Perspective Podcast - June 3rd, 2011

In this edition of Perspective...

To Buy or to Rent?

Newly released figures show that home prices are still dropping.  The Case Schiller Home Price Index is now 33.1% below its July 2006 peak.  Sound like a good time to buy?  Well, not so fast.  Home ownership levels are falling too, to their lowest levels since 1998.  So, what is going on?  Is the American dream changing?  What is the smartest move in the world of post-bubble real estate?  ABC's Juju Chang set out to answer that question.  

"No Slack" Battalion.

More than 4,400 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war started in 2003 and over 1,500 have died in Afghanistan.  ABC's Mike Boettcher has been embedded for a year, with the "No Slack" Battalion of the 101st Airborne in Kunar Province.  The men were just weeks from coming home when they found themselves in the battle of their lives'.  We have a report that gives meaning to the idea of uncommon valor.  

Little Lizards vs. Big Oil.

Remember the snail darter, the spotted owl, or the gray wolf?  They are endangered animals that some claim in turn, endangered industries like timber, ranching and energy.  Well, there is a new critter in town, a cute one at that.  How do you feel about lizards?  The oil industry is not loving this kind.  ABC's Jonathan Karl explains.  

Peter Thiel.

65% of Americans have college debt and maybe you are one of them.  Total student debt in this country is at nearly $1 trillion, which is greater than total credit card debt.  That is partly because more people are going to college, even as tuition costs skyrocket, having decided that the sacrifice is worth it.  But is it, really?  We meet a man who made billions in Silicone Valley, who says the answer is often, no.  ABC's Linsey Davis has more.  

Cell Phone Hazard.

Are cell phones safe?  That is the question raised by this week's announcement that they have been added to a list of possible carcinogens.  Should you really stop using your phone?  ABC's Dan Harris investigates.

Host:  Cheri Preston

Producer:  Jason Wesalo

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