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NPR's Robert Smith follows a group of former eighth graders as they make their first nervous steps into a much bigger world -- high school. Smith's report is the first of a year-long series following students and faculty at Roosevelt High School in Seattle, Wash.

Junoon may be the biggest band you've never heard of. The Pakistan-based trio is the hottest band in South Asia, mixing Western rock with traditional folk stylings and Islamic Sufi mysticism. Weekend All Things Considered talks to songwriter Salman Ahmad about fanaticism, peace and the unifying force of rebellious music.

Consumer confidence has been plummeting since Sept. 11. NPR's Juan Williams talks with some employees at an electronics retailer in Virginia to see how they feel about the economy.

Scott talks with Mohamed Zakariya about the stamp he designed for the United States Postal Service honoring Islam. The stamp's message is "Eid Mubarak," a greeting used by Muslims around this time of year to celebrate Islam's holy season.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, toy retailers are anticipating that rescue- and military-related toys will be big sellers. NPR's Joshua Levs explores the appeal of fire trucks and action figures in our new, uncertain world.

Food writer Patricia Wells has lived in Paris for 20 years, dining in the city's finest restaurants. Now she has a cookbook showcasing those restaurants' recipes. All Things Considered host Linda Wertheimer talks to Wells about her new Paris Cookbook. (5:15) The publisher is Harper Collins; ISBN # 0060184698.

NPR's Eric Westervelt reports from Emmitsburg, Md., that this weekend, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation will honor the firefighters who died last year in the line of duty. Every year at this time, the Foundation places the names of fallen firefighters on a memorial at the National Fire Academy. There will be a special vigil this year to honor the New York City firefighters who died on Sept. 11. The names of those firefighters will be placed on the Fallen Firefighters Memorial this time next year.

Scott Simon talks with Mike Linstead, a news editor with BBC Monitoring in Caversham, England, about U.S. military broadcasts to the people of Afghanistan. The BCC recorded some of these broadcasts this week from their monitoring post in Caversham. Using specially fitted C-130 aircraft called "Commando Solos," U.S. forces are playing music and advising Afghan civilians to stay away from military targets in their country.

NPR's Allison Aubrey reports that, according to a paper published in the journal Nature, ancient Egyptians prepared mummies in ways more sophisticated than previously thought. Researchers say they used embalming materials such as plant oils, tree resin and beeswax to preserve the bodies.

Host Bob Edwards talks with producer, composer, and arranger Quincy Jones. In the second segment of this interview (first segment aired yesterday), Jones recalls his successful efforts at producing pop hits after a career that began in jazz big bands and be-bop. (8:38