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The top of 14,000-foot Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the big island of Hawaii, is one of the last best places to do astronomy. But astronomers now have devised a way to make "the seeing," as they call it, even better. Join NPR's Christopher Joyce for a visit to Mauna Kea.

Baghdad's nearly 5 million residents prepare for a war that seems inevitable. The streets of Baghdad are surprisingly calm, and a top aide to Saddam Hussein appears in public to refute rumors he had defected. NPR's Anne Garrels reports.

Final results of the Iraqi election show the main Shiite alliance with the most votes, but not the two-thirds majority that would have enabled it to choose the top posts in the government. NPR's Anne Garrels reports from Baghdad.

Linda Wertheimer speaks with Tim Wirth, Undersecretary for Global Affair at the State Department, about the decision to put environmental issues at the top of the department's diplomatic agenda. Wirth says that cleaning up the environment and controlling population growth around the world are prudent political and economic policies.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports on today's staff shake-up at the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal on Rwanda. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan fired two top tribunal officials following a U.N. report that the court was riddled with mismanagement and financial waste.

three-day official visit to the United States, which begins today. Mubarak meets this morning with Secretary of State Warren Christopher. At the top of the agenda: terrorism and Mideast Peace.

NPR's Ted Clark reports that the Clinton administration is under pressure to "decertify" Mexico's anti-narcotics program because of alleged links between drug traffickers and Mexico's top narcotics officials. The President must make a decision by Saturday. Congress requires yearly certification as a condition for continuing U.S. financial aid.

As Secretary of State, Retired General Colin Powell will shift from being an advocate for the military to becoming the nation's top diplomat. NPR's Tom Gjelten looks at Powell's past recommendations as one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about military intervention in hot spots around the world.

Commentator Marion Winik has thoughts on those traditional holiday letters so many people feel they must write at this time of year, and a few suggestions. For instance, drop the "Dear Everyone" and replace it with a real headline. Instead of anecdotes, try one good paragraph. Maybe include a top ten list or a haiku.

These days we live in informal times. First names are in, and formal titles are going the way of the top hat. Commentator Elissa Ely isn't sure she likes the change.