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The Los Angeles police force is notoriously understaffed -- compared to New York City, it has half the number of cops per resident. So the LAPD is increasingly turning to a corps of middle-aged men and women, who essentially volunteer for duty. Unlike reservists in other cities, being a reservist in Los Angeles is "full duty," with uniforms, guns and confrontations with bad guys. NPR's Mandalit del Barco recently spent a day with reservists at the Los Angeles Police Academy as they trained to keep their policing skills sharp -- see photos of their training.

Day to Day personal finance contributor Michelle Singletary offers tips for individual investors who are interested in buying stocks. Singletary writes the syndicated column "The Color of Money" for The Washington Post and is author of the book 7 Money Mantras for a Richer Life.

In 1955, Jet magazine published photographs of the mutilated body of 14-year-old Chicago resident Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered in Mississippi. Many civil rights activists say seeing those pictures both haunted and inspired them. NPR's Noah Adams reports on the decision to publish the photos and the wide-ranging effect they had.

NPR's Madeleine Brand talks to Sandra Dibble of The San Diego Tribune about Tuesday's murder of journalist Francisco Ortiz Franco in the sprawling border city of Tijuana, Mexico. Ortiz Franco was a founding editor of Zeta, a weekly magazine known for investigating drug trafficking and corruption.

For readers without the time to read all 957 pages of former President Bill Clinton's new memoir, we've got the juicy bits mapped out. Slate deputy Washington, D.C., bureau chief Chris Suellentrop takes NPR's Madeleine Brand on quick trip through My Life.

NPR's Madeleine Brand talks to Tess Vigeland of Marketplace about Wednesday's vote by the Securities and Exchange Commission on several proposals to crack down on abuses in the $7-trillion mutual fund industry.

Former President Bill Clinton signed his new book at a Harlem bookstore Tuesday, and was greeted like a rock star. NPR's Allison Keyes reports.

There's the biographical ad, the negative attack, and the counterattack. For all the money that's spent on them, political ads are remarkably simple compared to their commercial cousins. How do candidates choose their ads and which ones are effective? Join NPR's Neal Conan for a guide to what you can expect this campaign year. Guests: Joshua Green *Senior editor, The Atlantic Monthly *Author of Dumb and Dumber: Why are Campaign Commercials so Bad? John Brabender *Chief creative officer of Brabender Cox Kathleen Hall Jamieson *Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania *Author of several books on politics and advertising, including The 2000 Presidential Election and the Foundations of Party Politics

NPR's Tavis Smiley talks to medical health contributor Dr. Ian Smith about a new thriller he's written, The Blackbird Papers.

NPR's Alex Chadwick talks to Tess Vigeland of Marketplace about the latest Conference Board study showing American workers can expect an average salary increase of 3.5 percent this year -- the same rate as last year.

Read an excerpt from Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror by Anonymous, an active senior CIA officer -- and former head of the agency's Osama bin Laden unit.

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports on some of the problems that might emerge when a United States Embassy is established in Iraq after the country regains sovereignty. One problem: how to coordinate with the huge, ongoing U.S. military operation. The U.S. Embassy in Saigon during the war in Vietnam offers some lessons.

For 9 months, teen girls have been pretty much unable to go to school. Protests have been shut down. Now clerics — including some affiliated with the Taliban – are urging an end to the school ban.

Already a seasoned journalist and playwright, Fred Bornet came to the United States in 1939 from his native Belgium. Two years later he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and served as a combat photographers. He recalls the war in Europe through his journal entries.

Poet Billy Collins shares memories of his father's puckish spirit as part of the StoryCorps national oral history project. Hear Collins' conversation with friend Nancy Cobb, recorded in a booth at New York City's Grand Central Terminal.

We wrap up our week-long series with a look at positive parenting. NPR's Tavis Smiley is joined by Phillip Jackson, executive director of the Black Star Project, an umbrella organization for several parenting and education focused groups. He also speaks with Africa Porter, president of the South Suburban Illinois Chapter of 100 Concerned Mothers.

The body of American hostage Paul Johnson is found in Saudi Arabia. Militant Islamists claiming ties to al Qaeda said they were responsible for beheading the Lockheed Martin worker, who was taken captive Saturday. President Bush denounces Johnson's killers as "barbaric." Hear an NPR News report.

Timbaland is one of the most influential producers in the music industry. For Intersections, a series on artists' inspirations, he discusses his varied musical influences and his successful collaboration with superstar Missy Elliott. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.

Alberta Martin, the last known widow of a civil war veteran, has died at the age of 97. Alberta Martin married William Japser Martin, a Confederate veteran, in 1927, when she was 21 and he was 81. William Martin died less than four years later, and Alberta Martin married his grandson two months after that. Hear NPR's Melissa Block.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that after Sept.11, but before the war in Iraq, Russia gave the Bush administration intelligence suggesting Saddam Hussein planned terrorist attacks on U.S. territory. Putin's surprise statement comes as the Bush administration defends its assertion that Saddam had ties to terrorist groups. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Lawrence Sheets.

Commentator Cornel West says former President Ronald Reagan was a charismatic human being with a smile that concealed vicious foreign and domestic policies.

NPR's Alex Chadwick speaks with Sal Masekela of ESPN about Tuesday night's basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Detroit Pistons in the NBA finals. The Lakers won in a nail-biting overtime battle, and the best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.

The United States plans to reduce the size of its military force in South Korea by a third. The U.S. plan to cut troop levels will be enacted by the end of 2005, when enhanced technology is expected to play a role in securing the Korean Peninsula. NPR's Rob Gifford reports.

Day to Day financial commentator Michelle Singletary and NPR's Alex Chadwick announce a new Day to Day contest where listeners submit their best penny-pinching tales.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with Steve McConnell of the Alzheimer's Association about President Reagan's disease. Reagan's wife Nancy has been an energetic advocate for increased funding of Alzheimer's research. McConnell says the Reagans have done a great deal to reduce the stigma associated with the disease.