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NPR's Michael Skoler visits Kikwit, Zaire almost a year after the ebola (ee-BOH-lah) epidemic broke out there. The virus appeared in May last year and is usually fatal. The epidemic was stopped but left 244 people dead. Scientists from the U-S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are testing samples of tens of thousands of insects and animals taken from the forest where the virus originated but still have not found the source. Hospital workers in Kikwit are still reluctant to treat patients, and while many people have overcome their fear of the disease, there remain superstitions and misinformation among the population.

SCOTT SPEAKS WITH NPR'S MICHAEL SKOLER ABOUT ZAIREAN EFFORTS INTIMIDATE RWANDAN REFUGEES TO RETURN TO THEIR COUNTRY.

Daniel talks about Pope John Paul the Second's trip to Central America with the BBC's David Willey. Willey traveled with the Pope when the Pontiff last visited Latin American in 1983, and he says the Roman Catholic Church in the region has become much more conservative over the years, eschewing reform and supporting incumbant governments.

Robert speaks with reporter Tina Daunt, who covered the trial of rap music star Snoop Doggy Dogg for the Los Angeles Times. His acquittal on murder charges and mistrial on manslaughter charges have raised questions whether prosecutors can win a conviction against a celebrity defendant.

NPR's Andy Bowers reports from Sarajevo. Despite the presence of United Nations police, thousands of Serbs from the suburbs are leaving one day before police from the Moslem Croat Federation move in. Many are without transportation and are leaving on foot through snow-covered mountains.

SIMON/LETTERS: SCOTT READS SOME LISTENER COMMENTS, INCLUDING A MUSICAL ONE.

ANNE GARRELS IN MOSCOW HAS SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT ALL THE RUSSIAN REMEDIES BEING OFFERED HER THIS WEEK TO EASE HER NASTY COLD.

Jacki visits the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada, a specialized museum containing 10,000 shoes from throughout history. Included in the exhibit is a 5,000 year old wood-shaped Egyptian shoe, and the shoes worn by former First Lady Pat Nixon to the 1973 inaugural ball. The museum's founder, Sonja Bata has spent the past 40 years collecting the majority of the shoes. She says on the surface footwear is an indication of personal taste and style but viewed chronologically shoes can hold the key to human identity.

Commentator Reynolds Price talks about the death of his friend, Lightning Brown, who succombed to AIDS at the age of 48. Price reads a poem that Brown wrote for the AIDS House in Carroboro, and responds with a poem of his own.

NPR's Wendy Schmelzer reports that researchers have isolated the gene that causes Werner's syndrome, an unusual disorder that causes young adults to age prematurely. In addition to helping researchers understand more about that disease, the finding may provide clues to the natural aging process.