tv America Tonight Al Jazeera December 26, 2013 9:00pm-10:01pm EST
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makener the world until. ♪ welcome to al jazeera america. by one measure this was a spectacular holiday shopping center. growth and sales more than tripled from last year, thanks to deep discounts and promotions and many shoppers spent today back in the stores to catch those after christmas bargains. but some people are still waiting for their gifts to arrive. still in transit after an online shipping boom, bad weather caused delayed they say delivery truck have had been out in full force today. thousands of people across the northeast are still waiting for their power to come back on, most have been without power since an ice storm this past weekend, the storm's blamed for at
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least 27 deaths and american kidnapped two years ago in pakistan is asking the president for help. nose are the headlines, if you would like the latest on rein of our stories we invite to head over to our website. i'm tony harris in new york, back with the team tonight at 11:00 p.m. eastern, that's 8:00 pacific, america tonight, with joey chen is next, on al jazeera america. the pass tor that stood up to his church, and exclusive candidate recess as he was forced
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out. >> i guns can't understand that they would take my credentials for doing this one thing that buds against the rules but was clearly an act of love. >> also tonight, a fading future, the promise of hope and change for afghanistan's girls will it be cut short, as america prepares to leave. >> we are going to close all these women, that's going to close. >> the latest street sensation by the invisible artist, and what is he really trying to do with it? is. >> good etching and thank
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you for being with istanbul. so many gay activists this will end the mark of. a number of states allow some type of same sex unions. but there remain as very big hurdles some very difficult ones as well that contest the faith of those who stand for gay rights. frank shaffer is one of those, who had i merged as an unlikely voice. conservative methodist pastor he once saw homosexuality as incompatible until there was a revelation in his own family, which forced him to reconsider. schafer gave america tonight exclusive access to his journey, and insight into the challenge he faced in his believes, and in his faith. >> what i needed to find out is what in my heart,
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what is my heart telling me. s the right thing to do here. >> today i came out to the world, with my decision. and that the decision was first of recall, i cannot uphold the united methodist book of discipline in its entirety, and secondly, i will not voluntarily surrender my credentials. >> ♪ angel of the lord came down ♪ ♪ and glory shown around ♪. >> the very beginning would be myself receiving a phone call from a lady that wanted to remain amon nows, and this lady said i need you to know that your son is considering suicide. and it's because he is gay. and i remember thinking, my son is not gay. and we talked to him that
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day, we asked him straight forward, are you gay. maybe secretly i hoped for a different answer, then yes, because even though i embraced him, when he came out, i still had a struggle with it. i of coursed myself did i so something wrong, and this was in 2000. was a different world. he prayed to god, he said he cried himself to sleep many times and he prayed to god that he would make him normal. we just couldn't hold back our tears. my wife and i just embraced him and told him we love you son, and we affirmed him. we said it doesn't matter to us, you are still our son, we love you. tim meet as guy in college, and he falls in love, they have been dating for 2 1/2 years, by the time we get to 2006. so one day, and that year i get a phone call, and we just got engaged. and i was ecstatic, the nec thing out of his
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mouth is dad would you do the wedding. soy immediately reacted from my heart and said absolutely. >> the complaint as i understand it came from a member of his church. the complaint must come from a member a united methodist church. >> at the time, frank schafer was assigned there were certain homophobic people that took issue with anyone assigned here. there was an environment of what we could do to get rid of frank and receive a new pastor. >> i received a phone call from my district superintendent back in late march, saying that somebody in my congregation has obtained the license of my gay son's wedding that i performed, the complainant was invited to tell his concerns and share with the bishop, she appointed a clergy
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person, a colleague of mine to conduct the investigation. at the end of which he proclaims there needs to be a trial. as i am addressing those that consider me an enemy, i want to say to them, i love you. and i will never harm you. >> the trial lasted two days, two long grueling days. i motionly for me. there was 1 point where the crowd got a little bit excited, because one of the cross examiners had suggested that what if this case was about racism. and the woman he was cross-examining said well maybe it should be. and people cheered and the judge said stop. we need to have control in this courtroom. and it was a lifely crowd. >> my evolution from being a silent supporter to becoming an advocate
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for the community, is very similar to a outing process of a gay person. so i started talking about my beliefs. that i did not think that homo sexuality was a sin. >> conflict is real, and it is real in our church, but it's evidence in every aspect of society and the church as well. there are differences of opinion. >> the jury deliberated on the second day, and came back much quicker than i expected them to. they suspended me for 30 days and said at the end of those 30 days you need to make a decision, we want you to surrender your credentials if you cannot uphold the united methodist book of discipline, in it's entirety.
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well, we are on the way to see the valley forge conference center, the headquarters. to face my final decision. they are going to have the power to front me, or to leave my credentials in place. >> i feel nervous. i have to say. this is a big moment for me, i have been a minister for 20 years in the united methodist church, and i just can't understand that they would take my credentials for doing this one thing that was against the rules but that was clearly an act of love. i am fearful. i would hope that god's grace he would be able to retain his credentials. i know that got isn't finished with him yet, he
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has a lot of beautiful things to do in this world. >> he met with ministry today, when asked to he refused to do so. therefore, because of his decision the boor was compelled by the jury's decision to deem his credentials surrendered. >> the first thing i made as the chairperson of a board, she is a friend, she has tears in her eyes. because she anticipated of what was going to happen. >> there were about 40, 45 of my cheeks, i made it pretty clear in my statement i will not voluntarily surrender my credentials and i hope you understand that, and she said yes we do, we will have to take them from you. something amazing happened she asked for prayer, for prayer for me, and those who feel comfortable she said please come forward and put a hand on frank as we pray for him. and they prayed for me. i think i am still in shock, i haven't really processed the news. once i have the time to actually sitdown and
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process this, pray about it and really let it sink in, i think i will probably feel an emptiness and probably will have to work through the trauma of it all. >>ly not give up the fight. i am still a minister in my heart, and i will isn't to minister i will continue to be a voice for the lgbt community. >> i just see them struggling. with this issue, which is a big issue in our society and in our church. and my prayers are with them. and i hope that the road of their development, their formation, the spiritual formation will take them to the same place it took me, and that is to acceptance. to a support of our lgbt brothers and sisters. >> we reached out to the bishop and the prosecutors involved as well as the church member who filed the complaint, all of them declined to comment.
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other churches including some methodist ones have invited him to preach. this week a methodist preacher in california inviting him as there. we are joined by omar shareef jr., he is a national spokesperson for glad, which is an lgbt add voluntarily casey group. i am wondering if you can speak to what a big year this has been? >> hi, thank you for having me. as you mentioned in the introduction, we are coming up a new year, but also counting down on a historic year. we have seen the defensive marriage act shut down, we also saw nine new states embrace marriage equality, bringing the total number to 18, which is nearly two-thirds of the union, so we are getting there, 2014 will yield a lot more success, i am fairly certain the trend will continue. >> there is also
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significant move by the boy scouts of america, who although not allowing leaders to be gay, are now as a next week allowing gay members, youth. >> right, absolutely, and you know i think that's consistent with the trend we are seeing, finally the boy scouts of america as an organization, came to the realization that lgbt youth, are welcome to the same opportunities as all other youth. that's what equality is, and it is great to see them introduce that in their charter. sure think a couple of steps to go. that's the next step, 2014 will yield a lot of surprises and hopefully this will be one more of them. >> so you talk about the sense of change. and i have to think, just when you came out yourself, publicly, over a year ago i guess. be you say there's been that much change?
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but really in terms of attitudes do you see a sense of change? >> you know, i worked at glad, and that's what we focus on as you are saying, we focus on that attitude change, and culture change, and we have seen that happen. poll after poll, how americans attitudes are changing towards the lgbt people. sons, daughters, brothers sisters neighbors coworkers as opposed to statistics and facts and morale and ethical debates. so things are changing in america, and hopefully that friend is going to be exported overseas as well. coming up early in 2014, right away we are going to jump into the olympic system, and everyone's attentions will head over to russia, and some of those horrifying laws that they have on their books. but we have to take it one step at a time, and i like to think of america as a shining beacon of hope, a city upon a hill, and if we can move the needle here in america,
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i'm pretty sure that will be exported overseas as well. the first way to do that is to get there, and elevate the stories of lgbp teem many russia, that are facing discriminationer day, people who are facing beatings and those beatings being put on to television, and on to youtube, and having no mechanisms for defense. >> i have to say a number of athletes in the united states have come out, and you yourself, given your name, we can't get past that, omar sha rear jr., certainly an internationally known name, you are the grandson i understand of the legendary omar shareef, is it a time where people with celebrity statute in the arts and sports can come forward in rah way different than even just a few years ago? >> absolutely. you mentioned the sports world.
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we have brittany griner, tom colins in the nba. that's really excited because people are looking up to them and says you know, it is okay, it is okay to be gay and also have gay and lesbian teammates can is important for the culture. >> thank you for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> after the break, afghanistan's future, teaching girls to shape a new world, and why that progress may now be as risk. >> many worry that the gains made
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in education will not stick in the future. aljazeera's jane ferguson takes us to a school in kandahar city that was long considered a success and is now facing closure. >> it's a place offering more than these girls know, a quality education in real tangible skills, a path away from positivity and early marriage and towards university and a career. since 2002, the modern stud has been teaching women languages, like management and computer skills. that they are skills that speak of ambition which in the heart of tallle ban country is remarkable. >> we are a unique school, preparing women to go to jobs. our school is preparing women to go to universities. >> every morning from 5 to 9am
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al jazeera america brings you more us and global news than any other american news channel. find out what happened and what to expect. >> start every morning, every day, 5am to 9 eastern with al jazeera america. the end of the year is when we take stock of what is going in our lives which is a good analogy for the united states, as it considers what will happen next year in the longest conflict our military has ever been part of, the war in afghanistan. went 2004 teen prompts to bring much change, but much of what lied ahead still remains quite uncertain.
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that the u.s. combat role will end next year. >> there's a light on the horizon. because of the sacrifices you have made. >> for perspective we have reached out to someone who has watched the progress, and now worries. >> al jazeera has lived in kabul for three years, she told us about the uncertainty she vies throughout the country, they are her own daily life seems pretty routine. >> in some ways there are super markets i have a cat, i have to go buy cat food, there are american products you can get them easier in afghanistan than you can in london. >> you are part of the community. >> i have a little
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neighborhood, and i walk around, and i feel quite safe in my community. and people recognize me in my community, and the city of kabul has grown from about a million in 2001 to 6 million now. and you see all the hillsides have lights there's power jeff where, enterprise people have brought generators until they could get city power, so i have seen a lot of growth, and i'm very hope that have things will work out, but i am also very concerned about what will happen. we kind of built this artificial economy, we built this artificial jobs for people that are going to go away. as the international community gradually disengangs. the american government has said we are not going to leave you behind, now matter how many times they say it the afghan stan has seen the community disengang. i think there's a lot of concern it will happen again. >> the wrights has spent
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tens of billions of dollars on the military, obviously, it is very expensive to have u.s.esomes because the list syrianics is so long. right now, this year, the united states is spending about $1.7 billion a week. $91 billion in 2013. so we are talking real money, and 90% of the economy is dependent on international aid, so it really is propping up the country. what about the ordinary citizen. going into 2014, what is their sense of what will happen next? >> i think that's the concern. everybody is very very worried about what happens next. uncertainty has been the mood. presidential elections if they happen successfully, and the president transferred power it would be the first time in the history you have a
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successful transfer of power. but there's no clear successor. you have 11 people running, 11 men running for the presidency, some only them with a checkered past. the plate toe mix ends at the end of 2014, so forces will be leaving that role. there is a plan to train and assist the afghan security forces which still are very fledgely fong. but a lot of concern, and because it is depend on foreign aid, you have seen a decline. >> that impacts every day life. if i leave, or other foreigners that spend that kind of money, that is impacting the lifestyle of ordinary afghans. to make their money as driver whose support either driving the trucks that bring equipment in or food in for the troops, all of that infrastructure a lot of it is going away as the
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troop numbers shrink. >> late last month, afghanistan sufficient erred a sharp i don't want, and a foreshadowing of how difficult change may be. one that would peay the way for a graceful exit. the impact almost immediately. >> people are worried about the afghanny, the currency, they start hooshing dollars to make sure they have stability we saw prices of firewood go up very quickly, very fast and that's how many afghans heat their homes it is very expensive anyway for the average afghan family. that kind of price, gas prices going up. things are already change. around kabul we have what is called the p giant housing that were built at the boom, at the height of the economy when you had u.n. groups coming in, with -- who
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wanted to house 20, 30, 40 workers so you had to have these big houses, four bedrooms all on suit, with a security room downstair, and parking for big four wheel drive cars and now all over kabul those houghses sit empty, the rents are dropping around the city, there's a real sense that people are running for the exit. people who have money, have an exit plan. a lot of concern that afghanistan will return to the baitle days of the early 1990 eswhen it extended into terrible civil war. when much of kabul was destroyed for competing war lords who were vying for power, around the country and so there's a lot of concern. about what is going to happen in the next year or so. much of the worry right now is as it was when they first arrived to the taliban. be r the fragile future of afghanistan's women
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and girls the lives of afghan women and the girls are very different today than it was back in 2001. women have more legal protections the girls are in school, many for the first time, the united states is pledged continued support for girls education, with a promise of $400 million, but that may not come soon enough for the girls in one of afghanistan's most conservative cities. jane ferguson with that story. >> a quality education in real skills. a path away from poverty, and early marriage, and towards university and a career. since 2002, the institute of modern studies has been teaching young women subjects like languages, science, management and computer skills. they are skills that speak of ambition, which in the heart of the country is remarkable, and says their teacher,
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dangerous. >> we are a unique school. our school is preparing women to go to jobs. or preparing our school is preparing women to go to universities. our school is preparing women to take part here. opposite to the idea that women come out and play a role in the public. >> the journey to school is risky for these young women. those coming from villages travel in covered trucks, earn buss for city base girls have been attacked. few here believe they will stop arriving. we look forward. many other girls to come and still they are coming. they will come, if they are not coming now, they will come. and they will -- if their parents will let them to get an education. >> after surviving conservative hardliners
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for so long, it is money problems that will likely end the studies. >> one of the girls favorite subjects by far are computers skills. there's plenty of computers in this school, and these classes are ex-freely popular, the girls are learning to use the internet, as well as use various spreadsheets and programs like that for future employment, but this room in here, used to be the most special classroom, of the school here. they had a pioneering project where girls would skype online with volunteer teachers in the u.s. those running the school now, say that they can no longer afford internet at high speed. and they have had to command testimony project. >> funding has dried up, as international forces leave afghanistan, much of the aid that came with them is disappearing. this month the teachers have agreed to forfeit their salaries but that won't fill the gap. >> we get opportunitying we are going to close all these women, to their use in the classes, that's going to close.
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72-year-old warren in captivity for more than two years speaks in a president asking to negotiate his release. he said he is worried he has been forgotten. in egypt signs of new trouble. 23 people have been arrested with links to the controversial egypt brotherhood. when they declared the group a terrorist organization. criminalizing its membership and it's activities. that moves give the interim government to crack down on an increasingly more powerful party. there's not much work in the absolutelies now, one loan woman and a child visit a welfare city. the need is there, but everyone else is now too afraid to come. >> they run a medical
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clinic classes to struggling students and unemployed. >> the terrifying thing is that some donors gave us blankets for the poor people, there's blankets are still here, but the people are still outside freezing where's the fairness in that? where are the terrorism in giving out blankets or is it in letting people die of cold? >> the group is all but shut down, they won't reveal the name, afraid the government will arrest them after it declares that anybody spreading muslim brotherhood could spend five years in prison. >> but this charity work gone, there is no alternative here, no state run social security, no other organizations make it down here, so the government's decision is only likely to increase aingeer and resentment leer, not take it away.
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>> the poorest neighborhoods of the heart of the support, and the place where most of it's affiliated charities work, but earlier this week, the cabinet made an announcement. the spokesman said the egyptian central bank has frozen the funds of 1,055 nongovernmental organizations formed to handle these funds after the counter of urgent matters ordered the disbanding of the muslim brotherhood it's activities and confiscating it's as societies and finances of any of it as officiates. one of the main reasons i think behind this step by the government is their islamists are getting attention through their charity work, and they do this to gain
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support in the elections and whatever. and they think that by cracking down on the charities, this will stop the -- the popularity of these groups. >> nobody knows how many people rely on the groups or if others will fill the gap, but those that risk continuing to work, are likely to disappear underground. >> as 2013 draws to ask end, we are looking back at the other wig stories of this year. in brazil, thousands of people that took to the streets in what was called the brazilian spring. among them a couple todd and melissa arquet. >> it was unclear at the time what was happening and where it would all lead.
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melissa was watching it all unfold on t.v. knew it was a historic moment, and had to tell her husband. >> and she sent me a text saying today there's a lot of people on the streets, there's a protest starting it is really big, and it's the first time i have seen my people come together for something in many years and she said she was sitting here crying. >> i think every day we hear complaints, complaints, and then you ask yourself what are you doing to provoke a change. >> their answer was similar, join the protests instead of just watching them from their living room. >> melissa and todd are well educated and from upper middle class families they live comfortably with good jobs, but despite this, both of them felt they too had something deeply at stake with the protests. >> i want to see my country be a great nation. i want to see my people happy and not struggle when they need a doctor. or not get to 8th grade
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without knowing how to properly read and write. i want to see my people thrive. so why not go downstairs and join them in the street, and claim something good for everybody. >> todd and melissa perfectly represent the largest cross section that took to the streets in protests. it was a moment when brazilians of all ages and economic backgrounds stood up and demanded to be heard. >> melissa says brazil is a better place because of it. >> there's always something, either your sense of citizen ship, and proprior tor ship, or a direct improvement that the government decides to do, there's always good. this is one husband and wife team of many that make it happen, and they said they will likely take to the streets once more, should the people protest again.
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coming up, polls apart, why the gap between the rich and poor is only getting wider. with millions of americans still out of work. here is more. >> beneath the fluorescentsun in a former meat packing plant is the latest trim in farming. they call it "vertical farming." these fields grow on floors on
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at industrial park and farmer john adel and his staff agrees user. >> my shipping proceed did you say 1500, 2,000 miles to get are. >> the plant of the indoor -- as the indoor formers call it doesn't grow corn or soybeans but mustard, high end micro greens on the plates of white-napkin restaurants. these fish supply the vert liser that number issues the
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america tonight gives us details. >> on wall street today, the closing bell on the dow jones industrial average sounding the end of trading at another record high, the 15th record close for the year. down on main street, where millions of ordinary americans battling financial hardship there is less cause for celebration. dwindling opportunities to escape poverty have been a concern of the obama administration, the president raised the issue in a speech earlier this month. >> decreeing motorcycle, pose a threat to the american dream, our way of life, and what we stand for around the globe. found that nearly half of the americans raises at the bottom of the income ladder stay there, and 70% never even make it to the middle. researchers found that factors like race, education, effect economic mountain. america tonight has
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reported on the polite of the working poor. like this florida mother. despite working two jobs she struggled just to put food on the table for her nine-year-old son. >> just because you have a little bit of money, doesn't mean that your children are fed. we have to look at it how much food does it really take to keep a child from being hungry. how much money does it take? >> she earned about $15,000 working in a school cafeteria and as a school aid. and relies on food stamps, she says she has to watch food consumption closely, to make sure there's enough food for the week and will go without food to make sure her son doesn't. >> i don't want him to grow up or feel that he is growing up with less than what everybody else has. i try to do my best to give him everything that he needs but like many other parents she worried the american dream might
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remain as illusive for him as it has been for her. >> we'll continue our discussion now about economic mountain, and opportunity, joined here by aaron cowher year, she is director of economic mountain at future trust, which is a nonprofit research organization. also with us is timothy daugherty, he has been uhm plowed for more than two years. and he joins us now from easton pennsylvania, i know you are on skype, so this may be a bit of a challenge, but we appreciate your talking with us about your situation, you know that you are coming up to this weekend, there are i should tell you some legislative efforts underway right now on capitol hill trying to extend the unemployment benefits as of right now it looks like they are going to run out, what is your situation. >> the first indicator i had was things were not looking is when one of the folks from the state unemployment office told me when i was speaking with him, this time they
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really tell us that they mean it. that's the instructions that were being given to the staff. your wife is also not working right now, things are going to be tough here, i understand you have worked through your 401 k at this point? >> yes that's gone. we basically decided to try to use that get myself into another position that didn't work. because the position -- i have put out hundreds and hundreds of resumes. is nothing seems to click. >> what do you see as the opportunity before you now can you move somewhere? what can you do next? >> i am going to have to do that a great deal of thought, we have gotten
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to that place where everything is critical. and now i really have to come up with a new plan. and so that's whatly be working on starting this weekend. we know you have had an extensive career in public relations, let's talk about tim's situation, and how it fits in. i have to tell you i think it is brave of him to talk about his situation, because it is a difficult one, and it is a tough one for people to come to grips with, this is 24 a new kind of stress on our economic opportunities on the opportunity for people? in his case, they have used up their 401 k., what p has. >> unemployment is really a critical piece of the economic mountain puzzle. they first go to the assets they have, and they use that to sort of
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buffer. the shock of this unanticipated income loss. and so at the end of the day, what they are left with is not only an interruption in their income, but a wealth draining situation that jeopardizes their long term opportunity as well. >> so do you see that being an opportunity we will hope the best that he can get another job opportunity, but will they have an opportunity at 58 to crawl tout of the hole, and they are not alone? >> that is the challenge. that when you are battling against the clock, it is interesting a lot overeager that has been done around family economic security, and family mountain has focused on the baby boomer generation. how they in march were impacted by the great recession. given that they have the least amount of time to recover, and what's -- potentially troublesome is it is the youngest generation, who are the least prepared for
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retirement. they have saved less money than their older peers did at the same age. they have less rates of home ownership, less savings and assets and high iraqi debt levels. so while it feels to us like older americans are the most in the jeopardy, in fact, americans of all ages are really at an opportunity point where they need to be thinking about their finances their financial security is their mountain. >> tim, can we talk about that a little bit more. it seems like you did everything right. two way you are supposed to do it. you worked, you built up a career over many years, you -- i have assume have an education, that brought you to this point, you have saved for your retirement, and yet, it's going to be awfully difficult here to think about what the future is for you and your wife. >> i am counting on my
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children to help get us flu, i think that's the only way we can make it as i can't to age and as my wife continues to age. i think that the importance of family structure, and this may be a positive to this whole situation. the importance of the family structure where everybody can count on each other to pitch in and help. can't be undersold at all. >> yeah, and i understand that your family has been particularly understanding even at christmas, i understand you had a sumpler christmas. >> we had a canceled christmas basically. there were no gifts given, no gifts exchanged, and quite frankly, my wife and i kind of stood back last night after the party was over, and we realized we didn't have as much trash as we used to from putting in last minute gifts, and making last minute decisions.
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it was simpler and in many way as more peaceful and quieter christmas. >> aaron, this is -- he make as really interesting point. our logic changing our expectations are changing. because of all this, are we seeing a real social movement to reconsider what is our wealth? and what we value? >> our project has done two public opinion polls to three to get at this question of how americans think about the american dream and what that means to them, and what they think matters for achieving it. and interestingly, in the polls people don't site things like being middle class, or being rich, as a definition of the american dream. more and more families are interested in being able to sleep well at night. being able to have enough money that they can pay their bills and set a little aside for savings. american families expectations are very simple. they want to be economically secure. >> tim, as you talk to
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others in that situation, thousands of people in your state, and indeed millions across the country, unemployed for many a very extended period of time, do you feel hopeful if your own future and for theirs in. >> i have to be hopeful. because otherwise the consequences are not being hopeful are potentially depression, and other negative things that don't help your situation at all. so i have to be positive and count on my faith to get me through. >> well i think that you probably will be very effective at doing that. if that's the thing that will bring them back to work? >> there are so many elements at work.
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unfortunately, this is what happens with unemployment. it puts family in impossible decisions where they are put in tough situations on how to survive. >> we hope there will be some movement on capitol hill behind us to change that and give you all a little bit more time. tim, thank you for being with us. >> thank you. they built the domes from symptom of the greatest buildings.
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they are finally getting their moment no the spotlight. >> so these were drawn by the hand an exhibition called houses for the people. an america's great public spaces. >> the construction method was absolutely revolutionary in its day. for three big reasons. it was fireproof, it was incredibly strong, and it could be built with no support from below during construction. almost like magic. bring yob the untold story of friday on america tonight, there are some extraordinary buildings to look at here. coming up next. >> you first have to drill 25 holes around and it put steel bars in it.
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world famous artistfor a paints a picture on an building you own. the work in question is one bandaged heart, and the artist is a guy called banksy. >> if you have ever wondered how the other half lives, pay a visit to miami art week. like swallows return to cap van noy, each december the beautiful people make their way to miami, for a few days of chardonnay sipping and paparazzi posing. and oh, by the way, you can see some pretty cool art here too. but the star of this year's show at least judging from the security arrangements isn't sidney crawford, it is this 6,000-pound slab of concrete and brick, attributed to the graffiti artist banksy. it is a very well known
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british street artist. and he started out with small pieces in europe. and he has become very hot. and in eight years he went from a few hundred pounds to selling 1,000,008 pieces. in this case that's pounds as in british money. >> it used to be all the works were destroyed immediately, people are catching on that hey, we got something here. a big part of the mystique is that you never know where in the world he will turn up. in cities across the globe, he has left a trail of graffiti art. usually done jumped cover of darkness, this fall he chose to bless the neighborhood of brooklyn, this simple image became a overnight sensation, with people lining up around the block for a moment of commune common, but then almost as quickly as it came it disappeared angering many.
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to move a canvass you need some bubble wrap and a car. to movie work, you first have to drill 25 holes around it and put steel bars in it. put a medal frame on the back. get off kinds of forklifts, put it on a truck, without the truck breaking down. take it town the road. i didn't sleep for three days until it was done. >> it is estimated that brooklyn bandaged heart will fetch several hundred thousand dollars. but the owner of the building that's kind of like it hing the lottery. his plan seems to be working. >> i think that it's amazing. and it is something that proves that art is everywhere. >> he is a genius. >> for some reason this resonates with me, because it seems to reflect on the daily
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struggles that we all kind have in our own way. >> of course we wouldn't be doing our duty if we didn't bring you the other side of the city, so we sent america tonight producer back to red hook. a place where one doesn't meet quite as many super models. >> do you know where the banksy installation was. >> i have no idea. >> do you know banksy? >> no. >> excuse me, sir, do you happen to know where the banksy masterpiece was. >> yes, one block over. >> cool, thank you. >> down here, take a right. >> cool, thanks. >> soon his crew found the location where it once stood. >> i don't think they should have taken it out of the building, i don't think they should have removed it, i think they should have just left it there. >> this man true to his brooklyn roots summed up the local sentiments best. >> red hook is become an arts destination of its own, once blue collar it is more blue collar chic,
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walk the streets and you will see all kinds of murals it is just that people here have different quiteds than those in miami, about just what constitutes ratter. >> i think the thing with people that buy pieces of street art like this, for a lot of money are the same people that buy fancy cars and they don't know how to drive them. they just don't get it. >> in red hook there was one guy who wasn't all that impressed by banksy, his name is michael anglo. seriously. michael anglo. >> it wasn't that big of a promotion to me. >> when you are michael anglo, it is probably hard to get excited about a piece of graffiti, but in miami, chris arnold offered us his theory when he chose to paint a red balloon on the side of a building when he knew it would be removed. besides creating street art, he also selled
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officially sanction pieces at auction. >> he came to new york, and spent the hospital of october creating street pieces. crazy gallery people like us, take it down and show it and he gets all this p.r. his official pieces. have a spike in value it's the process of the publicity, behind this series of street work, that drives his auction prices up. >> so perhaps out there somewhere, if you listen hard enough, you can hear banksy, laughing all the way to the bank. and that's it for us, come back we will have more of america tonight tomorrow.
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>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. this is tony harris with a look at top stories. crews are looking to restore power and heat to hundreds of thousands. an ice storm left many in the dark from maine to michigan. authorities blamed the storm forat least 27 deaths in america and canada. and calling on the president for help. weinstein was abducted. in a video he is shown addressing president obama. president obama will reduce spending cuts and restore
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