Dean Obeidallah,an Arab-American comedian, performs at the Amman Stand-Up Comedy Festival last year in Amman, Jordan. Demand for American-style stand-up comedy has exploded among young Arabs in the Middle East. Mohammad Abu Ghosh/AP hide caption

In this photo taken Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010, a victim of domestic violence who calls herself "Sierra"  is seen at a safe house in Nevada County, Calif. The Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalition has been forced to rely on the generosity of area residents to provide shelter for those escaping abuse after it had to close the shelter it operated in response to California's budget crisis. The shelter, which provided beds for 12, at a cost of $60,000 a year, was closed June 30, when it lost state funding. Rich Pedroncelli/AP hide caption

Tourists and locals sit on a wall along the waterfront in Havana; Aug. 25, 2010. Stringer/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

People stand in line at Juba University for hours to register to vote next month on independence for Southern Sudan. Here, a poll worker helps a prospective voter put a thumb print on his registration card. Frank Langfitt/NPR hide caption

The Juarez Symphony produces more operas per year than any city in Mexico besides the capital. John Burnett/NPR hide caption