Reuters

Joanna Weiss

Warren shows the right way to get heard

Progressives have been actively seeking a source of fury, and in Massachusetts, they have found one in senatorial candidate and consumer-rights advocate Elizabeth Warren.

Clarence Darrow

John A. Farrell

Why even the brightest minds aren’t safe from economic turmoil

With debate in Washington raging over reforming Social Security and Medicare, the story of Clarence Darrow offers a cautionary tale on the value of the social safety net.

Mass. to seek ‘No Child’ waiver

Massachusetts will join a growing number of states in seeking a waiver from a key provision of the “No Child Left Behind” law that a top state education official said today had lost credibility.

Transportation officials warn of looming fare hikes

State transportation officials said today that sometime this spring they anticipate approving the MBTA’s first fare hike in five-and-a-half years to help close a projected deficit of $161 million.

Steep hikes seen in health insurance costs

The cost of health insurance for many Americans this year climbed more sharply than in previous years, outstripping any growth in workers’ wages and adding more uncertainty about the pace of rising medical costs.

Business

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Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos addressed members of the press in Athens today about the country’s debt aid.

Stocks survive late selloff; close up on Europe debt plan

US stocks advanced today as pledges by European officials to once and for all resolve the region’s debt problems helped soothe market jitters.

World

Civilians flee Khadafy’s hometown

Hundreds of civilians fled Moammar Khadafy’s hometown to escape growing shortages of food and supplies, as fighting escalated between revolutionaries and regime loyalists.

Sports

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Eric Wilbur

Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, left, and second baseman Dustin Pedroia squandered a nine-game wild-card lead in September.

We’re witnessing the worst collapse in Boston sports history

 The Red Sox gave away a nine-game wild-card lead, and it’s going to take months to sift through the fallout. Expect a whole lot of people to be fired, writes the Globe’s Eric Wilbur.

Arts

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Stage Review

Natalia Payne, Heather Wood, and Wendy Rich Stetson perform in “Three Sisters.”

Yale Rep's ‘Three Sisters’ sparkles in its melancholy

This production at Yale Repertory Theatre reminds us that few writers have ever seen into the human soul with more acuity and understanding than Chekhov.

Lifestyle

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Liz Kennedy (left) and Ying Su, of Barrington High School’s class of 1986 (at top), attended their 25th reunion.

Transplant bonds former classmates

Two years ago, Liz Kennedy learned that Ying Su, a former classmate, needed a kidney transplant. A special connection evolved, one that would come to link organ donor to recipient.

Ideas

“Could it be true, Pinker wondered, that humans had actually become less violent with time, as opposed to more? And if so, how had we done it?”

Leon Neyfakh,   on Steven Pinker’s new book about violence in history