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Commentator Elissa Ely -- a psychiatrist at a hospital in Massachusetts -- has an alcoholic patient who's convinced he will be killed when his father dies. After his father does die, the patient lives, though he's lost his will to live.

The Senate has now spent five days debating a bill designed to reduce the flow of money into federal election campaigns. The bill would outlaw so-called "soft money" contributions, large amounts of unregulated cash that go not to candidates but to the political parties. So far, the amendments that might have crippled the bill have been turned back. And although the bill has been turned back repeatedly in the past, this spring it seems to be building momentum. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

As dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, commentator Joseph Nye is seeing a steady decline in the number of his graduates going into government. He says federal agencies are poorly equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century -- and their employeees lack the proper skills in information technology, economics and management. By contracting so much work to companies outside of government, the government has left less challenging work for its own employees. He suggests President Bush raise the salaries and the profile of public service employees.

NPR's Allison Aubrey reports on a group of people who have learned to ride the ups and downs of the current "bear market." They're day-traders, and while many of the amateurs in their ranks were driven out after a few initial lucky trades, some are still plugging away -- and making a profit.

Meredith Ochs reviews Satellite Rides, the new release by the promising alternative country band, Old 97s. Ochs says the band and its leader Rhett Miller have been writing wonderful pop music with clever lyrics. (4:30) Satellite Rides by Old 97s is on the Elektra Records label. Their Web site is www.old97s.com.

Film critic Henry Sheehan reviews Enemy at the Gates starring Jude Law and Joseph Finnes.

The high-tech boom that transformed Ireland from one of Europe's poorest countries into the feisty Celtic tiger has begun to show some rough side effects. Dublin residents talk about assaults, congestion and a heightened sense of aggressiveness in the streets. The gap between rich and poor is rising, and heart disease is up. All of this worries public health specialists who see their mission as addressing the social conditions underlying today's chronic diseases. One growing approach in Europe began in the mid-1980s with the support of the World Health Organization. It engages citizens in examining their health concerns and helps them to find their own solutions. In his second report on European Health Promoting Schools, Frank Browning visits a working class school on the edge of Dublin where students identify rape, murder, and mugging as their biggest health worries.

Noah Adams speaks with Zoran Kusovac, Balkans correspondent for Jane's Defense Weekly. The army of Macedonia is fighting Albanians rebels in the hills above the town of Tetovo. Kusovac explains the inherent difficulty of defeating an insurgent rebel group -- particularly in this situation. The Macedonian army is an old vestige of the former Yugoslav military and depends on one-year conscripts (some of whom are Albanian) to fight the rebels. Kusovac says this kind of battle requires small, well-armed and trained mobile army units to penetrate guerilla territory.

Host Bob Edwards speaks with Susan Harmon, sports editor for the Tribune in Ames, Iowa, about the women's college basketball tournament. The teams in the semi-finals have faced each other in playoff action before and will provide each other stiff competition.

Pat Dowell reports on Elmer Bernstein who, after composing scores for more than 200 movies, is moving to writing concert music. Bernstein regrets the state of film music today — which he says lacks emotion, and is included primarily to create an atmosphere, rather than impart a grand musical theme.