June 15, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

JAPANESE & ASIAN MARKETS -- NPR's John Ydstie reports that the continuing decline of the Japanese Yen is reviving concern about the Asian economic crisis. The Yen has lost 30% of its value against the Dollar over the past year. Analysts warn that a weak Japan will make Asia's problems even more difficult to resolve. (3:30)

GOLDMAN GOES PUBLIC -- Linda talks with Samuel Hayes, who holds the Jacob Shiff chair in investment banking at Harvard Business School, about the initial public offering of shares in the Goldman Sachs investment banking firm. It's one of the largest equity offerings ever on Wall Street, and it's expected to be worth between 4 and 6 billion dollars. Hayes says that partners in the firm are tight-lipped about the IPO, but it's clear that the timing of the offering could not be better for the partners in the firm...each of whom could make tens of millions of dollars from the deal. (4:00)

SUPREME COURT RULING -- A Supreme Court ruling today could hurt a program that provides money for legal help for the poor. The justices ruled on a Texas case that challenges the use of interest from short-term trust accounts that lawyers hold for their clients. The interest on these kinds of accounts is pooled in Texas and in other states to pay for legal aid funds. The justices ruled today that the interest belonged to the clients whose money was being held in trust. The Supreme Court instructed a lower court to determine whether the state had taken private property and must pay compensation. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports. (4:30)

ENDANGERED PLACES -- NPR's Steve Inskeep reports from Washington on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 1998 list of the most endangered historic sites in America. This year's list includes more than 200 courthouses in Texas and the Civil War battlefield at Chancellorsville, Virginia. (4:00)

MICHIGAN LIGHTHOUSES -- Linda talks with Charles Feltner, the historian for the DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society, on Drummond Island in Lake Huron. They discuss the Art Deco-style lighthouse on DeTour Reef, which is on the list of endangered places issued by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. (4:00)

VAGANOVA BALLET -- The Vaganova Ballet Academy from St. Petersburg, Russia has trained more than its share of world class dancers. Among its graduates are George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Baryshnikov. The school recently had its American debut in New York City at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where Linda went to watch and talk with young, promising Vaganova dancers. (10:30)

LOOKING FOR MO -- Reviewer Alan Cheuse says that California writer Daniel Duane's first novel, "Looking for Mo," is a wonderful and compelling story. It's about a would-be writer who is struggling to balance his emotional happiness with his emotional dependence upon a friend and the sport of rock-climbing.

IOWA WEATHER -- Mark Moran of member station WOI reports from Des Moines that more rain has been forecast for Iowa today, one day after a record 13 inches of rain fell on parts of the state. Officials are worried that massive flooding could occur, as rivers crest and the ground saturates with water. Already, low-lying parts of the state are under as much as ten feet of water. (2:30)

CHRISTIAN WEATHER CHANNEL -- Satirist Harry Shearer imagines a cable TV outlet that uses scripture-based forecasts to highlight the weather. His fantasy is based on last week's declaration by TV evangelist Pat Robertson that the city of Orlando, Florida is doomed to hurricanes, tornadoes and terrorist attacks because the city is allowing rainbow flags to fly in its downtown during this, Gay Pride Month. Robertson quoted the apostle Paul in the Book of Romans for the gloomy forecast. Shearer's fictional character applies the same principle to other parts of the country. (5:00)

TRAINING EXERCISES -- NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports on today's NATO air exercises over Albania and Macedonia. The maneuvers were intended to show Serbian strongman, Slobodan Milosevic, the alliance's ability to assemble military force, if necessary, and to pressure him into halting attacks on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo province. (5:00)

KOSOVO -- NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that while US officials hope that Russian President Boris Yeltsin will deliver a strong message to Slobodan Milosevic concerning the violence in Kosovo, Russia is pursuing its own ambiguous goals. Meetings between Yeltsin and Milosevic will probably just lead to compromises that won't reign in the Serbs, but will leave Russia with an enhanced international prestige. (3:00)

IRAQ & BUTLER -- NPR's Mike Shuster reports that Iraq and United Nations inspectors have agreed on a two-month program of inspections and information provision that, if honored, could open the way for the lifting of UN sanctions on Iraq next fall. The agreement was reached by chief UN inspector Richard Butler during talks in Baghdad. (3:45)

US & WORLD CUP -- Linda talks with Stephan Fatsis, who covers sports and sports business for the Wall Street Journal. They discuss the World Cup soccer tournament in France. The United States team lost its first match of the tournament to the German national team today. (4:00)

HOOLIGANS -- Sarah Chayes reports from Marseille on new violence today by English soccer fans in Marseille, where the English team met Tunisia for a World Cup Match. England won the game 2-0, but that didn't stop the team's drunken supporters from jumping a police fence and throwing stones and bottles at Tunisian fans. (3:30)

INS & TORTURE -- People who are in the United States illegally may have a new way to avoid deportation; to prove they would be tortured if returned to their home country. The protection comes from US participation in an international agreement, the so-called Torture Convention. NPR's Barbara Bradley reports that critics say the agreement even protects criminals and terrorists from deportation. (6:45)

INFORMATION BROKERS -- NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports a new breed of "information brokers" are using aggressive tactics to obtain consumer information. An employee of the information service will pose as a bank customer and talk bank employees into giving out information over the phone. The tactics may be illegal and have prompted one congressman to propose hearings on the matter. (5:30)

TUGGING THE USS MISSOURI -- Linda talks with Captain Kaare Ogaard about towing the USS Missouri across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii, where it will become a permanent memorial. Japan surrendered to General MacArthur aboard the Missouri on September 2, 1945, which marked the official end of World War II. The legendary warship is being pulled to port by the Sea Victory tug at about 6 miles per hour. (4:00)

GRANDMOTHER'S GHOST -- Andrew Lam has often wondered if a family's ghosts can cross the ocean. Ever since he was a child, when his family moved from Vietnam to America, Andrew always assumed that his family left behind their ghosts in their old home. However, when his elderly grandmother receives a visitation, Andrew's doubts are erased. (3:30)