November 2000

Firestone -- Commentator Desiree Cooper talked to workers at the Firestone plant that is now under Federal investigation. They are under a lot of stress, wondering if they could have caused the deaths of so many people. (3:00)

Autumn Memory -- Commentator Marion Roach says the fall season reminds her of her brilliant mother, who was a teacher. Roach's mother began suffering from Altzheimer's Disease at age 51, and church became the only place she stayed calm. She once started singing all the words of the hymns, despite not knowing much else. (4:00)

National Ballot -- Commentator Kathleen Sullivan Kathleen Sullivan -- Dean of the Stanford Law School -- argues that a consititutional amendment to have a uniform ballot for President nationwide would be easy and effective. (3:00)

State Bans On Sexual Devices -- Commentator Lis Wiehl says that laws prohibiting the sale or distribution of sexual devices is a violation of people's right to privacy. Eight states have passed these kind of sweeping laws. They have done so without defining which devices are the offending ones. An Alabama appeals court has just upheld the ban reasoning that there is no "controlling precedent" which recognizes a broader sexual privacy right. (3:00)

Lost Luggage -- Commentator Bill Harley recalls how the stressful experience of losing his luggage on an airplane taught him lessons about what he thought he needed, what he really needs. (4:00)

Greed and Capitalism -- The high profits, large number of new millionaires, and stock trading frenzy created by the Internet revolution has some people concerned about the values reflected in this modern gold rush. But this really shouldn't worry anyone, according to Commentator Dinesh D'Souza . He says greed is good. (3:45)

Nothing With Strings -- Commentator Bailey White presents another Thanksgiving Day story for All Things Considered. This year she chronicles the exploits of two ditzy sisters trying to find a place to leave the ashes of their recently departed mother. One of them has ended a love affair with a banjo player. Along the way they encounter a spoon player who introduces them to his family and its odd ways. A night swim in murky water provides a moment of release for the sisters in a long day of disappointment. Full of characters and humorous circumstances, White presents a southern tour de force for listeners. (22:00)

Thanksgiving Memories -- With bounteous thanksgivings today, Commentator Andrew Lam remembers his first Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., when he could barely say the word "thanksgiving." His family was silent and lost without his father, who had stayed behind in Vietnam, and there seemed little reason for thankfulness. (3:00)

Reading the Dots -- Commentator Steve Kuusisto has an idea for how the Florida recount could effectively be completed. The partially perforated chads on the disputed ballots, he suggests, might read like Braille to the blind. Kuusisto teaches creative writing at Ohio State University, and he's blind. His memoir is entitled Planet of the Blind. (1:30)

E-Books -- Commentator Doug Rushkoff is a great fan of e-books. As an author, he thinks this is a great way to spread his ideas, improve his chances for publication, and improve sales. (2:30)

Election On Cape Cod -- Commentator Carol Wasserman relates the relatively orderly voting process in her town. The only thing out of whack was the one rowdy first grader who came in to observe the process. One of the elderly supervisors went over and pinched her on her arm to quiet her down. (3:15)

Vietnam Visit -- Commentator Andrew Lam , an editor for the Pacific News Service reflects on President Clinton's upcoming visit to Lam's home country of Vietnam. (3:00)

Digital Divide -- Commentator Dinesh D'Souza disagrees with those who argue that the internet is a racist concept. While it is true that not everyone uses the internet equally, he says this is not a problem of access but one of knowledge. He says the real digital divide is in appreciating the value of knowledge, how to obtain it and what to do with it. He recommends teaching young people how information and technology can be a source of improving oneself. (3:30)

Contraception Commentary -- Commentator Catherine Weiss of the reproductive freedom project of the ACLU says that contraceptive equality is basic health care and simple fairness. Some employers may want to decide not to offer contraception to their workers as part of their comprehensive health benefits to women employees because of religious beliefs. But Weiss says religious beliefs cannot justify sex discrimination any more than they justify race discrimination. (2:30)

Mary -- Commentator Elissa Ely tells us about Mary, a woman who cleans offices at the hospital where Ely works. Mary won't let any doctors get in her way. She interrupts the weekly doctors meeting so often that she's missed when it doesn't happen. (3:30)

I Want to Vote -- Sixteen-year-old Alia Stavrand Woolf says if she has to pay taxes like an adult on her wages, and can now be treated like an adult in court, she should be able to vote. Unlike many voting-age people, Alia cares deeply about many issues and has spent a great deal of time learning about the candidates, and she really wants to vote. (3:00)

Pessimism -- An inveterate optimist, Commentator Ralph Schoenstein is skeptical about psychologists who urge people to lower their expectations to lessen pressure. He contrasts his "cup-is-half-full" approach to his pessimist wife's gloomy view. (3:00)

Dropped G's -- Commentator Bill Miles , a political science professor at Northeastern University, bemoans the disappearance of "g's" at the ends of verbs. He says too many people are tryin' to make themselves sound more friendly. (3:00)

Early and Often -- Commentator Nancy Hall says she learned her lifelong habit of voting from her parents. Her mother took her along to the polls before she was old enough to vote. Hall is appalled by a local college where none of the students voted in the primaries, and makes sure to take her own children with her into the voting booth so they'll follow her example. (3:00)

Internet Capitalism -- Commentator Douglas Rushkoff says he's anything but a booster for big corporations. Still, he says he's willing to let big business drive Internet expansion. (3:00)

Handwriting -- Commentator Andrei Codrescu says he sometimes has trouble reading his own handwriting -- leaving him wondering what he was thinking. (3:15)


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