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The prospect of holiday parties fill some with dread. But mastering the art of small talk can make conversations with strangers more enjoyable. Debra Fine shares her tips for getting through holiday parties unscathed.

In 1938, at a low point in his career, Jelly Roll Morton recorded a series of interviews and performances with the folklorist Alan Lomax. Now those recordings have been released in a new box set from Rounder Records called Jelly Roll Morton: The Complete Library of Congress Recordings.

Some economists warn that Hurricane Katrina will have economic impact far beyond the Gulf Coast region. David Wessel, deputy Washington bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal, says the inability to refine and distribute oil in hurricane-battered areas could negatively affect the economy nationally, including unemployment.

Thousands of Iraqis attend funeral services for more than 900 people who died Wednesday in a panicked crush on a Baghdad bridge. The rumor of a suicide bomber sparked a mad rush during a Shiite religious festival. Amid the funerals there are calls for an investigation into the cause and accusations of a fumbled response to the disaster.

Our series on hobbies continues with an old favorite: the barbecue grill. Charcoal and meat seems to bring out the fanatic in some people. Robert Smith visits a group of devoted grillers.

In California, federal authorities announce indictments against the head of an Islamic prison gang and three Los Angeles men suspected to be involved in terrorist plot to attack synagogues, National Guard facilities and at LAX airport.

Robert Siegel talks with a representative of the American Red Cross about a page on their website allowing people to post information about friends and relatives who are missing after Hurricane Katrina. The service is a clearinghouse of information for those who have access to the Internet.

We offer a musical tribute to the Big Easy: Fats Domino's version of "Do You Know What It's Like To Miss New Orleans?" The famed singer, now 77, narrowly escaped the floodwaters with several members of his family.

New Orleans resident Trenise Williams made sure to save one thing when she fled Hurricane Katrina: her marriage license. It may not have been the wedding she'd dreamed of, but Williams did marry her fiancé, Joseph Kirsh, in a shelter in Jackson, Miss. Local businesses chipped in for everything, including food and a wedding dress.

Emergency managers in New Orleans had been debating whether the levee system would work in a major hurricane before Katrina hit. Federal funding cuts left many projects undone and local engineers were not surprised when water surged into New Orleans.