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NPR's John Nielsen reports that when elephants stamp their feet they are actually talking, or at least sending seismic messages to other elephants. These signals actually are important to a herd, and human activities that interrupt transmission of signals through the ground could disrupt elephant behavior, migration and the like.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from Kiev that Ukraine is going through its worst political crisis since the break-up of the Soviet Union. The now independent country has long been mired in corruption and economic hardship. But with revelations that President Leonid Kuchma may have rigged elections and ordered the disappearance of a murdered journalist, more and more Ukrainians are calling for his ouster. Despite a series of demonstrations in recent months, however, the opposition remains fractured and leaderless.

Europe's concerns about foot-and-mouth disease, like its concerns about mad cow disease, are not shared in South America, which has some of the largest cattle herds in the world. The free-range herds do not eat imported animal products. So they are not likely to catch mad cow disease. Foot-and-mouth disease is prevalent in parts of South America but it is controlled by vaccination programs. Brazil cannot export its beef to regions free of foot-and-mouth, but people in Brazil enjoy their steak dinners more than ever.

John talks to NPR's Guy Raz about rebel fighting in Macedonia

Commentator Donald McCaig talks about the everyday proximity of life and death on his sheep farm.

Linda Wertheimer talks with sports commentator Stefan Fatsis about March madness and the NCAA men's basketball tournament that is underway. TV viewership over the past four years has declined, and yet CBS is paying $250 million to broadcast this year's tournament. While not a bad deal, Stefan says one of the reasons for the declining ratings is the lack of big name familiar players on the teams. And that is connected to the increasing number of student athletes who leave for professional careers before their senior year. Stefan Fatsis writes about sports and the business of sports for the Wall Street Journal; he joins All Things Considered on Fridays.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from Cornwall, England, where the curtain goes up tomorrow on the world's largest greenhouse. The "Eden Project" -- with its tropical rain forest under a giant geodesic dome -- is a huge conservation project for endangered plant species.

With foot-and-mouth disease scaring many people away from beef, Europeans are increasingly turning to a different red meat -- kangaroo. Australian trade officials say they expect sales to Europe to rise by 20 percent this year. Linda Wertheimer talks with John Kelly, the development manager of the Kangaroo Industries Association in Australia.

Makers of several recent movies have experimented with the structure of story telling, finding new ways to develop plot lines. Film Critic Bob Mondello says the new film Memento is a perfect example.

Belle Waring wonders why kissing portrayed on television is so savage. She longs for more restrained passion. Waring is a registered nurse and a writer who lives in Washington, D.C.