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Sure it's seasonal work, but the pay can be pretty good for a mall Santa, especially if the beard is real. Some of the men who play the role for children at stores even take their month-long job so seriously that they give it year-round attention. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

With home environments and family situations often contributing to their problems, poor children get sick far more often than better-off kids. Doctors at one hospital in Boston are teaming up with unlikely allies to help their patients. NPR's Daniel Zwerdling reports.

In South Africa, mortality rates from AIDS have increased by 57 percent over five years, according to the South African government. While the reporting of AIDS deaths remains a matter of debate, the deaths of young men and women make up most of the increase.

Across the U.S., the number of homicides in the past decade has declined, but prosecutors say it remains difficult to obtain murder convictions. With witnesses often reluctant to come forward, officials in Maryland are finding new ways to combat the problem. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports.

On the campaign trail, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are taking aim at U.S. immigration policies -- and at the 7 million Latino voters expected to cast ballots this November. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.

When Space Shuttle Columbia's mission ended in tragedy, a piece of history was rediscovered. An Israeli astronaut on Columbia had taken a drawing into space, a view of Earth, as seen from the moon. The scene was imagined by a teenager who didn't live to see the moon landings. The young artist was Petr Ginz, who died in a Nazi concentration camp. Since the Columbia disaster, the boy's wartime diaries resurfaced, and they've now been published in the Czech Republic. Katerina Zachovalova reports.

Bread and pasta sales are down, and many in the industry blame popular low-carb diets like Zone, Atkins and South Beach. While some retailers respond by producing low-carb versions of their products, others prepare a PR campaign that emphasizes the importance of carbohydrates as a source of energy. NPR's Greg Allen reports. Read the USDA dietary guidelines and hear more stories on the effectiveness of low-carb diets.

The U.S. Army's first new armored vehicle in 20 years will be loaded onto ships Friday for transport to its combat debut in Iraq. Some critics question whether the eight-wheeled Stryker will stand up to the guerrilla-style fighting U.S. Forces are now facing there. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

The legal battle over the care of Florida's Terri Schiavo puts new focus on the rights of severely injured patients -- and on the plight of families faced with a decision on ending life support. Most states have legal tools for end-of-life medical decisions, but most people aren't using them. NPR's Rachel Jones reports.

Scientists have finally deciphered the chromosome that determines maleness in humans. There's no gene to explain why men insist on changing the TV channel all the time, but other secrets of the Y chromosome are revealed in new two studies. NPR's Richard Harris reports.