In this third installment of our series on genius, we look at the problem of child prodigies. Author David Shenk and chess champion Josh Waitzkin, who was the inspiration for the main character in 1993's Searching for Bobby Fisher, join us to discuss where prodigy comes from, and where it goes when the child grows up.
Illinois has a long history of political corruption. Four of the past eight governors have been indicted on corruption charges, and dozens of other public officials have been convicted on similar grounds. In February, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, Scott Lee Cohen, stepped aside after allegations that he had abused his wife.
Even after you restore safety and security, how do you begin to rebuild? Haitian President Rene Preval will meet with President Barack Obama in Washington today to discuss what Haiti needs two months after the earthquake that devasted large swathes of the country. Along with severe damages to infrastructure in the wake of the disaster, Haitians are trying to deal with economic issues — some of them pre-existent — brought into sharp relief by the quake. We're checking in with two people who have a birds-eye view of Haitian need, and how it interacts with that country's economy, past and future.
A study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute released Wednesday shows that more Americans are waiting longer to retire because they are not financially secure.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will visit Afghanistan today. His visit has strategists around the world scratching their heads as they try to discern his agenda.
The vice president kicked off his five-day Mideast trip in Israel where he told leaders that U.S. ties to Israel are "unshakable." Mr. Biden plans to focus on Iran and the indirect peace talks that Israel and Palestine are prepared to undertake. However, expectations are low that these talks will lead to an agreement, says BBC reporter Heather Sharpe.
Ethnic violence between Christians and Muslims in the Nigerian city of Jos has left hundreds dead. Both the U.S. government and Human Rights Watch have called for an inquiry into the violence and Nigerian troops are patrolling the area to try to keep it secure. The BBC's Ahmed Idris joins us with more from Abuja, Nigeria.
Massachusetts is one of forty-six states that offer tax credits to filmmakers who agree to produce their movies in that state. The benefit for the Commonwealth is added jobs and more local business while the film is in production. But some are calling for the governor to put a cap on the tax credit in order to balance the budget.
Minority communities have been hit hardest by the recession, but they are receiving fewer of the stimulus project contracts doled out by the government.
Since December 2007, seven million jobs have been lost in our country, and the majority of those who’ve lost their jobs have been men. At the same time, females have been returning to the workforce in higher numbers than their male counterparts, and more and more women have taken on the role of primary breadwinner for their families.
Python hunting season is currently open in South Florida until April 17th. The region has been ravaged by a huge invasion of the Southeast Asian reptile. The snakes were meant to be exotic pets, but have found their way into the wild.
Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited the Afghan capital on Monday. Gen. McChrystal said the U.S. has all but routed the Taliban from their former stronghold of Marjah and that the military will now turn its attention to Kandahar — a key city that dwarfs Marjah in size.
You may know him best as the voice behind the song, "Don't Worry, Be Happy," but Bobby McFerrin comes from a line of history-making artists. Robert McFerrin, Sr. was the first black man to sing at the Metropolitan Opera, and he sang the role of Porgy for Sidney Poitier in the the film version of "Porgy and Bess." Bobby McFerrin will appear in a special tribute to his father on March 5th, 2009 in New York's Schomberg Center. Bobby stopped by our studios to talk a bit about the legacy of his father, who has a connection to Takeaway host Celeste Headlee.
After weeks of anticipation, the Academy Awards show is finally upon us. At 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, Oscars will be handed out and speeches will drag on forever. Telling us about what to expect from this year’s show, which will be broadcast on ABC, is Rafer Guzman, Takeaway movie contributor and film critic for Newsday. He gives his predictions on the winners.
Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are expected to go to the polls on Sunday for the nation's first full parliamentary elections since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. But with violence that some see as scare tactics possibly preventing the delivery of democracy, some in Iraq wonder if the U.S. forces should be extending their stay. Yesterday on CNN Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hinted at the possibility of asking the American military to stay in the country, but Gen. David Petraeus seems to be holding fast to the goal of an August transition.