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As Fed and Treasury officials scramble to secure a $700 billion rescue for faltering financial institutions, economists are pointing fingers of blame at just about everyone: lenders, bankers and borrowers. Does greed lie at the heart of the financial meltdown? Is Main Street just as culpable as Wall Street?

Sandy Tolan talks about his book The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew and the Heart of the Middle East. The account grew out of a 1998 NPR documentary in which Tolan reported on a friendship between a Palestinian man and an Israeli woman that served as an example of the region's fragile history.

The final question of this demo version feels even more homesick than in the original version.

Companies of actors doing plays in a rotation, with a different show every night, is a dream for many in the regional theater movement. Few troupes can afford it, but the ones that do can reap big benefits.

At an Army facility, workers are busy around the clock making armored equipment to protect U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Virtually every track on Feist's The Reminder hits its mark. That's especially true when she's crafting gloriously propulsive, mid-tempo mini-anthems like "I Feel It All," a song that seems to explode out of at least three different musical eras at once.

M. Ward has always followed his own path. Propelled by both his agile acoustic guitar work and his considerable wit and charisma, Ward's folk-blues take on classic Americana has won him countless fans and a place among the nation's top contemporary singer-songwriters.

Amos Lee's voice sounds tired on "Night Train" — quietly worn from long days of trouble and a need for rest. But the quietness draws attention to every syllable, every subtle inflection and shift of instrumentation. In the middle of everything, it creates a moment of utter peace.

PF Sloan was a major songwriter in L.A.'s burgeoning '60s folk and pop scene, with writing credits for the likes of The Turtles, Johnny Rivers and The Grassroots. His song "Eve of Destruction" was a #1 hit in 1965, and after a long break from the music business, Sloan recently returned with the new Sailover.

Commentator John Ridley pays tribute to legendary Hollywood producer Irwin Allen, frequently called the "Master of Disaster." Allen set the standard for large-scale disaster movies. His first has been remade into Poseidon, opening today.

Singer/songwriter Mason Jennings is a storyteller first and foremost, but he also combines folk, blues and rock with subtle, effortless grace. Alternately backed by a band and accompanied only by his own guitar, Jennings' acoustic pop songs are honest, intimate and inviting.

One of the best hip-hop acts to surface in recent years, Spank Rock lays fun, over-the-top raps atop a mix of '80s-influenced electronic beats. Street-smart but beach-friendly, "Sweet Talk" is one of the catchiest, most exhilarating songs released this year, hip-hop or otherwise.

Can voice lessons help a kid get to college?Less than half of Detroit's high school students graduate, but more than 95 percent of kids who perform with the Mosaic Youth Theatre end up in college.

There's good news for the Siberian tiger. A new survey by the Wildlife Conservation Society finds the population of the endangered species is more or less stable, at about 530 adults and cubs. That's not many, but it's about the same as 10 years ago.

An Environmental Protection Agency draft proposal would change the way pollution from power plants is measured -- changes that critics say would undermine clean air laws. The document could limit pollution on an hourly -- not yearly -- basis.

Composer David Diamond died Monday in his hometown of Rochester, N.Y. As a composer, Diamond is celebrated for his sense of melody, which he felt helped him speak to the public. He would have turned 90 in July.

Dave Smith, a pioneer of the synthesizer, revolutionized pop music in the 1980s. David Bowie and Madonna are among the legions who used his Prophet 5 synthesizer. Smith died last week at age 72.

Immovable Objects is the performance and recording name of multi-instrumentalist Matt Gagin. Before going solo, Gagin spent five years playing with the San Diego shoe gaze band Waterline Drift. His new record is 'Hoping It Stays Just This Broken.'

In a music career spanning more than 40 years, Lowe has profoundly affected the music industry as a singer, songwriter, and producer. In recent years, he's established himself as a lovably acerbic pop legend. World Cafe honors Nick Lowe's career with three interviews from the archives.

According to a self-written "mythology," Cuban Cowboys' lead singer fell out of Fidel Castro's beard while he was in a bubble bath, smoking and watching TV. Hear an interview and performance by the self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Cuban Surf Rock Band."