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Last week, more than 4,000 fire bosses mobilized 15,000 firefighters in the Western United States. So far, there have been enough managers to cover all major fires. But there is increasing concern about the dwindling supply of trained and experienced supervisors to direct and assist teams of firefighters. NPR's Howard Berkes reports for Morning Edition.

Actor Om Puri is a star of Bombay's film industry, known as Bollywood. In his two decades of acting he's worked with every major Indian film director including Satyajit Ray. In western films he had roles in Gandhi and City of Joy, and in the TV series The Jewel in the Crown. Hes had starring parts in two British films My Son the Fanatic, and the film East is East. His latest film is the Merchant Ivory production, The Mystic Masseur based on the novel by V.S. Naipaul.

In 1991, a group of scientists entered Biosphere 2 for a two-year experiment that would test whether humans could survive in a closed environment. The experiment wasn't exactly a success. As NPR's Joe Palca reports, researchers are now trying to show that Biosphere 2 can serve another purpose -- as a laboratory to study Earth systems.

Founder of the band Wilco, Jeff Tweedy. He also sings, writes songs, plays guitar and banjo. The band got started as an alternative country band, but has recently left that sound behind. Their new recording is Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch). Before forming Wilco in 1994, Tweedy headed the band Uncle Tupelo.

Composer and lyricist Richard Adler. In the 1950s, he collaborated with his partner, Jerry Ross, on the Broadway musicals Damn Yankees and The Pajama Game. He later became an impresario and organizer of events. His wrote a memoir, You Gotta Have Heart. The Pajama Game is currently being revived by City Center Encores in Manhattan.

Grits have sustained families for four centuries, but the basic Southern dish continues to evolve. On Morning Edition, NPR's Linda Wertheimer reports on grits as part of the Present at the Creation series on American cultural icons.

Actor, director and screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton. The 1996 film Sling Blade which he wrote, directed and starred in put him on the map and earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted screenplay. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 1998 film A Simple Plan. Last year he directed the film All the Pretty Horses. This past year, he starred in the Coen Brothers' The Man Who Wasn't There, Bandits with Bruce Willis and Monster's Ball. Before he got into acting, he was interested in a music career. Last fall he released Private Radio, a new CD on which he sings his own songs. This interview was originally broadcast Jan. 9, 2002.

A mock assault on downtown Macon, Ga., is the latest step in training for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The exercise is designed to show Marines the difficulties of negotiating urban terrain -- with a strong emphasis on anti-terrorism efforts. NPR's David Molpus reports on Morning Edition.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says he thinks a military conflict between India and Pakistan can be averted. "There's nothing inevitable about war," he tells NPR's Juan Williams in an interview for Morning Edition. When it comes to Iraq, Powell is less adamant about the hopes for a political solution.

Foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, Thomas Friedman. He's just won his third Pulitzer Prize, this time for his "clarity of vision, based on extensive reporting, in commenting on the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat." Friedman was awarded the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for his international reporting from Lebanon and the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting from Isreal. He's also the author of From Beirut to Jerusalem, and The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization.