By Mike Taibbi, NBC News correspondent

Funny how memory works.  You can think about something that's familiar to you, research the subject in the ways encouraged by Google, and begin the work of reporting on that same subject because, after all, that's your job, and then in a moment, a millisecond, something internal kicks in and it's no longer about information, it's about how you felt in your bones and your heart when that subject first became familiar to you.

That's what happened during the process of reporting on the fortunes of family-owned CF Martin and Company in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. They make Martin guitars, the standard in the industry for, oh, around 175 years. From Dylan and Clapton, to Elvis and Johnny Cash. Threesomes like the Kingston Trio and Peter Paul & Mary. Duos like Simon and Garfunkel...you get the idea.

Nightly News producer Bob Adschiew had pitched the story to me and I'd said "sure." His take was that family owned businesses, which make up 90 per cent of the businesses in America and employ 60% of all workers, had unique challenges and opportunities in the tanking economy. With the economy cratering last fall, Martin, like other businesses, considered all the options while some stopgap measures – a freeze on hiring and overtime, for example – were put in place. But because of the unique nature of the business, not just ownership but employees handing down their love of the craft from generation to generation, the current boss, CF Martin IV, refused to resort to layoffs or even a temporary plant shutdown. They'd continue to make guitars...by hand. Each instrument went through 60 work stations and over 300 individual processes, all visible to anyone from the public who wanted to see how it's done.

We did, and it was fascinating of course.  But it was the company's solution to the economic crisis, the same solution employed by CF's great-grandfather during the Great Depression, that triggered my memories in that special way. The solution – with the average guitar costing $2-3,000 and a few special works of art going for as much as $100,000, not the kind of numbers that'll deliver you from a recession, especially when your product is the quintessential discretionary expense – Martin decided to make a cheap guitar. Cheap by comparison, hundreds, not thousands of dollars. No inlays, or fancy finishes, just good solid construction out of those same find wood.

VIDEO:Family guitar business keeps finances in tune

Walking through the part of the plant where the new line was being produced, as painstakingly as ever, it happened for me.  I remembered my first guitar, in college, and could hear the songs I'd played (not all that expertly, I should say) as I sang my son to sleep many nights. I'd had a Puerto Rican friend then who'd taught me some Spanish guitar, Maleguena and some of the riffs Jose Feliciano was then popularizing, and the rest of what I played was that odd simplistic mix of familiar favorites – House of the Rising Sun, Girl from Ipanema, Puff the Magic Dragon, a few dozen others.  As a kid I'd played classical piano but was never a natural musician, it was always hard work, mastering a score and playing it well enough to allow others to listen. But the guitar, while difficult, was all about pleasure, playing the instrument, seeing its effect on my toddler son.

So of course, before I left the CF Martin factory floor, I bought one of their Series 1 guitars.

How could I not? Even as it was being tuned and inspected for a final time and placed in its case, I could hear all those songs and longed to play them again, I could see my son's face and the color of his bedroom walls.

And for those moments I wasn't a reporter on a story, but simply someone who remembered something special and who had a chance to revisit that memory again.

Video: The guitar by which all others are measured

by Ann Curry, NBC News anchor

In for Brian again tonight, and the Nightly News team is gathering information on just what it means that the Dow rose above the 10,000 mark for the first time in a year today, while unemployment is still at least 10 percent in 14 states.

by Ann Curry, NBC News anchor

Olympia Snowe explained her decision to be the only Republican to back the health care reform bill that passed 14-9 this afternoon in committee saying, "Is this bill all that I would want? Far from it. Is it all that it can be? No. But when history calls, history calls. And I happen to think that the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress to demonstrate its capacity to solve the monumental issues of our time."

History was written today with the vote, a major step forward in the president's goal of affordable coverage for a more Americans.

But as every other Republican on the Senate committee voted against the bill, and even Snowe herself said, "My vote today is my vote today.  It doesn't forecast what my vote will be tomorrow," this monumental issue is far from solved.

Tonight we will explain exactly what kind of health care reforms are in this bill now emerging from the 2009 summer of discontent.

And among our other stories, reports on that unusually big storm on the West coast which is causing serious worries about landslides, and also the compelling story of a brave young woman credited with the arrest of an alleged rapist today. She kept the case alive for 19 years.  Why?  She allegedly was his victim when she was just 8 years old.

We hope you can join us tonight.

by Mike Mosher, Nightly News Senior based in Los Angeles
Mosher was based in the Middle East from 1974-1980

Imagine the knock on the door early in the morning to be told, "You've won the Nobel Peace Prize. It happened to me.

Cairo, Egypt October 27, 1978, (BC) -- before cable and before Twitter there was telex, often the only means for my New York headquarters to relay breaking news to the field reporters. The telex machine was especially important in places like Cairo where an international phone call required booking a day in advance.The machine punched out and received lines of text messaging on a roll of paper. If the news was really urgent there was a bell key. The sender could 'ding' 'ding' ding' until someone woke up on the other end. 

Ahmad was the overnight doorman in the Cairo news bureau. During the day Ahmad made tea for the staff, but at night he knew if the telex 'dinged' he was to find someone from the news staff. 

"Dr. Mosher", Ahmad said with excitement, (Egyptians are generous with titles), "Bell is beating! Bell is beating!"  I thanked Ahmad for his diligence.

'Now Ahmad read it to me slowly.'

 

"It is saying …URGENT URGENT, MOSHER SADAT AND BEGIN HAVE WON THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE MILLIS"

Millis was Walter Millis the New York desk editor that day. Telex talk often omitted punctuation.

After Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's startling announcement a year earlier that he would talk peace with Israel, it became NBC Cairo duty to keep a reporter and camera team with Sadat everywhere he went. I knew this urgent message meant hurry and get to the president for his reaction to the award.

I gathered NBC correspondent David Burrington and the camera crew and told them the news. "I just won the Noble Peace Prize and we need to get Sadat's reaction."

At the presidential palace, we learned Sadat was surprised too! He told Burrington he was honored but the timing was not good. At that moment talks with Israel were stalled and there was Arab world and domestic opposition to peace. Sadat even questioned why he had to share the prize with Israeli Prime Minister Manachem Begin.  Our report from Cairo was the lead story on Nightly News with John Chancellor that night. 

On December 10, 1978, President Sadat accepted the Nobel Prize alongside Prime Minister Begin. Sadat spoke of breaking with the past and stepping forward into a new age.

"I am convinced," Sadat said at the Oslo ceremony, " that we owe it to this generation and the generations to come, not to leave a stone unturned in our pursuit of peace. The ideal is the greatest one in the history of man, and we have accepted the challenge to translate it from a cherished hope into a living reality, and to win through vision and imagination, the hearts and minds of our peoples and enable them to look beyond the unhappy past."

A few weeks later Sadat took a respite on board the presidential yacht 'Al-Houriya ' in the Suez Canal. He often took time alone to think and focus before he made decisions.

Journalists were told there would be a few days of no news. Still our New York editors insisted we go. There wasn't much room on the ship so the foreign press assembled a 'pool' to accompany the president, 'just-in-case.'

For three days on the ship we never saw the president. There was nothing for us to do but sunbathe, read, and play cards. We begged the press spokesman for an audience and finally Sadat agreed. On day four, there would be a 'family' photo but under no circumstances were we to ask 'news' questions.

President Mohammad Anwar Sadat met us on deck. He was wearing admiral dress whites with the highest honors displayed on his chest. With tremendous poise and dignity he invited us all to stand for the photo. He knew our names and he thanked each of the journalists for covering him everyday and relaying his message of peace to the world.

Photo: The foreign press pool aboard the Al-Houriya in Suez Canal December 1978
Top left to right : Mohammad Gohar (NBC),  Bill Foley (AP),  Mike Mosher (NBC) , President Anwar Sadat , Doreen Kays (ABC), Rick Hull (ABC), Ali Ashmawy (ABC), Mike Lee (CBS) ; Bottom :  Ali Abed (NBC) , Magna (UPI)

Then to our surprise he presented each of us with a medal… it was the Nobel Peace Prize 1978, stamped in Arabic, 'The Hero of Peace Anwar Sadat.' It was a small replica, too small to include Begin or Mosher but such an honor to receive. I'll always treasure my Nobel Peace Prize.      

By Ann Curry, NBC News anchor

In tonight for Brian Williams, and can offer you an interview with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, conducted over the weekend in Zurich, during which she gives NBC News a rare glimpse into the intensity of the administration's internal debate over Afghanistan.

"What is going on in this analysis, is the kind of deep, stripped down investigation of assumptions," Secretary Clinton said, adding, "This process has certainly clarified for me, some of what we're up against.  Kind of cleared away some of the mythology. And the presumptions."

She gave our news team the impression, that this war review is both intellectually challenging and emotionally intense, and that the wrangling was over the consequences of options that have not yet been made public.

Just Friday, White house spokesman Robert Gibbs said the President's final decision is still "weeks away."

We asked Secretary Clinton, given that in the weeks the President has already taken to conduct this review at least 10 US troops have died in Afghanistan, what is taking so long.

"Well, first of all, every one of those deaths...weighs heavily on all of us who are sitting around the table in the situation room.. When we make the decision and when we recommend to the President what we believe he should do, we're going to be all in," the Secretary said.

VIDEO: 'Eyes are wide open' in Afghanistan

By Lester Holt, NBC News anchor

From the open window of my Rockefeller Plaza office I am enjoying the crisp and coolish afternoon air, the sounds of drums and music from the Spanish Columbus/Hispanic Day parade making its way down Fifth Avenue, and just below me, tourists are skating on the newly re-opened ice rink. It's a feast for the senses, and a reminder of why I love fall in New York City.

In the meantime, we're busy preparing tonight's broadcast, which will include coverage of today's massive gay rights rally in Washington, where some of the spotlight is on president Obama and his so far unfulfilled pledge to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

We will also tell you why Wall Street is now getting into the business of investing in death - or to be more specific, life insurance policies.

Plus, what a newly re-discovered mummy in Miami is telling scientists about life 2,700 years ago.

Thanks for checking in. Please join us later for NBC Nightly News.

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

I was disturbed to see that we received several negative emails overnight regarding last night's segment with Chris Rock.  Some people just don't like Chris Rock, others felt that we used precious network news time for what I like to call an "elective" feature topic–not among the most compelling events of our day. Actually, I feel (and have always felt) that we have the time, the room and the flexibility to offer such electives—whether it's highlighting our "Making A Difference" stories—or generally bringing our attention to a topic we would normally not dial into.  But it's a conversation we will continue...

By Thanh Truong, NBC News Correspondent

What is the secret of good health? That's a question many Americans are trying to figure out, and there's no shortage of "groundbreaking" new diet fads or some new workout routine that supposedly will shave inches from the waistline. But Joe Smith, an Atlanta Police Detective and retired Marine, doesn't buy any of it. He's a faithful follower of old-school exercise. 
 
"All I demand is a body and dedication," Smith says.
 
Three days a week, Smith, 55, leads a fitness boot camp, but the participants are not his clients. They're co-workers. During the hour-long session, he barks out orders to dozens of Atlanta city employees looking to lose weight or tone up. It's a non-stop class of running, calisthenics and stretching.

Workers like 55-year-old municipal court reporter Jill Carter say Smith is tough and effective. 
 
"He motivates you and he'll push you to do things you think you couldn't do," Carter says. 
 
Smith started the boot camp two months ago after city workers lobbied the Atlanta human resources department for a workout class.  The city already had  a health and fitness program in place, and on the fourth floor of city hall you can find exercise equipment and treadmills. But the workers wanted more. With no budget and no instructor for such a class, the city had a void -- until Smith stepped up. 
 
"I would be working out anyway, so whoever wants to join me can jump right in, if they can keep up," Smith says.

VIDEO: Fighting obesity at city hall

Many of the "boot campers" can't keep up -- and Smith is dedicated to changing that. Carter has been attending for about two months and says she's lost nearly 25 pounds thanks to the class and dieting. Those are results any gym would be proud of -- and more than willing to charge for.

But not Smith.  He volunteers his time after work and the city employees enjoy (or in some cases don't enjoy) the class for free. 
 
"It just makes me feel great knowing that I can help them achieve the goals they've set out for themselves," Smith says.
 
When he's not keeping an eye on his boot camp students, Smith is keeping an eye on thousands of municipal workers.  His day job as a detective is to weed out city corruption and employee misconduct. His supervisor, Jeffrey Norman, who also sweats it out at the boot camp, says Smith is a shining and sweaty example of good values. 
 
"He stays after work, free of charge, and provides a class that you'd pay who-knows-what for in the private sector, so I don't think you can get more of a public servant that that," Norman says.
 
Smith recently started wearing his old battle dress uniform.  He says it was just the "natural" progression in the boot camp.  Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, passersby can hear the echo of Smith's voice emanating from the old Atlanta City Hall chambers as he does jumping jacks in the combat boots he was issued in 1972.  It's the sound of one man trying to lead his troops to healthier living.        

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

I spent time today with the great Chris Rock and the actress Nia Long. They were here to talk to me about Chris's new documentary "Good Hair."  Chris has attacked this serious topic with his usual funny style -- and proves to be a unique documentary filmmaker.  I had never met Nia before -- she is as smart and lovely as she appears to be on the screen.  So take a watch and take a listen and we'll run a substantial chunk of the conversation tonight on Nightly News.

We hope you can join us tonight.

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

One of the strangest aspects of a career in television is waking up, as I did today, to see your own face on the back cover of the New York Times.  It's an unnatural act that takes some getting used to -- and I've frankly never really enjoyed that part of the business.  I understand that it's a necessary evil, and part of what I signed up for.  The photograph in question is unusual -- and because it's also been on billboards and busses, I get asked about it a lot...and got asked about it again today.  When I told the story behind it to a friend today, he suggested I blog about it.

The story behind the photo is actually almost interesting, and 100% organic, as publicity photos go.  I was at the Hotel Intercontinental here in New York, for my second of three interviews over the years with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran.  We were in a rented hotel suite, in fancy chairs -- the lighting was set, the translator was there and we were waiting for him to arrive.  At the moment he appeared in the doorway, flanked by his security detail, I looked up and saw him...and at that very instant, our staff photographer snapped the picture.  Far from being staged, it's as candid as they get...and enough people liked it around here to decide to use it for promotional purposes.

That's the story of the photo -- right now, we're preparing the stories we plan to air tonight.  We hope you can join us for our broadcast this evening.

                         

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

The Daily Beast has done its own study of data and has ranked U.S. Cities...in terms of where the smartest people live!  When I spotted it on the web last night, I scrolled through it and found myself rating their choices, based on my own findings and experiences.  It's an interesting

exercise...and if nothing else, you get to see some astoundingly beautiful photography of some great American cities.  The Daily Beast is trying to say, apparently: they may be great cities, but they're not all that SMART.

And in response to a posting left here over the weekend, I just wanted to say that I am watching and enjoying the Ken Burns series. I happen to think Ken's films are why we have television. To see this series on a big screen, HDTV (if you are lucky enough to have one or have access to one) is a real treat. I went as far as to tell a co-worker here that he should wait and see it on a good new TV as opposed to watching it on his antiquated television at his kitchen table.  It's so sweeping and majestic and beautiful that at times it can almost bring tears to your eyes.

And as someone who for years enjoyed family vacations in Yellowstone, I'm already a fan and supporter of the parks -- and I agree with Ken's subtitle--they may well be "America's Best Idea." Certainly my friend Ken Burns is America's best documentary filmmaker.

We hope you can join us for tonight's broadcast.

 By Rehema Ellis, NBC News correspondent

Imagine this:  You're an eighth grader doing your math homework one night and need help. So, you dial your math teacher's cell phone number and bingo. You get all the help you need. Pretty farfetched, right? 

I mean, what kid calls their teacher at home?  Well, it happens if you're a student in the KIPP public charter school program, like Gabriel Gomez.  He lives in the Bronx and travels an hour and 15 minutes every day, riding a bus and two trains to get to school in Harlem by 7:00am. He's there until 5pm.

Connecting to teachers during after school hours is foreign to most students whether you're at an inner-city school like Gabriel or in private school.  Gabriel admits it took some time getting used to the idea.

"I felt very uncomfortable calling my teachers…but when I did, I understood the homework and got what I needed to know for that day," he said.

KIPP teachers and administrators have figured out that learning AND teaching doesn't happen in a confined space and time or in a straight line.  They say that's why they've given out their cell phone numbers and made themselves accessible to students and parents 24/7.

I wonder what kind of student I would have been if I had that kind of access?

What I saw when I visited the Harlem school in preparation for our story was nothing short of devotion. Devotion from everyone: teachers, students, parents, the principal, secretaries, cafeteria and maintenance staff.  They all want these kids to succeed and they're putting in the time and hard work that it takes to make that possible. And the whole atmosphere in the school supports that.  

 
VIDEO: Great Expectations: KIPP schools close the gap

KIPP is a clean, comfortable place with messages everywhere about being successful. And it is possible. KIPP test scores prove it. David Levin,  co-founder of the KIPP network of schools said when he came up with the idea 15 years ago in Houston people thought he was crazy.
  

VIDEO: KIPP co-founder: "We're all in this together"

"There was tons of resistance," he said. "People did not think we could find students who would go to school from 7:25 a.m. to 5 p.m.  We went door-to-door explaining what we were doing. We got 45 kids who were excited."

What they were doing was offering families a chance to turn school failure into success with very hard work. Today, there are 20,000 KIPP students nationwide and long waiting lists of others who want to participate. That says, contrary to stereotyped notions, inner-city kids are just like kids everywhere and they really do want to learn. 

You could  think about all the failure that exists in American schools and get discouraged. As New York Times columnist Bob Herbert wrote recently, "American kids drop out of high school at an average of one every 26 seconds."

And studies show even the best students in the best schools in the United States score below students in other major countries on math, science and reading exams.

But what I saw at KIPP gives me reason to still be hopeful. The KIPP students are constantly pushed to do better and they're responding in positive ways.

                              
VIDEO: Erin Chapman, an eighth-grade student at the KIPP school in Los  Angeles, films a typical school day--starting at 5:45 a.m.

 

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

My wife and I had a weekend that resembled a MasterCard commercial. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it, and I can now die happily: We saw Springsteen on Friday night and U2 on Saturday night.  I can hear about 10 percent less than last week...an indicator that I had a really good time. 

Forgive me the short post, but I'm trying to focus my meager concentration on the broadcast tonight.  We hope you can join us. 

By Lester Holt, NBC News anchor

The deaths of 8 Americans in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan is raising the stakes both on the battlefield, and in Washington, over the question – what now?

With American casualties mounting, and the administration weighing whether to deploy tens of thousands more troops to Afghanistan, we'll have firsthand accounts of the situation on the ground. Our Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski will join me live from Kabul this evening after touring the region where the attack occurred. In addition, our veteran war correspondent Richard Engel is just back from Afghanistan, and will be with me in studio to offer his perspective on what American troops and their commanders are facing.

Photo credit: Adam Ferguson/VII Mentor for Time

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

Reprinted above is the centerfold photo in this week's Time magazine—the centerpiece of really nice, old-school feature called "A Window On The War in Afghanistan." It's the cover story, photojournalism by Adam Ferguson, and it represents the best of what magazines do well. Like all good photographs, it causes the eye to dwell—it challenges us to think about what it is we're looking at, where it is, and who they are.

While I am not, nor have I ever been in the military, I've had the great honor of spending time with guys like these guys—and in places just like it—in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, some observations:

1) They are all tired and dirty. That's pretty much what they do. They're on the job, enjoying a brief break. True exhaustion has driven one of them to give into sleep.  Most infantry veterans learn to sleep when and where they can. 

2) From their uniform markings we can tell they are all Army, and one 10th Mountain Division patch is visible. One may be a Ranger—the Sgt E-5 standing in the doorway. 

3) Look at their clothing and gear. It's not much. Some have their Army-issue fleeces on, one is wearing only his t-shirt. Look how cold it is in September in Afghanistan. One soldier is using his vinyl poncho as a blanket to keep his legs warm. We can assume it's been a long time since anything they own has been washed or free of dust and dirt.

4) Of the 10 men in the photo, five are smoking. Of the non-smokers, I'd be willing to bet that the majority of the others use dip. While cigarettes are no longer given out with rations as they were as recently as the Vietnam era, tobacco use (smokeless and regular) is a huge, under-discussed issue in today's military. A high percentage of infantry have the tell-tale worn circle on their pants pocket, indicating the presence of a can of dip. Many will tell you it gives them a rush they need and keeps them alert on long patrols when focus and stimulation are essential. It's a hard habit to break when they get home.

5) Look at their digs. A typical dwelling, just shelter, nothing more. Perhaps a family was raised here. Not anymore. Now it's an outpost, a haven, a roof with walls and a floor like a manger. It's what was available. Whoever it was once home to—and may be again someday—when the photo was taken, it was the temporary home to U. S. forces.

6) There are weapons next to several of the men. They appear to be standard-issue M-4 rifles. One has a SureFire flashlight affixed—another weapon has a barely-visible example of Army resourcefulness in the field: duct tape covering the buckle on the shoulder strap of the weapon—to prevent it from making a jingling noise on patrol.

7) If you were one of the members of this patrol, you'd be looking at your closest friends in the world. They will never forget each other. They are willing to die for each other. Daily. Hourly. They know everything about each other: wives, girlfriends—and which cars the single guys are planning to buy when they get out. They have volunteered for this duty. They are the very best at what they do, and I think about them—all of them—every day.

We hope you can join us for tonight's broadcast.

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

Arriving at LaGuardia to take the Shuttle to Washington today (where I interviewed Gen. David Petraeus, the 4-star head of U.S. Central Command), I considered it a good luck charm when I caught a glimpse of "Sully" at the USAirways terminal -- he was there for the media event preceeding his flight today to North Carolina.  It made me wonder what the reaction will be when, in his new job as management pilot, people hear his name over the P.A. on the plane.  I'm guessing the "no water landings today, okay?" jokes will run their course rather quickly. 

I also considered it good luck when the Captain of my flight to Washington said he'd flown me to Pittsburgh on Thursday of last week. This may all be an object lesson in flying too much -- and while as an aviation buff I have the ultimate faith in the equipment and those who fly us, today especially I felt the odds were on my side.  And I was right.  I got here, didn't I?  If Sully wouldn't mind flying me home, that would be great.

We'll see you from our NBC News Washington Bureau for tonight's broadcast. 

Editor's Note: As part of the Atlantic magazine's  "First Draft of History" conference on Oct. 1 and 2, Brian Williams will be interviewing David Petraeus, Commander, U.S. Central Command, on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. ET.

The event, co-sponsored by The Aspen Institute and the Newseum, will be live-streamed below --check back here to watch the interview.