Political Halloween

We asked, you answered. Here's a few of our listeners, exercising their right to be any one they want to be on Halloween. Thanks to everyone who sent in pics.

Tags: halloween | politics

5:12 PM ET | 10-30-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Send Your Housing Horror Stories

The Lincoln Heights Home

Courtesy Walker-Rosato Family

--Heather Murphy

Back in 2003, this 3-bedroom, hundred-year-old Victorian was listed on the market for $240,000. In the Midwest this might seem like a lot, but in most parts of Los Angeles, this was the price of a chicken coop.

There were some spooky signs that something was amiss -- like a black widow spider and a toilet located in the middle of the sunroom, but actress Mary Lou Rosato her artist husband Gregory Walker were in love. They pounced quickly, narrowing defeating another bidder.

And that is where things began to go very wrong, as the couple tells us in the radio show today. Just as they are about to close the deal, a neighbor informs them that there home was actually the scene of a gruesome crime. The strange toilet? For flushing crack rocks if the police showed up. It gets worse from there. You can read and hear the full story here.

Why hadn't anyone told them about the violent ghosts that haunted their home? Because when one buys a property from the bank, there is no such thing as a disclosure form. Drive-bys, exploding meth labs, a rapid bat colony -- an individual seller would have to fess up about such problems. But representatives from the bank aren't legally expected to know or tell.

Who ended up buying the house? Did they survive? You'll have to listen to the story to find out. In the meanwhile, we want your housing horror stories. Have you been through something similar? Post your tale below.

Tags: halloween | housing | urban living

12:50 PM ET | 10-30-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Inmates' 'Legal Pleasures': From Strippers To Golf

--Heather Murphy

What do inmates who have spent more than ten years in prison most look forward when they get on the outside? Inmates at Airway Heights Corrections Center in Spokane, Washington created a list in a workshop called "re-constructing yourself." The requirement: the participants in the class had to have spent at least 10 years or half their adult life in prison and the items on the list were supposed to be "legal pleasures."

Some of the highlights:

*Toilet alone
*Talking with real people
*Eating when you want to
*Barefoot
*Walking in woods
*Working on bike
*Sex
*Not hearing "cell in"
*Hot bubble bath
*Jumping on waterbed
*Being a kid again
*Go to animal shelter
*Books on tape
*Blues festivals
*Strippers
*Independent choices
*Home-cooked meal
*Golf
*Wrestle with kids
*Circuit City
*Lotto
*Sunrise -- no razor wire
*Flirting with women
*Sports without politics -- for fun
*Climbing trees
*Talk radio
*Looking at houses

12:35 PM ET | 10-30-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Hot in Heels

Jolie Myers, NPR

 

--Jolie Myers

Last week I showed up at Crunch Gym in Los Angeles to document a milestone in reporter (and former Day to Day staffer) Shereen Meraji's life.

Jolie Myers, NPR

 

Jolie Myers, NPR

She was going to learn how to dance in stilettos as part of a story she was doing about this new, high fashion trend. I would take pictures from the safety of my flat, sensible sandals.

I recalled an experience years ago, when I literally took a total of three steps in needle-thin heels before writing them off as torture forever. So the prospect of shimmying, shaking and yes, dropping it like it's hot, in sexy spikes sent shivers down my spine.

So here's to you, Ms. Meraji, and your patent leather peep toes. You're a braver lady than I.

Oh, and if you missed it, here's Shereen's stiletto story.

Tags: Shereen | fashion | high heels | stilettos

12:14 PM ET | 10-29-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Moms Talk Obama

NPR Staff Photo

 

--Madeleine Brand

I sat down with a group of African-American moms the other day to talk about what it means to them that the country may, for the first time, elect a black president. Well, actually, I was more a fly-on-the-wall, privy to a private conversation I don't usually hear, as I'm not black.

No surprise that everyone in this group is voting for Obama and is happy and proud to do so. Yet their views are more complicated. A couple of the moms voted for Hillary Clinton in the primary, and were skeptical of Barack Obama's celebrity.

"I'm uncomfortable with the idol worship," said Ellen, who is voting for Obama, but not-so-secretly likes Sarah Palin.

Nicole said she didn't want to drink the Obama Kool-Aid initially, but then was put off by what she called Hillary Clinton's sense of entitlement. "He asked for my vote," said Nicole. "That was important."

The moms argued about whether - if Obama is elected - there could be a racial backlash. Shauna said she thought his candidacy has ushered in a new era in race relations. Other moms were more cynical and even fearful that African-Americans could be the targets of anger come November 5th. Our interview ended with this question: what do you tell your children about this election?

Your turn, now. What do you tell your kids? What do you think about what Obama's candidacy has or hasn't done for race relations?

Tags: politics | race

5:47 PM ET | 10-27-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Costumes in the News?

 

Are you dressing up for Halloween as someone in the news? If so, we want to see you (or your kids, if they're doing something based on a noteworthy figure.) Get out your camera, take a shot or two and send them to us here as email attachments.

Just put "Halloween" in the subject line. Remember to attach your photos, and identify all the people in them.

We hope to use them in a Halloween photo gallery of our listeners, and you really should be part of it, don't you think?

Tags: halloween | photos | polticial characters

5:28 PM ET | 10-27-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

The Undecided Project

View Larger Map:

 

Day to Day has heard from dozens of undecided voters explaining why, with just a few weeks to go until Election Day, they are still unsure which candidate for President will get their vote. The show got so many comments, from so many places, that we decided to create a centralized repository for these stories using Google Maps. Each one of the question marks on the map above represents an undecided voter, and you can read their thoughts about the election by clicking on the icon. (The purple push-pins represent Day to Day stories about undecided voters, like Barbara Zimmerman, who we spoke to just before the last Presidential Debate. We'll be adding new stories as they air.)

Now the real question: are you an undecided voter? Would you like to throw your digitized two cents into the pixel pile? If you have a Google Account, you can add your story directly to the map by following the directions at the bottom of this post. Or, if you don't have a Google account, you can send your story (along with your name, and where you live) to undecided@npr.org so that we can add it for you. Either way, we want to hear from you! We'll be featuring undecided voters on the program all week. Drop in your comment on the map, and we might feature it on the air.

--Gary Dauphin

How to Update Our Google Map If You Have a Google Account

1. Go to our undecided map and log into your Google Account
2. Click on "edit" in the left-hand column
3. Search for your general location - Keep in mind that Google Maps can pinpoint your address down to the house, so maintain your privacy by just giving it your zip code or city
4. Click on the "Add a placemark" icon in the upper left hand corner of the map - it looks like a blue, upside-down teardrop. Put the placemark in the your town's general vincity.
5. Write your story in the field provided and give it a title. It, of course, goes without saying that off-color, offensive, objectionable or generally flame-baiting comments will be deleted.
6. For extra credit, choose an icon to represent your contribution. The icons are selectable in the upper-right hand corner of your placemark.
7. Click on "DONE" in the left-hand column when you're finished

If you have any questions or comments about the map, feel free to post them here.

Tags: Google Maps | call outs | election | undecided voters

3:00 AM ET | 10-24-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Join Our Real Economy Project

We are looking for people to check in with about the economy throughout the coming months.

Is the economic turmoil taking a toll on your livelihood and plans for the coming year? Or perhaps you are quite confident that your life will be unaffected by what's happening on Wall Street.

Either way, we want to hear from you. If you are interested sharing your story on the air or online, please answer the following questions and send them back to us at realeconomy@npr.org. We'll let you know soon after if you'll be sharing your thoughts and experiences on the show.

1.) On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate your confidence in your financial situation? 1 is very confident and 5 is very worried. Explain.

2.) What do you/your family members do for a living?

3.) What are the two toughest financial challenges you are facing right now? (i.e. retirement, food)

4.) What two areas take up most of your money every month?

5.) How old are you?

Please include your full name, phone number, city and state in your email to realeconomy@npr.org.

We look forward to reading your responses and will get back to you soon.

Thanks,

Day to Day

7:18 PM ET | 10-23-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Fox and the Civilizing Effect

AP Images

 

--Steve Proffitt

Say what you want about Fox, they are doing an great job televising the World Series. And certainly one of the most interesting features are the live microphones they've placed on umpires.

So far, at least, no dirt-kicking, side-spitting, in-your-face encounters. In fact, an interaction between The Ray's manager Joe Maddon and home-plate umpire Tim Welke in Game 1 was gentlemanly, if a little inscrutable.

Watch this excerpt (thank you MBL.com). You'll see Maddon, being quite UN-gentlemanly, when he thought Ray's pitcher Cole Hamel's had committed a balk while picking off Carlos Pena.

But about 40 seconds in, Maddon and Umpire Welke have this polite, but baffling exchange:

Maddon: My concern is this. He doesn't read. He doesn't read. So he's going home all the way right there, and then he decided to throw to first base. That's why I've got it as a balk. If he was a reader, I have no dispute whatsoever."

Welke: I understand what you're saying. The only thing I look for is if I see a step. His feet start this way, together, and he ended up stepping that much closer to first base.

Obviously Welke is talking about the alleged balk. But Maddon? What is this, "He doesn't read?"

If you, gentle reader can translate, please do so.

Tags: arcania | balk | baseball

3:58 PM ET | 10-23-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Nobel Prize Winners Can Sleep Easier

Are you one of the Nobel Prize-winning-authors that we scared into thinking was going to lose your book deal? Well, you can take a deep breath -- because it's probably not going to happen. We do have some news, however, regarding why the Harvard of the publishing world is looking a little less appealing this week.

In a segment on international literature Wednesday, David Kipen of the National Endowment of Arts told us that Nobel Prize winner Imre Kertesz lost his book deal with a major American publishing house because sales were lower than expected. The novelist was forced to move over to the smaller Melville House for lack of options, he suggested -- shocking all you aspiring Nobel Prize-winners who thought the award was a guaranteed ticket to success.

Turns out this wasn't true. A Nobel Prize is still a fine way to keep a book deal (along with a long list of other hard-earned perks). Kertesz's current publisher -- Dennis Johnson of Melville -- got in touch with us and clarified that the prestigious Knopf never tried to get rid of the Hungarian author. (You can read his e-mail after the jump). Rather, the independent publisher approached Kertesz -- and made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

More and more highly esteemed authors are choosing to go with smaller houses like Melville, said Johnson in a follow-up conversation, adding, "It's a great honor for me to publish Kertesz. I'm going to keep that book in print until I die."

Who publishes where may seem like small beans, but as the economy goes haywire and publishing houses tremble, these are details that affect just about anyone who likes to read.

Continue reading "Nobel Prize Winners Can Sleep Easier " »

6:06 PM ET | 10-17-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Undecided

--Madeleine Brand

We heard from an undecided, Independent voter on the show.

With less than three weeks until the election, we're wondering: is anyone else still undecided?

If you are, tell us - why? What's going to help you make up your mind? Did the two candidates say anything last night to sway you?

Tags: election | undecided voters

11:54 AM ET | 10-16-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Last Chance

NPR Photo-composite: Barack Obama, John McCain

AP Images

 

We heard from an undecided voter on the show today who said she hoped the candidates would outline their programs for health care reform in tonight's final Presidential debate.

And, since tonight's debate is about domestic policy, we just have to ask: What issue do you want John McCain and Barack Obama to address in their final match-up before next month's election?

Tags: debate | presidential politics

12:29 PM ET | 10-15-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Foreign Authors You May Not Know

--Heather Murphy

One might think that winning a Nobel Prize would be a ticket to literary success in the United States. Not quite. Even after winning the esteemed award for his book Fateless -- and adapting the novel into an acclaimed movie -- Hungarian author Imre Kertesz couldn't keep his book contract with a major American publisher. It seems sales didn't meet expectations. For his latest novella, he had to turn to the small publisher Melville House, David Kipen of the National Endowment for the Arts told Madeleine Brand on the show this morning.
(Editorial note: Kipen made a mistake. Read more here.)

Only about three percent of all books published in the United States are works that have been translated, Kipen says.

Is the problem that Americans don't like to read books by foreign authors or that they simply don't know about them? Publishers and authors would likely offer different explanations.

In an attempt to reverse the trend -- whatever its root cause -- Kipen offered a list of his favorite foreign authors of the moment. Please feel free to add to the list in the comment section below.

The List

Britain

• *Jonathan Coe, The Rotters' Club and The House of Sleep

Russia

• *Victor Pelevin, The Sacred Book of Werewolf and Buddha's Little Finger.

• *Boris Akunin, The Winter Queen

• *Ludmila Ulitskaya, The Funeral Party

Albania

• *Ismail Kadare, The Three-Arched Bridge and Spring Flowers, Spring Frost (Read Excerpt)

Hungary

• *Imre Kertesz, Fateless, The Pathseeker (Read Excerpt).

Portugal

• *Antonio Lobo Antunes, What Can I Do When Everything's on Fire?

Norway

• *Per Petterson, Out Stealing Horses

Egypt

• *Naguib Mahfouz, The Thief and the Dogs, (Read Excerpt)

• *Muhammad Yusuf Quayd, War in the Land of Egypt

• *Alaa Al Aswany, The Yacoubian Building

Japan

• *Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Mexico

• *Carlos Fuentes, The Death of Artemio Cruz

12:12 PM ET | 10-15-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Finding Denise

--Adam Burke

Denise Lealao, the subject of my story from Las Vegas, is one of a growing number of Americans who are shocked to find themselves in soul-crushing financial straits. And I suspect there are Denises in most communities--people who are going to great lengths to try and resist the slide into poverty.

The current tectonic economic upheaval affects everyone, but it's tough for a reporter to find the Denises out there. Most people would never be willing to share the details that make Denise's story so immediate. (In fact Denise's husband did not want to talk about his experience, his sense of failure is so strong....)

Fortunately for me I had the journalistic equivalent of gold: a good source.
I was able to bring Denise's story to listeners thanks to the other woman in the piece, Linda Lera-Randle El.

Continue reading "Finding Denise" »

Tags: editorial notebook | poverty

9:40 AM ET | 10-15-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

McCainalogy

--Gary Dauphin

On today's show, Madeleine spoke to Philip Ballinger, Director of Admissions at the University of Washington, about whether or not the SAT test is an effective predictor of future performance. Afterwards, she and Alex reached back to their own test-prepping days (way back in one case) to toss a few SAT-style analogies back forth. For example:

Madeleine: Mortgage-backed securities are to banking as the Chicago Cubs are to...?

Alex: Baseball?

You get the idea. As a test of our audience's mental acuity, we wanted to get your suggestions on how to best finish this current events analogy:

MAVERICK is to CHANGE as what is to...?

We'll share your best suggestions on air.

Tags: McCain | SAT tests | analogies | call outs | education

11:47 AM ET | 10- 9-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

It's Hot in Here!

--Madeleine Brand

NPR Photo-composite:
John McCain, Charles Keating, William Ayers, Barack Obama

AP Images

 

Is your workplace feeling a little sensitive?

The presidential race is heating up and maybe nasty political comments among your co-workers are escalating.

One side accuses the other of palling around with terrorists.

One side accuses the other of palling around with criminals.

Here at NPR West, we're talking news all day long, so it happens: someone makes a crack and, well, things get a wee bit uncomfortable.

What's your experience? Is the presidential race affecting relations with your co-workers?

Tags: negative advertising | politics

12:25 PM ET | 10- 7-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Persistence and Determination

--Steve Proffitt

This morning we reported on an excavation that began today along a freeway off-ramp north of Los Angeles. Authorities are hoping to find the remains of a fifteen year-old boy.

Roger Madison went missing forty years ago. A few years later, a serial killer named Mack Ray Edwards confessed that Madison was one of at least six children he had killed. But Edwards claimed he didn't remember where he buried the body.

The work may result in the recovery of Madison's remains, four decades after he was killed. But, whatever the result, the two people behind it are examples to all of us about what can be accomplished with some single-minded determination.

Writer Weston DeWalt

Steve Proffitt, NPR

Weston DeWalt is an author and researcher. He learned about Roger Madison's murder while gathering information about another murder victim. He shared his research with LAPD detective Vivian Flores, and for the past three years the two have been virtually joined at the hip, conducting an excruciating investigation into a forty year-old murder.

LAPD Detective Vivian Flores

Steve Proffitt, NPR

Detective Flores is the mother of a ten year-old son, and she says she can't imagine what she would do if he turned up missing. So, while she carried a full caseload as a police detective, she put in long hours, often on her own time, interviewing people, examining old documents, and engaging in old-fashioned detective work, trying to pinpoint the site where the killer disposed of Roger Madison's body.

The Los Angeles Police Department has set up a live Web cam at the site of the dig, and you can watch the progress of the excavation as it happens.

It could be weeks before the dig is complete, and investigators could turn up empty. If they do, it's a good bet that DeWalt and Flores will take that as only a minor set-back, and press on looking for new clues. Attention, criminals: as long as this duo is around, think twice before conducting your next caper.

Tags: LAPD | murder | serial killer

1:18 PM ET | 10- 6-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Tales of Tuition

--Madeleine Brand

We reported today that parents are having trouble paying for college in this economy. The average tuition for a four-year private college: $23,000. And that's before room and board.

How do you pay for it? Are you taking out loans? Is it more difficult to get a loan now? Did you have to tell your kid, "Sorry, we can't afford your top choice?" Students: are you working to help pay for your schooling?

Tell us your story; these Day to Day team members did: Jason DeRose told us about being paid to go to church while in college. Heather Murphy shares the story of a a work study that involved the occasional "machine gun" and burning jacket. We even got Day to Day Executive Producer Deborah Clark to share this brief recollection of her own work-study: (Call it Trouble with Truffles.)

For a very brief period -- and by brief, I mean MAYBE two weeks -- I had worked for a woman who made truffles. My job was to take the orders that had come in, sprinkle chocolate powder on the requested sweets, pack them delicately into boxes and ship them out. Completely boring AND I don't really like chocolate. (This is not so much an active dislike as more a "if chocolate disappeared off the face of the earth I wouldn't care" kind of thing.) But that was all rather moot, as I managed to get myself fired within a couple of weeks by calling in sick twice. One sick day was real, and one involved a previous obligation I didn't want to miss and hadn't negotiated out of ahead of time.

Just out of curiosity, I just checked to see if her business still exists. It does, so I guess she survived without me. But my disinterest in chocolate endures 20 years later.

Thanks, Deborah! But what about you? How did you pay for school?

Tags: call out | education

12:21 PM ET | 10- 2-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

Paying For Books With 'Guns' And Fire

--Heather Murphy

As part of our look at work-study, we asked the Day To Day team for tales of working through school. Edior Jason DeRose told us about being paid to go to church while in college. Below, Heather Murphy shares a rather different tale of making ends meet, that involved the occasional burning jacket and "machine gun."

My sophomore year in college, I coordinated an after-school program for D.C. teens who'd been in trouble with the law but "showed promise" according to their probation officers. Work-study paid me tax-free $12 an hour for this responsibility and, because, I fed the kids, I also got to eat for free three times a week.

Most of my charges looked older than I did (I was 19, but looked 15) and thus the power-struggle was intense. Just when I had things under control, they would do things like light themselves on fire. ("I knew it would only burn the stitching of the pocket, Ms. Murphy, I've done it before." I kid you not.)

Continue reading "Paying For Books With 'Guns' And Fire " »

Tags: Washington DC | education | work-study

12:11 PM ET | 10- 2-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail

The First Church of Work-Study

Courtesy Jason DeRose

--Jason DeRose

As part of our look at work-study, we asked the D2D team if anyone had any good tales of working their way through school. Heather Murphy shares the story of a not-so-special after-school education. Below, Jason DeRose offers a story of the most sanctified $5 an hour ever.

For my college work study job, I got paid to go to church. Let me explain. I worked in the college chapel as the sacristan. That meant I picked up the Communion bread on Saturday afternoons and stopped by the liquor store once a month to buy a case of wine. I set the table on Sunday mornings, help serve during the worship service and cleaned up afterwards. Also, I washed and ironed the linens for the Communion table. Here's the breakdown of my (kinda) holy office:

Continue reading "The First Church of Work-Study" »

Tags: St Olaf College | college | education | work-study

11:43 AM ET | 10- 2-2008 | permalink

comments () | | e-mail