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NPR's Tom Gjelten reports from the Pentagon that the United States is not considering sending troops to Macedonia or increasing its deployment in neighboring Kosovo. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld discussed the crisis today with his British counterpart, Geoffrey Hoon. Gjelten reports that the Bush administration seems unprepared for this latest Balkan crisis.

NPR's Margot Adler reports on what some are decrying as the "suburbanization" of New York City. She talks to one design critic who laments that national franchises are replacing the city's local greasy spoons, coffeehouses and boutiques, and taking over street-life. (6:40

He directed the new HBO movie Wit based on the Pulitzer-prize winning off-Broadway play about a college professor dying of ovarian cancer. (It premieres on HBO Saturday, March 24 at 9PM). Nichols is also the director of The Graduate (for which he won an Oscar for Best Director), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Silkwood, Working Girl, and Primary Colors. Before he became a film director NICHOLS was known for his popular comedy improvisations with Elaine May.

For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has taken blood samples from a cross-section of Americans to look for a number of toxic substances. These substances show up in pollutants from industry and in products like cigarettes. NPR's John Nielsen reports some good news; chemicals from second-hand smoke seems to be appearing in blood less frequently. There's worrisome news too; there are lots of other chemicals in our blood about which we know very little.

Most 30-year-olds grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons, and on ABC, Schoolhouse Rock.

Many 30-year-olds cite one movie as the most influential of their childhood: Star Wars. Novelist Silas House explains how Star Wars changed his life.

Race relations loomed large in the news -- and in the lives of 30-year-olds. They talk about being bussed as children and valuing diversity as adults.

In its first three months, the administration of President Bush has kept its distance from the power problems of California -- making clear it wanted the state to work out its own problems. But today the president issued a directive to federal agencies in that state instructing them to turn off escalators and keep air conditioning at a low level this summer. President Bush also used the occasion to restate the government's commitment to conservation as a key element of its policy for controlling energy costs and avoiding shortfalls. NPR's Don Gonyea reports from the White House.

The state of California is waging a bitter battle against power generators that sell electricity to the state. Two lawmakers have filed lawsuits against five of the companies, accusing them of price gouging. Meanwhile, Gov. Gray Davis is preparing for a showdown with power generators next week. But representatives of the power producers say the aggressive tactics may backfire and discourage investors from building needed power plants in California. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Athens, where Pope John Paul begins a three-nation pilgrimage tomorrow following the journeys of St. Paul the Apostle. It will be the first visit to Greece by a pope since the Great Schism that split Christianity into eastern and western branches in the year 1054. The population of Greece is overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian. A spokesman says the Greek Orthodox Church wants the pope to make what he called a humble and bold gesture of love to help heal the deep distrust between the Orthodox world and Roman Catholic world. After Greece, the pontiff will visit Syria and Malta.

For today's 30-year-olds, the music of the 1980s was the soundtrack of their teen years. Joshua Levs of WABE in Atlanta counts himself as a member of Generation X. He has this look at the music of the '80s.

On National Prayer Day, observed throughout the U.S. today, commentator Joseph Loconte analyzes the success of The Prayer of Jabez. It's a book by Bruce Wilkinson which has risen to No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The book celebrates a little known character named Jabez who appears in the Old Testament. (3:30) The Prayer of Jabez, by Bruce Wilkinson, is published by Multnomah, ISBN # 1576737330.