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The MTA is now officially considering an increase in subway fares, as well as bridge and tunnel tolls. MTA head Lee Sander explains why. Also, we ask you to go out and count the number of SUVs parked on your block, compared to the number of cars. We get Wired Magazine’s Jeff Howe to explain this experiment in “crowdsourcing.” Also, is Apu a racist character in the Simpsons?
Fare Play
Lee Sander, CEO and Executive Director of the MTA, explains the planned subway fare and toll hike in the face of a budget surplus.
How Many SUVs Are on Your block?
We want you to go outside and count the number of SUVs on your block, as well as the number of regular cars. This is our experiment in “crowdsourcing,” where we employ you, the listener, in an act of journalism. We’re trying to find out just how much gas-guzzling SUV use there is throughout the New York area, with all the talk of environmental sustainability in the city. We’re giving you until next Thursday to do the counting, but please, just count the cars once. Most trucks and minivans are not SUVs, so we're trusting your judgment. Also, please count the cars on both sides of the block (i.e. the section of your street between intersecting roads).
Gonzales Under Fire
More trouble for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Emily Bazelon, senior editor at Slate magazine, joins us to talk about possible perjury charges against him and what this means for his office.
The Spitzer Response
Press Secretary to Governor Eliot Spitzer, Christine Anderson, joins us to respond to the helicopter scandal.
July with Jen
Jen Chung, editor of Gothamist.com, answers your questions about what's going on around Gotham each week in July.
Et Tu, Apu?
In a promotion for The Simpsons Movie, opening tomorrow, 7-Elevens have been transformed into the show's Kwik-E-Mart convenience stores run by the Indian-American character Apu. But some find the character offensive. Manish Vij, author of the blog Ultrabrown, explains why.
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