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The FAA orders spot checks on the weight of passengers on commuter planes to make sure estimates of average passenger weight are accurate. The ruling follows a fatal Jan. 8 crash in Charlotte, N.C. The plane may have been overloaded. NPR's Lynn Neary talks with New York Times aviation writer Matt Wald.

Chinese-born composer Tan Dun may be best known for his score to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which earned him a Grammy and an Oscar. His latest composition, Water Passion after Saint Matthew created in honor of J. S. Bach's 250th birthday, had its New York premiere last fall. Tan Dun employed the Dessoff Choirs -- an amateur group -- for the vocal work. Jeff Lunden, an independent producer, usually reports on music and culture from the vantage point of the audience. But for this story he provides NPR with a true inside look. Lunden sings tenor with the Dessoff Choirs.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg considers the phrase “class-warfare.”

A new play by John O'Keefe highlights a true story of two stage actors in pre-WWII Germany. Times Like These is about the gradual loss of personal freedoms, and draws striking parallels to today's post-Sept. 11 America. Iris Mann reports.

Bob Edwards talks with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) about President Bush's State of the Union address.

The retirees of Sun City, Arizona, are on guard against a crime wave of sorts. The thievery is a thorn in the side of local nurseries, too.

A woman from Belleville, Michigan, runs afoul of the law after suffering bitter disappointment in a quest to satisfy her sweet tooth.

Book Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews “The Time of Our Singing” by Richard Powers.

Urban professionals in Mobile, Ala., react to last night's State of the Union address.

Lynn talks with Yoon Youngmo, a South Korean labor activist and organizer of recent anti-American protests in South Korea. He talks about the anti-American sentiment in South Korea and what's behind it. He's calling for an amendment to the Status of Forces Agreement between the U.S. and South Korea.