A Syrian soldier who defected and joined the Free Syrian Army sits at an outpost near the village of Janudieh. Some defectors say the military is committing atrocities, but that the rebels are fighting back with their own brutality. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Iraq war veteran Paul Rieckhoff (right), with Democratic Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska, Daniel Akaka of Hawaii and Patty Murray of Washington, introduces the GI benefit watchdog bill in Washington. Some lawmakers say for-profit schools are taking advantage of veterans and their educational benefits. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption

This illustration shows a device made by MammoSite used to deliver targeted doses of radiation as part of brachytherapy. Courtesy Radiological Society of North America hide caption

Which tax preparation service is best? That's what writer Joel Stein hoped to find out when he took his 2011 income data to different firms — including an H&R Block office, seen here in a file photo from last year's tax season. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

Alvin Watts (left), 33, and Jacob England, 19, were arrested following an appeal to the public to help police solve the five shootings that happened Friday. A police spokesman said the two face three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

After decades of tight control by the military, Myanmar is opening up. Supporters of Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi campaigned openly during the run-up to the April 1 election, in which her party won 43 of the 45 contested seats. Altaf Qadri/AP hide caption

A coup attempt in Indonesia on Sept. 30, 1965, triggered a series of events that led to the ouster of President Sukarno and unleashed a wave of violence against suspected communists in the country that left up to 1 million people dead. In this photo from 1965, Indonesian soldiers watch suspected communists held at Tangerang, a suburb of Jakarta, the Indonesian capital. Bettmann/Corbis /AP hide caption

Teju Cole is a Nigerian-American writer, photographer and art historian. He is the author of the 2012 PEN/Hemingway Award-winning Open City. Teju Cole hide caption