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In anticipation of upcoming writers' and actors' strikes, Hollywood studios are shooting more and more "reality" shows. NPR's Mandalit Delbarco reports on the advantages of "reality TV" -- they are non-union, don't use actors or "writers" in the traditional sense, and like Survivor, have the potential to be very profitable.

NPR's Renee Montagne reports on a group of six Thai elephants that have been honing their musical abilities. They just released their first CD. Hear a song from that CD entitled Temple Music. You can find out more at www.mulatta.org. (6:43-8:20)

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports on Israeli Prime-Minister-elect Ariel Sharon's efforts to build a national unity government. Sharon's Likud party holds only 19 out of 120 seats in the Israeli Parliament, and many Israelis say that Sharon must include the defeated Labor party in his government in order to accomplish anything.

African American poet Cornelius Eady has published seven poetry collections, and was recently nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. His latest, Brutal Imagination (Putnam) is a cycle of poems that revisits the Susan Smith child murder case through the voice of the imaginary black man she said carjacked and kidnapped her children. From New York, Tom Vitale reports.

NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports that the Bush administration is trying to counter the environmental and workplace regulations passed in the last few weeks of the Clinton administration. While the administration can't repeal the regulations outright, it can delay implementation or cut funding for enforcing them.

Eugene Sonn reports that just three days after kicking off his gubernatorial campaign, New Jersey's acting governor is pulling out of the race. Donald DiFrancesco stepped up to the post when former Gov. Christine Whitman joined the Bush administration. DiFrancesco is accused of misconduct in an earlier political position.

NPR's Allison Aubrey reports on a group of people who have learned to ride the ups and downs of the current "bear market." They're day-traders, and while many of the amateurs in their ranks were driven out after a few initial lucky trades, some are still plugging away -- and making a profit.

Pat Dowell reports on Elmer Bernstein who, after composing scores for more than 200 movies, is moving to writing concert music. Bernstein regrets the state of film music today — which he says lacks emotion, and is included primarily to create an atmosphere, rather than impart a grand musical theme.

From Chicago Public Radio, Jody Becker reports on a budget-cutting proposal by Loyola University Chicago to eliminate the Classical Studies department and spread its faculty and courses across other departments. Some professors and students, however, argue that the move would be a departure from the strong classical traditions of Jesuit education.

In the final part of our Changing Face of America series on homeschooling, NPR's Chris Arnold reports on some of the companies that are marketing educational materials to homeschool families. Parents must decide on a curriculum for each of the some $2 million homeschooled children in the country -- and there are plenty of companies willing to sell them textbooks, video courses and 8th Grade in a Box CD-Roms.