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It's hard to imagine a New York mayor's race without larger-than-life personalities, but this year's pack of candidates has failed thus far to fire the public imagination. Instead, the contest has been dominated by incumbent Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who is leaving office because of term limits. He may not be running, but Giuliani's eight years in office are the dominant issue in the campaign. Beth Fertig has our report from member station WNYC in New York.

New fossil discoveries have confirmed that the ancestors of whales had ankles and walked on land before making their way into the sea. NPR's Joe Palca reports that two separate teams of scientists -- publishing in both Science and Nature this week -- show that whales belong to the same animal group as sheep and hippos.

NPR's Ivan Watson report on the music of Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour. N'Dour has been performing for over three decades, and the social commentaries in his songs continue to strike a chord with people of all age. (5:44

NPR's Lynn Neary reports on the images of racial minorities that America displays overseas...through Hollywood films. See images and check out comprehensive NPR News coverage of the U.N. World Conference Against Racism.

The Empire State Building's observation deck, on the 86th floor, closed on Sept. 11 after the attack on the World Trade Center. On Sept. 29, the deck re-opened and thousands of visitors arrived to see the view from what is, once again, New York City's tallest building.

Regular watchers of Sesame Street may have noticed that the Muppet character Bert sometimes has certain grumpy tendencies. And consumers of Internet satire have long known about the "Bert is Evil" Web site. Linda Wertheimer explains.

Lisa Simeone talks with Ishtar, the lead singer of European pop sensation Alabina, about her origins, her inspirations and how she learned to speak five languages.

NPR's Kathy Lohr reports on efforts to preserve the country's dwindling number of Civil War battlefields. Sites like Kennesaw Mountain -- the last obstacle between General Sherman and Atlanta -- are in danger from suburban sprawl.

The people who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 have left gaps in the lives of thousands and thousands of other people. We chronicle some of them.

Host Noah Adams interviews David Shenk, author of a new book about Alzheimer's disease entitled The Forgetting. Alzheimer's: Portrait of an Epidemic.