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On July 29, 1967, 134 U.S. sailors were killed aboard the USS Forrestal in Vietnam's Gulf of Tonkin. They fought a fire that threatened to destroy the ship and the 6,000 men aboard. On Weekend Edition Saturday, Scott Simon talks to the author of a new book about the fire.

John talks with NPR's Ketzel Levine about plants that do well in offices. While many plants will shrivel under fluorescent light, plants that are suited to irregular care and indirect light can thrive. Listeners can follow along on Ketzel's web site, Talking Plants. (6:30)

Host Susan Stamberg continues her discussion with singer/songwriter Billy Joel. The rock icon dedicated his song New York State of Mind to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (4:09-6:42) Billy Joel's latest CD is called Billy Joel: Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10. It's released by Sony/Columbia.

Billy Joel doesn't perform on his latest CD, a collection of classical pieces he composed. The 'piano man' explains why — and reveals what he's learned about his craft (6:58-7:45) Billy Joel: Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10. Sony/Columbia.

NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with photographer and explorer David Coulson about his adventures in the Sahara, discovering and preserving rock art, an ancient form of painting and engraving on stone. (6:09

NPR's Van Williamson reports on the declining blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay. As this regional symbol grows scarce, Marylanders may have to change more than their eating habits. (6:52 -

Host Madeleine Brand talks with the Tucson-based band Calexico, who try to capture the spirit of their region in music - a soundtrack to the Southwest. (6:30) {Calexico, Even My Sure Things Fall Through. Quarterstick Records, Chicago, IL: 1998-2001}.

Host Jackie Judd talks with Karrin Allyson, a singer who's new album dedicated to the work of John Coltrane combines both her jazz and classical training. Allyson's vocal CD, based on Coltrane's instrumental Ballads record, is titled "Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane." (6:21) {Karrin Allyson, "Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane." Concord Records, 2001} {John Coltrane Quartet, Ballads MCA Records 1987}

NPR's David Welna reports from Orange, Texas, where a dozen residents took part in a role-playing exercise as a congressional committee trying to divvy up the federal budget. The group concluded that the $1.6 trillion tax cut proposed by President George Bush wasn't a prudent idea until the national debt is paid off.

NPR's Steve Inskeep profiles Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords, a moderate Republican who cast a crucial vote against President Bush's $1.6 trillion tax cut proposal. Sen. Jeffords' tie-breaking ability on close votes in the evenly divided Senate gives him considerable influence. He used it to help reduce the size of the tax cut by about a fourth and divert more than $200 billion of it to pay for special education. Jeffords was just re-elected and has received less criticism in his home-state than from conservative Republicans in Washington, D.C.