What assistance does the Marine Corps offer to deploying and returning Marines and their families with issues such as PTSD, domestic violence, anger management and financial stress?

San Diego Repertory Theatre brings an Irish comic-drama to the stage this holiday season. After making its Broadway debut in 2007, "The Seafarer" was nominated for numerous awards and garnered much acclaim for the young Irish playwright, Conor McPherson. We'll talk to the creative team behind the new production at the Rep, including artistic director Sam Woodhouse, who plays The Devil in "The Seafarer," and director Delicia Turner Sonnenberg.

This weekend we explore what's happening south of the border, as well as some great music right here in San Diego. And, of course, we'll talk about the pop culture moment that is "New Moon."

The number of people living in poverty in San Diego County is growing at a rate that's seven times faster than the national average. Hundreds of thousands of San Diego families are forced to decide between putting food on the table and paying rent or buying medicine for their children each month. We discuss what those in need can do to get social services and food.

This Friday marks the start of a new surge in the popularity of vampires. The latest movie installment of the "Twilight" series, based on Stephanie Meyer's popular books, opens in area theaters. "New Moon" now joins "True Blood," "Vampire Diaries," and "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" in feeding our seemingly endless fascination with vampires. We want to know why all the fuss about vampires.

The U.S. and Mexico continue to struggle over border issues like national security and pollution runoff. We discuss how interests on both sides of the border are working toward solving these problems.

The architect-designer of the new downtown central library explains what elements are included in the design: the tech center, the high-school, the city offices, the solar collectors.

The Ronald McDonald House is a haven for families who have seriously ill children. We take a look at how this building is helping the community.

November marks the 20th anniversary of the "Velvet Revolution" in Czechoslovakia, which led to the downfall of Communism. We speak with a local resident about her life during this time.

What's going to happen to local real estate prices in 2010? We discuss the latest on the local real estate market with broker Matt Battiata, and talk about the wave of foreclosures that's expected to happen next year.

The Thanksgiving holiday has been the basis for some unusual lawsuits. These Days Legal Analyst Dan Eaton examines Thanksgiving in court.

Why is San Diego considered one of the top beer cities in the world? We speak to Greg Koch, from Stone Brewing Company, and Pizza Port's Jeff Bagby.

We talk to a team of KPBS journalists about the work they've done over the last six weeks, research and reporting on the food we eat. Some of what they've found out might surprise you.

Eating fish is an often-heard recommendation for a healthy diet. You've probably heard that fish, especially salmon, is rich in omega-3's an essential fatty acid. Are all fish created equal? We discuss the differences between farmed and wild-caught fish.

Some great music and theater takes place around town this weekend, including a play by Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks and a solo project by Interpol frontman Julian Plenti.

What are Fire Chief Javier Mainar's goals for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department? We speak to Mainar about his promotion, and the challenges the fire department faces in these difficult budget times.

On call 24 hours a day for the past five years, a group of senior citizens has made history by greeting more than 900,000 American troops at a tiny airport in Bangor, Maine. "The Way We Get By," a film directed by Aron Gaudet and produced by Gita Pullapilly, is an intimate look at three of these greeters as they confront the universal losses that come with aging and rediscover their reason for living. Also, the USO San Diego talks about how it is organizing local residents to greet U.S. service men and women returning from war.

The GI Bill, signed into law in 1944 by FDR, allowed more than two million veterans to attend college. The newest GI Bill, which went into effect August 1, 2009, provides education benefits for service members who served on active duty for 90 days or more since 9/10/01 and includes the National Guard and military reserve.

How is our food and agriculture system contributing to global warming? What kind of changes need to be made in our food system to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions? We discuss the importance of sustainable food systems.

How will the health care bill that passed in the House on Saturday affect San Diego's uninsured residents? What are the key differences between the House bill and legislation that's being proposed in the Senate? We speak to Gary Rotto, with the Council of Community Clinics, about the latest on national health care reform.

Scientists estimate that more than half of all existing species on earth will be extinct well before the end of the 21st century. We speak to conservationist and TV host, Jeff Corwin, about his new book, 100 Heartbeats: The Race to Save Earth's Most Endangered Species.

San Diego just expanded its landfill in order to keep up with the growing demand of recycling food waste. We speak with a city official about the process of recycling food as well as two universities that are working to recycle their leftover food scraps.

UCSD professor Rae Armantrout's latest book of poetry has been nominated for a National Book Award. The poems in "Versed" investigate subjectivity in a media-saturated world as well as Armantrout's experiences battling cancer.

We'll talk about the art of baking and buying great bread as part of our monthly segment on food.

The actual motive behind the shooting rampage at Ft. Hood last week is still unclear. Unless the prime suspect recovers and decides to tell us his reasons, we may never know. After the shooting, the airwaves were filled with experts talking about stress.

The San Diego City Council has voted to send construction of a new downtown central library out for bids. We look at why (and whether) a viable, robust central library is necessary, what it would cost, if the city can afford it and if now is the right time to go ahead with it.

The Weekend Preview is back! After a hiatus, we decided to bring back those 20 minutes at the end of each week in which we help you plan your weekend. We'll talk movies and music on this Weekend Preview.

This weekend, the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory honor the region's hardworking music teachers with a concert. Such a celebration seems like a good time to explore the state of music education in our schools and look at a new program designed to support music education training called the California Music Project.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a bison, a rabbit, or a spider? Do you ever pretend to be an animal? Every artist in the New Children's Museum latest exhibition, Animal Art, explores how and why animals excite the human imagination. Joining us to talk about the exhibit are its curator, Rachel Teagle and artist Jason Hackenwerth.

Former Presidential Candidate, Senator George McGovern visits San Diego to talk about his book on Abraham Lincoln and his work in progress on the War in Afghanistan.

As President, Barack Obama is a target for all manner of criticism both political and personal. But when do allegations against the President, or any public figure, cross the line and become libelous? KPBS Political Correspondent Gloria Penner discusses the protections and limits of the First Amendment.

What if a camera could capture death? Or desire? Or jealousy? More than any other photographer, Duane Michals has spent his career pushing the medium of photography to capture the metaphysical. We'll talk to Michals about what motivates his photography.

Why do rescued pets seem so well-behaved, and grateful to their owners? Why do the owners of those pound puppies and kitties constantly gush over how great their pet is? We speak to Karin Winegar, author of SAVED: Rescued Animals And The Lives They Transform, about the special connection between a saved animal and their human companion.

We'll hear the true story behind the children's book and musical "Armando and the Blue Tarp School," based on events in Tijuana.

What can pet owners do to help prevent their cat or dog from getting a major disease, or expensive medical procedure? We speak to local veterinarian Dr. Katy Allen about the importance of preventive pet medicine.

If you were deaf and had the opportunity to hear, would you choose it? We'll explore the tension in the Deaf community over the ethics of implanting deaf children with a Cochlear implant.

The Cash for Keys program is putting money in the pockets of homeowners who are facing foreclosure. We speak with a local realtor about the program.

What started centuries ago as a tradition among indigenous people in Southern Mexico has now become the the largest Latino celebration in the USA. We'll explore how El Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, rose from obscurity to popularity in both this country and in modern Mexico.

Herbert Lawrence Block, commonly known as Herblock, received the Pulitzer Prize four times during his 70 year career as a political cartoonist. We speak to Harry Katz about the new book HERBLOCK: The Life and Work of the Great Political Cartoonist. We discuss what made Block's cartoons unique, and the influence he had on politics in Washington, D.C.

Some of the smartest people in the fields of health care and medicine were in San Diego last week to participate in the TEDMED conference held at the Hotel Del Coronado. We speak to the president of TedMed, and one of the local conference participants, about the goals of the conference, and the innovative ideas that were discussed.

San Diego's oranges are considered some of the tastiest in the world but few San Diegans are eating them. We'll tell you why.

KPBS reporter Joanne Faryon has been looking into beef. She's learned industrialization and our demand for a big, juicy and cheap steak has created corn-fed, hormone-injected, and fast-growing cattle. Cattle that changes hands and travel thousands of miles before arriving at your local grocery store.

Two local chefs who love to travel have written a cookbook called "Flying Pans: Two Chefs, One World." Chefs Bernard Guillas and Ron Oliver from the Marine Room restaurant in La Jolla have gathered all of their favorite recipes from around the world and compiled them into a book for you to use at home.

Were any breakthroughs made when U.S. and North Korean officials met with other diplomats from Northeast Asia at UC San Diego this week? We speak to the organizer of the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue about the purpose of the meeting, and what came out of the international discussion.

We'll explore the history of Halloween, from its humble origins as an agrarian, summer's end festival to the lavish celebrations of today.

Is provocateur Lars von Trier's newest film the most disturbing movie of the year? Does Chris Rock's documentary "Good Hair" shed light on cultural standards of beauty for African-American women? Who is Agnes Varda and why is her work important? We'll answer these questions and more on our monthly Film Club of the Air. Also, stick around for some recommended horror films for your Halloween weekend.

A recent drop in poll numbers is showing how disappointed Californians are with Governor Schwarzenegger and the budget cuts he's approved. We'll discuss how those budget cuts are working and if there are any other ways out of California's budget mess.

Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Goya were all victims of cranioklepty, or having their skulls stolen in the name of science. This bizarre phenomenon is the subject of Colin Dickey's new book Craniokelpty: Grave Robbing and the Search for Genius.

What's it like being a Christian woman living in the Muslim country of Pakistan? We speak to Rubina Feroze Bhatti about the challenges women and Christians face in Pakistan, and what kind of change she hopes to create by sharing these stories.

Pamela MacPhee, a mother of three, was a surrogate mom for a family member whose wife suffered from cancer-related infertility. She describes her experience in a new book, "Delivering Hope."