February 11, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Q-TIME -- Prime Minister Tony Blair was back in London today before Parliament's House of Commons. We'll hear tape from question time at that meeting, where Blair fielded a question concerning Iraq from Labour Party back-bencher Tony Benn. (2:00)

NATO -- Robert talks with NATO Secretary General Javier Solana about support for the U.S. position towards Iraq amongst NATO members. (3:29)

PROTEST -- We hear tape of a protest held today outside the White House. It was staged by a coalition of religious groups opposed to an attack against Iraq. (:15)

DON'T BOMB IRAQ -- Maureen Fiedler, the National Coordinator of "Catholics Speak-out" and a Sister of Loretto, says that bombing Iraq is a bad idea. She says bombing is the reflex of people with no new ideas and probably won't improve the situation there. (3:00)

NATO -- Robert taldks with NPR's Tom Gelton about support for the U.S. position towards Iraq amongst NATO members. (4:00)

TUNA -- Carrie Kahn from member station KPBS reports that the embargo against tuna caught by countries in the eastern Pacific Ocean is now closer to being lifted. The twelve nations have agreed to fishing practices that will help prevent dolphins from being caught by their tuna fleets. (2:00)

WHALES -- An oceanographer at the University of Hawaii who theorized that whale carcasses could have provided important nutrients and "stepping stones" for the migration of very deep ocean organisms from location to location has found a way to test his theory. David Baron report on the results of an experiment in which the scientist sank whale carcasses in the deep ocean and watched how they were used by animals and organisms as the carcasses decomposed. He found such "whale falls" provide a rich source of food for many animals and could explain a puzzle about how life evolved in the deep ocean. (5:00)

MAINE GAY RIGHTS -- Last night, Maine voters rejected a gay rights law. The law, which had been approved by the legislature, would have prevented discrimination against homosexuals by employers or landlords. Maine Public Radio's Charlotte Renner reports that a coalition of religious and conservative groups are credited with getting out the anti-gay rights vote. (3:30)

CRACK & HOMICIDE -- NPR's Eric Westervelt reports on two recent studies that suggest a direct link between declining homicide rates and a decline in, and changes to, the national trade in crack cocaine. (5:30)

REPENT! -- Commentator Joe Loconte (luh-KAHN-tee) talks about how corrections programs that incorporate a sense of shame and repentance along with punishment are gaining popularity with judges nationwide. The programs involve getting criminals to take personal responsibility for their actions, and making amends to victims hurt by their crimes. (3:00)

(This piece was removed because of rights issues).
AFGHANISTAN -- Sarah Brown reports that conditions for the survivors of a massive earthquake in northeastern Afghanistan are degenerating quickly. Relief agencies report that many are in danger of dying from hypothermia, since most available shelter was destroyed in the quake. (2:00)

VICTORIAN FAERIE PAINTING -- NPR's Michael Goldfarb reports from London on one of the more unlikely successes on the art scene there. It's an exhibit of Victorian paintings of faeries. The exhibit depicts faeries looking a lot different from the Tinker Bells of our own time. Some of the 19th century faeries look evil and dangerous, and some pictures are voluptuous nude studies of women with dragonfly wings. (6:00)

BABBITT -- Today is the deadline for Attorney General Janet Reno to announce whether she will ask for an independent counsel to investigate Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. There are allegations that Babbitt made a decision on a license for an Indian casino to accommodate the White House and Democratic contributors, then lied about it to Congress. NPR's Barbara Bradley reports. (4:30)

LEWINSKY-STARR-CLINTON -- NPR's Steve Inskeep reports that Monica Lewinsky's mother continued her testimony today before the Whitewater grand jury. Lewinsky's lawyer said today that the former White House intern would not appear before the grand jury before it adjourns for the week. Monica Lewinsky's attorney and independent counsel Kenneth Starr were continuing to try to work out when she would come before the grand jury and under what conditions. Lewinsky's testimony is considered crucial to Starr's investigation into whether President Clinton lied under oath about an affair with the intern. (4:00)

TOBACCO -- The White House is endorsing a bill that would raise the taxes on a pack of cigarettes by a dollar-fifty over three years. The measure would not grant immunity to the tobacco industry for past damage to smokers' health. The issue of immunity was a key factor in the settlement between tobacco companies and a group of 40 states last summer. The legislation being unveiled today, with the help of Vice President Gore, is sponsored by Senator Kent Conrad. A spokesman for the Clinton administration says it's a good bill, but not the only one the White House might accept. A tobacco industry spokesman says the industry would not "consent to the provisions" of the Conrad bill. NPR's Brian Naylor reports. (3:30)

SLOW CODE -- Noah talks with Dr. Gail Gazelle, the author of the article "The Slow Code -- Should Anyone Rush to Its Defense?" which was published in the most recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. They discuss the practice of using "slow codes." Also known as "show codes," they occur when a patient, usually in an advanced state of terminal illness, goes into cardiopulmonary failure. The patient does not have a do-not-resuscitate order, but the medical staff feels that if the patient is revived, the resulting quality of life would be very poor, so the medical staff makes a deliberate decision not to bring the patient back to life. The staff goes through the motions but does not really attempt to resuscitate the patient and has not previously discussed this course of action with the patient's family or designated decisionmakers. There is no data on the frequency of slow code designation. Gazelle writes that a slow code is unethical and that doctors have an obligation to discuss do-not-resuscitate orders with patients. (5:00)

SPENDING -- Alan Cheuse says the new novel "Spending" by Mary Gordon is a deliciously witty, wickedly funny book about the Manhattan art scene, with an intriguing heroine. He finds the novel appealing and insightful concerning the strange world of the media, Wall Street, and modern art. (STATIONS: "Spending" by Mary Gordon is published by Scribner's.) (2:30)

WORK & FAMILY -- NPR's David Molpus recently attended the annual meeting of the Association of Work-Life Professionals in Miami, Florida. The main speakers at the event were two authors who have recently written about work-life issues: Betty Friedan and Gerald Celente (suh-LENN-tay). Celente predicts a future where workers seek more control over their lives by leaving large corporations to work for smaller firms...and to start their own businesses. (5:30)

UNCLE FIXES CLOCK -- Commentator Bailey White's uncle, Jim Buddy, took an old clock from the White home to fix it. Jim Buddy was famous for his slow work - it wasn't until after Bailey White's mother died that Jim Buddy returned with the clock. In the meantime, White had discovered a rattle snake in her yard that reminded her of her mother. On his way out - Jim Buddy killed the snake. (6:30)

GOLF CART -- Allison Frost from member station KLCC reports on the closing arguments in the lawsuit filed by golfer Casey Martin against the Professional Golfers Association. Martin, who is disabled, is suing the PGA over the right to use a motorized cart in professional tournaments. (2:30)

KENYAN SKIING -- NPR's Julie McCarthy reports that among the athletes chasing Olympic history in Nagano (NAH-GAH-noh), Japan is a former runner from Kenya who has taken up cross-country skiing. He's only been skiing for two years, but Philip Boyt has attracted a lot of interest and strong sponsors. (5:00)