Thursday      
December 25, 2008

Homes for Our Troops
Homes for Our Troops is a non-profit Massachusetts based group that uses donations and volunteer labor to construct specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans.

Foreclosure and Tenants’ Rights
A jury in Boston recently ruled that The Bank of New York must pay more than $50,000 to a man who had his water shut off in an effort to force him out of the home he rented. The home’s owner, his landlord, was in foreclosure. We speak to Harvard Law student David Haller who has been working with the school’s Legal Aid Bureau. Haller was one of the students who tried the case.
HLS Students Win $54K Verdict Against Foreclosing Bank

Inaugural Ode

The challenge, from the Best American Poetry series: write a 16-line poem suitable to be read aloud at the Inauguration next month, that quotes a line from a Best American poem from 2008, which also uses at least three of the following six words: honor, integrity, faith, hope, change, power. That was the Inaugural Ode Challenge from the Best American Poetry series. We speak with series editor David Lehman, and the winning poet, Gerald Greland.
Best American Poetry

Letters to God
Santa Claus has answered this year’s flock of letters from children, but for God, the letters come in year-round. People looking for answers and help from God, send their letters to the Jerusalem Post Office. Here & Now’s Daniel Estrin takes a trip to the Post Office, as they do their best to deliver the letters to the intended recipient.

England’s Choirmaster
We reprise our conversation with Sir David Willcocks, the renowned British choral conductor, organist, and composer. He has been called “England’s Choirmaster” and knighted for his contributions to music. He speaks to us about his rich musical memories, including performances of Handel’s “Messiah”, a staple of the holiday season.

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Friday, May 18, 2012
The Appian Road, in the Monti Aurunci area of Italy. (Robert Kaster/University of Chicago Press)

For many people, this time of year is an occasion for road trips — up and down the coasts, across the U.S., through Europe. For Robert Kaster, it was a time to venture along the most ancient roads of all time: the Appian Way in Italy.

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Friday, May 18, 2012
(Michael M. Phillips/Wall Street Journal)

It was supposed to be a calm ride for marines travelling in Zaranj, along Afghanistan’s border with Iran, but a suicide bomb changed that. Photographer Michael Phillips witnessed the scene unfold and joins us.

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Thursday, May 17, 2012
Musician John Fullbright at Here & Now studios at WBUR in Boston. (Jesse Costa/Here & Now)

Okemah, Okla., is the birthplace of folk legend Woody Guthrie. It’s also the hometown of singer-songwriter John Fullbright, who at just 24, is already being compared with folk great Townes Van Zandt.

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