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It's the best and worst of times for the U.S. Olympic team at the Winter Games in Turin. The U.S. women won gold and silver medals in the snowboard halfpipe event, but women's downhill medal hopeful Lindsay Kildow crashed in a training run and was rushed to a hospital by helicopter.

From ballet to burlesque, women who weigh as much as 300 pounds are taking to the live stage on both coasts. These plus-size dance troupes are part of an organization called Big Moves. Their motto? "Because every body can dance." Fawnee Evnochides of member station KALW has this report.

The recent Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections has left many wondering what repercussions the change will bring in the Middle East. Reporter Greg Myre is the Jerusalem correspondent for The New York Times.

- Commentator Andrew Lam says that when he came to the United States from Vietnam, he began to learn English at the same time that his voice began to change. Still, he says, he liked speaking English -- it made him feel he could be a new person in a new language.

Gallaudet University for deaf students has announced a new president, Jane Fernandes. In the 18 years since the school selected its last president, much has changed for deaf people. Students know they must struggle to make their way in both the deaf and the hearing world, but technology is increasingly helping them.

In December, many families send out annual update letters to all their friends. It's a way to let everyone know who got a new car, who finally retired after 40 years at the same company, who finished kindergarten. Generally, parents write these letters. But what, if given the task, would the kids say? Jeff Horwich of Minnesota Public Radio finds out.

Marine Cpl. Joshua Snyder of Maryland died under enemy fire in Iraq. He was a good friend and high school teammate of Lance Cpl. Norman Anderson, a fallen Marine profiled by NPR last month. Friends and family are mourning the losses in Parkton, the men's hometown.

Jule Styne wrote some of the most popular songs in American history, including "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow," and "Three Coins in a Fountain." Saturday, Dec. 31 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Robert Siegel talks with Tian Tang, author of a Web site dedicated to the misuse of Chinese characters in Western culture. Tang posts photos of Chinese character tattoos that either contain errors or carry no meaning. Tang says as a Chinese American, he felt it was his "duty and honor to educate the public about the misusage of Chinese characters."

From the beginning, race has been part of the story of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans' recovery has also become an issue of black and white. In this majority African American city, some people believe there is a hidden agenda to discourage some of them from returning home.