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When Elizabeth Taylor — or, as many remembrances put it, Elizabeth Taylor Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky — died this week, she shared the front pages with an earthquake, a nuclear crisis, and revolutions. Throughout her tumultuous life, she never lost top billing.

It was a gift of friendship more than 100 years ago that eventually led to the National Cherry Blossom Festival. NPR librarian Kee Malesky tells us how the first of D.C.'s most famous trees suffered a disastrous fate.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has rejected a bid by the UK's Soco International to search for oil in the Virunga National Park. The famous park is home to rare mountain gorillas. Host Scott Simon talks with Matt Lewis, senior program officer for the World Wildlife Fund, who specializes in African species conservation.

Once again, Betto Arcos of KPFK's Global Village joins Weekend All Things Considered host Guy Raz — this time, to spin some of his favorite new jazz records.

The process of using game mechanics and game thinking in everyday life is called "gamification," and it's changing how people interact with one another. The theory is structured around a core tenet of games: using positive incentives to create better behavior.

Imagine if Dark Side of the Moon was composed on an 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System.

The unrest in the Middle East presents Israel with an array of security concerns — given the specter of threats from potentially hostile neighbors. Scott Simon talks with Michael Oren — Israel's ambassador to the United States.

Thirty years ago, an assassin's bullet meant for President Reagan struck press secretary James Brady in the head. Host Scott Simon talks with Brady and his wife about their life and work since then.

Until our judge, novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, decides on a winner of the Three-Minute Fiction contest, we're bringing you excerpts of stories that have caught our eye. This week, NPR's Susan Stamberg reads a passage from "Friendly Skies" by Tiffany Hawk of Eastampton, N.J., and Bob Mondello reads a passage from "The 46 Local" by John Lynch of Binghamton, N.Y.

This past week, the same day an air traffic controller fell asleep at his post at Reagan International Airport, the nation's top air traffic controllers were gathered for an annual awards ceremony in Las Vegas. Weekend on All Things Considered spoke to two winners, Chuck Labombard and Derek Bittman, who were honored for life-saving calls made from their posts.