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Mary Ellen Mark is a celebrated photographer. Her most recent work is an askew shot of controversial Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker and Minnie Mouse in last week's New Yorker. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is currently featuring Mark's work in a major exhibit. Peter Clowney has a profile.

NPR's Ina Jaffe reports a study published this week shows the success of an effort by the state of Georgia to make sure children of welfare families are immunized against diseases like polio and diptheria. But some have criticized the program -- which imposes sanctions against welfare families if kids don't get their shots. The study can be found in week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Anne Sutton reports from western Alaska on the political debate that could determine whether a family is able to survive. Many families in rural Alaska live off of fish from the rivers, berries from the trees and game from the mountains. Some residents say subsisting off the land is a tradition that keeps them alive.

Alan Cheuse reviews the book that won Italy's 1998 Elsa Morante Prize for a first novel: What We Don't Know about Children, by thirty-year-old Simona Vinci. It has been translated by Minna Procter and is just now published in English. (2:30) (What We Don't Know About Children is published by K

Leda Hartman reports on the 32nd annual Hollerin'Contest that was held recently in Spivey's Corner, North Carolina. The contest started as a fund-raiser for the volunteer fire department but has taken on life of its own. Before beepers and cell phones, hollerin' was an important way for rural folks to stay in touch.

Apart from its better-known roles in bluegrass and Dixieland, the banjo was once a sought-after status symbol in late 19th-century America. Young ladies learned to play parlor music on the banjo; there were banjo societies and banjo virtuosi; and manufacturers fought wars over who could make the fanciest banjos. On top of that, this was primarily a northern phenomenon. It's chronicled in a new book, America's Instrument: The Banjo in the 19th Century, by Philip Gura and James Bollman. Paul Brown reports. (7:45) (America's Instrument: The Banjo in the 19th Century is published by University of North Carolina P

A note on the sale of the Website featuring a computer-generated newscaster named "Ananova." The British mobile phone company Orange bought the site from the UK's Press Association. The price for Ananova -- well over 100-million-dollars.

Host Bob Edwards talks to two members of the House, Democrat Shelley Berkley of Nevada and Republican Jack Quinn of New York, about what they heard from constituents back home over the July 4th holiday. Congresswoman Berkley and Congressman Quinn both say that the high costs of gasoline, healthcare insurance, and prescription drugs were among their constituents' greatest concerns.

Host Bob Edwards talks with Clair Orr, chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education, about a resolution encouraging public schools to display the national motto, In God We Trust. The State Board is expected to pass this non-binding resolution tomorrow.

Noah talks to Bill Kilpatrick, Zoologist at the University of Vermont, about the rising number of opossum sightings in Vermont. Possums are not equipped for cold weather. But each year more of these animals are showing up in Champlain. Kilpatrick believes global warming may have something to do with the animals' movement.