What Car Show Goers REALLY Want to See

--Steve Proffitt

Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

NPR Photo

 

Nissan's The Cube

NPR Photo

The LA Auto Show opens today. Yesterday, Madeleine and I took in a preview. We aired a story about it on today's show.

We sat in a gianormous Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, and in a cute little Nissan Cube.

We saw a lot of other cars, of course. There were all-electric vehicles, clean diesels, cars that run on ethanol and natural gas and even some cool electric bicycles. Some cars looked like the future. Others were very much of the past.

But down in the basement, where the "after-market" people show off their wares, we got a look at a completely ridiculous but oh-what-fun show car that was part of the display of stuff being shown by Galpin Auto Sports.

They are, among other things, the folks that do the cars for MTV's Pimp My Ride.

 

There was no one around to tell us WHAT this thing was. Here's what we could deduce. It's very blue. It has fur. And it features a vintage portable television below the dash.

NPR Photo

 

It's not environmentally friendly. We don't even know if it actually runs. But really, this is exactly the kind of thing that the kid in all of us actually wants to see when we go to a car show.

Tags: LA Auto Show | cars

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How To Mend The Social Safety Net

Next week, we'll be reporting on the state of the Social Safety Net. One economist we're talking to, Alan Blinder at Princeton, says it's hard to imagine what 9% unemployment will do to the country. That's the number he's projecting. We haven't seen jobless rates like that since the Great Depression. As it is, he says we only currently offer unemployment benefits to roughly a third of people who don't have jobs. Losing your job, in America, also means losing your health insurance. And joblessness along with mounting medical bills can lead to homelessness.

How should we mend the Social Safety Net? What more can and should the government do? What role should private charities play? We want your ideas -- your solutions -- to help during a long-term economic downturn.

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Political Thanksgiving

NPR composite photo: Getty Images

 

--Steve Proffitt

Every four years, Americans engage in a time-honored tradition.

They sit around a big dinner table, and get into arguments about the Presidential election.

Because this is the first time in eight years since we've elected a new President, we wanted to hear from you about memories of political Thanksgivings past. Or about what you expect - or dread - might happen around this year's table.

Leave us a comment. If yours is particularly funny, horrific or just compelling, we might ask you to phone us and read it. Then we'll run it on the air, and you'll REALLY be in trouble on Turkey Day!

Tags: Thanksgiving | family | politics

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Join The Real Economy Project

A month ago, we put out a call for listeners to share their "real economy" stories. Nearly 200 people filled out this survey and told us what their biggest concerns were. We asked people to rate their confidence in their financial situation on a scale of 1-5 with 1 as very confident and 5 as very worried. The average response was right in the middle -- a 3.

Since then, we've had some of these listeners on the air. (You can hear all the interviews here.) Danielle Rodgers of Mahtowa, Minn., one of 14 listeners who said they were a 5, told us that she's not sure how she and her sick husband can keep up with the costs of maintaining a 400-acre farm.

Nathan Bell of Signal Mountain, Tenn., also a 5, shared a song on our show called, "What Did You Do Today?" Having recently lost his job as a manager at AT&T, he said, "It's a slippery fast slope down ... I don't see a realistic end."

A month, a new president-elect and many failed businesses later, we are wondering if you are feeling better or worse about the economy.

If you are yet to share your story, please fill out the questionnaire here and we'll get in touch soon. If you already filled out our survey, please post your comments below and let us know how your response has changed.

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Long May You Run: Saving The Auto Companies

Neil Young is among the folks who have a plan to save the Big Three Automakers

NPR composite photo: Getty Images, AP Images

 

--Steve Proffitt

This week the Senate Banking Committee will hold hearings to discuss various proposals to help America's struggling auto makers. These proposals include huge government-backed loans to the auto firms, perhaps as much as $25 or even $50 billion.

Meanwhile, here's an idea from a strange place. The veteran rocker Neil Young sent out a document last week containing his plan to save the Big Three. It was pretty specific:

"The big three must reduce models to basics. a truck, an SUV, a large family sedan, an economy sedan, and a sports car. Use existing tooling. Keep building these models to keep the workforce employed but build them WITHOUT engines and transmissions. These new vehicles, called Transition Rollers, are ready for a re-power. NO NEW TOOLING is required at this stage."

You can read the full Neil Young proposal in the jump.

So, if the former CSN&Y guitarist has a plan for fixing Detroit, do you too? Maybe instead of giving the car companies $25 or $50 billion, we should use the money to train workers to move into other jobs. Or fund start-ups that are trying to build alternative-fuel vehicles.

We're going to be reporting on this story all week (and surely for the weeks and months to come.) So if you have a good idea for how to rescue America's auto industry, write it up in a comment. We'll pick some of the best, and share them on the air.

Continue reading "Long May You Run: Saving The Auto Companies" »

Tags: Neil Young | automobiles | bail out | economy

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Out of Lock-up and Into the Fire

Inmates at the site of a wildfire in Southern California's Orange County

Alex Cohen, NPR

--Alex Cohen

Many firefighters get into the profession because it's something they've dreamed of since childhood... but others get into it through crime. For years, California has trained inmates from correctional facilities to fight fires. Often times, these prisoners go on to use their skills as professional firefighters once they're released.

When I arrived today at the base camp for the Freeway Complex Fire, I spotted several groups of inmate firefighters right away -- they're usually the ones dressed in orange jumpsuits.

I spoke with one of these firefighters, 43-year old Michelle Chicarelli of the Rainbow Conservation Camp.

Continue reading "Out of Lock-up and Into the Fire" »

Tags: california | crime | drugs | fire

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SoCal Fire Resources

A firefighter fights the blaze at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park after a wind-whipped wildfire torched the area, in the Sylmar section of Los Angeles on Nov. 15. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

Los Angeles and Orange County woke to gray skies and orange flames yet again this morning. We scoured the resources out there this morning to find the best sources of information. We recommend tracking the fires on the maps here.

Even if the word "twitter" makes you cringe, helpful and timely updates on the fires in the L.A and O.C. are available here and here. It's quite easy to sign up and you can even get updates sent to your cell phone.

Just because you are far from the flames, doesn't mean you are out of danger. If there are signs of smoke and ash in your neighborhood, the Los Angeles Dept. of Public Health has the following tips:

1.) Keep the windows and doors closed.
2.) Only use air conditioners that re-circulate air or indoor filtration devices.
3.) Avoid using fireplaces, candles and vacuums.
4.) In case you needed another incentive to quit -- do not smoke.

If you have been evacuated and are in need of a shelter, check out the Red Cross L.A. or O.C. Web sites for updates on shelter locations or call the hot lines at (310) 943-5268 or (714) 384-0884.

The Red Cross also maintains a Safe and Well List here, where you can search for information on displaced loved ones.

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A Bright Spot in a Dismal Job Market

--Brian Unger

With unemployment hovering at a generational high, there is one place that has hundreds, even thousands of job openings. The upcoming Obama administration is hiring, and - not surprisingly - they've set up an online job application.

Some of these positions, such as Secretary of State, require approval by the Senate. Others can be yours just for impressing the Obama team with a solid resume and a successful interview.

In today's Unger Report, we present some advice for those who make it to the interview process. As a public service, we reproduce those here. Obama Administration job seekers, follow this advice, and maybe you will soon be working, if not in the White House itself, then at least in the Executive Office Building next door.

1. Dress professionally in conservative clothing. Wear sensible shoes; he likes Cole-Haan.
2. Minimal jewelry. No perfume. Or cologne. Just smell like freedom.
3. Bring a resume. References. And a breath mint.
4. Turn your cell phone off.
5. Get there early.
6. Do a trial run to the White House but don't jump the fence.
7. Remain as calm as possible, ask questions, and get his business card so you have the correct spelling when you send Obama a thank you note later.
8. Be flexible. If you want to be Secretary of State, be willing to settle for motor pool coordinator.
9. And above all, don't high five the president-elect in the hallway.

Tags: Obama | Unger | humor | jobs

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Can Fiction Work On The Radio?

Susy Pilgrim Waters' Interpretation of Susan Shepherd's Audio Comic

 

Every day this week, we are airing a radio comic on the show, which explores a "middle class" family's experience in the changing economy. This little experiment in radio fiction has led us to be simultaneously accused of creating "the most annoying thing I have heard on NPR" and credited with airing a "brilliant glimpse into the lives" of a struggling family that is "not only intelligently written but also incredibly witty."

The first question is probably this: Why are we using a fictional family to tell the story of the economic downturn? In the past NPR has employed fiction to mixed reviews. A version of Star Wars produced decades ago was a big hit as was a re-enactment of War of the Worlds in the mid-90s. But including a radio "comic strip" on news magazines has been somewhat less popular. There was one on Weekend Edition Saturday and another on Morning Edition that listeners weren't so happy to hear.

So why risk it? Because fiction can be an effective way to explore very real events in our society -- to get at it in a way that other financial stories and actual interviews (which we always have many of) don't.

This was the case for listener A. Paige, who wrote -- in response to Tuesday's comic -- that "I found myself laughing and crying at the same time."

Just as in print-magazines such as The New Yorker, Harper's, and The Atlantic Monthly, fiction can fill gaps and add a new dimension to current events in our radio magazine, Day to Day. I think of some fun 2 Minute Noirs aired on this program from time to time.

Could it be though, that some subjects are best left untouched by comedy?

"Though I really enjoy Day to Day's approach to the news, this series fails to amuse or inform me," wrote listener Pat Morris. "I think it's too serious a matter and traumatic for people who lose their jobs and homes. There is just no humor in the subject. Perhaps you should re-think this series?"

Do you agree? Is there is something to be gained from using fiction on the radio to address real-life events. Should we keep going with 2 Minute Noir and this week's, 11 Central Ave.? Or it time to say goodbye to fiction on Day to Day?

11:51 AM ET | permalink

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Madonna, Rock Solid At Fifty

Steve Proffitt For NPR

--Steve Proffitt

No. Not her. It.

I've traveled up the coast from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo with my friend, 50s fanatic Charles Phoenix. We're spending a night at the Madonna Inn, which turns 50 next month.

It's a famous place, but in case you aren't clued-in, every room has a theme. Mine is called Cabin Still. It has an all-rock shower, and above the sink, a crazy coil of copper pipe. Charles is staying in a room that is ALL rock. He's feeling like a real cave man.

The entire inn is an ode to the hard work and vision of Alex and Phyliss Madonna. They opened the inn on Christmas Eve in 1958. Mr. Madonna passed away about four years ago, but his wife still holds court in a booth at the coffee shop. Next month, for the anniversary, we'll have a story about the inn. Mrs. Madonna will explain how such a crazy place came to be, and then thrived for fifty years.

But for now, we're just enjoying the odd details, the shocking pink dining room and my truly kooky bathroom.

Tags: 1950's | Americana | Hotels | Madonna Inn

10:02 PM ET | permalink

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