The Takeaway: Story of the Day
By Public Radio International and WNYC Radio
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Podcast Description
Daily highlights from The Takeaway, the national morning news program that delivers the news and analysis you need to catch up, start your day, and prepare for what's ahead. The Takeaway, along with the BBC World Service, The New York Times and WGBH Boston, invites listeners every morning to learn more and be part of the American conversation on-air and online at thetakeaway.org.
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The Secret World of Espionage Comes to New York | John Hockenberry visits the new spying exhibit at the Discovery Center in Times Square. He peruses hundreds of artifacts from the CIA, FBI, and National Reconnaissance Office with Tim Weiner, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former New York Times reporter who wrote the definitive history of the CIA. | 5/25/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Pakistani Who Helped CIA Hunt Bin Laden Sentenced For Treason | A hero to some, a traitor to others. Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi, who helped the CIA hunt down Osama Bin Laden, was convicted of treason yesterday by a tribal court in northwestern Pakistan. He has been sentenced to 33 years in prison. Dr. Afridi ran a vaccination program for the CIA in Abbottabad in an effort to verify the Al Qaeda leader’s presence at the compound he was killed in last May. U.S. officials and lawmakers have roundly criticized Dr. Afridi’s detention and have lobbied with the Pakistani government to gain his release. The sentencing is sure to add new strains to an already troubled U.S.-Pakistan relationship. Hassan Abbas, a Bernard Schwartz Fellow at the Asia Society, joins us to discuss. Hassan is a former Pakistani government official, serving in the administrations of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf. Former Department of State spokesperson P.J. Crowley also joins. He is currently the Omar Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and School of International Affairs. Former Department of State spokesperson PJ Crowley also joins us. He is currently the Omar Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership at Penn State's Dickinson School of Law. Former Department of State spokesperson PJ Crowley also joins us. He is currently the Omar Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership at Penn State's Dickinson School of Law. | 5/24/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Is the Private Era in Space Officially Upon Us? | The United States, Russia, Japan, the European Union, and SpaceX: what do they all have in common? If all goes smoothly over the next few days, each entity will have successfully, and at some point historically brought a vessel to the International Space Station. Yesterday, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and its unmanned Dragon capsule lifted off en route to the ISS, marking the first ever flight for a commercial spacecraft bound for the space station. The flight could open up a new, private, entrepreneurial era in space. But what, exactly, is the business of space? And what does the business model look like? Michael Lopez-Alegria is a former NASA astronaut and International Space Station commander. He is currently the president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, a commercial space advocacy group. Miles O’Brien is a science correspondent for PBS NewsHour. He's covered space issues for more than 20 years. | 5/23/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Why Texting in Class Might Actually Be a Good Thing | If you’re a parent, teacher, or student, you probably won’t be surprised by these statistics: In schools that permit cell phones, 71 percent of students text during class. In schools that ban cell phones entirely, the percentage is nearly as high: 58 percent. And whether they’re in school or not, half of teens send over 50 text messages per day. While we frequently hear teachers and parents complaining about these statistics, not all adults see these numbers as a bad thing. In fact, a small but growing number of educators are exploring how cell phones might be used to help students learn more and learn better. Kevin Thomas taught high school english for 15 years and is currently a professor at the Bellarmine School of Education. He regularly uses cell phones as a teaching tool. Marc Prensky is an education and technology expert and the author of “Teaching Digital Natives” and the forthcoming book “Brain Gain: Technology and the Quest for Digital Wisdom.” | 5/22/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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NATO and Occupy Protests Rock Chicago | Apart from Washington, D.C., Chicago is the first American city to host the NATO Summit. As world leaders arrived for the Summit yesterday, they were greeted by thousands of protesters and just as many police officers. Chicago Police have arrested five protestors who allegedly planned to throw Molotov cocktails at President Obama’s campaign headquarters and Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s home. The protesters ran the gamut, from the Occupy Wall Street movement, to military veterans. Pfc. Vincent Emanuele told the Associated Press: "I’m out here because I’m standing in support of my brothers and sisters, specifically those who have served in Afghanistan and who are speaking out about the occupation of Afghanistan and who are standing in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan." Jim Warren is a national correspondent for The Atlantic. | 5/21/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Analyzing Facebook's NASDAQ Debut | Facebook will make its much-anticipated debut today on NASDAQ as a public company. As of last night, Facebook's offer had risen to $38 a share, putting the total value of the company at $104 billion. But for investors who got burned in the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s, all of the hype and hysteria over Facebook is a little too familiar. Our two guests today lived through the dot-com boom and were there when the bubble burst. Dan Wagner is an Internet entrepreneur and Henry Blodget is the CEO and editor-in-chief of Business Insider. | 5/18/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Moving Beyond Calories In, Calories Out | According to a new study, 42 percent of American adults will be obese by the year 2030. And all this week, The Takeaway looks at that prediction with people we might not normally think of as obesity specialists — from city planners to coffin makers to our guest yesterday, a mathematician with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases named Dr. Carson Chow. Today, the conversation continues with Michael Moyer, senior editor at Scientific American. Moyer believes that in order to combat America’s obesity epidemic, the answer isn’t mere math equations. As he sees it, things are more complicated than simply calories in versus calories out. | 5/17/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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A Sign of the Times: Underearners Anonymous | You’ve probably heard of Alcoholics Anonymous. Maybe you’ve heard of Narcotics Anonymous, or Gamblers Anonymous. But have you ever heard about Clutterers Anonymous? Or Online Gamers Anonymous? Probably not. Genevieve Smith's 12-step program was another one of these lesser-known groups: Underearners Anonymous. Genevieve is an associate editor at Harper’s Magazine and is out with a new piece called “In Recovery: Twelve Steps to Prosperity.” The article details her experience with the support group aimed at helping those who believe they compulsively earn less than they should. Dan Ariely is a professor of behavioral economics at Duke University and the author of “Predictably Irrational.” | 5/16/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Job Interviews Borrow from the Speed-Dating Handbook | We’ve all heard of speed-dating; that modern mating ritual in which singles are given a minute or two to impress a potential date before moving aside so the next candidate to make his or her pitch. But speed-dating methods aren’t just for dating anymore. Recruiters from a few companies are now enlisting the tactics of speed-dating in their search for new employees. | 5/15/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Obese American Future | A new study predicts that 42 percent of American adults will be obese — a category beyond overweight — by the year 2030. Keith Davis is working to accommodate America's bigger, more obese future. He's the owner and operator of Goliath Coffins, a company that makes caskets for the morbidly obese. Jen Petersen is an urban sociologist and Principal of Petersen consulting. She worked on the Living Streets Project in Los Angeles which was focused on improving public health through city planning. | 5/14/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Is the Gay Rights Movement Akin to the Civil Rights Movement? | In a landmark moment for the gay rights movement in America, President Barack Obama announced, for the first time, his support of gay marriage. This comes years after Obama’s views on the issue have "evolved." Many gay rights leaders have long compared their fight to the black civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. But do the two compare? We talk with two people on very different sides of the gay marriage debate, but who both believe gay rights are not akin to the civil rights movement. Dr. Patrick Wooden is a pastor at the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, North Carolina. He supported North Carolina’s Amendment One which won a popular vote in the state on Tuesday. Dr. Wooden does not believe gay rights are on par with civil rights. We also talk with Ann Pellegrini, an Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality at NYU, and the author of "Love the Sin: Sexual Regulation and the Limits of Religious Tolerance." Pellegrini believes it is more accurate to compare the gay rights movement to the fight for religious freedoms. | 5/10/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Family Secrets: A Takeaway Listener's Story | Last week, we talked with Madeleine Albright about her life, and her discovery in adulthood that she was Jewish. We asked our listeners: have you ever discovered a secret about your family or identity? We received a lot of responses, including one from Loren Levinson. She was adopted when she was a baby and raised her whole life in a Jewish household. But when she tracked down her birth parents as an adult, she discovered that her paternal ancestry was Muslim and that her birth mother is a born-again Christian. | 5/9/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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College Grads Still Face Bleak Job Prospects | May is the start of college graduation season, when the nation’s bright and ambitious college seniors step out into the workforce — or hope to. But last week’s job numbers show job growth is still weak, and many soon-to-be college grads may find themselves dealing with bleak prospects for the time being. Aaron Smith is co-founder and executive director of Young Invincibles, the non-profit group behind the Campaign For Young America. Aaron is on the last stop of a 21-state bus tour holding roundtable discussions with young people to brainstorm solutions to youth unemployment. Reporter Steven Greenhouse covers labor and the workplace for our partner The New York Times. | 5/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Should Schools Punish Students for Their Activities Off-Campus? | Update: Karen Washington, a social studies teacher at Watertown High School in Massachusetts, used this story as the foundation for a classroom discussion. Here's what her students had to say. In recent years, we’ve talked a lot about bullying in general and cyber-bullying in particular. And it’s come up over and over again: What’s the best way to prevent it and punish those involved in it? A case in Griffith, Indiana brings even more questions to the table. The case involves two teenagers who had a lengthy exchange on their Facebook pages. They listed eight students and one teacher from their school that they’d like to kill. The exchange did not take place on the grounds of Griffith Middle School nor did it involve any of the school’s computer equipment. Nonetheless, the school expelled the two girls involved in the exchange. The girls, in turn, have sued the school for infringing on their free speech rights. Among the biggest questions springing from this case are: Should students be punished for their cyber-activities off campus? It’s something that Wendy Kaminer has been mulling over. Kaminer is a lawyer, social critic, and contributing editor at The Atlantic. She’s also the author of seven books, including “Worst Instincts: Cowardice, Conformity, and the ACLU.” Regina Webb is the person who first got the Griffith Middle School involved in this case. Regina’s older daughter is one of the people whose name was listed as a potential mark in the Facebook exchange. | 5/7/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Madeleine Albright on History, Identity and American Power | Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has spent her career working on complicated issues of history, ethnic identity and governance, but she didn't realize the complexity of her own identity until the age of 59. In 1997, as the Clinton Administration vetted then-Ambassador Albright for the Secretary of State position, Albright discovered that most of her family was Jewish — and that many of her relatives perished in the Holocaust. That realization provided the impetus for her new book, "Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948." In "Prague Winter," Secretary Albright traces her family's story through the history of Czechoslovakia and the rest of Europe in World War II. Albright discusses the unique history of Czechoslovakia, discovering her Jewish heritage, and learning from world leaders' mistakes in the inter-war period. Secretary Albright also spoke with John Hockenberry about the United States' complicated relationship with China. | 5/4/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CEO of GM Answers Questions Ahead of Earnings Announcement | Today, General Motors announces its first quarter earnings. Celeste interviews the CEO and chairman of General Motors, Dan Akerson, about how the company has fared since it was restructured by the federal government in 2009. Dan Akerman, chairman and CEO of General Motors: This is not the first time that the American government has injected themselves into the American economy. If I asked you who is the biggest owner of commercial property in the United States 1990s, you wouldn't say the United States but it was. Savings and Loans crisis, they pumping in $394 billion dollars. Call it around $400 billion doll dollars. Not $50. $400 billion. So it's not unusual to see governments for a short period of time inject themselves into a marketplace to stabilize it. The analogy I like to make, you remember last year when Joplin, MO had the terrible tornado or Katrina: It's in the basic DNA of Americans. We don't walk to help our fellow citizens, we sprint. This part of the country, the arsenal of democracy saved this country in many respects along with many soldiers, marines, coastguard's man. But it built the arsenal that saved Western Democracies. And then what did we do. In the interest of international economy, international trade, we lowered our trade barriers. We lowered them in Japan, we lowered them in Germany, our mortal enemies. And they built export economies to the detriment of this part of the country. It didn't happen overnight with a hurricane or tornado: It happened over 30 years. So a million jobs were saved, that's what I say. $150 billion it's been reported in terms of total tax revenues that would've gone by the boards had the company not been saved. And all the supply chain that would've gone with us. And then if you back off and you say, at the time we went under, or we went into bankruptcy, we had about a $25 billion pension deficit. We were the largest pension fund in the world. $134 billion. It was about $25 billion. Just in my tenure we've gotten it down to $12. Good progress but $12 billion, that's still a big number. Celeste Headlee, host of The Takeaway: That's still a lot. DA: But think back if we'd gone into bankruptcy and liquidated in '09. That $25 billion would've gone into the PBGC, Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, which is government sponsored. Footnote to that comment is, $25 billion would've bankrupted PBGC. And whose dime would that've been on? It'd have been on the taxpayers dime. That's never in the calculus. So, you know I know this is a political year and everybody wants to argue for tactical and political advantage. Again, I don't have the luxury to do that. I'm not making a political statement. I would say, let's be pragmatic about it: It worked. And so, I think as a government, we the people — by the way, I'm a Republican. CH: I know, it's on your Wikipedia page. DA: I think the government does have an obligation to step up and help its people. This wasn't a giveaway. It was an investment. It was an investment from the American people. CH: I wanted to read you a comment that Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana, made in an interview with the BBC. He says, "Let me just make this point: The reason I remain uncomfortable [with the bailout] is because we lost more jobs in the recreational vehicle industry, for example, in this state than were threatened at GM and Chrysler. No one offered to spend hundreds of thousands per worker on them. How was I to tell those people, 'your job is not worth as much because you're not as politically connected as the people at those two companies.'" How do you respond to that? DA: I don't want to debate that with the governor because maybe they should have. I won't argue that. But I know there were a million people at stake here across many state lines, including Indiana. We have plants in Indiana too. And it would've, at a time when the country was coming, potentially to an ugly outcome — think of the timeframe, '09, there was no money, there was no | 5/3/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ian Bremmer on Leadership in a 'G-Zero World' | The war in Iraq is over; the war in Afghanistan is winding down. Americans' thoughts have turned inward, toward our stubborn domestic problems: high unemployment, the sluggish economy. But the world won’t wait for America to solve its own problems. Some argue that our global leadership has waned, but Ian Bremmer argues that the United States' role in the international community isn't over, it’s just different. Today’s international order must be one of strategic partnerships and compromises, Bremmer argues, such as President Obama’s so-called "leading from behind" strategy in Libya. Ian Bremmer is president of the Eurasia Group and author of "Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World." | 5/2/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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One-Term Presidents and One-Hit Wonders | Here on The Takeaway, we don't make predictions about the upcoming presidential race. But, as always, history repeats itself. So a look at the past can give a glimpse to the future. We call on our friend, historian Kenneth C. Davis for a little help. He's the author of "Don't Know Much About History". And today he's talking about one-term presidents and what the failure to win re-election means for their legacy. Tell us what your favorite campaign slogans are. And what would you make the Obama or Romney slogan for 2012? | 5/1/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Meet 1WTC, New York's New Tallest Buildling | If wind speeds aren’t prohibitive Monday, a steel column will be lifted on top of the existing framework of 1 World Trade Center, making it New York’s new tallest building. The first column of the 100th floor of 1 World Trade Center will put the tower 21 feet higher than the Empire State Building — inching it all the closer to its final height. By the time the tower is complete next year, it will stand at 1,776 feet. Carol Willis, director of the Skyscraper Museum puts 1WTC's ascendancy over the Empire State Building into context. WNYC digital producer Stephen Nessen spent a lot of time on the site of 1WTC this summer. He explains what it took to make a structure this massive. | 4/30/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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A History of Political Sex Scandals, From Grover Cleveland to John Edwards | It's day five of the John Edwards trial. The former North Carolina senator is being tried on six felony charges stemming from an extramarital affair that produced a kid and ended a political career. The one-time golden boy of the Democratic Party is officially being charged with accepting illegal campaign contributions designed to keep his mistress quiet during his presidential campaign. But in the court of public opinion, Edwards is on trial for something much more personal and seemingly something much less forgivable. Edwards’ fall from grace was so quick, so severe, it begs the question: how does this scandal rank among American politics’ most infamous infidelities? To put the this trial and scandal in some historical context, we're joined by Dr. David Eisenbach, historian and lecturer at Columbia University and host of the new H2 TV series, "10 Things You Don’t Know About." | 4/27/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia | During Jim Crow, African-Americans were relegated to the status of second-class citizens. Through laws and social norms, racism was legitimized and the practice operated as a way of life. And this, of course, was no more glaringly apparent than in the American South. Today, many opt to put this era and the horrors that came with it behind them. They simply want to forget that this historical reality ever happened. But for a professor at Ferris State University in Michigan, the thought of confronting Jim Crow America seemed much more appealing than putting the era out of our nation’s memory. So with that thought in mind, Dr. David Pilgrim — who grew up in Mobile, Alabama — created the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. The museum is dedicated to preserving and displaying racist objects of the era, intending to provide insight and reflection on this dark chapter in American history. Our Detroit reporter, Martina Guzman from WDET, recently spoke with Dr. Pilgrim, who now serves as the curator for the Museum. She joins the program, along with Renee Romano, associate professor history and African American studies at Oberlin College and co-editor of "The Civil Rights Movement in American Memory". | 4/26/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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In Defense of Arizona's Controversial Immigration Law | Today the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Arizona v. United States, the case that will decide the constitutionality of Arizona's controversial immigration law, SB 1070. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 into law in April 2010, and the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case in last December. Arizona argues that the federal government is not doing enough to prevent illegal immigration, and that states must therefore take matters into their own hands. The Obama Administration believes that laws like SB 1070 preempt federal immigration laws, and that only the federal government can make immigration policy. Kris Kobach is the Secretary of State of Kansas and the architect of SB 1070, as well as immigration laws in Alabama, Utah, South Carolina and a number of other states. He argues that the immigration law signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 allowed for state and local cooperation in immigration enforcement. The Obama Administration, Secretary Kobach believes, "has a tough job in this case because they’re basically saying, 'well that may be what the law says, but our policy in the Obama Administration is different.'" Secretary Kobach is also an informal adviser to Mitt Romney Presidential Campaign. He insists that Romney is not "pivoting" on immigration as he enters the general election. "He was speaking to more than conservative Republicans [during the primary]," Secretary Kobach says. "He said on national television, in multiple debates, that he favors a policy encouraging aliens to self-deport." | 4/25/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Undocumented and Abused at the Border | Each year, more than 25,000 undocumented immigrants are apprehended as they attempt to cross the border from Mexico to the United States. In most cases, we hear very few details about these apprehensions. But in one case, the details — which are especially gruesome — have become widely circulated. This is thanks to some newly-released eyewitness videos that were broadcast last Friday on PBS’ "Need to Know." At the center of the story is a man named Anastacio Hernandez-Rojas. The eyewitness videos show him surrounded by over a dozen border patrol agents. The agents taser him, beat him, kick him, and at one point remove his pants — all while he appears to be handcuffed. Shortly after the beating, Hernandez-Rojas died. And while Hernandez-Rojas’s experience is extreme, it’s not entirely unique. His is one of eight known deaths of undocumented immigrants at the hands of the border patrol in less than two years. John Carlos Frey is an investigative journalist for the Nation Institute who helped bring this story to PBS and the world. And Ashley Young is one of the people who witnessed and videotaped Rojas being beaten and tasered by the border patrol. Please note: The Takeaway reached out multiple times to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a comment on this story. We did not hear back. The Takeaway also reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection in San Diego. They gave us this statement: "CBP stresses honor and integrity in every aspect of our mission. CBP employees and officers perform their duties with honor and distinction, working tirelessly every day to keep our country safe. We do not tolerate abuse within our ranks, and we fully cooperate with any criminal or administrative investigations of alleged misconduct by any of our personnel, on or off duty." | 4/24/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Hulu Shakes Up TV Advertising | Every year cable channels and network broadcasters hold "upfronts," where they pitch advertisers on their new shows. Hulu, the online service that streams network TV programming, is pitching its own original programming this year, competing with the very stations it relies on. Brian Stelter, media reporter for our partner The New York Times, joins us to discuss how TV will fare in the age of the Internet. | 4/23/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Scopes Trial Redux | In Tennessee a new law goes into effect today that will allow public school teachers to teach alternatives to such scientific topics as evolution and climate change. The bill is being called the "monkey bill," a reference to the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925. In the original trial a teacher named John Scopes was prosecuted by the State of Tennessee for violating a state law banning the teaching of evolution. The new “monkey bill” encourages teachers to “present the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught.” This law is bringing with it a lively debate between those who believe that some scientific theories like evolution and the human role in climate change are not up for debate, and those who do. Josh Rosenau is the programs and policy director at the National Center for Science Education, a non-profit that defends the teaching of evolution and climate science in public schools. Nelson Turner is a teacher at The Woodland Middle School in Brentwood, Tennessee. Nelson has taught 7th grade general science for 15 years. | 4/20/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Latino or Hispanic: What's in a Label? | Latino and Hispanic: they're terms that a lot of Americans are asked to choose between when identifying themselves on the census, in official paperwork, and in everyday conversation. But according to a new poll by the Pew Hispanic Center, most adults of Latin American descent prefer not to use either. Instead, the respondents said they preferred to identify themselves by their country of origin. But there's more to the story than just that. And a lot of it depends on where in the United States you happen to live. Jill Replogle is a reporter for KPBS San Diego’s Fronteras Desk. Her new piece for Fronteras is called "'Latino Or 'Hispanic:' What's In A Name?" Gustavo Arellano is the editor of OC Weekly. He also writes the column ¡Ask a Mexican! and is the author of the new book "Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America." | 4/19/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Smartphones Are Bringing Us Together and Tearing Us Apart | Chances are you use email. If you’re like 88 percent of Americans, you also own a cell phone. And if you’re among the well-connected 46 percent, you check your email ON your cell phone. Of course, even if you don’t use a smartphone, it’s likely that you own a home computer or an iPad or some other device that keeps you connected to email and the online world and, in turn, to work and social networks and everyone who wants to be in touch with you at any given time. All of this can make us feel more connected. But it can also make us less connected to those who are sitting right next to us. And it can be addictive. Daniel Sieberg has thought a lot about how to deal with the electronic addiction that many of us have willingly taken on. He’s the author of "The Digital Diet: A Four Step Plan to Break Your Tech Addiction and Regain Balance in Your Life." Danielle is a Takeaway listener who didn’t realize just how much time she was spending on her smart phone until it broke two weeks ago. Since then, she’s been using a regular cell phone, and spending a lot more time paying attention to her family. During this segment, John said: "We just don’t know how to be alone." That reminded us of this beautiful piece of YouTube poetry by Tanya Davis and Andrea Dorfman, How to Be Alone. | 4/18/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Sharia Law: What It Is, What It Isn't | In the years since September 11th and America’s two wars in the Middle East, even those with very little knowledge of Islam have heard about Sharia law. Of course, what we hear isn’t necessarily academic. In the news, Sharia law is frequently depicted as a system that condones women being stoned. In the movies, it’s the reason why petty thieves find their hands on the chopping block. But what, exactly, is Sharia law all about? Here to help us answer that question, and many more, is Sadakat Kadri, author of "Heaven on Earth," a history of Sharia law and its many interpretations. Here's an excerpt from Kadri's book: “Recite!” The disembodied voice echoed around the cavern. “In the name of thy God who created man from a clot of blood!” With those words, according to the Qur’an, all of humanity was instructed to submit to Islam, but the only person present was a forty-year-old Arab merchant named Muhammad, who reacted by looking around with astonishment. Read the rest of the excerpt here. | 4/17/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Fighting Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System | In March, the Supreme Court heard one of the most widely anticipated cases of this term. In two related cases, Miller v. Alabama and Jackson v. Hobbs, human rights attorney Bryan Stevenson argued that sentencing minors to life in prison without parole is cruel and unusual punishment. Stevenson, the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative has long dedicated his life to the injustices he sees in America's justice system, especially along racial and socioeconomic lines. Stevenson talks about his work and his commitment to challenging racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. | 4/16/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Should 911 Calls Be Released to the Public? | The Trayvon Martin case caught national attention after the release of the 911 calls George Zimmerman made to police just before the shooting. Those recordings have played a major role in shaping public opinion, throwing into doubt whether Zimmerman will get a fair trial. Sonny Brasfield is executive director of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama. He helped draft the 2010 legislation that made Alabama the first state to bar the release of 911 recordings. Wendy Kaminer is a lawyer, social critic and contributing editor at The Atlantic. | 4/13/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Playoff Beard: What's Your Superstition? | The NHL playoffs started last night, and for many of these professional athletes that means growing a "playoff beard." A tradition in hockey that goes back three decades, the playoff beard is for both players and fans who refuse to shave during the post-season. This superstition has spread to other professional sports as well, and got us wondering: what other superstitions do professional sports players have? And what superstitions do you have while watching your favorite team? | 4/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ashley Judd's Puffy Face: Why Do We Care? | Actress Ashley Judd is again in the media spotlight for slamming the media spotlight. This week, Judd penned an article in Daily Beast about her appearance — specifically her so-called "puffy face" — and the media’s obsession with it. Judd writes that she chose to address the criticism because it was "misogynistic and embodies what all girls and women in our culture, to a greater or lesser degree, endure every day, in ways both outrageous and subtle." Judd’s response has led to questions about the way celebrities, especially women, are represented in the media, and our culture's obsession with celebrities' faults. Mary Elizabeth Williams writes about women and the media as a Staff Writer for Salon. Cindy Gallop is an advertising consultant and former chairwoman of the advertising agency BBH. | 4/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Nicholas Kristof on Fighting Child Sex Trafficking | Last week, we talked with a woman named Nacole, whose 15-year-old daughter was coerced into the sex trade and sold to johns through online forums. After her daughter was rescued, Nacole took it upon herself to champion a bill, which is now a law, in Washington state. The law requires sites like Backpage.com to obtain documentation proving that the escorts they advertise are at least 18. But in addition to these laws, what else should be done to protect children from the world of sex trafficking? Nicholas Kristof, columnist for our partner The New York Times, has delved extensively into this question. | 4/10/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Lena Dunham Represents Her Generation with 'Girls' | More than any other medium, the characters we see on television reflect and represent who we are — with some exaggeration, of course. In the 1970s, though we might not have agreed with Archie Bunker of "All in the Family," we certainly recognized his struggles. In the 1990s, though their apartments seemed much too big for their budgets, the travails of the "Friends" characters resonated with a generation navigating life and love in their twenties. But times have changed since then. The glossy world of "Sex and the City" may never have been real, but it seems further from the truth than ever before. Recent college graduates who once flocked to New York for jobs in finance, publishing and the arts are finding themselves making lattes and babysitting to make ends meet. Until now, these once-privileged young men and women were missing from TV. Filmmaker Lena Dunham has set out to change that with her new show, "Girls." Lena Dunham is the creator, writer and star of HBO's new series, "Girls." | 4/9/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Too Fat to Work as a Health Professional? | Citizens Medical Center is, by most measures, a respected and respectable hospital. A non-profit, their mission is to serve their community of South Texas. And in their mission, they’ve been mostly successful, appearing on Thomas Reuters’ list of top 100 American hospitals three times over the past decade. And yet, the Victoria, Texas hospital has people across the country outraged. The reason: a hiring policy they instituted last year. In short, the policy requires potential employees to have a body mass index below 35. This means that a man who is 5-foot-10 and 245 pounds would not meet the hospital’s hiring requirements. David Scher is an employment attorney with the Employment Law Group. He’s worked extensively on discrimination cases throughout the country. He joins us from California, where he’s vacationing with his family. Art Caplan is a professor of bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania who regularly appears on the show. | 4/6/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Siege of Sarajevo: 20 Years Later | Twenty years ago today, Serb militants opened fire on thousands of peace demonstrators in Sarajevo, the Muslim-led capitol city of the newly independent state of Bosnia-Hercegovina. The attack set off what would become the longest siege of a capitol city in modern warfare — lasting from April 5, 1992 to February 29, 1996. Over the course of those years, thousands of civilians in the city died from injuries and starvation, and the world was introduced to the term “ethnic cleansing.” Nadja Halilbegovich was born and raised in Sarajevo, and still has mortar in her body from the days of the siege. When she was 14, she wrote “My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary.” When she was 16, she escaped and settled in North America, leaving her family behind. Barbara Demick is the author of "Logavina Street: Life and Death in a Sarajevo Neighborhood," which hits bookstores this month. She’s also the Beijing bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times. She joins us from Sarajevo. | 4/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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David Pogue on 'Hunting the Elements' | Popular science is more popular than ever. Its subjects also seem more rarefied than ever: string theory, theoretical physics, theoretical astrophysics. Whatever happened to the more tangible natural sciences? The ones we all think we know — chemistry, for example. We all remember studying the periodic table of the elements in high school, maybe even in college, but do we remember what it all meant? Do we understand what the elements do — and what they can do? David Pogue, host of NOVA's "Making Stuff" series and a technology correspondent for our partner the New York Times, is premiering his two-hour NOVA special "Hunting the Elements" tonight on PBS. He discusses what we know about nature's building blocks, what we still don't know, and how scientists are using the 118 elements toward purposes we may never have imagined. The NOVA special "Hunting the Elements" is produced by our partner WGBH. | 4/4/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Yul Kwon on "America Revealed" | Have you ever looked at a stop light, a slice of pizza, or the hot air coming out of your hair dryer, and wondered: What and who went into making this? A new four-part PBS series called “America Revealed” delves into this question; scaling back from small everyday items to give viewers a big picture view of how America functions. Along the way, it doesn’t just unveil the secrets of how stuff is made; it also tells a story of America’s history and people. The series is hosted by Yul Kwon, an attorney, businessman, and technology expert, who you might also recognize as the 2006 winner of the reality show “Survivor.” Yul joins The Takeaway from the studios of our partner WGBH in Boston. "America Revealed" premieres on PBS on Wednesday, April 11. | 4/3/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Children's Violence on Film: 'Hunger Games' v. 'Bully' | If you follow the movies at all, you’ve probably heard a lot about child-on-child violence on the big screen over the past week. Last Friday, of course, was the release of the Hollywood blockbuster "The Hunger Games." "The Hunger Games" tells the story of a post-apocalyptic future, in which children are forced to fight to the death for the amusement of the government and the control of the people. And today, the new documentary called "Bully" hits theatres in very limited release. "Bully" tells the story of five real-life children who’ve been bullied; two of whom kill themselves. In the cases of both films, there have been struggles over how they should be rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. In the end, "The Hunger Games" received a PG-13 rating, while "Bully" received an R rating. But not everyone thinks these ratings make sense. David Long and his wife Tina Long appear in the film "Bully," in place of their son Tyler, who couldn't. After years of bullying, Tyler killed himself at the age of 17. Rafer Guzman is a film critic for Newsday and co-host of the Movie Date Podcast. | 3/30/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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TED Talks: T. Boone Pickens on the Future of Energy | T. Boone Pickens is an unlikely environmentalist. The native Oklahoman made his fortune in the oil business, and then, in 2008, shifted his focus to America's energy future. The result is the Pickens Plan, an energy policy to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil through alternative energy and natural gas. Pickens will detail his plan at the TED Conference in Long Beach, California, this week, where John Hockenberry is also speaking. John caught up with T. Boone Pickens to discuss the future of U.S. energy policy, politicians' influence on our energy future and Pickens' controversial support of fracking. | 2/29/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Slavery on Our Dinner Plates | While most Americans believe their connection to slavery ended with the emancipation proclamation, the unfortunate reality is that it exists to this day — and the evidence is on everyone's dinner plates. A new investigative report reveals that laborers on fishing ships are frequently forced to work up to 52 hours straight under dangerous conditions, and are paid only $260 a month for unlimited hours. Because many companies won't disclose where they get their seafood from, avoiding purchasing slave-fished products is difficult to impossible for consumers. Benjamin Skinner is a senior fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism and is author of the report. | 2/24/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Cancer Veteran or Cancer Survivor? | For individuals facing cancer, the battle is a personal one, and whether one lives or dies, the experience is always traumatic. Mary Elizabeth Williams, a staff writer for Salon, has been sharing her own cancer story on the website over the past several months. Last month, after undergoing experimental trials for her metastatic Stage 4 cancer, her doctor told her that her tumors had disappeared. Mary Elizabeth is what the cancer community refers to as a survivor. But in her opinion, survivor does not quite define what she and many others feel like after treatment. | 2/23/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Some Closure for the West Memphis Three in 'Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory' | On May 5, 1993, the bodies of three 8-year-old boys were found murdered by a creek in West Memphis, Arkansas. One month later, teenagers Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were arrested and later convicted of brutally raping, mutilating and killing the boys. After spending 18 years in prison, they were released after entering Alford pleas, a controversial plea in which defendants plead guilty while maintaining their innocence. The "Paradise Lost" trilogy has traced all of the case's developments. Directors Joseph Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky have been following the case since 1993, and the first film in their series, "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills," released in 1996, was largely responsible for attracting national attention to the West Memphis Three. The third film in the trilogy, "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory," has been nominated for an academy award in the feature documentary category. | 2/22/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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NYPD Surveillance Program Monitored Muslim Students at 13 Colleges | Coming up, the NYPD’s intelligence division has been monitoring Muslim college students as part of a surveillance program. The Takeaway speaks with to one student who found out he was the target of an investigation, next. | 2/20/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Bill Keller on the Death of Anthony Shadid | This morning we are heartbroken to report that Anthony Shadid of our partner The New York Times is no longer one of the survivors. The veteran Middle East correspondent for The Times, Washington Post and Boston Globe and long time voice on this program has died. A fatal asthma attack while he was reporting in chaotic Syria, working undercover. His body carried across the Syrian border and home by a colleague yesterday. Bill Keller is the former executive editor of The New York Times. | 2/17/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Lack of the Safety Net: Homelessness and America's Tent Cities | The ripple effect of the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis and a chronically sluggish economy have changed the face of poverty in America. Sections of the population who never previously utilized the "safety net" have experienced long periods of under, or unemployment and struggled to get by. According to recent Census data, 47 million Americans now live below the poverty line. In 55 cities across the country, the new urban poor have responded by living in tent cities. Pastor Steve Brigham is the founder of Tent City, a makeshift village for homeless people near Lakewood, New Jersey. | 2/15/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Comedian Baratunde Thurston on 'How to Be Black' | February is Black History Month, and comedian Baratunde Thurston wants you to know that it's the perfect time to buy his new book, "How to Be Black." "The odds are high that you acquired this book during the nationally sanctioned season for purchasing black cultural objects, also known as Black History Month," he writes. "If you're like most people, you buy one piece of black culture per year during this month, and I'm banking on this book jumping out at you from the bookshelf or screen." Baratunde Thurston joins Celeste Headlee to discuss his new book: part-memoir, part-satire, part-political commentary. Baratunde Thurston is the author of "How to Be Black" and the digital director of The Onion. | 2/9/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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America Gets a Pep Talk From Tough Guy Clint Eastwood | Sunday's Chrysler Super Bowl ad caused some political reaction, but maybe America needs a pep talk from America's outlaw and tough guy Clint Eastwood. Host John Hockenberry looks at the Eastwood speech in the context of his epic career and America's need for some tough love in these troubled times. Half time in America? Maybe, but we could sure use some encouragement from Clint. | 2/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Newly-Discovered Recordings Shed Light on a Young Malcolm X | In 1961 Malcolm X came to Brown University to publicly rebut an article published in the school newspaper that criticized the Nation of Islam. Fast-forward to 2011. A Brown University student was assigned to create a historical narrative using anything in the school library and stumbled across one of the oldest recordings of Malcolm X in existence, heard by virtually no one since its initial taping. Malcolm Burnley and Katharine Pierce join The Takeaway to talk about the twists and turns that brought this rare recording to the public. Katherine Pierce wrote the article that first attracted Malcolm X's attention, and Malcolm Burnley is the student who found it. | 2/7/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Real Story Behind Tyler Clementi's Tragic Death | In September 2010, Tyler Clementi's name became synonymous with bullying, suicide, and the "It Gets Better" project. But while many sensational headlines made it seem as though Clementi was unwillingly outed via a sex tape made available on the internet, the real story is significantly different and far more complicated. New accounts of the case published this week in the New Yorker and OUT magazine — the latter of which was written by Clementi's older brother — reveal the role race, class, and personality had to do with this devastating story. James Clementi is Tyler Clenenti’s older brother. James shares memories of his brother, and clarifies the real story behind the headlines. | 2/3/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 50 Episodes |
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