Spend Thrift

Tuesday, January 06 2009 by | Send to a friend

Spend thrift

As the New Year begins amid continued economic worries, more people have resolved to cut back on spending. Retail stores are suffering. But thrift stores are becoming increasingly popular.

Terri Thompson was embarrassed as a child when her mother dragged her to thrift stores to try on clothes. She still remembers going to school in one particularly hideous outfit: homemade bellbottoms. But as an adult, Terri soon realized she liked shopping in thrift stores. She could find everything she wanted - and at affordable prices.

Recently Terri took on a new challenge: to inspire others to shop at thrift stores, too. She got eight non-profit thrift stores to work together to furnish a model home entirely with secondhand furniture. Terri talks with Dick Gordon about the challenges in getting people to become open to thrift store shopping - and how the Frugal Home Design Show convinced skeptics.

• See photos of rooms in Terri's home and the model house

• See 360 degree room views from the Frugal Design Home Show
  

Addicted to the Game

Did you open a new Wii this holiday season? Or perhaps you spent the holidays cuddled up playing video games online.

Mike Stachowiak knows the thrill of online gaming intimately. Mike spent three years during high school and college immersed in an online role playing game called EverQuest. When he quit he was ranked the best player in the world. He eventually sold his ID on Ebay for $2,000. After that he was shunned by the people he had played with for years, but he hasn't looked back.
 

• Learn more about EverQuest
  

Learning to Read

Monday, January 05 2009 by | Send to a friend

Learning to Read

Lucy and Kiasha Collins - larger >>

People who don't know how to read are often good at hiding it, but the numbers are high. In Durham, N.C., where Kiasha and Lucy Collins live, as many as 24% of city residents read below basic levels.

Kiasha made it all the way to 11th grade without learning how to read. After her children were born, she realized illiteracy was the biggest hurdle she and her family faced. She began attending reading classes, and a short time later, inspired her 68-year-old grandmother Lucy to join her. The two women talk to Dick Gordon about what it's like to ride the bus, sign a lease, and give medicine to children without knowing how to read. And they talk about how learning to read could impact every generation in their family.

• Learn about the center where Kiasha and Lucy are learning to read

A Little Justice

Mitch Berns faced a moment air travelers know only too well. When he checked the status of his flight home from a blissful vacation with his wife, he found that his airline had rebooked him because of bad weather. On any other trip home, he might have shrugged and put up with the red-eye and the extra layover. But this not time - Mitch was convinced the bad weather was just an excuse, and he took the airline to small clams court.

Contact Us

On This Side

Friday, January 02 2009 by | Send to a friend

ON THIS SIDE

Moussa El-Haddad

Moussa El-Haddad lives in Gaza with his wife. The bombs have fallen as close as 100 meters from his home. Two nights he was sitting at his desk and the reverberations from a nearby bomb knocked him right out of his chair. He tells Dick Gordon about what life is like for him now that his city is under siege, and about the hope that a new U.S. administration might mean new policies in this troubled region.

• See an image of the breadline in Moussa's neighborhood
• See a pictures of a bombed mosque near Moussa's home
• See a picture of Moussa and his wife in happier times

ON THAT SIDE

Anita Tucker lived in a heavily guarded settlement in Gaza for 29 years. But she has since been moved to the Israeli side and is living in temporary housing with the rest of her family, including her 8 grandchildren. Rockets have fallen very close to her home, but the family has no protection since the housing is temporary. She tells Dick about her hope that she can one day go back to Gaza to live in peace with her former neighbors.

Selling Electric

Wayne Goldman

One possibility car makers see to revive the ailing industry is building a new electric car. Wayne Goldman sees nothing new about that. Back in the 70s, Wayne designed and built an electric car that he drove for years. At one point, his car held the interest of Avis car rental, the Post Office and Exxon. It was perfect for city driving - powered by batteries and reaching a top speed of 45 mph.

Wayne's electric car - more >>

For Wayne, the question is not whether the auto industry can invent a new electric car - it's whether we, as consumers, are ready to buy one.

• See pictures of Wayne's cars
• This show features archived tape of a 1980 episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Learn more here
  

Hail Mary Football

Thursday, January 01 2009 by | Send to a friend

Hail Mary Football

Don Stancavish and John Fenimore

Playing in a New Year's Day bowl game is the pinnacle of success for college football players. Don Stancavish never played college football, but he vividly remembers the catch of his life as a high school wide receiver. He caught the game-winning touchdown pass against his school's arch rival with just seconds on the clock.

Twenty-four years later, the same ball he caught showed up in a package on his front porch. Don talks to Dick Gordon about what it felt like to have a piece of his youth handed back to him.

Don's former coach, John Fenimore, also joins in the conversation. He talks about highlights from the game and why he returned the football.

• Check out Don's book, The Pass
• See a photo of the football

AFRICAN JAZZ

Somi - larger>>

Since she was a child, Somi has used music to explore her identity as a Rwandese-Ugandan who grew up in the United States. Somi identifies deeply with her cultural roots, especially the idea she was taught while very young: that everyone has a song worth hearing. Somi specializes in jazz music. Her latest album is Somi: Red Soil in my Eyes. Dick talks to Somi about how her intercontinental family helps inspire her music.

• Hear more of Somi's music
• Read Somi's blog
• See one of her music videos