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January 6, 2013 Resurrection, Tolstory's last and perhaps least-read novel, is also his most bleak. Author George Saunders writes that it opened his eyes to the plight of the disenfranchised — in Tolstoy's Russia and the modern world. What book opened your eyes to the suffering of others? Tell us in the comments.

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January 6, 2013 By the end of this month, Vice President Biden is expected to deliver "concrete proposals" to prevent gun violence. Mike Lester argues that passing laws in the name of saving lives is a slippery slope, while Signe Wilkinson thinks the NRA's proposal, could be worse.

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January 5, 2013 This can't be. How does that big heavy rock stay pivoted on top of that itsy bitsy one, which is hanging precariously onto the one below? Yet they do. The beauty of balance.

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January 5, 2013 When the fight over the fiscal cliff was all through, who were the political winners and losers? Nick Anderson sees John Boehner's re-election as House speaker as less than a triumph, while Mike Lester wonders how President Obama escaped blame.

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January 4, 2013 Fiscal cliff legislation garnered enough votes to pass, but it has very few fans. Joel Pett is exercised about what Congress tacked on to the bill, while Jimmy Margulies (of New Jersey) is angry that a promised vote on aid for Superstorm Sandy victims was delayed.

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January 4, 2013 For years after his father died, Reginald Mason's mother struggled to maintain a sense of normalcy for him — despite her financial troubles. "She made me and shaped me as a man," Mason says.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

January 3, 2013 One of the cornerstones of American democracy is the pledge that every federal officer takes to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. In a piece in The New York Times, law professor Mike Seidman argues that it's time to re-examine the role the document plays in American society.

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On Talk of the NationPlaylist

January 3, 2013 It's a topsy-turvy world, being weightless in space. Pillows won't stay under your head. Blankets float, don't keep you warm. There's no up, no down. And your long hair? Don't get me started on the hair.

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January 3, 2013 Today a new Congress will begin. Jimmy Margulies knows one thing coming their way, while Gustavo Rodriguez doesn't think they'll have many appealing alternatives.

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January 2, 2013 In addition to comics greats Joe Kubert and Jean "Moebius" Giraud, the world of cartooning lost Rex Babin (toon by J. D.Crowe) of the Sacramento Bee and syndicated "Herman" creator Jim Unger (toon by Cam Cardow) this year.

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January 2, 2013 The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec by Jaques Tardi features a beautiful, gun-wielding detective and a horrifying prehistoric monster. Author Rosecrans Baldwin explains why this is no ordinary comic book. Do you have a favorite graphic novel? Tell us in the comments.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

January 2, 2013 You don't have to be a hunter (or know one) to master meals of boar, rabbit, venison, alligator and other game. Home cooks can find many of these meats — wild or farm-raised — at markets or online.

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January 2, 2013 The United States went (briefly) over the "fiscal cliff." John Cole thought Speaker of the House John Boehner has been diminished by the harsh reality of failing to deliver the majority of his party, while Lisa Benson argues that President Obama has avoided the reality of the nation's budget.

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