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The Alabama Preservation Alliance and the Alabama Historical Commission have just named historic gas stations across the state "places of peril." Architectural historian Melanie Betz tells Scott Simon what makes these gas stations worth preserving.

For four years, the National Park Service has been gathering natural sound in dozens of parks across the country. The idea is to protect visitors -- and wildlife -- from unwelcome noise.

An independent commission votes Wednesday on a list of military bases slated for closure. Anthony Principi, chairman of the Base Closure and Realignment Commission, talks about striking a balance between saving tax dollars and maintaining military preparedness.

Williamstown Theatre Festival in western Massachusetts offers a summer program that has been called "theater boot camp." British-trained actor Roger Rees is the company's new artistic director.

The movie Asylum opens this weekend. It's an "erotic thriller" starring Natasha Richardson, Marton Czokas and Ian McKellen. It joins a long tradition of cinematic portrayals of mental hospitals, most of which are pretty off base.

In Seoul, three stories above street level, a cafe caters both to people and to dogs. As the human clientele sip drinks and slurp noodles, the canine clientele eat dog food and just about anything else.

Karen Grigsby Bates offers an appreciation of Ebony publisher John Johnson, who died last week at the age of 87. Johnson created a legacy by insisting that ads in Ebony feature black models.

Alex Chadwick talks with Slate contributor Edward J. Epstein about the decline of sexual nudity in films over the last few decades. Epstein says film studios are being pressured by the DVD and television markets to offer less salacious films.

Atlanta's City Council passes an ordinance to ban panhandling within part of downtown Atlanta. Business leaders urged the ban, saying they want more tourists to visit downtown Atlanta. Homeless advocates say the ban is unconstitutional and the city should be doing more to help the homeless. Susanna Capelouto of Georgia Public Broadcasting reports.

With Black Entertainment Television's announcement that it will cancel its nightly news program in favor of a string of hourly news briefs, NPR's Allison Keyes examines concerns about the future of African-American news organizations.

Stuntwoman Jeannie Epper is featured in a documentary on her craft called Double Dare. Now 64, Epper did the stunts for Lynda Carter in the Wonder Woman TV show, among countless other jobs. She comes from a family of stunt artists; her father doubled for Errol Flynn.

On a recent vacation, Web consultant Subha Subramanian came across this picturesque gas station in Gustavus, Alaska. It's a tiny community, accessible only by air and sea. Here is her "story behind the picture."

Alex Chadwick talks with John Dimsdale of Marketplace about Microsoft's deadline for abiding by a European Commission anti-trust ruling. The software giant must comply with the ruling or face a fine of up to $5 million a day.

The Base Closure and Realignment Commission this week will hold its first public hearing (in Rapid City, S.D.) since releasing its base closure list. Communities and congressional members that are facing changes are preparing to make their cases.

It's summer and that means it's time to pull the flip-flops out of the closet and put them on your feet, notes commentator Ed Cullen.

Madeleine Brand speaks with Slate military affairs correspondent Fred Kaplan about President George Bush's inaccurate comparison of the establishment of an Iraqi constitution to the "growing pains" of the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In 1965, Robert Moog invented the Moog synthesizer, an electronic keyboard that creates otherworldly sounding electronic music. His instrument went on to usher in a new era of rock and electronic music. The Beatles used a Moog synthesizer on their 1969 Abbey Road album.

The Catholic Church has a new pope. Former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected Tuesday to be the new leader of the world's 1 billion Catholics. Neal Conan talks with guests and takes listener calls about Pope Benedict XVI and what challenges lie ahead for him.

A Texas court has ordered the drug company Merck to pay $250 million to the widow of a man who took the prescription pain-killer Vioxx and later died of a heart attack. The company faces thousands of other lawsuits connected to the drug. Madeleine Brand speaks with Slate legal analyst Dahlia Lithwick about how the pharmaceutical giant could handle potential new legal battles.

Dinosaur Jr. helped define and shape indie and alternative rock in the late 1980s and early '90s. The reunited band is now back on the road after issuing re-mastered versions of their first three albums: Dinosaur, You're Living All Over Me, and Bug.

The confidential informant known for 30 years as "Deep Throat" is finally out of the shadows, identified as senior FBI official Mark Felt. Now a younger generation strains to understand what the fuss was all about. Ken Rudin summarizes the Watergate scandal.

United Airlines has reached agreement with its mechanics' union, averting a threatened strike. Mechanics ratified a new contract Tuesday, and the machinists' union has agreed in principle to a new deal.

Los Angeles is home to almost four million people of every ethnicity — and sometimes, they don't share that home very peacefully. Author Nina Revoyr takes a tour of the city's Crenshaw district, the setting of her novel about family secrets and the 1965 Watts riots.

Alex Chadwick talks to Slate legal analyst Dahlia Lithwick for an analysis of the speech Judge John Roberts gave in February. Roberts talked about how difficult it is to make the transition from lawyer to judge, and shared some of the lessons he learned as a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

Evangelical Lutherans in America are debating the emotional issue of homosexuality at their national assembly, held this year in Orlando, Fla. The two items dominating the agenda are whether sexually active gay clergy should be ordained and whether the church should bless same-sex unions.