Mar 15th, 2010 · Violence has exploded in Mexico's northeastern border cities, just across the Rio Grande from South Texas, as two drug mafias engage in a vicious new fight for turf. Gunfights have killed dozens of people, and communities up and down the river fear it's just the beginning.
Mar 6th, 2010 · A car bomb exploded near a bus for pilgrims in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Saturday, killing at least three people, including two Iranians, on the eve of key national elections, officials said.
Feb 22nd, 2010 · A first novel by a much-honored short-story writer imagines a financial system wracked by risk and on the verge of collapse. Yet Adam Haslett wrote Union Atlantic before the current financial crisis exploded, making him seem more prescient than he will confess to being.
Feb 18th, 2010 · A suicide car bomb explodes outside the gate of the compound housing the governor's office, police headquarters and courts in downtown Ramadi, wounding at least 26 people. The compound was once the scene of daily attacks at the height of the insurgency in 2005 and 2006.
Feb 4th, 2010 · When the Saints captured the NFC Championship two weeks ago, music roared from every neighborhood and spontaneous brass-band parades shut down streets: New Orleans rhythms exploded across the city in a way that seemed natural for celebrations of football glory. Now, you can hear 10 songs which typify the music in the New Orleans air right now.
Dec 14th, 2009 · A new Broadway play from writer David Mamet has audience members shifting in their seats. It's about the prickly and painful issues that arise out of a legal case in which a wealthy white man is accused of raping a black woman. Actor David Alan Grier, who plays a lawyer, says Mamet is exploding the notion that America has moved past racism.
Dec 13th, 2009 · Hollywood is addicted to sequels. It's a big-screen trend that bloomed in the '70s, but exploded in the past 10 years. "We've trained audiences not to expect an ending," NPR film critic Bob Mondello says.
Dec 2nd, 2009 · For the past 10 years, the record industry has struggled to control how we listen to music. But the shift from CD to MP3 is just the latest iteration in the evolution of formats. The MP3 file has yanked music free from physical formats entirely, and the number of ways fans can experience music has exploded.