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The 1,000-mile Iditarod sled dog race is the quintessential Alaska institution. But for the past four years, Norwegians have been dominating the race. Alaskan mushers are being forced to adjust their strategies, and are even rethinking long-held notions about training and dog breeding. Gabriel Spitzer of the Alaska Public Radio Network reports.

The monks of Heiligenkreuz Abbey in Austria sing ancient Gregorian chants in their 12th-century church — and then post them to YouTube. Their technological savvy landed them a record deal, and now their album is storming the European charts and arriving in America. Father Karl Wallner talks to host Andrea Seabrook about balancing pop stardom with the religious life.

Esquire music columnist Andy Langer runs through this week's new CD releases, including albums by Beck, Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis, and Mugison.

Each year, limber librarians compete for the coveted gold book cart at the annual Librarian Book Cart Drill Championships. With elaborate dance, athletics and performance art routines, they vie to show that librarians can be hip.

Villages along the northwestern Alaskan coast are facing widespread erosion and flooding that not only threatens homes, but also artifacts and archeaological treasures clustered near the beach. From Alaska Public Radio Network, Gabriel Spitzer reports on efforts to save ancient dwelling places and artifacts.

NOMO recently stopped by KUT's Studio 1A with synthesizers, horns and homemade instruments in tow. Elliot Bergman, speaking on behalf of the eight musicians, explained to KUT's Jay Trachtenberg how a band coming out of the Midwest came to emulate music many Americans overlook.

Over the past 14 years, some of New York's hottest young jazz musicians have worked for peanuts, just to have the chance to play the Argentine composer's challenging mix of Latin rhythms, classical structures and singable melodies.

One of the most quintessentially American composers of the 20th century was not an American. But as a boy in Argentina, Schifrin discovered George Gershwin and Louis Armstrong, setting him — and his celebrated film scores — on a path to fame.

NOMO has a tiny name, but the group makes a big impression when it drives into town. NOMO is eight musicians from Ann Arbor, Mich., with dozens of instruments and just one van. On Ghost Rock, the octet proves that its jazz- and funk-inspired instrumental music is much more than a Fela Kuti tribute.

Charles Mingus' monumental masterpiece "Epitaph" never saw the light of day during his lifetime. But the tempestuous jazz legend left his ambitious score to be discovered by new generations. Hear the full piece, a 2 1/2-hour affair for 31 musicians.