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The District of Columbia has developed plans to deal with a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. But much depends on local neighborhood officials, and some are not so confident about their ability to cope.

Barry Levinson is the director of such award-winning movies as Good Morning Vietnam and The Natural. His first novel, 66, is the story of a group of friends struggling to retain their youths while taking on adult challenges. NPR's Susan Stamberg reports.

Under the welfare reform act, benefits for thousands of legal immigrants will be cut off if they don't become US citizens by the end of August. But many are afraid they won't be able to take their oaths in time, because the Immigration and Naturalization Service is experiencing a 9 month backlog in processing applications for citizenship. NPR's Mandalit DelBarco reports.

Scott talks to Weekend Edition's Gardening Commentator, Ketzel Levine, and author Michael Pollan about the social history of, and reflected by, roses. ("Second Nature: A Gardener's Education" by Michael Pollan. ALSO "The Writer in the Garden" -- selected writings about the garden on two audiocassettes. High Bridge Company, St. Paul, MN.)

Iceland is preparing for a massive flood of ice and water that is expected to burst out of Europe's largest glacier. The impending flood is the result of the heat from a volcano that recently erupted beneath the glacier. NPR's David Baron reports that Icelanders are used to natural disasters, and are facing the coming deluge with a mixture of stoicism and defiance.

which has great potential wealth from natural gas. But most people there are poor, and under the thumb of a ruthless central government.

Robert talks with Dr. Susan Drennan, vice-president for Ornithology at the National Audubon Society. They'll discuss the truth of the legend that tropical birds sometimes fly in the eye of a hurricane for protection from the vicious winds and rain, and as a result sometimes end up hundreds of miles away from their natural habitats.

that keeps Nigeria from achieving economic success. Despite rich natural resources, and a highly educated population, Nigeria seems unable to break out of the economic stagnation which is widely attributed to corrupt business practices.

NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports a major natural gas pipeline in Washington state has been shut down, while officials investigate the cause of two explosions along the line last weekend. The blasts have raised concerns about the safety of the 4000 mile pipeline system that runs throughout much of the Pacific Northwest.

In Montana, biologists are trying to train wild wolves not to attack cattle. If the experiment works, it might help ease the century-old conflict between ranchers and wolves. But it also raises some ethical questions about interfering with the natural behavior of wild animals. From Montana's Gallatin Valley, Kathy Witkowsky reports.