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Ruthie Foster: Texas Gospel With A Worldly Touch

Credit John Carrico

Ruthie Foster's new album is Let It Burn.

By NPR Staff

Ruthie Foster is from a small town in central Texas — but there's nothing small about the way she sings on her new album, Let It Burn. Zigzagging between blues, soul, gospel and rock, the album features solid originals and surprising covers, along with several stirring collaborations with The Blind Boys of Alabama.

2:26 pm

Fri February 3, 2012

Near Syria's Capital, The Evidence Of Heavy Fighting

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Credit STR / ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Syrian army tank moving along a road during clashes with the Syrian army defectors, in the Rastan area in Homs province, central Syria, on Jan. 30, 2012.

Credit Bassem Tellawi / AP

In this photo taken during a government-organized media tour, Sister Verona, head of the Sednaya Covent, shows a room damaged by artillery fire Sunday in Sednaya, north of Damascus, Syria, Jan. 31, 2012. The Syrian government blamed the convent attack on "armed terrorists." Over the weekend, clashes broke out in several suburbs of the Syrian capital — with deadly results.

Credit STR / ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Syrian rebel takes his position as he points his gun during a battle with the Syrian government forces, at Rastan area in Homs province, central Syria, on Jan. 31, 2012.

By editor

This story was written and reported by a GlobalPost correspondent in Damascus, whose name has been withheld for security reasons.

When a team of foreign journalists entered the eastern Damascus suburb of Saqba last Friday, they were greeted by a sight that did not bode well for the Syrian regime.

2:16 pm

Fri February 3, 2012

Military Judge Denies Request To Delay Sept. 11 Case At Guantanamo

By Dina Temple-Raston

Originally published on Fri February 3, 2012 2:51 pm

A request for a delay in the Sept. 11 case at Guantanamo has been denied.

Two lawyers close to the proceedings tell NPR that a military judge denied their request to delay the arraignment of the Sept. 11 suspects at Guantanamo until the summer.

The lawyers were asking for more time to file memos on why Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his alleged co-conspirators should not be tried in a capital case and be eligible for the death penalty. The 911 suspects are expected to be arraigned before a military commission as early as April.

2:11 pm

Fri February 3, 2012

The Surprising Story Of A Super Bowl Snack

Credit malloreigh / flickr.com

Presented on a gourmet plate or eaten out of the bag the chips came in, Frito Pie is an American standard.

By editor

Originally published on Mon February 6, 2012 7:12 am

This Super Bowl Sunday, millions of Americans will watch the game with bowls of corn-based snacks at their side. Whether you prefer Doritos, Cheetos, or even Funyuns, you owe the pleasure of that crunchy munchy to the humble corn curl that started it all: the Frito.

1:51 pm

Fri February 3, 2012

'Best Practices': Learning To Live With Asperger's

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Credit Mandi Backhaus / Scribner

David Finch studied sketch-comedy writing at the Second City in Chicago, and his work has been published in the New York Times.

By editor

Originally published on Fri February 3, 2012 4:54 pm

Listen

When he was 30 years old, David Finch's wife, Kristen, sat him down and asked him a series of odd questions:

"Do you notice patterns in things all the time?"

"Do people comment on your unusual mannerisms and habits?

"Do you feel tortured by clothes tags, clothes that are too tight or made in the 'wrong material'?"

"Do you sometimes have an urge to jump over things?"

David's answers to all of these questions — and more than 100 others — was an emphatic yes.

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2:39 pm

Fri February 3, 2012