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Commentator Mickey Edwards discusses the Lexington, North Carolina story involving a first-grade boy who kissed a little girl at school...and who got in a lot of trouble. He thinks that the grownups involved in the story are the ones who should stand in the corner.

The 20 finalists for the 2004 National Book Awards were announced today, and for the first time in the awards' 55-year history, all five of the fiction finalists are women. Greta Cunningham of Minnesota Public Radio reports.

Commentator Daniel Pinkwater has a few reflections on those creatures known as buttons---they date back to ancient history, they eat lint, most are harmless and their nests can sometimes be found in corners of drawers.

Daud Tulam spent 18 years in isolation in the New Jersey State Prison. Now free, he finds it difficult to make eye contact, make small talk, or be around other people, including his family.

Around the country, buyers are scooping up real estate, knocking down old houses, and building grand new mansions. It's a trend that's finally coming to Cape Cod, birthplace of the original summer cottage. Some residents worry the demolitions are slowly erasing the cape's traditional character. From member station WBUR, Monica Brady-Myerov reports.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports that the Middle East peace process was undermined again today by more violence between Israel and Palestinians-- with suicide bombings in Gaza and the shooting deaths of two Palestinians in the West Bank. The latest round of violence began with Israel's decision to proceed with a new settlement in Arab East Jerusalem.

The Fire Department of New York releases oral histories and audio from Sept. 11, 2001. Crowded radio frequencies may explain in part why firefighters stayed in the north tower of the World Trade Center 29 minutes after the south tower fell.

Music critic Josh duLac looks at some of this week's new releases, including albums from Lil Wayne, My Morning Jacket and Solomon Burke.

Thievery Corporation is out with their fifth album, Radio Retaliation. Rob Garza and Eric Hilton talk about the formation of their popular duo and share their musical influences from around the world.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt taught school for 30 years. Relationships formed with 12,000 mostly teenaged students form the basis of a new memoir, Teacher Man. He tells Jacki Lyden about life in the classroom.

in the West Bank and Gaza.

NPR's Linda Gradstein reports on dwindling support for Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. For nearly thirty years, Arafat was the undisputed leader of the Palestinian people, and when he signed the peace deal with Israel that gave Palestinians control over parts of the West Bank and Gaza, many thought their lives would improve. They're still waiting. A four-month-old Israeli closure of the West Bank and Gaza has severely curtailed economic activity there. Arafat's security forces have cracked down hard on opposition groups and have limited freedom of expression. And the new Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (n'tahn-YAH-hoo) will soon take office, a man whom many Palestinians fear will stop the peace process cold. These events have left many wondering if Arafat is still the man to lead them, or if his day may have come and gone.