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The outcome of the presidential race will come down to swing states, but Obama begins the race to 270 with the comfort of counting on a greater number of all-but-certain electoral votes than Romney has.

Bao Tong was once a senior figure in the Communist Party. He was ousted and jailed for seven years after the Tiananmen Square events of 1989 and is still followed everywhere by security officers. But he doesn't hesitate to speak his mind, and is a scathing critic of the country's current leaders.

Yoani Sanchez is an outspoken critic of the Castro regime, with a social media pulpit that is translated into 20 languages. In Miami this week to receive an award, she called on Cuban-Americans to tear down the wall of "lies, silence and bad intentions" that divides the community.

At a new school for midwives, students learn old arts, like massaging bellies, while also studying gynecology, obstetrics and nursing. Officials hope a new generation of professional midwives will help reduce the pressures on Mexican hospitals overwhelmed by births that, in the past, would have taken place at home.

More than 8,000 Syrians cross the border into neighboring countries each day. Lebanon has the biggest urban refugee population in the region, and the highest number of unregistered Syrians. The U.N. says despite its best efforts, Syrian refugees in Lebanon can still expect to wait at least four months before receiving help.

What was once a local issue is growing into a nationwide concern, as civil rights activists argue that school closings are disproportionately hurting minority communities. But cities are in a bind with budget shortfalls, and closing under-populated schools may offer a way to cut costs.

Conservative Capitol Hill veteran Saxby Chambliss faced recent criticism from the right for seeking a bipartisan compromise on deficit issues, and for being among the first high-level Republicans to question fidelity to Grover Norquist's no-new-taxes pledge after the November elections.

In the Islamic Republic, a woman is typically not allowed to sing solos in public unless she performs for an all-female audience and is accompanied by an all-female band. The Iranian singer known as Hani is pursuing her dream in Iraq.

This year marked the 25th anniversary of Fresh Air as a daily national NPR program. This episode looks back at some of the great live musical performances from the show's archive, including songs from Shirley Horn, Loudon Wainwright III, Susannah McCorkle, Nick Lowe and Richard Thompson.

So as years go, 2012 may not have been our finest. But, alas, and mercifully, it is coming to a close. Yet generally time is not the best aid to…