The Madeleine Brand Show

Over the last several years bee colonies around the world have been disappearing. The cause of the bees' disappearance has stumped researchers.

Later today the California legislature will vote on a budget. The details are slim — but it does include some possible good news on spending for kindergarten through 12th-grade education.

Good news Verizon Wireless subscribers! The iPhone may be coming to your local retailer early next year, thus ending AT&T's exclusive deal with Apple.

Peru's Mario Vargas Llosa is the winner of this year's Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Latin America's most acclaimed authors, he's also a political activist who once ran for president of Peru.

The last time North American won the Nobel Prize in Literature was in 1993 when Toni Morrison won.

Maybe you're in the car right now cursing your commute — the freeways, the traffic, the aggressive drivers. But writer Celeste Fremon has nothing but love for our freeways. She explains why in an essay that’s part of the new book "The Devil's Punchbowl: A Cultural & Geographic Map of California Today.”

Here's something that should be considered good news — home mortgage rates have fallen to their lowest level in almost 40 years.

Later this month the American Association for Homes and Services for the Aging will unveil the house of the future. It's designed with all sorts of gizmos and gadgets to promote independent living for the elderly. But the jewel in the crown of this high tech abode is a robot designed by the University of Southern California.