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Seventy-five years ago this week, William Faulkner's first novel was published, called Soldier's Pay. It was inspired by his World War I service in the Royal Canadian Air Force. But it was another war that brought commentator Fred Woodress to Oxford, Miss., and an afternoon with Faulkner. Having learned about Faulkner in the Army's college program at Ole Miss, he asked a waitress about him in a local restaurant. She was Faulkner's wife, and told Woodress to go see him. He describes the afternoon smoking and rocking on the the Faulkners' front porch, and another visit several years later.

NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports the Bush administration's plan to do away with the estate tax is worrying many in the philanthropic community. They are concerned that charitable giving will fall dramatically without the estate tax. Others argue that getting rid of the tax could prompt more philanthropy, not less.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Jerusalem reports Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon is mulling over options for dealing with the escalating violence in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel's Labor Party today chose the man who is to be defense minister in Sharon's unity government -- 65-year-old Binyamin Ben-Eliezer. Ben-Eliezer said he would try to persuade Palestinians to return to the negotiating table. At the same time, he said Israel would not "sit quiet" in the face of continued Palestinian attacks. Sharon has vowed to improve security for Israelis, though has not detailed how.

The Marine's V22 Osprey has come under increasing scrutiny after a series of deadly crashes and a highly critical GAO report. The aircraft may face a funding cutoff after a review of Defense Department programs ordered by President Bush. Russell Lewis reports from member station KPBS.

Brooke Gladstone, co-host of the NPR program On the Media, reports on the national fascination with DVD players -- the DVD has penetrated the market twice as fast as the CD and almost three times faster than the VCR. The high-quality image and sound of the DVD allow home viewers to enjoy an experience much closer to the filmmaker's original vision -- special features include parts of the original film that were left out, background comments from the director or editor -- and all this is changing the average movie-goer.

Bob Mondello reviews the new French film by Patrice Leconte, starring Oscar winning actress Juliette Binoche. Mondello loved the film, a period-costume romance based on a true story, where Binoche battles the prejudice of a small provincal town.

NPR's Chris Arnold reports that Napster has agreed to block access to more than one million copyrighted songs. With an official injunction still pending, however, the bickering on both sides continues.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports that women in Japan gradually are taking jobs as sushi chefs, something that used to be exclusively the province of men. But most of Japan's more than 30,000 sushi restaurants still refuse to hire women, and many men refuse to eat sushi that a woman has prepared. Men often believe that women have a higher body temperature and other physiological differences that make them unsuitable to prepare something as delicate as sushi.

The new government in Belgrade has been restrained in its reaction to attacks by ethnic Albanian insurgents in the Presevo Valley region, but the rebels have become more brazen. Three Serbian police were killed in mid-February in a landmine attack blamed on the rebels, and the insurgents are also suspected in an even more deadly attack on Serb civilians whose bus was blown up in Kosovo. At some point the Serb public will demand that its government take tough, swift action against the rebels. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports.

Puzzle master Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home. (This week's winner is Nikki Day from Hinton, West Virginia. She listens to Weekend Edition on member station WVPR in Beckley.)

From Minnesota Public Radio, reporter Euan Kerr reports on an unusual new production that emphasizes the comedic qualities of Shakespeare's Hamlet. It's being mounted by an innovative Franco-American troupe called Theater de la Jeune Lune.

Dennis Banks, co-founder of the radical American Indian Movement, remains a respected voice of authority in the Native American community. However, at age seventy, he has decided to retire from the world of political activism and pursue opportunites in the marketplace. From South Dakota Public Radio, Brian Bull reports.