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In Scotland, a guy was "on the loo" one day when he wondered what it would be like to dress us as a giraffe and then go around performing random acts of kindness. Six months later, he's something of a national sensation.

Insert $2 into the Biblio-Mat, and customers get a mystery, a biography, historical fiction — or a dud. The owner of a bookstore in Toronto came up with the machine as a way to clear his shelves of more ill-favored reads.

What happens when you take a group of junior high kids from a school with a poverty level of more than 65 percent and teach them how to play chess? Katie Dellamaggiore's documentary, Brooklyn Castle, explores the amazing results.

Athanasius Kircher, a 17th-century Jesuit priest, was a renaissance man in name and deed. He strove to learn about almost everything. Unfortunately, many of his inventions and theories were pure nonsense. John Glassie writes about Kircher in his new book, A Man of Misconceptions.

On the occasion of the band's first studio album in 15 years, lead singer Chris Cornell discusses the ups and downs of being linked to a cultural movement.

Wal-Mart, Target and Kmart all celebrate their 50th year of business this year. They were born after prohibitions against volume discounts and set prices broke down. Now the giant chains face one of their biggest challenges — evolving in the Internet age.

Endurance athletes often turn to the same stimulant that gives your morning cup of joe its jolt: caffeine. They're increasingly using caffeinated gels and drinks when they compete. But how much is too much?

The record breaking criminal guilty plea by BP by no means marks the end of the oil company's legal troubles. BP still faces a civil trial in February over its environmental responsibilities from the Gulf oil spill. Last week it pleaded guilty to felony manslaughter in the deaths of 11 rig workers.

As Northeast states take measure of the destruction brought by Hurricane Sandy, there's a new concern. New York and New Jersey have dozens of Superfund sites close to the shore. Some of these toxic zones were flooded by Sandy's storm surge. There are worries in Newark that toxic chemicals may have been swept into some people's home.

The election is over. Or is it? Both sides look ready to start fighting again should President Obama nominate U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.