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The frontier is long gone, but the American West clings to some of its roots. Morning Edition presents a series of profiles of people who are inspired by the region's landscape, resources and culture. The series continues with Juan Arambula, the Fresno County supervisor whose passion about education stems from his experiences as a Hispanic child attending the county's public schools. NPR's John McChesney reports.

It's the most-played board game in the world. Though it's considered the ultimate contest of money and power, it started out as a cautionary exercise to make Americans aware of the excesses of capitalism. On Morning Edition, NPR's Juan Williams reports on Monopoly's humble roots, as part of the Present at the Creation series. (8:38)

On Morning Edition hear about the perfect accompaniment for preparing the holiday turkey. Music commentator Miles Hoffman joins the show to discuss pizzicato and the joys of plucking stringed instruments.

Rob Siegel and Carol Kolb of The Onion. It's a weekly national newspaper and Web site. The satirical tabloid-style dispatch has headlines like "Lowest Common Denominator Continues to Plummet" and "U.S. Vows to Defeat Whoever It Is We're at War With." Siegel is The Onion's editor-in-chief and Kolb is the senior editor. The Onion began in 1988 as an alternative weekly newspaper and went online in 1996.

A man, a woman, a house and a pitchfork. Those four elements make Grant Wood's depression-era painting, American Gothic, instantly recognizable and easily mimicked. As part of the Present at the Creation series, NPR's Melissa Gray reports on the painting that launched a thousand parodies. Image at left courtesy Art Institute of Chicago.

After three decades of performing his post-Beatles pop, Paul McCartney releases a new live recording filled with Beatles tunes. In an interview with NPR's Renee Montagne, McCartney discusses the emotions of performing songs dedicated to George Harrison and John Lennon.

Being the host that he is, Bob Edwards continues the Morning Edition tradition of bringing together the creme de la creme of cookery for a fantasy holiday feast. This year's celebrity chef potluck features Julia Child, Maida Heatter, Paul Prudhomme, Wolfgang Puck — and one would-be party crasher. NPR Online offers a sample of recipes from the gourmet repast, and an illustrated slideshow of the gathering.

Journalist Ellen Ruppel Shell has written a new book, The Hungry Gene: The Science of Fat and the Future of Thin. Shell is a correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly and has written for The New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian, Discover and other publications. She's an associate professor and co-director of Knight Center for Science Journalism at Boston University.

Delegates to a United Nations wildlife conference have agreed to ease a 13-year-old global ban on ivory trading. The decision is a victory for southern African nations, but conservationists see it as a defeat for elephants. NPR's John Nielsen reports.

Dying from a terminal illness in America can be unnecessarily painful. In the last several years, foundations have spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to improve care for the dying. A new report, compiled by the national coalition Last Acts, grades the results of that effort, state by state. NPR's Joseph Shapiro went to a Hospice home in Washington, D.C. -- a place known for providing good care -- to find out why it's still so hard to help people die in comfort. Hear his report Tuesday on Morning Edition.