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How do skyscrapers withstand 100-mph winds? How does air circulate inside tall buildings? And what happens when you flush a toilet on the 100th floor? Those questions and more are answered by Kate Ascher in her new book exploring the inner workings of skyscrapers.

Crime might not pay, but it does deliver in the world of fiction. Author Tony D'Souza recommends three of his favorite books about illicit activities. They'll have you contemplating a life of misdeeds and malfeasance.

After 726 formal complaints, a union lockout, protests and lawsuits and settlements totaling about $20 million, residents in Ponca City no longer have daily struggles with carbon black.

While the controversy surrounding Republican Herman Cain has dominated the news, the presidential candidates continue to attack one another in videos and paid TV ads. Democrats and Texas Gov. Rick Perry have both targeted the former Massachusetts governor.

It's hard to remember now, but MTV did once play music videos all day. A new oral history recalls that golden age, and the network's meteoric rise to the top of the music industry.

When Jerusalem fell in 70 A.D., hundreds of Jews journeyed through the desert to a place called Masada. They called it home until the Romans came and a bloody battle left behind only a few survivors. Alice Hoffman tells her own version of the story in her new novel, The Dovekeepers.

David Rowell's debut novel puts public and personal timelines alongside each other as he recounts June 8, 1968. That's the day a train made a slow, momentous journey from New York to Washington, D.C., to deliver the body of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy for burial beside his slain brother.

For the book A History of the World in 100 Objects, the director of the British Museum chose 100 objects from his institution's collection of thousands to tell a surprisingly comprehensive history of the world.

At 18 pounds, The Art Museum spans thousands of years and shows more than 2,700 works from more than 650 galleries. The ambitious project bringing together the best of museums worldwide is 10 years in the making. If this one museum were real, there would hardly be any need for another.

From the death of a Georgian luger at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics to the mechanics of hockey fights, the best sportswriting can inspire a range of human emotion. Jane Leavy, editor of The Best American Sports Writing 2011 anthology, joins NPR's Neal Conan to share some of her favorite sports stories.