Not everyone is a Democratic or a Republican. New York State leaders from the Working Families, Conservative, and Independence parties talk about third parties and how they factor into the state’s politics. Plus: Dante Chinni in the next installment of the Our Patchwork Nation series; and outsmarting your cell phone.
Gay Today
Anthony Woods, former U.S. Army Captain and Iraq war veteran, dismissed under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and Steven Thrasher, staff writer for the Village Voice and recipient of a 2010 New York Anti-Violence Project Courage Award, discuss being gay in 2010.
We Ask, You Tell: Is 2010 a good time, or a bad time, to be gay?
New York's Third Parties
Dan Cantor, executive director of the Working Families Party, Michael Long, Conservative Party of New York State chairman, and Frank MacKay, chairman of the Independence Party of New York State , talk about New York's "third" parties.
Patchwork Nation: Boom Towns
Dante Chinni, project director of Patchwork Nation and author of Our Patchwork Nation: The Surprising Truth About the "Real" America, uses statistical information to break the country into 12 categories, like "Boom Towns," "Tractor Communities," and "Monied Burbs."
Pension Problems
Mary Williams Walsh, business reporter for the New York Times, discusses the rising cost of insuring New York State's retired employees. Then, New York City Comptroller John Liu talks about a journey to Europe to sell New York City bonds.
30 Issues Wonk Wars: Net Neutrality
Jim Harper, director of Information Policy Studies at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, thinks the Internet doesn’t need government regulation and Josh Silver, president and CEO of Free Press, thinks the Internet needs some kind of government regulation.
Zapped
Ann Louise Gittleman, author of Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution, talks about what she sees as the negative health effects from increased electromagnetic exposure and what we can do to protect ourselves.
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