Perspective Podcast - August 10, 2012

In this edition of Perspective...

James Holmes
This week the accused gunman in the tragic Colorado movie theater massacre appeared in court, where his lawyers said they believe he is mentally ill.  It was a little over three weeks ago that police say James Holmes killed 12 people and shot 58 more, and now we're discovering that Holmes' psychiatrist voiced serious concerns weeks before the shooting.  So could it all have been prevented?  Here's ABC's Mark Greenblatt.

Contagion: Ebola
We now turn to Africa, where Medical teams are scrambling to contain a deadly outbreak of Ebola, the highly contagious and often fatal virus with no known treatment or vaccine.  American specialists have been deployed to Uganda to try and stop this regional emergency from spreading into a global pandemic.  ABC Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Richard Besser accompanied them on their mission.

Putting a Man on Mars
This week, an historic achievement in space travel.  NASA's rover, Curiosity, touched down on Mars in what scientists call a miracle of engineering.  So how much more complicated would it be to land a *human* on Mars?  One billionaire says he plans on doing it as early at 2025.  ABC's David Wright has the details.

Olympic Doping
A little bit of suspicion always seems to pop up every time someone beats a big-time world record.  Despite reinvigorated testing efforts, every Olympic games is haunted by past doping scandals and the 20-12 games are no exception.  So how clean are the athletes of the London games?  ABC's Bill Weir reports it depends on who you ask.

Stolen Innocence
A cautionary tale about an indiscretion involving the modern phenomenon known as sexting.  According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, one in every five teenage girls say they've sent nude or semi-nude images of themselves or posted them online.  In the case of one fourteen year old, those images spread far beyond their intended audience.  Here's ABC's Terry Moran.

The United Bates of America
They have enough children to fill the lineup of *two* baseball teams.  The Bates family raises 19 kids in the hills of Tennessee, but recently traveled to New York City and experienced the mayhem of Times Square.  ABC's Juju Chang went along for the ride.

Camp Half-Blood
The Percy Jackson book series has taken the world by storm.  It's a modern tale based on Greek Mythology, including summer retreats to a camp for young demi-gods called "Camp Half-Blood.".  Back in the real world, some bookstore owners have taken it upon themselves to model summer camps on the book series as part of an effort to reinvigorate young readers imaginations.  ABC's Cheri Preston explains.

Marvin Hamlisch
Earlier this week, America lost one of its great composers.  Marvin Hamlisch collapsed after a brief illness and died Monday in Los Angeles.  He was 68.  ABC News Entertainment Correspondent Bill Diehl looks back at the composer's life and work.


Host:  Aaron Katersky
Producer:  Colin Tipton

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Perspective Podcast - August 3, 2012

In this edition of Perspective...

The Olympic Diet
While the Olympics continue in London we take a look at how the competitors are fueling up for the games.  It's a 10-thousand calorie question, and the answer isn't tofu.  It's often fast food -- from big macs to milk shakes.  ABC's Jeffrey Kofman has more from London about how Olympic athletes are really chowing down.

Going Gluten Free
It's already on grocery store shelves and restaurant menus, but now the gluten free diet is making a splash at the Olympics.  Either by choice or necessity, some athletes say that cutting out gluten has helped their performance.  ABC's Terry Moran has the details.

Inside Syria
We now turn to the Middle East and Syria, where an uprising began last year as the Arab Spring was toppling dictators from Egypt to Libya.  But instead of democracy, this uprising has given way to a brutal civil war.  The 17 month-long conflict has taken a serious toll on civilians, and now there are calls for Americans and our allies to step in.  ABC's Alex Marquardt ventured into Syria to find out more from those affected by the violence.

Halfway Point in Presidential Campaigns
The presidential campaigns have reached their midway point and recent polls indicate President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney are in a virtual dead heat.  With two months to go until election day, ABC's Vic Ratner asks ABC Senior Political Editor Rick Klein what we can expect in the coming months.

The Upcoming Conventions
The Republican National Convention kicks off later this month, followed closely by the Democratic Convention in September.  Both mark the beginning of the final push towards the election on November 6th.  ABC's Ann Compton has more from the White House.

Dick Cheney
Now we turn to a man who was one of the most powerful and controversial vice presidents in American history.  Dick Cheney is loved by some, despised by others, and has lived the last two years in limbo, waiting for a heart transplant.  Now he speaks to ABC Senior Political Correspondent Jonathan Karl about politics, the Bush administration, and his mortality.

New Teen Pregnancy Twist
There's a new twist in the reality T-V teen pregnancy genre -- a show starring pregnant moms whose teenage daughter are also pregnant.  So what's it like to have a new baby and become a grandma?  ABC's Juju Chang has the details.

Mommy Moguls
Aside from those reality show stars there's not much profit in having babies.  Most take a financial hit when starting a family, but as ABC's Lara Spencer reports, a growing number of mothers have figured out how to combine babies and business savvy into a new kind of startup business.

Jeremy Renner
It's not easy to take over a wildly successful film franchise, but after two Oscar nominations Jeremy Renner may be the right man for the job.  He tells ABC's Chris Connelly about his unlikely path to blockbuster action star.

Host:  Cheri Preston
Producer:  Colin Tipton

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Perspective Podcast - July 27, 2012

In this edition of Perspective...

James Holmes
The alleged shooter in the movie theater massacre mailed a notebook to the University of Colorado before the shooting.  Investigators have been studying its contents to unearth details about his rampage.  ABC's Dan Harris has more from Aurora, Colorado.

Jackson Family Drama
Three years after the death of Michael Jackson, public rifts are forming in his family, with siblings fighting over his will.  His mother was erroneously reported missing last weekend and is now speaking out.  ABC's Nick Watt has the details.

Laura Bush
Laura Bush spent years in the political spot light, but these days she is enjoying time out of the public eye.  ABC Senior Political Correspondent Jonathan Karl spoke to the former first lady in Washington about life after politics.

The Banking Debate
Critics of giant "too big to fail" banks have a powerful new ally.  One of the pioneers of global mega-banks now says it's time to break them up.   Sandy Weill who built Citigroup into a financial giant now says investment banking should be split apart from main street retail banks.  More on the growing debate from ABC's Richard Davies.

Rental Nation
Is renting the new reality?  Even with record low mortgage rates, many Americans are choosing to rent instead of buy ... and we're not just talking about homes.  Car ownership rates have also plummeted in recent years and now new, creative ways to rent all kinds of things are popping up everywhere.  ABC's Melody Hobson has more.

Olympic Boxing in Cuba
After he won a gold medal for Cuba at the 1992 Olympics, boxer Joel Casamayor was given a bicycle by Fidel Castro, which he then traded for a pig so he could feed his family.  That's just one story that helps explain why many Cuban fighters have defected over the years.  But how did they get so good to begin with?  ABC's Christiane Amanpour traveled to Cuba to find out.

Mick Jagger
It's been half a century since a 19 year old Mick Jagger and his Rolling Stones played their first gig at the Marquee Club in London.  For more on the life of the rock icon, ABC News Entertainment Correspondent Bill Diehl caught up with the author of a new book about Jagger.

Host:  Cheri Preston
Producer:  Colin Tipton

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