From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

America's loss of community.

Hello again, I'm Mormon Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans cared about most.

When an entire family tragically vanished from a house down the street, Peter Leavenheim realized he hadn't

known them. To the distress of his teenage daughter and his own surprise, many remaining

neighbors accepted when he asked to sleep over so they could get better acquainted. His book

on what happened has re-ignited discussion about the increased fragmentation of American life and the broader issue of civic disengagement.

Has real communication been replaced by communication technologies?

Can a nation of people who don't know each other continue to stick together?

I'm a reporter's notebook later on, Organized Labor and Solidarity Saturday.

First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation,

and the Skoll Foundation, supporting social entrepreneurs around the world, uncommon heroes dedicated

to the common good. Learn more at Skoll.org. Hello again, Mormon Alney, back with To the Point. Have

Americans come to prefer TV, iPods, texting, and Facebook to flesh and blood friendships?

Do they know their neighbors? Can they overcome increased isolation and re-engage in the business of civic life?

We'll talk about that today. On reporter's notebook, today is the 100th anniversary of New York's

Triangle Fire, which killed garment workers and led to regulations against unsafe conditions for workers.

Tomorrow, organized labor will rally around the country on behalf of collective bargaining.

We'll talk with the Teamsters president, James Hoffa.

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