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Thanks to the success of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, lots of people now know about the indulgent eating habits of Hobbits. And as the Lord of the Rings prequel movie, The Hobbit, comes out in December, restaurants that think they see some kindred spirits among their customers are serving up special menus.

There's a palpable anxiety in mountain resort towns this fall. After last season's abysmal skiing and snowboarding revenues, these towns are counting on heavy snow this year to make up for the loss. Now, analysts say without early snow, resorts may suffer a "hangover" from last year's disappointment. Luke Runyon reports for Aspen Public Radio.

The Detroit Tigers play the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, which begins Wednesday.

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Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. Stop the presses. Clark Kent is quitting The Daily Planet. The mild-mannered reporter apparently decided to show a little steel after being scolded one time too many by Editor-in-Chief Perry White. Superman's alter ego goes out big. Before the entire staff, he rails against the newspaper's new emphasis on entertainment and scandals. After seven decades on the news desk, Clark is reportedly reinventing himself in new media. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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After saying during a debate Tuesday night that a pregnancy caused by rape is "something that God intended to happen," the Republican candidate for Senate in Indiana is arguing that it is "twisted" to suggest he thinks God wants some women to be raped.

America's exit strategy in Afghanistan is to have Afghan forces take the lead in fighting for their country. But too often these days, the job still falls to U.S. troops.

A senior officer in Afghanistan tells NPR that Americans continue to coddle Afghan forces and that this must stop. Tough love is in, the officer says. He says the Afghan forces are far more capable than the U.S. estimates and have simply grown accustomed to the U.S. doing everything for them.

That pretty much sums up the situation in southern Afghanistan earlier this year.