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An eclectic range of influences is at the heart of Latin Alternative, a music created by young players who have been raised not only on their parents' music but also on rock, hip-hop and electronica. It represents a sonic shift away from regionalism and points to a new global Latin identity.

Saddam Hussein admits in court that he ordered the trial of 148 Shiite villagers who were later executed after a failed assassination attempt against him in 1982. He says he also ordered the razing of farmland in the village where the attempt on his life occurred, but insists his actions were not criminal.

One of New Orleans' best-known native sons, the piano professor Mac Rebennack, a.k.a. Dr. John, was back in town for Mardi Gras this week. In a tour of devastated neighborhoods, he expresses fear that the city's unique grassroots culture has been uprooted.

The human spine is an elegant piece of architecture. But by middle age most people have spinal degeneration. Eight out of 10 people will suffer back pain at some point.

This year's Mardi Gras was necessary for New Orleanians to rouse themselves from their post-Katrina funk, says Crescent City resident Chris Rose. But now that the revelry has faded, residents must once again turn to the long, hard task of reclaiming their city, and their heritage.

The smaller-than-normal crowds at Mardi Gras this week symbolize the lingering impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans' economy. The city's hotels are struggling to recover, but a shortage of workers is hampering their comeback.

Dana Corp., one of the nation's largest auto-parts manufacturers, seeks protection from creditors in federal bankruptcy court. The company had declining revenue, a result of a market share loss at Ford and GM. Dana's shares plunged this week after the company failed to make bond payments worth $20.8 million.

Clifford Odets, remembered as the defining American playwright of the 1930s, would have turned 100 this year. His works -- including Waiting for Lefty, Awake and Sing and Golden Boy brought social realism to the stage. Many companies around the country are staging his plays.

On Christmas Eve, 1945, the Sodder family of Fayetteville, W.V., lost five children in a fire. Strange events that night and afterward fueled speculation, which continues to this day, that the children may have been kidnapped or murdered.

The life of David Sedaris took an unexpected, and not entirely unwelcome, turn when his "Santaland Diaries" were first broadcast on Morning Edition in 1992. We reprise his story of holiday cheer.