Cover: Rx for Relief
On a war-torn Asian border, Sebastopol physician Ben Brown still makes house calls.

News: Uphill Battle, Cont.
Fight for a steep-slope grape-growing ordinance reaches supes.

Sigh of Relief: An international relief effort is underway to assist ethnic Albanians fleeing the war-torn Kosovo region.

Up to the Task?: See how your kids' school did in the state Standardized Testing and Reporting program.

Climbing Up on Capitol Hill: Check up on the your Congressional Representatives and U.S. Senators--where they stand, how they voted.

Spins: Del-Fi label tribute is way cool; also new CDs by Kelly Willis, Joe Henry, etc.

Waits & Measures: Local music man Tom Waits trips through the past on latest CD.

Hendrix's Gypsy Ways: A new double album spotlights Jimi Hendrix and his Band of Gypsys live at Fillmore East.

Audiofile: Reviews of the latest CDs by Gift Horse, Crooked Path and Squarepusher.

Double Take: Talking Pix guests compare Life Is Beautiful and The Last Days.

Good 'Fortune': Director Robert Altman on life in the belly of the beast.

Hard-Boiled: New film examines the life of crime novelist James Ellroy.

Moonstruck: A Catskills summer romance is ethnic but unthreatening in A Walk on the Moon.

Reading the Leaves: Tea Room Cafe is a civilized alternative.

Heard It Through the Grapevine: Get to the root of all things wine.

'Messiah' Complex: Andrei Codrescu's new novel goes against the grain.

Little Man, Big Novel: Thomas Berger follows up Little Big Man with a worthy Return.