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Country bluesman R.L. Burnside died this week in Memphis at 78. He worked a good part of his life as a sharecropper in the Mississippi Delta. He made his first recording in his 40s and didn't become a fulltime professional musician until he was in his 60s.

Ahmir Thompson, aka Questlove, is the drummer for the Grammy-winning hip-hop group The Roots. The sextet melds musical styles: rock 'n' roll, jazz fusion, funk, poetry, shout-outs to hip-hop pioneers, black nationalism and groove-laden neo-soul musings. (This interview originally aired Feb. 6, 2003.)

Renee Montagne talks to Joshua Dimina, an international refugee from the Republic of Congo that Morning Edition profiled last December. Dimina has learned that his family is safe and continues working towards his goal of practicing medicine in the U.S.

Thousands of pilgrims defy an icy rain to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem, the West Bank town where tradition holds Jesus was born. City officials expect the turnout will be the largest since the Palestinian uprising began in 2000.

The music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra may be the finest American conductor since Leonard Bernstein. After conducting the Metropolitan Opera for 34 years, James Levine took over the BSO from Seiji Ozawa last year.

The volatile Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo has been on the front line of a vicious gang war. The newly appointed police chief, whose job it is to clean up the mess -- including corruption inside the police force itself -- is a former highway patrolman with an unorthodox approach.

In Port Arthur, Texas, an oil refining town that was in the direct path of Hurricane Rita, officials are now assessing the damage to pipelines and refineries. Almost every building in town has had some damage.

Scott Simon talks with Candice Millard about 19th century British exploration and her new book, "River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile."

Lyle Lovett is feeling fatherhood in silly and tender ways. Scott Simon talks with the Texas musician about family life and how it inspired his first album in a decade, "12th of June."

The modern Bible is the product of translations and interpretations that span centuries. But a true understanding of its meaning should take into account its origins in Jewish culture, according to biblical scholar Marc Zvi Brettler, author of How to Read the Bible.