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Commentator David Brooks says he won't be attending the Stand For Children rally because he thinks that the event is not really for children, but more an opportunity for emotional manipulation.

Commentator and photographer John Rosenthal takes the train as often as he can, and on one train ride he saw a woman through his train window. The train was stopped and he wanted to take her picture-- but realized it would not have been right.

Legislators in California, exasperated with the explosion of graffiti, have proposed a new law to ban portable, aerosol paint cans. NPR's Mandalit DelBarco reports that Chicago tried a similar tactic, but graffiti continues apace there. The paint industry is opposed, saying it will hurt legitimate users, from home hobbyists to costume designers in Hollywood. Graffiti writers scoff at the ban: they say they'll just use other tools.

Commentator David Crystal says this is an age of abbreviations. The most common abbreviation is the use of the first initials of each word - like NPR - but there are many others.

Scott and NPR's Jennifer Ludden discuss the human toll of Liberia's factional war.

NPR's Cheryl Corley reports on the end of "Social Promotions" in the Chicago school system. Under this policy, students were graduated to high school even if they did not meet eighth grade graduation standards. Now students will only be able to graduate to high school if they meet academic requirements.

Muslims all over the world are celebrating the Feast of Sacrifice today, marking the end of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. There are several rituals performed during the pilgrimage and to better understand them we asked three Americans who practice Islam to reflect on their experiences.

NPR's Vicky Que reports that a new study is raising questions about whether certain hormone-based contraceptives may increase the risks of becoming infected with the AIDS virus. In the study, researchers found that monkeys that received the hormone progesterone were more likely to be infected with SIV, the monkey equivament of HIV, than monkeys that did not receive the hormone. The findings suggest that contraceptives like Norplant may not only NOT protect against HIV, but may actually enhance a woman's chances of becoming infected. Researchers cautioned, however, that more research is needed to determine whether the findings hold true for humans.

NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports that millions of kids in the US still receive "bilingual education" (instruction in their native languages and in English) despite widespread criticism that the practice keeps non-native English speakers at a disadvantage. Supporters of the program say kids with no English skills need help keeping up in their studies until they become proficient in English, and they want government funding for the program to continue. There's very little hard evidence on the effectiveness of bilingual ed, so the debate over the program tends to rest on ideological differences over the status of English vis a vis other languages spoken in this country.

Bobby Hill reviews Casandra Wilson's current cd New Moon Daughter. It is a collection of songs by contemporary songwriters done with a hushed dirgeful voice. (6:30) THE CD IS CALLED NEW MOON DAUGHTER BY CASANDRA WILSON ON BLUENOTE RECORDS. (IN S