The violent flashpoint between militant Islamic extremists in North Africa and western-backed governments struggling to contain them has been unfolding over the past few days in Algeria. Robert Fowler, Canada's former ambassador to the U.N., knows this history well. During his ambassadorship, Fowler was kidnapped by Al Qaeda militants and held hostage for more than four months.

A whole model of planes is being grounded this month for safety reasons. After an incident in Boston and another involving the emergency landing of a plane in Japan, Boeing 787s around the world are now being held on the ground by regulators. Miles O’Brien is a broadcast news journalist specializing in aviation, space and technology.

The Takeaway's Movie Date team, Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer, weigh in on the week's new releases, which include the former governator, that guy from "Jackass," and Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain.

Pauline Phillips, the woman who started the Dear Abby column and the industry of anonymous advice publishing along with it, died on Wednesday in Minneapolis at the age of 94. Carolyn Hax writes an advice column for the Washington Post.

Poet Kwame Dawes started off a poem for us earlier this week, and we've been sorting through nearly 200 responses in search of the perfect people's poem. Elizabeth Alexander read the poem at President Obama's 2009 inauguration.

As we think about the formality of the upcoming inaugeration on Monday we remember a time in American history, fifty years ago, when a momentous transfer of power occurred without any forethought, without ritual, and without inauguration at all. Lyndon B. Johnson library director Mark UpdeGrove has the story.