November 3, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

Hurricane Mitch Aftermath -- -- NPR's Phillip Davis talks with Noah about aid workers' frantic efforts to get food, water and medical assistance to thousands of stranded people in Central America, where the death toll from Hurricane Mitch continues to rise. Some five-thousand people are estimated to have been killed in Honduras and hundreds of thousands are without shelter. In Nicaragua, more than 13-hundred people are dead and some two-thousand missing. Many of the deaths in Nicaragua occurred when the slopes of the dormant Casitas Volcano collapsed onto nearby villages. (4:30)

International Aid -- NPR's Tom Gjelten reports that international relief agencies say that up to one-MILLION people in Honduras and Nicaragua need assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. The disaster has prompted aid offers from the United Nations, European Union, the U-S and other countries, including Taiwan. The enormity of the catastrophe in Central America makes it difficult even to reach the victims. Aid workers say search and rescue is their top priority. (2:30)

Israeli Violence -- NPR's Eric Weiner reports on Israeli concern about threats against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of his signing new peace accords with Palestinians. Israeli police today detained an extremist Jewish settler leader for incitement of the same sort that preceded the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin exactly three years ago. (5:30)

Oxygen Bars -- Mike Lamp from member station KNAU in Flagstaff, Arizona reports on a new trend that's taking hold in the U.S....oxygen bars. There is no scientific evidence for the proprietor's claims that filling one's lungs with flavored air has longlasting health benefits. But then, science has never been an obstacle for the seriously trendy. (4:30)

Hamburger Den -- Commentator Elissa Ely thinks back on the Hamburger Den restaurant -- where her family ate Sunday dinner. Though it was not a special place, it holds special meaning for her. (2:30)

Dewey and Truman -- Commentator Robert Trout recalls what it was like on Election Night in 1948 at NBC News. He tells how he and his colleague H.V. Kaltenborn seemed unwilling to admit, in the face of the poll results coming in, that Republican Thomas Dewey was losing to Democrat incumbent Harry Truman in the Presidential Race. Later, Truman would mock Kaltenborn's mannerisms and the newsman's attempts to rationalize the figures that were coming in from the voting districts around the country. Trout was the anchor -- on the air until late the following morning. (8:00)

Class of 48 -- Noah talks with David Kepley, the author of "Collapse of the Middle Way: 1946-1952." They discuss the Congressional election of 1948, when the balance of power shifted back to the Democrats after years of Republican rule. President Truman, against all predictions, secured re-election. The Republicans, defeated in their presidential aspirations and now in the minority in the House, came to Congress with a partisan agenda that would eventually set the stage for McCarthyism. (4:30)

A New Mission in Iraq -- NPR's Mike Shuster reports that Secretary of Defense William Cohen has embarked on a new mission to sound out former Gulf War allies about Iraq's latest move to unilaterally halt UN inspections for weapons of mass destruction. (2:30)

Female President -- Carole Zimmer reports from New York on a campaign to get people thinking seriously about electing a female president within the next ten years. The project involves distributing handouts that list 20 potential candidates, who happen to be women, and asking people to mail in their top 5 choices. (5:30)

The Polls -- Noah talks with Andy Kohut, the director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, about early exit-polling results as the nation heads to the ballot boxes in today's midterm elections. They'll talk about the trends they can identify at this early stage of the returns. (4:30)

Transit Strike -- Sarah Chayes reports from Paris on the wave of strikes by transit workers around France. Drivers and conductors are protesting lack of security in subways, buses, and commuter rail lines. Amid chronically high unemployment, disgruntled youths are taking out their frustrations on transit workers, as well as passengers. (3:30)

Red Hand -- Noah talks with Chris Thornton, the security correspondent for the Belfast Telegraph. They discuss the emergence of a shadowy new paramilitary group in Northern Ireland which has claimed responsibility for the murder of a Catholic man over the weekend.(4:30)

Hmong Exdous -- Amy Radle from Minnesota Public Radio reports that confusion over U.S. welfare rules have caused some of the Hmong refugee community in Duluth, Minnesota to flee the city. (4:00)

Almost A Woman -- Esmeralda Santiago reads an excerpt from her new book, "Almost a Woman," about the time a social worker came to visit her famly to determine if they would qualify for welfare. (STATIONS: "Almost a Woman" by Esmeralda Santiago is published by Perseus Books.) (3:30)

China's Goal -- NPR's Mary Kay Magistad reports that China is trying to cut down on the country's use of soft coal for heat and cooking because of increasing air pollution. Northern Chinese cities, including Beijing, have some of the dirtiest air in the world and some of the highest incidence of respiratory problems among people who live there. The government's attempts to address the problem are being undercut by Asia's economic crisis and the slowdown in the Chinese economy. (5:30)

Chasing Rickshaws -- Noah speaks to Tony Wheeler, author of the new book "Chasing Rickshaws." The book, which features photographs by Richard I'Anson, shows different types of rickshaws from all over Asia, and chronicles the history of rickshaws. Wheeler says this form of transportation was invented by an American missionary in Japan in the 1870s, and quickly spread all over Asia. (NOTE TO STATIONS: "Chasing Rickshaws" is published by Lonely Planet.) (6:00)

Other Stories --Other stories we're following today include: Mitch and The Polls. (1:00)

Virginia Rodriguez -- Virginia Rodriguez is a young Brazilian singer from the state of Bahia who got her start singing in both Catholic and Protestant churches there. As a result, her U.S. debut album is not what you might expect. Sure, there's a samba on the record...but, for the most part, it's a spare, ethereal recording with a hint of sadness even in the happy songs. Critics have described her as a "diva" with a "clear-as-a-bell" contralto. Legendary Brazilian pop star Caetano Veloso became her champion (and artistic director for the CD) after hearing her sing in Latin. Karen Michel reports. (STATIONS: Virginia Rodriguez's album is called "Sol Negro," and is available on Hannibal Records, catalog number HNCD 1425.) (7:45) ((STEREO))