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George Mason University is the Cinderella team of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The 11th seed Patriots stunned top-ranked Connecticut on Sunday to make it to the Final Four next weekend in Indianapolis.

American sports fans aren't very familiar with many of the top U.S. Winter Olympians, let alone some other international athletes. But in Europe, athletes from all over the world are easily recognized.

The former southern African breadbasket of Zimbabwe is in the midst of an economic and social meltdown. Zimbabwe's annual inflation tops 1,000 percent, the highest in the world. The country's economy has shrunk by almost a third since 2000. And there are regular shortages of everything from gasoline to basic food staples.

President Obama delivered his annual back-to-school speech at Benjamin Banneker High School, one of Washington, D.C.'s top performing schools.

Fresh Air's resident rock historian remembers soul singer Lorraine Ellison, who recorded a handful of albums and dozens of singles in the '60s and '70s; though she charted a few R&B hits, she never quite broke through to stardom. Her biggest success was with the string-saturated ballad "Stay With Me," which topped out at No. 11 on the R&B charts and has since been covered by everyone from Bette Midler to teenybopper idol Rex Smith.

Christopher O'Riley, host of NPR's From the Top, considers Elliott Smith to be one America's greatest songwriters. Smith died in 2003 before ever achieving massive fame. O'Riley's latest release, Home to Oblivion, is a classical translation of Smith's work.

For America's daily papers, the news hasn't been good: For nearly two decades, newspapers have been losing paid subscribers. And a new report illustrates that circulation is now dropping more quickly than ever.

The chart-topping Washington, D.C., rapper brings his songs to life at the Tiny Desk with the help of a six-piece go-go band.

President Bush's top getaway, his ranch in Crawford, Texas, is also the place where Laura Bush seems to find the most solace. NPR's Ketzel Levine gets a rare tour of the ranch with the first lady, who discusses her efforts to restore native grasses and plants to the 1,600-acre property. See photos of wildflowers at the Bush ranch.

Judi Dench has won major acting awards on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Oscar, the Tony and six Oliviers (England's top theatrical honor). The British actress is famous for Shakespearean roles, but she's also played spy chief M in James Bond films and currently appears in the Vin Diesel science fiction action flick The Chronicles of Riddick. NPR's Susan Stamberg interviews Dench about the art of acting.