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The 2018 Paralympic mascot is the Asiatic black bear, a symbol of Korean folklore. But behind the caricature, South Korea has a troubled relationship with the bears, farming them for their bile.

Despite a sharp decrease of smokers in the U.S., tobacco companies are more profitable than ever. NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Jennifer Maloney of The Wall Street Journal about how cigarette companies have survived and thrived under tighter regulations.

"I thought that surely I'd misheard him," says Calvin Hennick, the white father of a mixed-race son, of his encounter with a fan in Boston. The man he reported has been banned from Fenway Park.

Across Europe, the recession has hit media companies where thousands of journalists have been fired and many work for low wages. In Spain, journalists see the cutbacks as a threat to press freedom at a time when Spaniards need to understand the financial crisis they are facing.

There was plenty of media spin and punditry in Wednesday's debate, not just in Denver but on Twitter. The candidates appeared to be lacking in real zingers. Instead, it turns out the real conversation was happening through social media.

A national poll released Monday shows many registered voters were reminded of the importance of national parks during the federal government shutdown. Congress did get more of a bruising on perceived responsibility for the park closures, but the president wasn't left unscathed either.

The Federal Election Commission has rejected a bid by conservatives to weaken the campaign-finance disclosure law. A Tea Party group had asked for a precedent-changing decision to keep its donor lists secret. It said members are being targeted for harassment and intimidation.

Nearly 40 percent of Americans over 50 are single, and many are looking for love online. As one site user says, "I don't want to live the last 10 years of my life alone."

The Institute of Medicine is reviewing how chronic fatigue syndrome is diagnosed. But some patients and doctors say the one of the biggest problems is the name itself. The hallmark symptom is not fatigue, they say, but a physical and mental crash after even mild exercise.

Inventor Rob Rhinehart has raised $1.5 million in seed funding for his powdered food alternative. He and his investors say there's a big market for his product: time- and cash-strapped people currently living on takeout.