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The Occupy Wall Street protests have been gaining momentum since they began in downtown Manhattan two weeks ago. More than a few pundits have noted the leaderless movement is using Arab Spring-style tactics as their inspiration. Like the protests in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Occupy Wall Street supporters are extremely adept at using social media to spread their message. Their camp in the Financial District's Zuccotti Park is impressively organized, with a reception area, media zone, medical clinic, library and cafeteria. But despite structure on the ground, one criticism that’s been repeatedly levied at them is their lack of unified demands. The protesters want to end greed and corruption but don’t necessarily agree as to what that means in practice. 

"Did they ever get anybody involved who knew anything about visual appearances or clarity or design? Or did it just come about by a bunch of guys sitting around a table saying: I like this one?"

-I ♥ New York designer Milton Glaser

Charles Blow, New York Times visual Op-Ed columnist; Julie Lasky, editor of the Change Observer channel at Design Observer and former editor-in-chief of I.D.; and Milton Glaser, designer of the "I [Heart] NY" logo check in throughout the day to talk about the design of the new voting system.

The Department of Homeland Security last week warned in an internal memo that the disastrous economy may spur some Americans to join right-wing extremist groups. The memo focused particularly on U.S. servicemen and women and drew outrage from some who say it paints returning vets with an ugly brush. Janet Napolitano, the head of DHS, has been apologizing ever since. But does the report hold any water? The Takeaway talks to Charles Blow, an op-ed writer for our partners, The New York Times. He's been taking his own look at the link between the economy, extremism, and servicemen.

For more, read Charles Blow's article, The Enemies Within, in the New York Times.

It’s still not clear if 19-year-old singer Chris Brown will face charges for allegedly assaulting and threatening his girlfriend, pop star Rihanna. But the incident provides an occasion to talk about the distressing fact that physical violence between teenaged romantic partners is at an all time high. New York Times Op-ed columnist Charles Blow joins The Takeaway with a look at the data.

Read Charles Blow's article, Love Shouldn’t Hurt in the New York Times.

Chris Brown in happier, less violent times on Sesame Street.

Last month President Bush cited government-sponsored research showing that teen drug use has declined during his administration. But New York Times op-ed columnist Charles Blow took a second look at those statistics and found that cocaine has resisted the downturn, with usage staying flat since 2001. And white and Hispanic teens are far more likely than blacks to use cocaine. Charles Blow joins The Takeaway for an analysis of the data.

For more information, read Charles Blow's article, Cocaine and White Teens in the New York Times.

California’s Proposition Eight, which bans gay marriage, has brought to light a conservative streak among African Americans. Around seventy percent of black voters in California say they voted in favor of the ban. New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow joins The Takeaway to share his insight into why blacks voted yes on Prop Eight.

Charles Blow, New York Times's visual Op-Ed columnist, and Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center and author of America Against the World : How We Are Different and Why We Are Disliked (Times Books, 2006), review American attitudes toward race, ...