June 1999

Conference-- It's not polite to stare. But commentator and psychiatrist Elissa Ely says there are times when it's hard - even for trained professionals - to fight such a natural urge. (3:00)

Milosevix - Opposition-- NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says though opposition groups seem to be gaining ground in Serbia, it may be too early to declare an end to the Milosevic era. (3:00)

Clean Up-- Commentator Donald McCaig writes about the messy occupation of farming, and the challenge of cleaning up. (3:00)

Medicare-- NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says the budget surplus has apparently given the Clinton administration a way out of certain politically unpalatable reforms to Medicare. But whether the reformed reforms will work remains to be seen. (3:00)

The Pan American Clipper-- Regular transatlantic airline service began 60 years ago today. Commentator Robert Trout covered the press preview flight a few days earlier in 1939 -- and in the process scored a broadcast first: the premier live report from an airplane. Trout recounts the details of the flight and we hear his actual words broadcast that day. Trout is a veteran broadcaster, long associated with CBS Radio. (7:34)

Another World-- Commentator Amy Dickinson on 35 years of the NBC soap opera Another World, which had its final show this afternoon. Another World was the network's oldest daytime drama, and the fifth oldest on television. (3:30)

Oswald-- NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that the KGB file on Lee Harvey Oswald -- the man arrested for the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy -- will shed little light on the slaying. Russian President Boris Yeltsin turned the file over to President Clinton earlier this week. Oswald defected to the Soviet Union in 1959, attracting the attention of the KGB, which suspected Oswald was an American spy. But Oswald returned to the US in 1962, and was later named by the Warren Commission as the sole gunman in the assassination. (3:00)

Kosovo - Reconstruction-- NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that the planning of Kosovo's reconstruction may mark a new willingness in Europe to wrest regional leadership away from the United States. (3:00)

Summer-- On this June 21st, the first official day of Summer, Commentator Marion Winik of Glenrock, Pennsylvania, says the season holds a seductive quality, that changes one's outlook on life for a few months. (2:30)

How to Get There-- Commentator and poet Naomi Shihab Nye on a treacherous ride from Manhattan to New Jersey. She is taken by a car service and a driver she ultimately finds quite delightful. (3:30)

What My Father Lost-- Durham, North Carolina writer Haven Kimmel sent us this essay about the consequences of being... and living with... a gambler. (3:30)

Gore's Separation-- NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that, as Al Gore launches his presidential campaign today, his first priority is to build an identity independent of Bill Clinton. (3:00)

Madeline-- Commentator Bob Morris is a writer. His 7-year-old niece is too. He ends up betraying her - by telling an embarassing story about her - when he goes to talk to her first grade class about writing. She learns a painful lesson about what writers do - kiss and tell. (3:00)

Intelligent Agents-- Commentator Douglas Rushkoff says there's a an online program called "intelligent agents" that, once given a command, will roam out across the internet and search for information that satisfies your stated need. You provide initial instructions, but then the agent is on its own. While it may seem that these agents will be the ultimate e-commerce catalyst, Rushkoff wonders if some of our individuality--some of our humanness will be lost. (2:45)

Cater Waiter-- Commentator Louise Rafkin is a veteran catering waiter, and she shares some of her wedding wisdom. (2:00)

Russia's Role-- NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that Russia is unwilling to wait for NATO to assign it a role in the Kosovo peace keeping force. (3:00)

The Reverend-- Commentator and Psychiatrist Elyssa Ely tells us about an encounter with a patient, that taught her a lesson about when or whether it's okay to lie. (3:00)

The Size of Things-- Bailey White is fascinated with how people always love to compare tumors to the size of fruits. Our commentator, it turns out, has an enlarged internal organ. She keeps wanting to compare it to something - but the doctor won't play that game. (4:30)

Primaries-- NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says as presidential contender George W. Bush travels to Iowa and New Hampshire this weekend, his smooth flight to the GOP nomination may be in for a little turbulence. (2:30)

Orthodoxy-- Commentator Frederica Matthews-Greene says as a convert to Christian Orthodoxy, she's was relieved to learn that her church has been outspoken in its opposition to Milosevic. Beginning in the early 1990s, the Serbian Orthodox Church has led demonstrations against the leader's cruelties. She argues that Milosevic has made Serbian Orthodoxy a fashionable part of Serb patriotic identity--and that the nostalgia for the church's symbols is not based on belief but on convenience. (3:30)

Analysis-- NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that the bumpy road to peace in Kosovo shows no signs of clearing ahead. (2:30)

Public Broadcasting Credits-- Satirist Harry Shearer imagines a feature telling us about the person behind those public radio funding credits at the end of every program. (4:00)

Kosovo Peace Talks-- NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says although the stage is set for peace talks to end the conflict in Kosovo, the major players are still unsure of the their lines.



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