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Kim Stanley Robins's new novel The Years of Rice and Salt (Bantam Doubleday Dell; ISBN: 0553109200) imagines 700 years of history, including China's discovery of the new world. Alternative history has long been popular with writers, but as NPR's Neda Ulaby reports, this form of novel writing is a reflection of the times.

British actress Julie Christie stars as a doctor in the new Hal Hartley film, No Such Thing. Her other films include Doctor Zhivago, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait, and Nashville. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for her work in the 1965 film Darling. [The audio for this segment is unavailable due to Internet rights issues.]

Christian rockers Jars of Clay have sold 5 million albums since their 1995 debut. Their latest album, The Eleventh Hour, is just as spiritual as their previous efforts, but the message is more complex and subtle. The band talks with Scott Simon on Weekend Edition Saturday. (13:00)

The Gorillaz' debut album sold more than 6 million copies worldwide, and the group was nominated for MTV awards, Brit awards, even a Grammy. Their recent tour sold out premier venues in North America. Not bad for a bunch of cartoon characters. NPR's Susan Stone goes behind the curtain, Tuesday on All Things Considered.

Writer Gerard Jones is the author of the new book, Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy Games, Superheroes, and Make Believe Violence (Basic Books). A former creator of comic books, he's written text for Batman, Superman, X-Men, and Pokemon. This is his fourth media studies book. He lives in San Francisco.

Most of America's millions of old computers are shipped to Asia, where rural villagers strip and sell the scrap metal and plastic. The leftover waste -- often toxic -- is piled up around houses and rivers. Environmentalists are crying foul. For Weekend All Things Considered, NPR's Allison Aubrey reports. (5:15)

Just hours after John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln, the actor showed up at the doorstep of Dr. Samuel Mudd, seeking help for his broken leg. Soon after, Dr. Mudd was sentenced to life in jail. To this day, his family is fighting to clear Mudds name. Cindy Johnston reports.

Medicaid consumes the second largest share of state money, and its rapidly rising costs are swamping state budgets. Without the federal government's intervention, states say they're heading for a health care catastrophe. NPR's David Molpus reports for Morning Edition and NPR's Julie Rovner reports for All Things Considered.

NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports on a new study saying that the herbal remedy St. John's Wort is not effective against serious depression. (3:30)

The Pope meets with American Cardinals today to discuss how to handle the current pedophilia scandal threatening the church here in the U.S. NPR's Tovia Smith examines why the summit is taking place now.