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In a series of reports for Morning Edition, NPR Beijing correspondent Rob Gifford profiles five people from across China who symbolize the massive changes the country is undergoing as it makes its transition away from communism. The latest segment features motorcycle magnate Yin Mingshan, who survived the Cultural Revolution and became one of China's wealthiest businessmen.

Introduced in 1893 and immortalized in the classic baseball song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," Cracker Jack became one of the most popular snack foods ever. On Morning Edition NPR's Susan Feeney has the story of the "candy-coated popcorn, peanuts and a prize" as part of the Present at the Creation series.

With millions of land mines dotting its landscape and its political climate still shaky, Afghanistan may not seem like an obvious tourist destination. But shopkeepers and other entrepreneurs hope to attract vacationers to the mountainous beauty of their land. Renee Montagne reports for the Morning Edition series "Re-Creating Afghanistan."

Our summer reading series profiles Phil Jackson, coach of the Los Angles Lakers. Among Jackson's favorite books this summer have been Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential (Ecco Press; ISBN: 0060934913) and James Ellroy's "The Cold Six Thousand" (Vintage Books; ISBN: 037572740X).

Screenwriter Mike White. He wrote and starred in the independent film Chuck & Buck. His latest film is The Good Girl which stars Jennifer Aniston. White also wrote for the TV shows Dawsons Creek, and Freaks and Geeks.

Nancy Sinatra, daughter of Frank Sinatra. She recorded a few hits of her own including "These Boots are Made for Walking," and "Something Stupid," the duet she recorded with her father. Nancy Sinatra wrote a book about her father, Frank Sinatra: An American Legend. Nancy Sinatra released the album One More Time. (Cougar records) in 1995. This interview first aired December 12, 1995.

Officials in Afghanistan are desperately trying to save an archaeological treasure: an ancient city estimated more than 1,000 years old that was recently uncovered when thieves were arrested with artifacts from the site. On Morning Edition, guest host Renee Montagne reports on the country's efforts to protect its cultural heritage. It's the latest part of NPR's series "Re-Creating Afghanistan."

Singer Marianne Faithfull got her start in the English music scene of 1964, when she dated Mick Jagger and had the hit song, As Tears Go By. In the following years she had a drug addiction that almost killed her, before recovering in 1985 and releasing new albums. Her memoir, Faithfull: An Autobiography published in 1994 tells her story of highs and lows with music and drugs. This interview first aired September 26, 1994.

NPR's Eric Westervelt has an update on the war in Afghanistan. An explosion outside a United Nations guesthouse in Kabul yesterday punctuated the U.S. military's sober assessment of the war that came just hours earlier. Instability still seems to plague Afghan cities. The war is now characterized by skirmishes, while coalition forces hunt for Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives along the Pakistani border.

Dennis McNally is the publicist for the Grateful Dead, and the band's official historian. He's also the author of the new book, A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead. He is also author of the book, Desolate Angel: Jack Kerouac, the Beat Generation.

His new book is Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago. It*s about a 1995 heat wave in that city which proved to be an insidious natural disaster. Streets buckled, electric power blew, and over 700 people died. Klinenberg is an associate professor of Sociology at New York University.

West Nile virus is spreading through the United States faster than experts had predicted. Nearly 300 people have contracted the mosquito-borne virus and at least a dozen are dead. Humans aren't the only victims; many species of animals are also at risk. NPR's John Nielsen reports NPR's John Nielsen reports.