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Bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley. He came to fame late in life when his music was featured on the triple-platinum soundtrack of the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? Stanley sings and plays banjo. He won two Grammys this year for his performance of "O Death" on the O Brother record. At age 75, Stanley has just released a self-titled CD and continues to tour. He's recorded over 170 albums in total, and has been performing continuously since 1946.

Boxer Laila Ali. Shes the only one of heavyweight champ Mohammed Alis nine children to choose a life in the ring. Her recent bout with Jacqui Frazier was the most highly publicized female boxing event ever. Shes written an autobiography called REACH! Finding Strength, Spirit and Personal Power.

A long, hot summer and a big, fat novel -- two things that just go together, says All Things Considered book reviewer Alan Cheuse. Cheuse offers his annual summer reading recommendations, including novels, short story collections and a non-fiction book. Get the full list online, with brief comments on each book.

Chocolate comes from the cacao tree Theobroma cacao, meaning the food of the gods. While today chocolate is often considered common, chocolate connoisseurs are trying to elevate the cacao bean back to its former elite status. Joanne Silberner reports on their progress for Morning Edition.

Director of the Louis Armstrong House & Archives, Michael Cogswell. The archive contains 5,000 photographs, 350 pages of autobiographical manuscripts, 270 sets of music charts, 650 home-made tape recordings and more. We'll hear excerpts from the tapes. Cogswell is in the process of converting the Louis Armstrong House in Queens, where Louis and his wife Lucille lived for almost 30 years, into a museum and educational center. This interview first aired August 2, 2001.

Through a series of architects and designs, the U.S. Capitol and its dome became a world-famous landmark. On Morning Edition, Kitty Eisele tells the story of the building that came to symbolize America as part of NPR's Present at the Creation series.

The late architect Samuel Mockbee chose Hale County, Alabama, as a place to teach his students how to "provide a decent community for all citizens." Hale County is one of the poorest counties in the United States, but thanks to the Rural Studio students and teachers carrying on Mockbee's legacy, it's home to some of the most innovative buildings in the nation. View a photo gallery of some of the Rural Studio's work.

Tammy Faye Bakker and her ex-husband Jim once sat atop the Praise the Lord broadcasting empire, with a theme park, lavish homes and even a satellite. Now the remarried Tammy Faye Messner has become a remarkably popular performer with gay audiences. NPR's Neda Ulaby charts Tammy Faye's unlikely rebirth after a spectacular fall from grace.

There are names for people responsible for firing other people. They're called "hatchet men" or "corporate executioners." Many companies hire people like firing consultant Howard McCain. McCain spends his days helping companies carry out the firing of employees. He says there is an art to dismissing someone.

The Bush administration is expected to announce a plan for vaccinating certain Americans against smallpox. An advisory panel has recommended that at most, 500,000 health-care workers should be immunized. But many state and local public health officials don't think that's nearly enough to cope with a smallpox bioterrorism attack. NPR's Richard Knox reports for All Things Considered.