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Want a bigger house, a svelte figure or a gender change? It's possible in the online game "Second Life," where residents trade real money for virtual land, designer clothes and other trappings of a fantasy life.

Thoughts on the life of boxer Max Schmeling, whose fights with Joe Louis became a symbol of a looming confrontation between the United States and Nazi Germany. Schmeling fought in Hitler's army, but quietly helped save two Jewish teens and later befriended a needy Louis. Schmeling has died at age 99.

In Egypt, reformers were gratified when the government approved a new, liberal political party last year, hoping there might be a loosening of President Hosni Mubarak's hold on office. But the Tomorrow party's push for a true multi-party vote was met with a government crackdown.

NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home. This week's winner is Terry Conour from Olney, IL. He listens to Weekend Edition on member station KUSI in Carbondale, Ill.

Alison Krauss and her band will start a tune again and again until it sounds as good as they imagine it. Krauss and members of Union Station perform at NPR.

Preparations are underway for Medicare, the program for the elderly, to launch a new prescription drug benefit in 2006. Meanwhile, Medicaid -- the federal and state program for the poor -- takes center stage in what's expected to be a major budget fight. Hear NPR's Julie Rovner.

Comic book legend Will Eisner died Monday at the age of 87. The artist was best known for his Sunday strip The Spirit, but most may recognize his style from the buxom ladies he painted on the nose of fighter planes in World War II. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne.

Overweight "couch potatoes" burn fewer calories a day because they sit more than their naturally lean counterparts, who tend to be more fidgety and restless, a new study shows. The findings suggest small changes in daily activity could have a major impact on weight loss.

When Americans think of race relations, they tend to think of the experiences and history of people of color. But what about the concept of "whiteness" in American society?

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reads from listeners' letters. Listeners commented on the Chrisitian beliefs of America's Founding Fathers, volunteering and digital photography's role in the current scrapbooking craze.