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Civil rights was once a common cause for pro athletes, but players have been relatively quiet about gay rights. Former athletes have expressed the fear and isolation of their "dirty little secret." Recently, though, there have been a few standout moments for gay rights in the sports world.

Legendary beat novelist Jack Kerouac shot to fame with On the Road, but unknown to many fans, he also wrote a play. The Beat Generation was never produced and quickly forgotten. Rediscovered in 2004, the play is now set to premiere in the writer's hometown.

Ever wonder what it would look like to fly high above the Earth in the middle of the night? In a video by NASA scientist Justin Wilkinson, it's clear that while we're asleep, our planet is buzzing with city lights and lightning storms.

Syria's Alawite minority has largely maintained its solid support for President Bashar Assad, a fellow Alawite. But recent developments, including the defection of an army colonel, suggest there are now cracks in the Alawite community.

The five-term senator, a moderate Republican-turned-Democrat, was a key member of the Judiciary Committee and consistently a thorn for leaders of both political parties and their presidents. Specter died of complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma at his home in Philadelphia on Sunday. He was 82.

Dominican-American novelist Junot Diaz was awarded a MacArthur "genius grant" and the no-strings-attached $500,000 prize that comes with it. The Pulitzer prize-winning author of The Brief And Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao talks about the grant, his writing process and how the award may affect his work.

For The Latin Road Home, chef Jose Garces traced the food traditions that have influenced his cooking. From Spain to Mexico, to Ecuador, Peru and Cuba, he investigated the techniques and ingredients that shaped the foods of his childhood. Garces talks about his journey, and shares favorite recipes.

If you want to vote in the November elections and you aren't registered yet — you'd better hurry. The registration deadline in five states is this weekend. By the following weekend, the deadline will have passed in more than half the states.

Michelle Obama has bested Ann Romney in Family Circle magazine's latest "First Lady Cookie Contest." It's been held for 20 years, since Hillary Rodham Clinton tweaked cookie bakers everywhere with a derisive comment to her own critics that she "could have stayed home and baked cookies" rather than pursue her career." And while it's meant as good, tasty fun, it does have its critics, who wonder if a potential First Gentlemen would be asked to prove himself by baking cookies. Audie Cornish and Melissa Block have more.

In Wednesday night's debate, President Obama said Mitt Romney's tax plan would cut government revenues by $5 trillion. Romney said that wasn't true and that he wouldn't propose any tax cut that would add to the deficit. Audie Cornish talks with John Ydstie about an exchange that left many people scratching their heads.