Enter the Arthur/All Kids Can Character Search!

February 1 through March 31, 2009

Arthur, the award-winning PBS KIDS GO! television series, and CVS Caremark All Kids Can, a program dedicated to making life easier for kids with disabilities, are teaming up to announce the "Arthur/All KidsCan Character Search"!

Kids are invited to create a special character for Arthur and his friends. The selected finalist will appear with his/her character in a segment of an Arthur show, plus receive a visit from the creator of Arthur, Marc Brown!

For more information, complete rules, and an entry form visit pbskidsgo.org/arthur.

NPR News - 100 Days: On the Road in Troubled Times

President Obama inherits what he calls "the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression." Americans are losing jobs. Families are losing homes. Workers are seeing retirement savings vanish. Communities are cutting services. People are facing difficult decisions that seemed unimaginable a year ago.

In any presidency, the first 100 days are considered a yardstick for what can be accomplished in a first term. In 2009, the new president faces a global financial crisis, and the need to restore the confidence of Americans.

To mark this crucial period, NPR is launching its own "100 Days" project. We're setting off on a 100-day road trip around the United States. The broad goal is simple: to come away with a portrait of the country in these defining times.

For the first phase, we'll set off after Inauguration Day on a month-long trip along Interstate 75, beginning in Michigan, a state whose pride and economy are tied to the struggling auto industry. We'll slice through the heart of the industrial Midwest, and end up in Florida. From Americans along the way - ice fishermen (and women), auto suppliers, bankers, farmers, parents, retirees, college students, and others - we'll hear about the decisions they’re facing, and how the economy has affected their plans and hopes. We'll seek a better understanding of the challenge Obama faces.

After that, we'll spend a few weeks exploring the massive economic stimulus package Mr. Obama is expected to push through Congress in his first days in office. How is the plan helping the farmer in Iowa? Or the cash-strapped family in Virginia? We'll pick apart the policies, and try to understand the impact on Americans' lives and mood.

Finally, we'll spend the last month or so driving across the country, coast to coast, measuring Mr. Obama's appeal and success in his first 100 days. Are homeowners in California and Nevada feeling like the worst of the foreclosure crisis has passed? Are young professionals in Denver feeling more confident about investing in the markets? Have laid-off aluminum workers in Pittsburgh found new work, or at least new ways to get by?

We'll finish in Washington to deliver a final report.

This series will air across NPR News programs, and topics will adjust as the news changes.

This Old House Goes to Brooklyn

Homeowners Kevin Costello and Karen Shen fulfilled a lifelong dream with their recent purchase of a 1904 Renaissance Revival brownstone in the historic Prospect Heights area of Brooklyn. In order to make this dream a reality, they had to come up with an affordable plan to defray mortgage costs. The solution was to turn part of the brownstone into rental units. Once the renovation is complete, the owners plan to rent both the garden and third floor levels, leaving the middle two floors as living space for themselves and their three young children. As the family grows, they hope to one day afford to reclaim the third floor for their private use.

The This Old House New York City project also marks the official debut of the newest member of the team, design correspondent Carole Freehauf. With more than 20 years of design experience, Carole brings to the series her trademark style of creating interiors that are sophisticated yet comfortable, architecturally appropriate and elegantly understated.

Tune in to welcome Carole to the team and see how the brownstone is transformed from a former rooming house into a three-family home.

The This Old House New York City project premieres on WGVU HD beginning Thursday, January 22 at 8 p.m. as part of the This Old House Hour, and on WGVU TV beginning Thursday, February 26 at 9 p.m.

First episode description:

For the first time in the show’s history, host Kevin O’Connor and master carpenter Norm Abram take This Old House on the road to New York City to restore a neglected 1904 brownstone in Brooklyn. Homeowners Karen Shen and Kevin Costello will convert the former rooming house into a three family home while preserving and restoring period detail wherever possible. In Brooklyn, Norm meets veteran brownstone remodeling contractor Michael R. Streaman at a similar job down the street to see how he transformed one of these rooming houses into a beautiful, modern family home. Back at the project house, Streaman gets to work on demolition and also starts stripping the paint off the back of the house to prepare the brick for re-pointing and eventually the installation of new energy-efficient windows.

Watch the web cam!

Read the project blog!

Neil deGrasse Tyson to be on The Tonight Show!

Astrophysicist and host of NOVA scienceNOW, Neil deGrasse Tyson, is scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday, January 19 at 11:35 p.m. on NBC.

This is Neil's first appearance on the program and he'll discuss his new book The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet.

NPR Inauguration Coverage

Morning Edition: 5 a.m.
A record number of people will converge on Washington for President-elect Barack Obama’s Inauguration ceremony and Morning Edition will report from the scene and begin capturing the best of the extraordinary events. Renee Montagne will be in NPR’s DC studios while Steve Inskeep and NPR reporters will be in key places around the capital to provide live reports all morning. Morning Edition will look at all angles including the special security measures for the day, and ride into town with a busload of excited people heading to the inauguration.

The importance of the Inauguration spills beyond the U.S. border to around the world and NPR will bring you those perspectives. We’ll have Gwen Thompkins reporting from Kenya, Rob Gifford in London, Sylvia Poggioli in Rome, Lourdes Garcia-Navarro in Baghdad, Anthony Kuhn in Beijing and Jason Beaubien in Mexico City, with possible reports from Moscow, Jerusalem and Bogota.

Special Coverage: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Special Coverage begins as Steve Inskeep and Michele Norris take you to the viewing stands on the Capitol grounds. With preparations underway, they describe the building excitement as hundreds of thousands, maybe millions crowd onto the National Mall to participate in history. We'll hear from NPR journalists amid the throng in Washington, DC, talk with people around the country and the world about their hopes and expectations for change. During the Inaugural Ceremonies, we will hear full, uninterrupted coverage of the ceremonies as first Joe Biden and then Barack Obama are sworn into office, followed by the Inaugural Address. Following the ceremony, Steve Inskeep and Michele Norris will talk with previous presidential speechwriters historians, journalists and with many in the crowd about what they heard from the new president and about the challenges that lie ahead. We'll continue to hear from people around the nation and the world.

Call-in Special, 2-4 p.m.
Neal Conan picks up the live coverage as we broaden our coverage into a national conversation with our listeners about their reaction to the President's address. We'll hear from a broad range of political stakeholders about what they expect from this new administration, and what their roles will be. We will also provide live coverage of the Inaugural Parade as it passes the reviewing stand on Pennsylvania Avenue.

All Things Considered: 4 p.m.
Yes, the inauguration ceremony is over, but the events continue and so does our coverage. Robert Siegel and Melissa Block host. We’ll analyze Mr. Obama’s speech and have reaction from Chicago, Harlem and various locations around the country and overseas. DC is a city that never sleeps and we’ll be live, checking out the scene as the parade rolls down Pennsylvania Avenue with Michele Norris. Then NPR's “belle of the ball” Elizabeth Blair has the enviable task of attending the galas, but only so she can let us know how much fun everyone else is having.

Coverage of the Inauguration can also be seen live on WGVU TV & WGVU HD, presented by The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Rick Steves' Iran, Yesterday and Today on WGVU

Rick Steves, recently back from Iran, calls it "the most poorly understood yet fascinating land" he's ever visited. In his upcoming TV special, Steves takes us on a journey of discovery. His hope? To learn more about this perplexing nation whose government so exasperates America, and to gain a better understanding of the 70 million people who call Iran home.

This 60-minute special, shot in glorious high-definition, shows the splendid monuments of Iran's rich past, as well as Iranian life today - in its giant metropolis, historic capital, workaday towns, and a countryside village.

Steves captures Persian culture vividly: from Friday prayer in a mosque to the nonconformist teen fashions at the mall; from anti-American murals to the hospitality of a family dinner; and from the tranquility of rural life to the crazy traffic of modern Tehran.

Rather than a political documentary dealing with the complex issues that confront our governments, "Rick Steves' Iran" is a travelogue designed to increase our understanding of an ancient nation that has been a leader in its corner of the world for 2,500 years. Steves says, "After 30 years of world travel, I've learned that the best way to understand an unfamiliar culture is to visit and meet its people. My impressions were striking: the intensity of the streets of Tehran, the crowds of women covered head-to-toe in chadors, and the overwhelming friendliness of the people. I was awed by the domed mosques, saddened by the conformity of the university, energized by the youthfulness of the population, and impressed by the dramatic ancient sites.

"Sprawling Tehran - with its snow-capped peaks and chaotic traffic - gives mixed messages. Murals denounce the USA and Israel as evil empires, yet the people broke into smiles when they heard we were Americans.

"Esfahan is a city of grace. Its grand mosques are made of exquisite tiles. On Fridays they're filled with thousands of people praying in services that felt surprisingly similar to my church back home. Down by the river, families picnicked and strolled along the grassy bank. Bridges were crowded with convivial young people doing what seemed like a Persian paseo. It could almost be in Europe."
And Steves includes the grand site of Persepolis, which holds the ruins and tombs of a powerful ancient culture. This was the heart of the Persian Empire 2,500 years ago, when Persia ruled a vast area from Athens to India. Today this ancient capital is a major source of pride for the Iranian people.

Enjoying ice cream with religious leaders, marveling at the popularity of nose jobs for women, and witnessing the sorrow that blankets martyrs' cemeteries, Steves and his crew provide an intimate glimpse of Iran never before shown on American television. Steves believes that, while there are no easy solutions to the problems confronting our two countries, surely getting to know more about this culture is a step in the right direction.

"Rick Steves' Iran" will air on WGVU TV on Wednesday, January 14 at 11 p.m.

DTV Converter Box Coupons Program Reaches Limit

The government's $1.34 billion coupon program for digital converter boxes ran out of money on Sunday.

Anybody requesting a $40 coupon to offset the cost of buying a converter box for digital TV will now be placed on a waiting list, says Meredith Baker, acting head of the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

How long will people have to wait? "I don't know," Baker told reporters on a conference call Monday. Already, 103,000 people are on the list. Baker attributed the cash shortfall, in part, to a late surge in coupon requests.

In December, consumers requested 7.2 million coupons, more than double the level in October.

The NTIA said that it would make new funds available as previously ordered coupons expire, and that people on the waiting list would be provided with coupons on a first-come, first-served basis. The average redemption rate is just 52% now, so this change could free up millions of dollars.

While consumers who requested coupons in December should get their coupons this month, those consumers who request coupons at this time will most likely not receive their coupons until after the February 2009 transition date. During a conference call on January 5 with industry officials, including APTS, NTIA Tony Wilhelm, director of consumer affairs for the campaign, said that these "households have to make the choice on whether they want to go without TV or opt for other options," such as through paid TV services, purchasing a new TV or buying a convertor box without a coupon.

The USA is set to become an all-digital TV market on Feb. 17. When the switch happens, more than 70 million TVs that use an antenna to receive over-the-air signals will need help. To maintain TV reception, consumers must install a converter box that turns digital signals into analog. Cable and satellite TV customers aren't affected. As of Dec. 31, almost 45 million coupons had been requested, about 18 million redeemed.

Baker says consumers can still request a coupon - it just might not show up before Feb. 17. Another option is to buy a box without a coupon. Converter boxes cost $40-$70 on average.

Get more information on the waiting list HERE.

Apply for a coupon.

Check the status of a coupon you've already ordered.