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What's a "blurker"? Or a "pavement princess"? Or a "plokta"? What does "peeps" mean? Writer Paul Dickson knows. A confessed addict to collecting and identifying slang words, Dickson has written a new and updated dictionary of American slang.

By some measures, not much has changed for the American male in the past few decades — girls still do better in school and men still make more money. In other areas, the differences are profound.

President Obama recently called on the nation to rally around young African-American men. But is that easier said than done? Host Michel Martin asks a panel of dads.

30 years into the civil rights law's existence, the fight for fair treatment is far from over.

Director Paul Weitz's new film, American Dreamz, satirizes American Idol and stars Dennis Quaid as a dimwitted U.S. president who goes on the show in an effort to save his falling approval ratings. Weitz's other films include American Pie and About a Boy.

Book critic Alan Cheuse reviews American Desert by Southern California writer Percival Everett. It's a satirical look at a number of American institutions, from the church to the university to the military to the press, told through the story of a professor who's not exactly alive.

Bob Edwards looks at what Veterans Day means to some Americans.

Anti-American sentiment grows in Kuwait, where tens of thousands of American troops are stationed. Some Kuwaitis say they are suspicious of Washington's long-term goals in the Mideast. NPR's Anne Garrels reports.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews the new film American Splendor.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews American Woman, the new novel by Susan Choi.