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Saturday would have been Janis Joplin's 70th birthday. Joplin was dubbed the first queen of rock 'n' roll, and her voice is singular. She was rough around the edges, vulnerable and charismatic, and she paved the way for countless women in rock. This piece originally aired on Morning Edition on June 7, 2010.

Every year, The Advocate magazine publishes its list of the "Gayest Cities in America." This year, there were a few surprises.

Oscar nominations are announced Thursday, and 2012 is considered a very good year for movies, ranging from Lincoln to Zero Dark Thirty and Beasts of the Southern Wild. Renee Montagne talks to reporter Kim Masters about the nominations. Masters is with The Hollywood Reporter and hosts The Business on member station KCRW.

As more and more Web users turn to streaming video services like YouTube, a new study shows how impatient those users are. The first of its kind, the UMass study suggests load times of more than 10 seconds can drive away more than 50 percent of viewers.

In Ethiopia, there's a saying in rural areas: "A man without a donkey is a donkey." Donkeys are both a livelihood and a lifesaver for farmers, and when they fall sick, there are special donkey hospitals to treat them.

President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta both talked this week about bringing the Afghan War to a close. But the U.S. will maintain at least several thousand troops in the country once combat comes to an end at the end of 2014. The U.S. will spend billions of dollars financing the Afghan security forces.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won't be back for Thursday's inauguration. He's too sick after undergoing surgery for cancer in Cuba. If, in the end, he doesn't return, Chavez has said his successor should be Nicolas Maduro, who went from bus driver to union leader to vice president.

A dispute over an editorial in a Chinese newspaper has widened into calls for more freedom of expression. Hundreds of people protested Monday calling for an open news media.

Mexico's new attorney general says there are now 60 to 80 drug cartels operating in the country, a sharp rise from the 10 that existed when outgoing President Calderon took office in 2006. President Enrique Pena Nieto says he wants to go after crime associated with drug trafficking instead of taking down crime bosses.

Israel's parliamentary elections are just three weeks away. This campaign season has included a series of surprising political maneuvers. Israelis say they are a bit befuddled by the political musical chairs, and are looking for new parties.