“Dark Shadows” fans, cast, and crew are celebrating its 50th birthday next week in Hollywood. We mark the anniversary by bringing in one of the original stars, and one of the original fans. ... When LAPD officer Jorge Parra isn’t walking the beat in LA, he’s still thinking about the city’s streets and buildings. He’s spent years building a 72-square-foot model of LA, out of Legos, in his kitchen. ... We’ll tell you what researchers discovered about the best way to increase voter turnout: voters need to make a simple plan, tell someone about it, and then think what their neighbors will say if they don’t go to the polls.

John talks with 35-year old Chris Thile, who takes over as the new host of A Prairie Home Companion this weekend and hopes to bring in a younger audience, without scaring off older listeners. ... Anthony Hernandez: taking pictures for almost 50 years: Downtown LA in the ‘70s, Rodeo Drive in the ‘80s, the homeless in the ‘90s. ... For KPCC's Voter Game Plan, Meghan McCarty tells us how she’s helping voters understand the complex Measure R transportation tax. ... Meet an Armenian-Syrian college student from Damascus juggling a full time job, night school, and the torture of knowing what his family is going through back home.

Note from John Rabe

Message From John Rabe: This week Off-Ramp brings you the Monks of St. Catherine's Cathedral in the Sinai. The monks visited the Getty to kick-off the "Holy Image, Hallowed Ground" exhibit. Also, the Clippers announcer Ralph Lawler, Rose Bowl flea market finds and turkey talk. Happy Thanksgiving, -John (and Queena)

Midterm Madness; I Lost My Heart In San Francisco; Voting Block; The Comeback Kid; Rock en Spanglish; The Last Doughboy; The Wine House Rules; The Forgotten Veterans; Phys Ed Fizzles; My Barbarian; Whiteness; Full-bore Borat

New Scents; Free Laptop Bag Giveaway; The Haves, the Have-Nots and the Used-To-Haves; Alternate Route; Breaking the Rules of the Road; Spiritual Marketplace; Some botanas, por favor; The Everyday as Art; Give Me Some Lip; Reporter's Roundtable; The Rules of the Game

Saul Levine; Baptism By Ire; Motorcycle Writer; Sketches of Pain

Kinky in Los Angeles; Godzilla Released; Godzilla v. LAPD; George Takei and the voice of Godzilla; The Thill Ain't Gone; Norman McLaren; OCMA: HANK WILLIS THOMAS; The Vision Thing; Flaming Tri-Tip; Reporter's Roundtable; Call Sheet

Message from John Rabe: With cold and flu season upon us, we focus on germs. Or rather, how not to get them. This week, hand washing, flu shots, and the new sneeze. -John

Bob Kholos; OCMA Biennial; LA Smog; Sashimi and Wine; Tokyo's Ghibli Museum Park; TV on the Radio; Reporter's Roundtable