July 1999

My Son Has M.S. -- Commentator Nancy Slonum Aronie tells the story of her grown son, who has Multiple Sclerosis, and how her family has coped. (3:30)

Swinging for Smut -- Commentator Kevin Kling remembers the day when he and his brother were swinging high enough in a swing to see the dirty movie on the screen of the drive-in. On this particular day what they saw behind the drive in caught their attention even more than what was on screen. (3:15)

Off the Cocktail -- San Francisco writer Krandall Kraus and his partner Paul Borja are writing the book It's Never About What It's About -- What We Learned About Living While We Were Waiting To Die. Kraus has been living with HIV since 1982. When he was first diagnosed, he came to accept the idea that he was going to die, and felt a kind of freedom. Then, when new drugs became available, he started to believe and act like he was going to live, but found that he was more interested in the quantity than the quality of his life. Recently, he decided to go off his aids cocktail, and says his life has more value and greater meaning. (3:15)

Fatherhood Advice -- Commentator Dick George of Baldwin, Maryland has some thoughts about fatherhood. (2:30)

Uygur - Drama -- Commentator Jeffrey Tayler orders lunch in Hami, in China's Xinjiang Province, and finds the restaurant engrossed in a gross-out epic drama on the television, with medieval warriors, damsels in distress, and lots of blood. Jeffrey finds the whole scene as riveting as it was gruesome. (4:00)

Harmonica Across Geogia -- Writer Bailey White has found a new way to pass the time while driving across her home state of Georgia. (5:00)

Russia - China -- NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that the American government's relationships with China and Russia demonstrate a change in the nature of power among nations. (2:30)

Clinton Shift -- NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that Bill Clinton, who originally ran for president promising change, has begun his final months in that office by changing his focus.(3:00)

Heart Doctor -- Commentator David Watts , a gastroenterologist and Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California San Francisco, recalls running into an old and highly respected doctor friend whose struggles with the HMO's led him to quit medicine. (3:00)

JFK Jr. -- Divers are checking sites in the Atlantic Ocean off Martha's Vineyard where sonar has indicated they may find the wreckage of John F. Kennedy Junior's airplane, which crashed Friday night. We'll have an update on the investigation, And NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that, rather than blame bad weather or bad luck for the death of John F. Kennedy Junior, some people have chosen to blame the victim. (3:00) John John's Popularity-- Commentator Amy Dickinson, who writes a column for Time Magazine, has some thoughts on the popularity of JFK Junior among the 30-something crowd. (3:00) Eyes Wide Shut -- Commentator Amy Dickinson has some thoughts on the Stanley Kubrick movie Eyes Wide Shut, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in various states of undress, which opens today. (2:30)

Religious Liberty -- A new set of textbooks on the history of religion in American life gets rave reviews from Commentator Joe Laconte. After years of public school texts that contain no mention of religion -- Laconte says this new set of books may be able to teach about religion without proselytizing or demeaning religious groups. (3:30)

Mideast Peace Analysis -- NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that new Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak will encourage President Clinton to adopt a less-is-more attitude in his pursuit of Middle East peace. (3:00)

Junk -- Commentator Louise Rafkin reflects on the collection of junk in her Emeryville, California neighborhood, by professionals, and by others. (2:30)



Will It Happen?--NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr doubts the Democrats can be successful against the all out assault of the managed care lobby, without a major ground swell of public support that he sees as unlikely. (3:00)

Politics of Race-- Commenator Guillermo Gomez-Pena tells the story of his son. Born to an Anglo mother and a Mexican father, he learned hard lessons of politics and race as a kid. (3:00)

Cats-- When Commentator Jacqueline Woodson was growing up, her family had cats; dozens of them. The kids would have cat weddings and dances and block parties with cakes made our of Tender Vittles. However, they weren't always nice to the cats. When her mom had a headache, the kids would drop the cats out the second-story window. And when there got to be just too many cats in the house, her parents took them for a "walk in the park." (3:15)

Another Subway Ride-- Commentator Leon Wynter recounts a ride on a New York subway. He stands next to a man he first thinks is homeless. Then the man stuns the subway crowd by singing in a beautiful "counter tenor" voice. (4:00)

RTMARK.COM-- Commentator Douglas Rushkoff tells us about a website called RTMARK.COM. It's short for "registered trademark." The site targets corporate America for large pranks. Through the website, users can select a prank to fund, and offer assistance in carrying it out. (3:00)

Clinton Tour Analysis-- NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that many of President Clinton's new solutions to poverty depend on a old way of disguising government spending. (3:30)

Hospital du Jour-- Commentator and doctor - David Watts - tells the story of a man who knew how to work the system. He was homeless and managed to get admitted to the hospital - pretending be an elegant man with gastric distress. He got a couple of nights in a warm bed. (2:00)

Dan Sez-- NPR Senior News Analyst Dan Schorr says that in spite of today's agreement between NATO and Russia, tensions between the US and Russia remain high. (3:00)

Wide Mouth Home-- On the Fourth of July holiday in 1986, Jason Wette was a lifeguard in Texas -- a member of the Galveston Beach Patrol. Thirteen years later, J. Augustine Wette, O.S.B. tells the story of the drowning of Juan Delacruz. Wette is a monk of the abbey of Saint Mary and Saint Louis, in St. Louis, Missouri. (12:30)

Mensa Meeting-- Commentator Daniel Pinkwater was asked to speak before a group of Mensa members. He enjoyed the experience -- and is glad he's not a member. (3:00)



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