ralph Nader did in Florida in 2000. Libertarian Gary Johnson could siphon votes away from both candidates in several battleground states, and the Constitution Party's Virgil Goode could make a difference in Virginia.

Yesterday, we had economists create their dream presidential platform. Today, we seek professional help to launch our fake presidential candidate.

Writer Mark O'Brien spent most of his life in an iron lung. He was the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary, and now his story is told again in the semi-fictionalized feature The Sessions. Critic David Edelstein reviews the story of how one man lost his virginity — and found out how to love.