/american-dreams-then-and-now The "American Dream" is a key thread in this country's tapestry, woven through politics, music and culture. Though the phrase means different things to different people, it suggests an implicit contract that if you work hard, you'll move ahead. But as the effects of the economic downturn continues to reverberate, where is the American Dream today? en-US Copyright KUNC/Community Radio for Northern Colorado 2020 Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:00:00 GMT /2012-09-11/my-american-dream-sounds-like-the-jackson-5 "I Want You Back" is the best pop record ever made — a song too good to be true. Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:00:00 GMT /2012-09-11/my-american-dream-sounds-like-the-jackson-5 Jack Hamilton /2012-08-22/my-american-dream-sounds-like-black-star For Teju Cole, "Respiration," a song about New York City, is the best words in the best order. Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:30:00 GMT /2012-08-22/my-american-dream-sounds-like-black-star Teju Cole /npr-news/2012-08-16/persuading-banks-to-give-homeowners-a-break Over the past four years, Bruce Marks has been on a traveling road show to help people avoid foreclosure. He says his nonprofit, the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, has helped more than 200,000 people get their payments lowered so they can afford to keep their homes. Thu, 16 Aug 2012 07:28:00 GMT /npr-news/2012-08-16/persuading-banks-to-give-homeowners-a-break Chris Arnold /npr-news/2012-08-15/a-baseball-school-for-big-league-dreamers For more than a century, countless Americans have dreamed of playing Major League Baseball. Few ever make it, but there is a place in Bradenton, Fla., that nurtures those dreams. IMG Academies takes students as young as 11 and mixes intense baseball training with an academic education. Wed, 15 Aug 2012 21:37:00 GMT /npr-news/2012-08-15/a-baseball-school-for-big-league-dreamers Robert Benincasa /2012-08-15/my-american-dream-sounds-like-the-white-stripes dream hampton says "Little Room" is an inventory of success, but it is also about Detroit right now. Wed, 15 Aug 2012 06:48:00 GMT /2012-08-15/my-american-dream-sounds-like-the-white-stripes Dream Hampton /npr-news/npr-news/2012-06-14/nailing-the-american-dream-with-polish The idea of an "affordable manicure" was once an oxymoron. That's before Vietnamese immigrants arrived in the U.S. and cornered the market for inexpensive nail-care salons. The industry has offered a path to self-sufficiency for many Vietnamese-Americans in California and around the nation. Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:11:00 GMT /npr-news/npr-news/2012-06-14/nailing-the-american-dream-with-polish Karen Grigsby Bates /npr-news/2012-06-14/immigration-law-slows-a-familys-march-forward The idea that anyone can make it in the U.S. is personified by immigrant success stories. But what if you came to America for a better life, worked hard and made it — but now face an increasingly anti-immigrant environment? One South Carolina family continues to have faith that the next generation will have it better. Thu, 14 Jun 2012 09:00:00 GMT /npr-news/2012-06-14/immigration-law-slows-a-familys-march-forward Kathy Lohr /2012-06-13/my-american-dream-sounds-like-princes-sign-o-the-times Miles Marshall Lewis draws a line from Prince's concern for his community to the Hip-Hop Nation. Thu, 14 Jun 2012 04:01:00 GMT /2012-06-13/my-american-dream-sounds-like-princes-sign-o-the-times Miles Marshall Lewis /2012-06-13/tell-us-what-your-american-dream-sounds-like If "Jack and Diane" isn't your American dream, what song is? Wed, 13 Jun 2012 22:00:00 GMT /2012-06-13/tell-us-what-your-american-dream-sounds-like Frannie Kelley /npr-news/2012-06-06/grad-who-beat-the-odds-asks-why-not-the-others Growing up in the South Bronx, Juan Carlos Reyes' dream was to be a doorman in Manhattan. A college degree has helped him achieve much more, but Reyes is convinced his success is an aberration — and that few of his peers will ever achieve the American dream. Wed, 06 Jun 2012 06:53:00 GMT /npr-news/2012-06-06/grad-who-beat-the-odds-asks-why-not-the-others Claudio Sanchez