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A program called Pathways To Housing has developed an unusual approach to housing homeless, mentally ill substance abusers: offer them apartments of their own, straight off the street. Right now, the program operates in New York City and it places few conditions on the people it houses. Critics of the program say giving an apartment to this population is risky. But studies may suggest otherwise. Robert Siegel explores this program.

In ancient world the Library at Alexandria, Egypt was the meeting place where philosophical, spiritual, and cosmological teachings met to create a vital cultural environment. But the Library dissappeared 2000 years ago possibly when Julius Caeser sacked the city. Today a new library is rising in Alexandria hoping to recapture some of the former's glory. Kate Seelye reports.

NPR's Anne Garrels reports in an audio postcard from Moscow that despite all the reports out of Russia about economic hardship, crime and corruption, there is much to enjoy in the Russian capital these days. City residents take pleasure in many cultural attractions, from exhibits to concerts. Reasonably priced restaurants attract ordinary Russians, and elegant stores provide opportunities for window shopping, at least.

Beth Fertig of member station WNYC in New York reports on the latest battle between the Brooklyn Museum of Art and New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. This time the debate is over a painting that depicts Jesus as a naked black woman at the Last Supper. Giuliani says it's time to define the lines of decency when it comes to taxpayer funding of such controversial exhibits.

Frank Morris of member station KCUR in Kansas City reports on the effort to remodel old nuclear missile silos into homes. The U.S. government built more than 100 nuclear bases and silos in the early 1960s, but they were quickly decommissioned. Today, some people are finding they make for spacious and interesting housing.

Debbie Elliott reports that the trial of a former Ku Klux Klansman in the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham has stirred memories and resentments of that turbulent time, even as the city tries to project a new image. The Klansman's attorney says there is no way his client can get a fair trial in Birmingham, which is seeking redemption for its racist past.

David D'Arcy reports on an unlikely Johannes Vermeer exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It features several of the 17th century Dutch artist's paintings, but it also shows work from his contemporaries in the Netherlands. Curators hope the juxtaposition demonstrates Vermeer's immense talent.

NPR's Guy Raz reports from Macedonia that ethnic Albanian guerrillas today announced an unlimited, unilateral cease-fire to allow for negotiations with the government. The guerrillas made the offer just hours before a government ultimatum was to run out. The government ordered the rebels to surrender or withdraw from the areas they hold around the city of Tetovo or face an all-out assault.

Frank talks with writer Thomas Glave about Whose Song? And Other Stories, his new collection of works about life in the New York and the Caribbean. Glave's work focuses on issues involving race, sexuality and the interaction of people from different cultures. (9:25) (NOTE: Whose Song is published by City Lights Books).

Blending into a new city can be a difficult thing in any country, and foreigners living abroad often need to find ways to decompress. Commentator Shai Oster describes the almost religious experience of the morning commute in Beijing.