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Harry Christophers leads the Handel and Haydn Society, now celebrating its bicentennial. James Doyle/Handel and Haydn Society hide caption

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James Doyle/Handel and Haydn Society

Deceptive Cadence

A Bicentennial For Boston's Handel And Haydn Society

The group gave the first U.S. performance of Handel's Messiah, and still plays it today. Yet the ensemble has constantly evolved.

In June, the driver of this tractor-trailer reportedly fell asleep at the wheel, causing a wreck that dumped a cargo of beer cans into the median of Interstate 29 near Summit, S.D., according to the South Dakota Highway Patrol, which supplied this photo. South Dakota Highway Patrol/AP hide caption

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South Dakota Highway Patrol/AP

Government Funding Bill Rolls Back Trucker Rest Requirements

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A Palestinian with a green headband, which identifies him as a Hamas supporters, helps a fellow protester with a black-and-white scarf, the symbol of the Fatah movement. They were both taking part in a demonstration near the West Bank city of Ramallah on June 4. The factions agreed to end their feud earlier this year, but many of their supporters remain bitter rivals. Majdi Mohammed/AP hide caption

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Majdi Mohammed/AP

Just Under The Surface, Palestinian Rivals Remain Bitterly Divided

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Wrapped in gold and silver foil, chocolate gelt are often handed out as a little treat for children (and adults) during Hanukkah. Turns out, the tradition is rooted in real money. iStockphoto hide caption

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iStockphoto

Hanukkah History: Those Chocolate Coins Were Once Real Tips

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Ollies Barbecue was a Birmingham, Ala., landmark where where white plumbers and electricians sat next to white doctors and bank presidents,” but in 1964, blacks weren't allowed to eat there. Courtesy Ollie McClung Jr. hide caption

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Courtesy Ollie McClung Jr.

Forced To Seat Blacks, Ala. Restaurant Complied With History

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Harry Christophers leads the Handel and Haydn Society, now celebrating its bicentennial. James Doyle/Handel and Haydn Society hide caption

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James Doyle/Handel and Haydn Society

A Bicentennial For Boston's Handel And Haydn Society

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So bad it's ... good? Consumer appetite for ugly Christmas sweaters — the tackier, the better — has had an impact on how retailers stock for the season. TheUglySweaterShop.com/Flickr hide caption

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TheUglySweaterShop.com/Flickr

It's Ugly Christmas Sweater Season — Share Your Best (Bad) Attire

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Mona, 28, narrates during a rehearsal of Antigone. "I feel that Antigone resembles me a lot," says the former resident of Damascus and mother of two. Dalia Khamissy for NPR hide caption

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Dalia Khamissy for NPR

Syrian Women Displaced By War Make Tragedy Of 'Antigone' Their Own

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An employee displays a gold bar at a gold refining workshop of the plant of Uralelektromed Joint Stock Company (JSC), the enterprise of Ural Mining and Metallurgical company (UMMC) in the town of Verkhnyaya Pyshma, outside Yekaterinburg, Oct. 17. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters/Landov hide caption

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Maxim Shemetov/Reuters/Landov

Oil Prices Go Down, Russia's Gold Buying Goes Up

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