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Lacking ropes or a ring, young men who are part of a group called the Friendship Club are learning how to box. Some were child soldiers. It might seem odd that this sport could help former killers become better citizens or deal with their trauma. But their coach says boxing and fighting are as different as sports and war.

Health care has been a major focus in recent budget battles. New legislation provides a temporary fix in payments for doctors, but it will be paid for by a decade of cuts to hospitals. And a program for long-term-care insurance won't ever get off the ground.

The NFL playoffs get underway this weekend with four wildcard games. Three rookie quarterbacks are leading teams into the playoffs, and Baltimore Raven veteran Ray Lewis plays his last home game. Monday, Notre Dame faces Alabama in the college national championship game. Guest host Linda Wertheimer speaks with Howard Bryant of ESPN about these crucial games.

Last month's school shootings in Connecticut have prompted communities large and small to hold gun buybacks. On the surface, they seem to have been a success, with record numbers of firearms recovered in some cities. But experts say such programs have limited value in reducing gun violence.

I found liberation on the shelves and my favorite technical bookstore, an adventure that has everything in common with all the other kinds of geekdom, nerdisms and obsession that can — and should — unite us all.

Now that Congress has removed some of the uncertainty over the "fiscal cliff," most forecasters are saying the U.S. economy will expand by about 2 percent in the new year. That's a sluggish pace, but strong enough to keep lowering unemployment and boosting housing. Prospects for aircraft makers and farmers are also looking promising, helped by exports.

When coaches are getting fired left and right based on fewer games in a whole season than a baseball team plays in the playoffs, how much does anybody really know in the NFL?

Since 1900, citizen scientists across the Americas have braved bad weather and lack of sleep to participate in the yearly count — essentially, a bird-watching marathon. In the process, these birds have created the world's longest-running database in ornithology and given scientists a great tool for assessing the health of bird populations.

Manti Te'o, who nearly won the Heisman Trophy, is at the center of what Deadspin calls a "hoax," in which the story of lost love was created to bolster his personal myth. The site is questioning the existence of a girl Te'o has said inspired him to new heights. He has not yet responded to the story; we'll update this post with any new information as it emerges.

Composer and artist Stephen Malinowski has created an incredibly illuminating — but very easy to understand — path into exploring Stravinsky's music, thanks to what he calls his "Music Animation Machine."