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This summer, Mars is making a historic appearance in the night sky, coming closer to Earth than at any time in human history. For space author and Morning Edition commentator Andrew Chaikin, the event became a quest to take a rare astronomical portrait. See Chaikin's prized photos of Mars and the moon.

Sit by the basketball court at Walter Pierce Community Park and you will find the men in the neighborhood vying for ranking. This competition peaks every summer in the annual Hoopin' in the Hood Basketball Tournament, a day the neighborhood men plan for all year long. They recruit, talk trash and then play their hearts out trying to win bragging rights for the rest of the year. In the third part of her series on the park, Katie Davis captures the call and response of the playground game.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the United Nations will remain in Iraq, despite an attack on its headquarters in Baghdad that killed its top envoy and at least 20 others. Analysts say the bombing may signal a shift in tactics by groups opposed to the American occupation of Iraq, with attackers now targeting civilians. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson and NPR's Eric Westervelt.

Alan Cheuse reviews SOAR by John Weisman. SOAR stands for Special Operations Air Regiment, part of the U.S. Army's Delta Force. The book takes readers to China, inside the CIA and among Islamic guerillas.

Who is behind the violent opposition to the American occupation of Iraq and the deadly bombing at the U.N. compound in Baghdad? U.S. military leaders blame terrorists. Some analysts are less certain. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer, Rashid Khalidi, director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University, and Loren Thompson, military affairs specialist at the Lexington Insitute.

Puzzle master Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home. (This week's winner is Brandon Rogers from Yelm, Wash. He listens to Weekend Edition on member station KPLU in Tacoma, Wash.)

A powerful explosion rips apart a mosque during Friday prayer services in Najaf, Iraq, killing Shiite leader Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim. The attack on one of the holiest sites for Shia Muslims took a high death toll. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Patrick Schneider, photographer for the Charlotte Observer, about the ethics of using traditional photo-altering techniques in news photography.

NPR's Scott Horsley reports that despite the West's growing urbanization, agriculture still uses up to 90 percent of the region's water. In some places, farmers are finding that selling water to cities is a lot more profitable than using it for crops.

A Zogby poll of likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire shows former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is the leading Democratic presidential candidate in the key state, leading his closest rival, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, by 21 points. Hear Rich Killion of the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication.