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The way Texans speak, from using words like "y'all" to that old Texas twang, is iconic in American culture. But linguists say the twang is fading — and that, in a few decades, "talking Texan" may sound quite different than it does today.

The "spaghetti maps" that forecast hurricane tracks, such as those being used to predict the track of Hurricane Sandy, have become increasingly accurate and sophisticated. That's in part because of the work performed by some of the world's most powerful supercomputers.

While the Syrian government still has the upper hand in the country's largest cities, the rebels hold large swaths of territory in rural areas. NPR's Kelly McEvers recently returned from a week with the rebels inside Syria. Her first stop: a rebel way-station not far from the border with Turkey.

Lawyer and Winter Olympic hopeful Seun Adebiyi made his battle with leukemia a quest for more donors and better registries in African countries.

With college costs rising and student debt mounting, some high school graduates in Charlotte, N.C., are opting for an alternative route: European-style apprenticeships. One straight-A student has shifted her sights from an international relations degree to becoming an engineer.

Friday's opening ceremony marks the official start of the London Olympics. It's a wide-ranging ode to British history and culture called "Isles of Wonder," featuring music, dancing, live farm animals and 10,000 volunteers.

The president and his Republican rival agree something needs to be done about the enormous gap between what the federal government collects in taxes and what it spends. But they fundamentally disagree on how to solve that problem.

Drug- and gang-related shootouts have killed 20 people so far this year in France's second largest city. The crime wave has prompted one Marseille politician to call for the army to be sent in. The city's isolated housing projects breed despair and are home to a parallel economy based on drugs.

Responding to calls that the Republican presidential ticket provide more detail about some of its policy proposals, vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan says TV isn't always the right medium for such specifics. And a spokesman for Mitt Romney says tonight's debate also has its limits.

Mitt Romney's pledge to add 12 million jobs to the economy over four years may sound like a very big number, especially coming out of a deep recession followed by three years of lackluster job growth. But some economists say it's realistic, and even if President Obama wins re-election.