* Latest updates on Hurricane Irene. * Extraordinary chronicle of an "ordinary" day in Mexico's drug wars—cause of 43,000 homicides since 2006. * Former Mexican President Fox suggests truce, amnesty, legalization. * If one of my employees started smoking crack I'd confiscate his gun and kick
* Attractive Irene tracker from the Times. * South Africa's police vow to stop high rate of cops being killed; population terrified of killer cops. * Men torch casino in Mexico, killing 53; worst attack in five years of anti-gang policing. * Recent history of MI6 and Gadhafi's relationship,
* The MLK Memorial opening has been postponed—not that King wanted it in the first place. * On the nature of memory, historical and structural amnesia, and society's humiliated silence. * New Rimbaud translations confirm the poet as an enduring obsession for all rebels, e.g., Ashbery. * In 1861 a
* Trinidad and Tobago declares national emergency—and imposes curfew—to halt drug-related crime. * Virginia's unique Tangier Island, in Irene's path, is mere inches above the water surrounding it. * Kim Jong-il visits Russia to bolster image of his heir. * Slideshow demonstrations evolution of Steve Jobs&
* Despite GOP protests, data models show the stimulus worked, though it may not kill the sound bite. * Records show the corporations that win Texas state dollars are the ones that donate to Perry campaigns. * Discovered in Gadhafi's compound: a photo album filled with pictures of Condoleezza Rice. * He
* "Warning: Step Away from Military Activities": Images of NATO flyers dropped on Tripoli. * London professor, Libyan mentor, and prosecutor discuss Saif Gadhafi's fate. * List of high-profile island owners. * Pro-shoplifting argument as a temporary boost for the economy. * Explainer for how Hugo Chávez might transport
* Following earthquake, National Mall landmarks temporarily closed—MLK Memorial still set to open this weekend. * Why the MLK Memorial took so long: A law governs limits on the number of National Mall structures. * "Deep Throat" garage in Northern Virginia gets its historical marker. * Remembering the 12 "Original
* Puerto Rico declares emergency after Irene; storm could be Category 3 when it reaches the U.S. Saturday. * Controlled glimpse in Syria. * Careful work inside led to Tripoli's capture. * With Gadhafi falling and Strauss-Kahn's charges being dropped, BHL is having the best week ever. * Critique
* Looking for policy hints in Perry's 2010 book. * Original source of hair gel found in Egypt, 5,000 miles from New Jersey. * A look inside the head of a komodo dragon. * Photographer sets out to prove our fear of sharks is overstated, shoots without a cage. * When people
* Europe wrestles with debt crises; sub-Saharan Africa sees robust growth—a study of two zones. * Dreams in Buenos Aires for poor kids: playing soccer, or joining the violent gangs that run the game. * New biography says Chanel worked for Nazi intelligence—not as a spy, but a facilitator. * People
