2010 November | Here & Now

The country’s 48 million Latinos represent the fastest growing community in the U.S., and both major political parties are looking for ways to draw them to the polls in 2012. One expert says it won’t be possible to win the presidency without Latino support in 2012.

If Congress fails to renew extended jobless benefits, nearly two million Americans will stop receiving unemployment checks by the end of December.

Throughout his life, George Washington always had a strong connection to the land. Before he was the country’s first president, he was a surveyor, mapping land for settlers and speculators. Historian Barnet Schecter revisits the maps that Washington drew and collected over the years for a fresh take on Washington’s life.

What image comes to mind when you hear the word hacker? An anarchist working in the dead of night trying to subvert the world? One researcher explains that hackers don’t always fit the stereotype and have their own set of ethics.

On Tuesday we heard sounds from Christian McBride, Joe Jackson and more.

India has the highest number of road fatalities in the world, recently surpassing China, even though China has more people. What is it about India’s roads that make them so dangerous?

President Obama is ordering government agencies to review procedures for keeping classified information secret in the wake of the latest Wikileaks document release.

Indian-born British novelist Salman Rushdie famously had his life threatened after a fatwa was issued in response to his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses.” He’s venturing into less controversial territory with his new book.

Months after an underground explosion that killed 29 men in West Virginia, the Mine Safety and Health Administration is starting an aggressive campaign to tamp down on mines with safety violations.

On Monday we heard music from Steve Reich, The Funk Brothers and more.

A group of architects are designing super-insulated, energy-efficient homes that require almost no heating, even on a cold winter day.

This month, instead of wearing a colored ribbon, men from around the world are growing mustaches to raise awareness and money for men’s health issues.

Today we heard music from the Rolling Stones and the great John Williams.

On Black Friday, locally-owned shops in Oakland, Calif. are trying to convince residents to shop at local stores by launching “Plaid Friday.”
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Star Wars creator, George Lucas, recently announced that he would re-release all six of his Star Wars films in 3-D.

Harry Houdini famously freed himself from locked wooden chests and a casket submerged in a swimming pool. Other details about his life that are less well-known are explored in a new art exhibit.

This is the first year since the recession hit that businesses are expecting sales to go up significantly, but will an uptick be enough to bring down long-term unemployment?

After a season which already has seen dozens suffer concussions, officials at the National Football League are now threatening heavy fines and suspensions for players who continue to deliver so-called “dirty,” helmet to helmet hits that can cause brain damage.

On Thursday we heard music from Uncle Tupelo, Nathan Milstein and more.

Bronson Alcott, father of Louisa May Alcott, is little known today, but in the 1840s Alcott was called the most radical man in America. A new book tells the story of how Alcott tried to re-create the Garden of Eden in Massachusetts.