In early September, author and garlic farmer Chester Aaron emailed me and asked me to consider a program that focuses on the lives of seniors. "One neighbor," Chester wrote, "a fisherman, 80 years old, kept his family going by continuing to fish. He died last week. His children and grandchildren had a wake. The tributes, by fishermen and wives, would have broken your heart but also given you hope."

I was intrigued and over the course of the fall, we began reviewing essays and considering interesting seniors to feature. Today, as part of our series "The Ninth Inning," you will hear the story of Chester Aaron himself. I came to know Chester back in August of 2001, when NPR's Lisa Simeone and I traveled to Occidental, California to meet him. We were reporting on a story about garlic and had just attended the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. Chester, who is an organic garlic farmer, spoke of the dark days ahead for domestic growers.

Over the years, Chester has graced us with wonderful stories. He spoke to NPR's Steve Inskeep about his father's Russian Root Soup. And he shared his recipes for "Stuffed Grilled Trout" and "Cold Almond-Garlic Soup" with Liane Hansen and offered a cure for garlic breath.

Next week, as part of the Ninth Inning series, Liane will speak with Dorothy Toy Fong, also known as the Chinese Ginger Rogers, who at the age of 91 is still dancing.

Want to share your life story with us? Post it here and we might invite you to the show.

On this week's show, Liane Hansen and editor of The Onion newspaper Joe Randazzo take a look into the future to see what news stories may be making the headlines in 2009. The Onion is known mostly for its satirical look at the news.

So, take a peek up at the stars and see if you can predict next year's
headlines. You never know -- you may be the next Carnac the Magnificent!

Harriet Tubman Elementary School sits in one of Baltimore's most impoverished neighborhoods. But when students there get a chance, they can really make some music. The school has a fairy godmother in the form of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's maestro, Marin Alsop. She and the BSO have paired up to help bring a musical education to the kids who get their own instruments to play.

If you or someone you know has managed to snag one of those 250,000 golden tickets to President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, Weekend Edition wants to hear from you. Join the multimedia fun and tell us everything -- how did you get tickets? Who's going with you? Who isn't? How are you getting to Washington, D.C? We take video logs, blog posts, tweets and plain old emails.

Tell us how we can reach you. Send a message to Weekend Edition Sunday through our contact page. Please put "Inaugural Diary" as the subject heading.

NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg's audio postcard from the summer solstice in Paris included a mesmerizing singalong of the song "La Javanaise." The piece was identified as a Charles Aznavour song, but Francophile listeners correctly identified it instead as a tune by Serge Gainsbourg. We had fun doing some more research on YouTube, and found this terrific old video of Monsieur Gainsbourg performing the song.

Impact of War, Weekend Edition Sunday's four-part series on the difficulties veterans face after coming home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is drawing to a close. The final chapter tells the story of Keith and Leisa Doney, who both serve in the Army's 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum in upstate New York. As David Sommerstein of North Country Public Radio reports, the division will soon be deployed to Afghanistan, and the Doneys will have to leave their three children in the care of a neighbor who has moved into their home.

Liane Hansen also has a conversation with Chad Sowash, an Army infantry drill sergeant with the reserves at Fort Benning, Georgia. When he's not on active duty, he's vice president of business development for the non-profit company Direct Employers.

Sergeant Sowash writes a blog on about recruitment issues called The Chad, on JobCentral.com, a resource website for recruiters, jobseekers and employment services.

As Sergeant Sowash tells Liane, finding work in this economic climate is tough for military veterans and civilians alike.

If you have just returned or are about to come home from military service in Iraq or Afghanistan, we'd like to hear about your efforts to find a civilian job. Add your comments to our blog. Thanks.

Greetings from Oahu, Hawaii where President-elect Barack Obama is spending his final Christmas vacation before moving into the White House. I'm here for my family vacation, and while here I've been asking locals how they feel that their native son is heading to the White House, chatted with New York Times correspondent Jeff Zeleny, and walked down Kailua beach to find the paparazzo that snapped the now-famous shirtless picture of the President-elect.

NPR's Scott Simon and Juan Williams discuss the legacy of President George Bush on Open Mic.

produced by Sarah Beyer Kelly, Justine Kenin & Burke Hunn

Since the wars began in Iraq and Aghanistan an estimated two-million American children have had at least one parent deployed. Routines have to be adjusted and often one parent has to fill the shoes of two. But what happens when both parents deploy....more than once? Next weekend our Impact of War series concludes with a report on one family with a very creative solution.

Have your kids been affected by a parent's deployment? Let us know.

We were thrilled when NPR's Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg agreed to join Scott Simon and most of our staff for some holiday cheer. On behalf of our entire staff, I would like to wish all of you Happy Holidays! Note that Liane Hansen is away this week and Alison Stewart is filing in. Take it away Scott and Nina!

produced by Sarah Beyer Kelly and Burke Hunn

We have an interview on our show this week with Tom Cruise, who stars in the film, "Valkyrie," about the attempt of several Nazi generals to assassinate Adolph Hitler. As soon as I saw that phrase on-screen, I realized that I'd make an error which might be worth noting, rather than correcting: actually, the interview was with both Tom Cruise and Bryan Singer, the director. But for most of the world-Mr. Singer must realize this, too-it's a Tom Cruise interview.)

Of course, NPR is not like other media outlets. We won't ask tabloid questions. But if the subjects come up...

Well, they didn't. What I did find is that Mr. Cruise's intensity does not seem to take days off. He seemed intense, driven and as focused as a scalpel during our interview, talking about how the film makes history into a thriller, without sacrificing veracity. But he did not seem self-absorbed. In fact, he was a real gentleman. As we began, Tom Cruise noticed that our engineer, Josh Rogosin, was sitting on a chair with an arm that was getting stuck below a table. Mr. Cruise reached over and released Josh, and the chair, from where they were pinned. And when the interview was over, he shook each of our hands and trained on us the famous hazel eyes which have been trained on Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz -- and millions of moviegoers. He grasped our hands warmly and shook vigorously.

"It's a real, real honor to meet you," said Tom Cruise.

Back in the office, I called someone else who interviewed him this week, and was told that he said more or less the same thing to him. I do not think less of Tom Cruise because he had apparently said, "It's a real, real honor to meet you," to more or less everyone who interviewed him this week. If anything, I rather like him more. To turn that kind of focus and intensity on everyone he speaks with must be exhausting, and I have to respect a performer who puts that kind of personal energy into shaking hands with someone he may never see again, but someone he knows will tell everyone else what it was like to meet Tom Cruise.

Listen Saturday.

Scott Simon had an amazing conversation with Erran Baron Cohen - brother of Sacha Baron Cohen - about his new album: Songs in the Key of Hannukah. For a preview - check out this video:

Our Impact of War series has looked at a young former Army soldier coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, and on Sunday we will introduce you to an Air Force K-9 handler severely injured in Iraq who ended up adopting her dog and marrying the medic who saved her life. Next week, we will focus on the war's burn victims and the medical personnel who treat them. These are catastrophic injuries which take a devastating toll, not only on the victims but also on those who care for them.

If you or a loved one served in Iraq or Afghanistan, or if you've cared for the wounded, we hope you'll share your stories with us. How have injuries sustained in those wars affected your life?

What kind of great music are YOU looking for to give as gifts this holiday season? Post your queries in the comment section below.

I was trying to think of a way to horn in on all the fun with the Eco-nomical Holidays series here on Weekend Edition, and it occurred to me: why not give the gift of music in digital form? Cheap and eco-friendly, no discs, no plastic-packaging muss! So this year, I'm offering a few tips on where to buy digital downloads, and I'll also have my annual music gift guide (now in its 10th year!) with suggestions from many genres. Of course it's tough squeezing in all the great music from 2008 in a 7-minute slot on-air, so this year you can join a special online chat on Sunday at 1:30pm Eastern Time, when I'll tell you about a few other music gift ideas. What kind of great music are YOU looking for this holiday season? Post your queries here and I'll see what I can find that suits your tastes. Check back to this page at 1:30 for the live chat, I'll talk to ya then.