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Last week from Baghdad, Anne Garrels introduced us to Sabah Mohammed, a Sunni who lived in a Baghdad neighborhood that came under frequent attack by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's forces. On Monday, Mohammed was shot to death by Shiite militiamen. One of NPR's Iraqi reporters witnessed the killing.

There's no relief for firefighters and residents in Southern California as wildfires continue to burn out of control. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated and hundreds of homes lost.

Since the 1973 release of his first album, “Closing Time,” Waits has won over fans with his original songwriting and distinctive, gravelly vocal style. One reviewer calls Waits “the Ultimate hobo boho, a Jack-in-the-box cum storyteller.” Musicians including Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, and Rod Stewart have recorded covers of his songs. He has also acted in films, including Sylvester Stallone’s “Paradise Alley,” Jim Jarmusch’s “Down By Law,” and Robert Altman’s “Short Cuts.” Waits has two recent CDs; “Alice” and “Blood Money,” a pair of very different sounding albums, were written and produced by Tom Waits and his wife and long-time collaborator, Kathleen Brennan.

His film is "Cecil B. Demented" has just been released on His film is Cecil B. Demented has just been released on video and DVD. Its about an underground filmmaker and his cult following who declare war on bad cinema by kidnapping a starlet and forcing her to star in their own film. Waters other movies include, Pecker about a young amateur photographer who becomes the darling of the New York art world; Cry Baby, a juvenile delinquent love story set in the 1950's, which brought together such performers as Patty Hearst, Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake, David Nelson, and Polly Bergen. Waters is known for his independent, off-beat films, such as Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and "Polyester." In 1988 WATERS entered the mainstream with his popular film, "Hairspray."

NPR is putting together a guide on navigating the social dynamics of travel, and we need your help. Tell us, how do you deal with group dynamics when traveling?

Lead singer for the band the Jayhawks, Gary Louris. The Minneapolis band has seven albums to its credit — the latest is Rainy Day Music. The band is considered pioneers of the alternative-country movement, but have incorporated everything from pop to folk to rock and country. One reviewer in Rolling Stone writes of their new album, (it's) "all lilting vocals and gentle accoustic fireworks: The slow waltzing guitars and sweet, wrenching vocals of the mortality-obsessed 'Will I See You in Heaven' might seem melodramatic on any other record, but not here, because time rolling slowly away from us is the Jayhawks' main subject matter."

Throughout his decade-long career, the songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has skillfully blended rock, folk, jazz and retro swing music. The new Armchair Apocrypha continues his trend toward a more crowd-pleasing sound.

Zero 7's newest album, The Garden, might just be the band's best yet. Filled with lightweight-yet-powerful pop hooks and vocal harmonies, the collaborations with singers Jose Gonzalez and Sia that dot the record help render it organic and beautiful.

For Till The Sun Turns Black, Ray LaMontagne opted to tread new stylistic ground, unveiling a unique song-cycle loosely based on the importance of self-expression, interpersonal communication and other qualities he finds lacking in modern culture.

Trumpeter, composer, and arranger Gerald Wilson turned 88 years old Monday. He grew up in Mississippi, and got his start playing with Jimmy Lunceford's band in New York City. He later worked with Benny Carter's band and formed his own. As a composer-arranger, he worked for the Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie bands. And he accompanied Billie Holiday on her tour of the South in 1949. He's arranged music for Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Bobby Darin, and Carmen McRae. His most recent CD was released last year, In My Time.