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documenting thousand of beach-closings in the U.S. last year due to high levels of bacteria and viruses in swimming water. Perhaps more worrisome than that, the group says, were the beaches that weren't closed.

about the slide in stock prices over the last week. The downward trend started last Friday, when the federal government reported that the nation is experiencing record levels of employment.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Istanbul on Turkey's "identity crisis." Long the southeastern anchor of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization...NATO...Turkey was part of the West's Soviet Union containment policy. But, the Cold War is over, Turkey is surrounded by unfriendly countries and the new prime minister comes from a pro-Islamic party.

Savvy business practices have made Frito-Lay the undisputed giant of the salty-snack food industry. But critics say that the company has grown so big by undercutting its competitors, consumers will someday pay higher prices because there will be no other choice. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports on the business that sparked a Justice Department investigation into possible anti-trust practices within the industry.

Robert talks with NPR's Martha Raddatz about the future of U.S. involvement in Bosnia, and the possible expansion of the role of the U.S. military in tracking down war criminals in that area. Balkan leaders have agreed to hold elections in Bosnia by September 14th, but there are no guarantees that the guidelines established in the Dayton Peace Accords will have any effect on the process.

Commentator Daniel Pinkwater tells about his wife, who recently offered to illustrate one of his children's stories. He talks about her skill, and how he's getting used to the idea of how good she really is at the work.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports on the fallen fortunes of Liberia's Americo-Liberians (uh-MEHR-ih-koh ly-BEER-ee-unz), the descendants of the freed American slaves who founded the country 150 years ago. For much of Liberia's history, the Americo-Liberians dominated politics and business, and discriminated against native Liberians. Many say this set the stage for the warfare that has ruined the country over the past six years. Now the Americo-Liberians have been reduced to watching from the sidelines while the various militias battle for power.

Commentator Daniel Pinkwater talks about the success of his new weight loss program-- but explains that he hates thinking of his new healthy eating habits as a diet. He began losing weight he explains- for surgery.

NPR's Linda Gradstein reports that Israeli settlers in the West Bank are already talking of expanding their building projects, now that Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu is heading the government. But even as they celebrate, there is a shadow of potential violence from Palestinian extremists, who see their hopes of a Palestinian state fading.

There's a theory put forward by R. Murray Schafer in the book "The Soundscape," that people will hum at the frequency at which their national electrical power is distributed -- either 60 or 50 Hertz. We put the theory to a worldwide test.