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Los Angeles Bureau Chief and columnist for Advertising Age magazine, about attempts by some established manufacturers to appeal to the growing number of "Baby Boomer" consumers. McDonald's, Levi-Strauss, and Toyota are a few of the companies that are changing their marketing strategies to keep some 78-million 50-year-olds interested in their products.

Some non-Indian settlers in the Brazilian Amazon believe much of the land being given to the Indians could be used more productively for agriculture or mining. And they suspect that Brazil's government is enlarging the Indian territory as a back-door means of keeping it undeveloped. NPR's Martin Kaste reports from Amazon state.

French pornographers are up in arms over a plan to ban their products from national television. Lawmakers say the ban would protect children and reduce sexual violence. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports on the expected rise in natural gas prices nationwide this winter. In one New Jersey town, residents could be paying 16% more to heat their homes. Industry experts say seasons of low gas prices are to blame: natural gas producers cut back on production because it was harder to make money. But now there's an increased demand for the resource. (

NPR's David Kestenbaum reports that the Agriculture Department has created national standards for organic foods. A new USDA Organic seal will be given to foods produced WITHOUT genetically modified seeds, growth hormones, and other processes associated with traditional food products. Government officials say the new organic rules are among the toughest in the world, but some farmers say they may be bad for business.

The U.S. lumber industry is finding it hard to post a profit. Their production prices have remained high, but in order to remain competitive with imported timber, many U.S. logging companies have been selling their wares at or below cost. Kathy Witkowsky examines how an independently owned sawmill in Seeley Lake, Montana, deals with the problem.

Michigan Public Radio's Matt Shafer Powell reports from Detroit that many autoworkers are likely to make considerably less money in overtime earnings this year because of production cuts by the big three carmakers. Loss of overtime will mean $20,000 less for some workers, and that will hurt businesses that benefit from workers' non-essential spending.

Chicagos'Steppenwolf Theatres production of One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest is also on Broadway. . .We feature interviews with actor Gary sinise who stars in it, and director Terry Kinney. Steppenwolf is an actor-driven theatre known for its ensemble acting, and cutting-edge acting style.

NPR's Emily Harris reports on a four-day meeting in Ottawa to discuss whether genetically engineered food should be labeled as such. Many common foods contain genetically engineered ingredients. Food manufacturers are worried if product labels disclosed that, consumer fear would put an end to the promising field of biotechnology.

NPR's Jack Speer reports the nation's economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter. The nation's gross domestic product, or GDP, expanded at a 2 percent annual rate, according to the Commerce Department. Most economists expected the economy to grow no faster than 1 percent in the first quarter. Analysts said the economy was helped along by strong consumer spending and a narrower trade gap.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from London that as the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Britain spreads, more countries are banning animal products from the European Union. Amid growing criticism of the way it's handling the crisis, the British government is responding by slaughtering more animals. Farmers complain, however, carcasses are already piling up.

British investigators trying to track the source of the catastrophic foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the UK are focusing on the idea that it may have come into the country with smuggled meat products. Robert Siegel talks to Lester Crawford, director of the Georgetown Center for Food and Nutrition Policy, and former president of the American Veterinary Epidemiology Society.

A new multimedia opera looks at the life of the brilliant but troubled inventor Nikola Tesla. The director of the show, called Violet Fire, talks about the production, which is currently running at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

The Unexpected Productions troupe of Seattle specializes in improvisational theater, and right now they're focused on Shakespeare. Actors Ron Hippe, Elicia Wickstead and Randy Dixon create a bit of the Bard on the fly for Debbie Elliott.

Apple computer is enjoying a boom in sales, led by the popularity of its iPod digital music players. Apple plans to expand its chain of retail stores and use those spaces to spotlight new products. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

President Bush has asked Americans to cut back on fuel usage as oil companies and refineries in the hurricane-affected Gulf Coast region work to resume production at facilities.

Once an electronic duo, Goldfrapp now embraces dance, glam-rock, and folk on Seventh Tree. British super-diva Allison Goldfrapp and her collaborator, Will Gregory, perform music from the new album with the legendary Steve Lillywhite at the production board.

The second part of independent producer Julian Crandall Hollick's series on the street kids of Mumbai. This installment focuses on two adults, Jockin and Celine d'Cruz, who have been working with the children. They have found that trying to foist middle class values onto the children is often counter-productive. Instead, they try to find ways to let the children help themselves.

NPR's Melissa Block speaks with Jenefer Mansfield, executive/artistic director of the Roanoke Ballet Theatre, about a production of a NASCAR ballet. On the surface, it may not appear that NASCAR auto racing and ballet have a lot in common -- but Mansfield says both activities involve movement and accomplish the seemingly impossible.

Elia Kazan, director of the original Broadway productions of Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar Named Desire, dies at the age of 94. Kazan also won Oscars for his film-directing work, including On the Waterfront. But he was villified by many of his colleagues for 1952 congressional testimony that identified Hollywood figures as communist sympathizers.