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In December, Congress is poised for another showdown on the deficit and taxes, in what is now being called the fiscal cliff. In his new book Red Ink, David Wessel explains how the federal budget got to the point where it is today — and where to go from here.

Astrophysicist Adam Frank doesn't usually read self-help books, but something about Walker Percy's existential optimism in Lost In The Cosmos actually changed his outlook on life. Do you have a favorite self-help book? Tell us in the comments below.

Wall Street Journal economics writer David Wessel's new book, Red Ink, lays out in unsparing terms the way the U.S. government spends money, who pays what in taxes, and why politicians can't seem to agree on ways to reduce the potentially catastrophic deficit.

Poet Ouyang Yu imagines an Olympic event in which he lifts up just one extraordinary word. "The magic of the word is that, when well lifted, it has the power to transform," Yu says.

Poet Mbali Vilakazi pays tribute to South African swimmer Natalie du Toit, the first female amputee ever to qualify for the Olympic Games. For Vilakazi, du Toit's accomplishment is "everything the Olympics represent ... the triumph of the human spirit."

Slovenian poet Ales Steger says that the Olympics are for everyone, even "bankers with pacemakers" to "naked sumo wrestlers." The poem is a playful, "lightly humorous call to action," says Brian Henry, Steger's award-winning translator.

Poet Monica de la Torre takes inspiration from Mexican taekwondo champion Maria del Rosario Espinoza. "I am dumbfounded and positively moved by Maria del Rosario's improbable story," the poet says.

When Columbus crossed the Atlantic in 1492, his journey prompted the exchange of not only information but also food, animals, insects, plants and disease between the continents. In a new book, Charles C. Mann describes the aftermath of Columbus' arrival in the Americas.

Despite having one of the lowest HIV rates in Europe, Greece's recent jump in the number of infections, particularly among injecting drug users, is alarming. Health workers blame cuts in health and social services, including the end of what had been a successful needle exchange program.

The footage shows kids in pj's bouncing on giant beds, and an array of dancers in lavish costumes. The most mystifying - and gripping - image is a mass of helmeted cyclists wearing giant silvery-blue flapping wings, pedaling around in two huge circles.