Torture Hearing

Exactly who came up with the harsh interrogation techniques that could be used on detainees at Guantanamo Bay and at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq? That’s the focus of a Senate Armed Service committee hearing today. According to the committee’s finding, Pentagon lawyer, William “Jim” Haynes, inquired in 2002 into a military program that trained Army soldiers on how to survive enemy interrogations. He and other officials wanted to know if the techniques could be reverse engineered and used to extract intelligence. We’ll have the latest from the hearing with Demetri Sevastopulo, Pentagon & Intelligence correspondent for the Financial Times of London.

Blue Fin Tuna

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It can weigh in at half a ton — and measure 6-feet. Until recently, it was considered unfit for human consumption. Now the blue fin tuna — loved by sushi eaters in Japan — is endangered. We speak with Richard Ellis, a conservationist, biologist, and author. He has a book coming out in July titled “Tuna: A Love Story.” He recently wrote about the fish in Scientific American.

Foreclosures Increase Homeless

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One of every five sub-prime mortgages made in the last two years will go through foreclosure, according to the Center for Responsible Lending. And homeless advocates say that’s leading to an increase in the number of homeless people. The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that 60 percent of the state and local homeless shelters they surveyed have seen more people come through their doors than in recent years. In Santa Barbara, California, a public- private partnership is creating a new way to help the homeless. The city is allowing homeless people to sleep in their cars in parking lots around the city. We speak to 66 year-old Barbara Harvey, who lost her job in the mortgage industry this year and now lives in her car with her two golden retrievers. We also speak to Gary Linker, Executive Director of the New Beginnings Counseling Center that runs the parking lot program.

Shakespeare in a Church Basement

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Boston’s Actors’ Shakespeare Project is used to producing plays in non-traditional settings….and in doing so, reach people who usually don’t go to the theater. Recently, they performed King John in the basement of the Cathedral of St Paul in Boston. In the audience was David Hurley, a man who has been without a home for 33 years. Here and Now’s Andrea Shea was there, too.

Children’s Literature

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A new book takes a look at children’s literature from the Colonial times to Harry Potter, and the many unsung people: editors, publishers, and librarians who have molded the genre. We speak with Leonard S. Marcus, author of “Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children’s Literature”.