The Two-Way
3:50 pm
Thu January 31, 2013

Texas District Attorney Shot, Killed In Front Of Courthouse

An assistant district attorney in North Texas was shot and killed as he arrived at the courthouse where he worked on Thursday.

The Associated Press reports:

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Law
3:50 pm
Thu January 31, 2013

'Check Yes Or No': The Hurdles Of Employment With Criminal Past

Credit CYH / iStockphoto.com
For Americans with criminal records, it can be tough to land job interviews — especially when employers bar them from applying.

Originally published on Thu January 31, 2013 5:55 pm

Melissa spent months looking for a job — any job. For days, the 25-year-old consistently visited her welfare-to-work program in downtown Brooklyn, resume in hand and an interview smile splashed across her face.

"Every day, Monday through Friday, 9 to 4," she explains. "That's dedication."

Melissa, who asked us to not reveal her last name, has plenty of job experience. She's a self-identified "people person" and says she aces every interview. But there's just one thing holding her back: the past.

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Latin America
3:31 pm
Thu January 31, 2013

As U.S. Consumes Less Cocaine, Brazil Uses More

Originally published on Thu January 31, 2013 5:55 pm

As cocaine consumption falls in the United States, South American drug traffickers have begun to pioneer a new soft target for their product: big and increasingly affluent Brazil.

And the source of the cocaine is increasingly Bolivia, a landlocked country that shares a 2,100-mile border with Brazil.

As Brazilian police officers and border agents can attest, the drug often finds its way to Brazil by crossing the Mamore River, which separates the state of Rondonia from Bolivia in the heart of South America.

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Movie Reviews
3:17 pm
Thu January 31, 2013

In Prison And Among Zombies, Shakespeare's Reflection Shines

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 8:39 am

The Italian art-house film Caesar Must Die and the teen zombie-comedy Warm Bodies do not, at first glance, appear to have much in common. But they share a bit of creative DNA, both being inventive riffs that turn Shakespearean tragedies into something else entirely.

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Around the Nation
3:05 pm
Thu January 31, 2013

South L.A. Teens Doubt New Laws Will Change Gun Culture

Credit Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images
Handguns collected in South-Central Los Angeles as part of a Gun for Gift Card exchange in 2009. One teenager here says getting a gun on the streets is just "one phone call away."

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 11:04 am

On 53rd Street and Vermont Avenue in South Los Angeles, violent members of at least six gangs run the streets. A landmark church is boarded up and tagged. There are liquor stores and abandoned lots. On Tuesday night, there was a drive-by shooting two blocks away, and folks are expecting retaliation. This is an area where murders, robberies and rapes are common — and so are guns.

"There's too many guns out there," says Randolph Wright, 18. "I can tell you right now, every hood has an AK[-47]. Regardless of whatever other gun they got, they have an AK."

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Movie Reviews
3:03 pm
Thu January 31, 2013

'Bullet To The Head': No-Brainer Bubblegum

Adapted from a French graphic novel and outfitted with an ethnically diverse cast, Bullet to the Head is an artifact of a newly internationalized Hollywood. But that doesn't mean it feels especially new.

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Movie Reviews
3:03 pm
Thu January 31, 2013

'Stand Up Guys' Falls Terminally Flat

Intended as a victory lap for three great stars of advancing age, Stand Up Guys is another entry in the "old folks doing stuff" subgenre, which offers comic affirmation that life is not strictly for the young.

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Movie Reviews
3:03 pm
Thu January 31, 2013

How's 'Koch' Doing? Years Later, Still All Right

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 8:35 am

Editor's Note: This review was edited and published before news of Koch's death broke. The headline has been updated to reflect that news, but the text of the review is unchanged.

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Movie Reviews
3:03 pm
Thu January 31, 2013

'Sound City': Music And Memories In An L.A. Landmark

Originally published on Mon March 4, 2013 9:25 am

Dave Grohl has always been a joy to watch onscreen, whether bashing away at a drum kit like the heavy-footed, wild-haired spawn of John Bonham and the Muppets' Animal in Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video, or flashing an endearingly goofy grin in the Mentos-spoof clip for the Foo Fighters' "Big Me." And a big part of that appeal is the sense that no matter how long he's been in the business, Grohl is still a guy who is acutely aware that he's living out a teenage daydream every day of his life.

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Art & Design
3:01 pm
Thu January 31, 2013

Graffiti Gnomes Allowed To Roam On Oakland Utility Poles

Credit Courtesy of the photographer
An anonymous artist started placing the hand-painted gnomes on the bases of utility poles all over Oakland.

Originally published on Thu January 31, 2013 5:55 pm

Over the past year, small gnomes started springing up all around Oakland, Calif. The elfin creatures are hand-painted on wooden boards; each is about 6 inches tall, with red hat, brown boots and white beard. They're bits of urban folk art from an anonymous painter who surreptitiously screws them onto the base of utility poles.

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