Friday, December 11 2009

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Friday, December 11, 2009

Five American Muslims Detained In Pakistan

Five young men from Northern Virginia were arrested in Pakistan on Thursday for alleged ties to Muslim militant groups there, and will likely be deported. Just weeks after the Fort Hood shooting, we take a look at these young American Muslims. We're joined by Ibrahim Hooper, the national communications director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and Siobhan Gorman, intelligence reporter at the Wall Street Journal, who break down what we know about these five men and report reactions from the Muslim community in Virginia.

This case and possibly others raise enough concerns that it's something the Muslim community wants to deal with. That's why we're planning an outreach campaign to Muslim youth, offering a mainstream perspective on a variety of issues, so that when they go on the Internet and have access to these kinds of extremist viewpoints from overseas, that they have a balancing perspective. I don't think we're seeing this kind of thing develop from something that's said in a mosque in America -- you're seeing it develop from people accessing extremist websites or extremist viewpoints in the international arena.
--Ibrahim Hooper, the national communications director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations

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Takeouts: Bank Bonuses, Editor & Publisher, Listeners on Nobel

  • Business Takeout: New York Times finance reporter Louise Story explains why Goldman Sachs is paying its 30 top people bonuses entirely in stock, rather than cash.
  • Publishing Takeout: Another blow was dealt to the newspaper industry yesterday when the Nielsen company decided to fold Editor & Publisher magazine. Greg Mitchell, editor of the 125-year-old trade magazine, shares his memories of the paper and his expectations for the industry it leaves behind.
  • Listener Takeout: We hear from our listeners about President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize award in Oslo, yesterday.

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One Year After Madoff's Arrest

Hard to believe, but it's been one year since Ponzi scheme 'mastermind' Bernie Madoff was arrested for scamming over $50 billion from investors. We thought it'd be the perfect time to check in and see how Madoff's victims and associates are doing, one year after his arrest. Aaron Lucchetti is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal whose latest article says the Madoff sons are having an incredibly hard time finding themsleves new jobs. Cynthia Crane was one of Madoff's many victims; she decided to adapt her story for the theatre in a show titled, "John Denver, Bernie Madoff, and Me."

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Countering Copenhagen Carbon with Kilns

With luminaries flying in from all over the world, the carbon footprint of the Copenhagen summit had worried the Danish government ...but they've come up with a surprising way of making the summit carbon-neutral.  The Danes are contributing about $1 million into a project to replace 20 traditional brick kilns with energy efficient ones, thousands of miles away in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Denmark says the scheme will cut 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, offsetting the fuel spent by the 15,000 delegates' flights to Copenhagen. We talk with the BBC’s Mark Dummett from Dhaka to find out more about the program.

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The Controversy Behind Eastwood's "Invictus"

Director Clint Eastwood's latest, "Invictus," opens this weekend. The film shows Nelson Mandela shortly after his release from prison, as a new president working to unite a polarized South Africa by changing the image of the nation's all-white rugby team.  Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon star in the film, but South African actors say they should be playing these major roles set in their country.

Takeaway film contributor Rafer Guzman and South African arts and entertainment journalist Nadia Neophytou discuss the convroversy behind "Invictus."

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TARP Extended; Banks Try to Leave the Program

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner defended his extension of TARP on Thursday, saying it will help fight foreclosures and increase lending for small businesses.  But many banks have already paid back the bulk of their TARP money: Bank of America returned the entirety of its bailout funds on Wednesday, and Citigroup is playing catch-up, trying hard to get out from under government ownership by repaying $45 billion of TARP money.  We speak with Andrew Ross Sorkin, chief acquisitions and mergers correspondent for The New York Times and author of "Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System - and Themselves." We also hear from Richard Bove, an analyst with Rochedale Securities in Lutz, Florida, on whether the paybacks mean the economic crisis is over, or just that banks want out of the program's regulation.

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Takeouts: Heisman Trophy, Movies, Listeners on Princesses

  • Sports Takeout: Pablo Torre, reporter with Sports Illustrated, joins us to look at the candidates for this year's Heisman Trophy.
  • Movie Takeout: Newsday film critic Rafer Guzman joins us with a look at the films opening on the big screen this weekend. 
  • Listener Takeout: We hear from our listeners about Disney's "The Princess and the Frog."

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2009: The Year in Ideas

On Sunday, our partners at The New York Times will run their ninth annual "Year in Ideas" issue, compiling some of the best (and and most eccentric) ideas that made headlines this year.

Moon-centric-legislation, Twitter-based-revolutions, hybrid car ringtones and zombiefied Jane Austen are all on the table as we speak with Chris Suellentrop, staff editor of the New York Times Magazine.

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H1N1 Still Active; Vaccine Easier to Find

Federal health officials say that 10,000 people have died due to H1N1 (or "swine flu") since April. To put that number into context, we speak with Dr. Richard Wenzel, infectious disease specialist at Virginia Commonwealth University and  immediate past President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases.

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Green Business: The Giant and the Little Guy

Some businesses go green by having bicycle-operated blenders. Others do it by redefining what "acceptable packaging" is for an entire category of retail products. We talk with Sean Meenan, owner of New York's first solar-powered restaurant, Habana Outpost, along with Candace Taylor, director of sustainability for the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart. They share with us the unique challenges and opportunities they each face – as a small business and an enormous one – in staying green, staying afloat, and setting an example for businesses and consumers.

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