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The term "Rube Goldberg machine" has become shorthand for a convoluted contraption made up of a series of chain reactions. But Goldberg was also a real person, whose ideas for whimsical devices have captivated imaginations for decades.

Students at Rice University in Houston are finding low-cost solutions to big global health problems. One particularly successful device that helps infants breathe has already been tested in Malawi.

Movie theater seats are getting more deluxe. A couple chains are installing recliners in the latest effort to give movie-goers more of the comforts of home. (This story originally aired on Nov. 29, 2013, on Morning Edition.)

The head of the hospital where Ariel Sharon is being treated says the former Israeli prime minister is "fighting like a lion," but his condition is still critical. The 85-year-old has been in a coma since suffering a stroke in 2006.

The Volcker rule, a key part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial law, prevents banks from using government-insured money to make speculative bets.

The Federal Reserve will trim its bond-buying program, reducing its purchases by $10 billion per month.

The retailer acknowledged early Thursday that there was a massive security breach of its customers' credit and debit card accounts. It started the day before Thanksgiving and extended at least to Dec. 15 — the heart of the holiday shopping season.

Washington took two big steps toward more normal times. First, the Federal Reserve said it will modestly taper down its easy-money program. And then Congress completed the first bipartisan budget agreement in years. But some other obstacles loom.

In America, pizza chains try to outdo each other by layering ever-more cheese on pies. But in Israel, vegans have convinced one pizza giant to take it all off. Bowing to a campaign from a group that promotes the vegan lifestyle in Israel, Domino's has added cheese-less pizzas to its menu there.

Salinas, Calif., is just an hour from Silicon Valley, but production at many local lettuce farms is decidedly low-tech. City officials here decided it's time for an upgrade — and have hired a venture capital firm to help Salinas transition into a high-tech agricultural hub.