How does the State of the Union look to Job Seekers in Rhode Island?
Listen
As President Obama prepares to give his first State of the Union address tonight, we touch down in Rhode Island where there’s 13% unemployment. Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti visited a job fair in Warwick, and spoke with a number of people who have been unemployed for President Obama’s entire time in office.
Previewing the State of the Union Address
President Obama is expected to make jobs and middle class issues the focus of tonight’s speech. Even as the President attempts a re-set after political setbacks, Democrats are debating what went wrong: Is it the President’s agenda, or the agenda’s presentation? Our guests:
Listen Berkeley Professor of Public Policy and former Clinton Administration Labor Secretary Robert Reich, author of “Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life.”
Listen Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, and author of “Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security From World War Two to the War on Terrorism.”
Toyota Recalls: What to Do if Your Car’s On the List
(AP)
Listen
Toyota has announced that it will stop selling and producing eight models after two recalls for a problem where the gas pedal sticks, causing the vehicle to speed up unintentionally.
Toyota says there’s no fix for this problem right now, so what should consumers do, and what does this news mean for Toyota? We talk to Sean Kane, president of the consumer advocacy group, Safety Research & Strategies.
- See a full list of vehicles recalled
- See how you can slow down your car if it starts speeding up unexpectedly
Emotional Medicine: A Father Takes Extraordinary Measures to Save His Children
Listen
When two of John Crowley’s children were diagnosed with Pompe disease, a rare genetic enzyme deficiency that can be fatal, he started a biotech company to find a treatment. But he found that his family’s needs sometimes conflicted with the needs of medical research. Crowley’s story is dramatized in the new film “Extraordinary Measures” and he writes about it in the new book: “Chasing Miracles: The Crowley Family Journey of Strength, Hope and Joy.
- See photos of the Crowley family
- Learn more about the company that developed the treatment for Pompe disease
Conductor Pierre Boulez Reflects on His Legacy
Pierre Boulez conducts the Lucerne Festival Acadamy Orchestra in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 2006. (KEYSTONE/Sigi Tischler)
Listen
Conductor-composer Pierre Boulez turns 85 in March. Here and Now’s critic-at-large Ed Siegel talked with the master maestro just before a recent concert at Carnegie Hall about his musical legacy in the classical genre and his future projects.
Music from the show
- Dave Douglas, “A Single Sky”
- Mike Mills, “Air”
- The Higher Burning Fire, “From Greenland to Alaska”
- Four Tet, “Unspoken”
- Igor Stravinsky, “The Firebird”, conducted by Pierre Boulez
- Bela Bartok,”Concerto For Two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra” conducted by Pierre Boulez
- Arnold Schoenberg, “Pierrot Lunaire”, conducted by Pierre Boulez
- Pierre Boulez, “Repons”
- Frank Zappa,”The Girl In The Magnesium Dress” conducted by Pierre Boulez
- Pierre Boulez,”Notations”
The crowley piece in advertently brought up the major issues in the healthcare debate that we don’t hear about.
Posted by ezra abrams, on January 27th, 2010 at 6:03 pmCost are not driven by greed for profit companies, or bumbling gov’ts; they are, in the main, driven by new technology.
The host alludes this problem briefly, and mr crowley sort of blows it off.
The truth is, the reason healthcare costs are out of control is because new technology (and an aging population) allow us to indulge in our natural human desire to have unlimited medical care.