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Actor, writer, comedian Andy Richter. For seven years he was Conan O'Brien's sidekick on Late Night. Now he has his own sitcom on FOX, Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Richter could be seen in the movies, Scary Movie 2, Dr. T & The Women, Big Trouble and Run, Ronnie, Run.

Some automated phone systems have begun using computer voices with colloquial traits and an improved capacity to interact with callers. But designers can't agree whether computers should be efficient, robotic machines or pretend to have personality. For All Things Considered, NPR's David Kestenbaum reports.

The high cost of prescription medications for Medicaid patients has led to a showdown between drug companies and the state of Michigan. The state claims it spends too much on drugs for low-income patients and wants deep discounts from the manufacturers. But some companies said no, so state officials set up a new system to give preferential treatment to the drug companies that cooperate. NPR's Jackie Northam reports on the controversial program.

By posing math problems to Manhattan lunchtime crowds, math teacher George Nobl hopes to convert a few of America's many "math-aphobics." On Morning Edition, NPR's Madeleine Brand tackles one of the problems -- "If cashews cost one price and peanuts another, how much would a mixture cost?" NPR Online has Nobl's answer.

Grits have sustained families for four centuries, but the basic Southern dish continues to evolve. On Morning Edition, NPR's Linda Wertheimer reports on grits as part of the Present at the Creation series on American cultural icons.

A group of young women of gothic sensibility have banded together to make music based on lyrics and poems from the Middle Ages. On Weekend Edition Sunday, guest host John Nielsen talks with two of the Mediaeval Baebes about their latest album, their love of dead languages and the Dorian scale.

Catholic priests are at the center of the current child sex abuse scandal, but the realm of possible predators extends to anyone with access to children. Health professionals say early conversations with kids about sexuality may actually be the best protection. NPR's Brenda Wilson reports.

Producers/writers/directors Justine Shapiro and B.Z. Goldberg. Their new documentary film Promises takes a look at the Palestinian-Isreali conflict thru the eyes of seven children living in or near Jerusalem. It was filmed between 1997 and the summer of 2000. SHAPIRO grew up in Berkeley, California and hosts and co-writes the award-winning travel series, Lonely Planet. Goldberg was born in Boston and grew up outside of Jerusalem and has been a television journalist. Promises was broadcast on PBS last December as part of the P.O.V. series.

Later today, the National Geographic Society announces the results of an expedition to the Solomon Islands, to look for one of the most famous sunken ships of World War II: PT-109. A dashing, young Jack Kennedy captained the boat, years before he became President Kennedy. For Radio Expeditions, NPR's Neal Conan joined undersea explorer Robert Ballard on the search.

For millions of Americans with special needs -- the disabled, the mentally ill, ex-offenders, youth leaving foster care -- a home is a vital first step toward a stable life. NPR News explores the subject in a yearlong special reporting project, Housing First. Today's report, by NPR's Joseph Shapiro, profiles a program that gives a home -- and a second chance -- to people recovering from substance abuse.