Air Date: Week of February 27, 1998

Letters and clarifications.

Transcript

CURWOOD: And now, it's time to hear from you, our listeners. Janine Perlman listens to Living on Earth on WUNC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She thought our cat-eating bird interview with a researcher at the Mammal Society of London made the case for keeping cats inside all the time. Of the voracious felines, she writes, "It is indeed an unnatural massacre that threatens the existence of numerous species of birds and mammals. It is a myth, now utterly disproven, that cats need to go outside. They live on average over a decade longer if kept in."

Steve Bryant, who hears us on KMUW in Wichita, Kansas, writes to say he enjoys our perspective on the environment. "But," he continues, "I am often frustrated that many of the problem-solving approaches advocated by those whom you interview will be for naught unless world population trends are reversed. If we make marginal improvements to our consumption on a per capita basis, but the population growth soars, our species will strip the earth bare in a way that is irreversible. Please give this some consideration in planning future programs."

A listener from Cincinnati, Ohio, was one of many who wrote to thank us for our Valentine's Day interview with the author of a book on aphrodisiacs. He writes, "Having been married for 35 years now, we look forward to what it might do to put some sparkle into our relationship."

And finally, a correction and a clarification. First, in our story on the EPA's drive to regulate endocrine-disrupting chemicals, we should have said that among other problems, these chemicals have been linked to a lowered ability of children to cope with stress. And our introduction to our interview with Sandra Steingraber should have said most cancers are caused by something in the environment, although it is unclear exactly how many are caused by synthetic chemicals.

Let us know what you think, or what your story ideas might be. Call our listener line any time at 800-218-9988. That's 800-218-9988. Our e-mail address is LOE@NPR.ORG. That's LOE@NPR.ORG.