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U.S. special forces make up only 2% of the military. Congress is questioning whether the U.S. special forces can continue to fight the bulk of America's battles.

A calico lobster that had been living in obscurity off the coast of Maine has now been catapulted into a sort of celebrity, thanks to its rare coloring: a calico mix of orange and yellow spots. Researchers say it could be a 1 in 30 million specimen.

The people of Ireland vote Thursday on a European treaty that imposes strict budgetary rules on eurozone nations. It's triggered a heated debate in Ireland about whether austerity measures are working. The Irish government says rejecting the treaty would cut Ireland off from future EU bailout funds, and isolate the nation.

Two centers of culture are in conflict on the banks of the Thames in London. One is the world renowned South Bank Center of the Arts, with four resident orchestras, including the London Philharmonic. It also has conservatories, the Royal Festival Hall, the Hayward Gallery and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. The other cultural landmark is the Undercroft, a dark, concrete cavern, covered in graffiti, that lies beneath the Arts Center and looks out on to the Thames. It's the birthplace and temple of British skate boarding. For forty uninterrupted years it has been hallowed ground for those who regard skate boarding as an art form every bit as legitimate as anything performed in the concert halls above. But now the South Bank Arts Center is trying to force the skateboarders to a different location, so the Undercroft can be leased to restaurants. And the skate boarders are mobilizing to resist.

The Taliban threatened the Yousafzai family in northern Pakistan for years because they were outspoken in supporting girls' education. NPR reporter Philip Reeves recounts his previous meetings with the family patriarch, whose daughter, 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai, is now fighting for her life.

NPR's David Greene talks to NPR editor Malaka Gharib, who makes light of herself in her memoir: I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir. What does it mean to live the American dream?

Americans and Britons share the same language, yet transatlantic visitors to the London Olympics might struggle to understand what's going on. The games are in East London, home of rhyming slang, a form of linguistic gymnastics. It was pioneered in the nineteenth century by Cockneys as a code to confuse snooping policemen.

Labor unions in France called for nationwide strikes and demonstrations Tuesday against the economic and social policies of President Nicolas Sarkozy's government. The main focus of the protest has been a plan to extend the pension age, but demonstrators have also attacked Sarkozy's strategy on the economy and immigration.

If you think of the British as reserved and proper, think again. This is the season when the Brits loosen their stiff upper lips and, even in these austere times, devote themselves to merry-making. They grab their kids and head for the theater for a raucous and peculiarly British form of entertainment: the traditional Christmas pantomime.

More than 200 years ago Friday, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, changing the course of history. NPR marks the anniversary each year by reading the full document.