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A drought threatens in many regions of the United States. Even if you're not yet facing arid conditions, NPR's Ketzel Levine says now is still a great time to re-evaluate the ways you use water in the garden. The Doyenne of Dirt reports for Morning Edition on how to make the most of every life-giving drop.

Her sister's hospitalization for depression sent Virginia Gonzales Torres on a mission to reform her country's mental health system. Some 25 years later, she's founded a series of group homes and set the standard for how developing countries can treat the mentally ill. NPR's Joanne Silberner reports.

Music commentator Marika Partridge reports on singer Pat Humphries and an extraordinary song. Humphries isn't well-known outside folk music circles, but "Swimming to the Other Side" is becoming something of an underground anthem. Listen to three versions of the song online, and hear what Humphries fan Pete Seeger has to say about it. (10:00) The song is on a CD called Hands, and Pat's website is www.pathumphries.com.

Caucasians are no longer a majority in California or Los Angeles. Scott Simon talks with a group of white Angelinos about their perceptions of what happened 10 years ago. He then visits a group of journalism students and their teacher at Phineas Banning High School in the Wilmington neighborhood of south Los Angeles. The hour concludes with an essay by Scott Simon.

Producers/writers/directors Justine Shapiro and B.Z. Goldberg. Their new documentary film Promises takes a look at the Palestinian-Isreali conflict thru the eyes of seven children living in or near Jerusalem. It was filmed between 1997 and the summer of 2000. SHAPIRO grew up in Berkeley, California and hosts and co-writes the award-winning travel series, Lonely Planet. Goldberg was born in Boston and grew up outside of Jerusalem and has been a television journalist. Promises was broadcast on PBS last December as part of the P.O.V. series.

He's The Guardian's Zimbabwe correspondent. He covered the presidential election in Zimbabwe and was jailed for 33 hours for violating the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act which punishes journalists for publishing "falsehoods." The law was one of several instituted by President Mugabe in a crackdown on the media. Meldrums court date has not been set yet. Meldrum was previously on Fresh Air in February.

To celebrate Independence Day 2002, Morning Edition asked listeners to write essays "describing where in the country you feel most American, most connected to history." Hear and read a sample of the responses.

Folklorist Alan Lomax died Friday, July 19 at the age of 87. He spent more than a half century recording the folk music and customs of the world. His efforts spurred folk revivals in the United States and across Europe. In the United States, he was responsible for priceless recordings of Leadbelly (who Lomax first recorded in prison), Woody Guthrie, Jelly Roll Morton and many others. A 1959 recording he made of Mississippi prisoner James Carter singing the work song "Po'Lazarus" was the opening song for the soundtrack of the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? Many of Lomax's recordings have been reissued on Rounder Records' 100-CD series, the Lomax Collection. This interview first aired July 9, 1990.

For millions of Americans with special needs -- the disabled, the mentally ill, ex-offenders, youth leaving foster care -- a home is a vital first step toward a stable life. NPR News explores the subject in a yearlong special reporting project, Housing First. Today's report, by NPR's Joseph Shapiro, profiles a program that gives a home -- and a second chance -- to people recovering from substance abuse.

Promoters hope that a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Art will top the blockbuster King Tut show that drew crowds 25 years ago. And the Egyptian government thinks The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt might lure U.S. tourists back to the pyramids. David D'Arcy reports on the exhibit for Morning Edition.