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The Huxtable Family

It's almost time for our '10 Questions That Count' site to launch officially! As promised, we're going to ask you for your participation as we tackle the ten questions on the Census form.

wnyc archivist andy lanset holding an artifact from the 1950 census

Press ...

Meet Naomi, Alyson, Maryli, Ginger and Jim

Well, they did it! Each of our first five Help Wanted Facebook Forum contributors spent some time getting to know Brian Lehrer and our listeners on-air. You can ...

Our online collaboration of economic coverage between listeners and the Brian Lehrer Show now has more than 700 posts, and occasionally we get a peek at some of the people producing the content. We thought you'd like to see them too!

Drastic changes in the economy have ground many developers’ plans to a halt in the New York City metro region. We’re tracking cranes on pause as the latest chapter of our project, Your Uncommon Economics Indicators. Help us map and photograph the empty condos, half-baked luxury high rises and stalled ...

You've heard us talk about it on air. Now it's time for YOU to submit an Uncommon Economic Indicator video to our contest.

Why a contest? We've enjoyed reading and hearing your observations on the recession. Now we want to see them. By screening the finalists to our live WNYC audience and to the larger audience with Rooftop Films, together we are telling the story about how the economy is affecting all of us.

The incentive may attract budding film makers, but we're not looking for high gloss. What's important is that your video is a personal observation on an event, behavior or change caused by the economic crises. Use the recording equipment you have, think about how to tell us what you know, and send in the video.

Click Here: Official Rules and Instructions

Rooftop Films is excited to be part of this video contest and screen the winning video on top of the city skyline this summer. Their 2009 Summer Series will include 44 events around Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx every weekend from May to September. Screenings are attended by over 25,000 people and will show 150 films, selected from over 3,000 submissions.

Home-grown veggies
Originally uploaded by miss mass
Furyk Clark wrote in to Your Uncommon Economic Indicators about turning over a new gardening leaf: "In past years ...

Every Thursday in Brooklyn, a small gallery and reading room called Proteus Gowanus, tucked in the back of one of the old industrial buildings along the canal, opens its doors to those with broken lamps and bicycles, torn jeans or socks with holes. The weekly event is part of ...

We define the word "need" broadly in this case. It's not just the down-and-out who can use our care, but friends and neighbors who are feeling the effects of the recession. Worry over job loss or less money can be alleviated when people connect. One artist looking for community posted this text and a photo of his painting to Your Uncommon Economic Indicators.

Billy Fleurima: What I'm about to say is very difficult, but promotion is the key for success. I'm an artist and I'm looking to expose my work. I have a small place in Brooklyn. I would like to change to a gallery, but i need help, money,...I need to know if there is help for artists.

Well, Brian asked all of his listeners if, in fact, they are helping each other and if they had any advice for Billy. You can read the comments and listen to the audio of the segment, Sticking Together. When Billy later replied with an invitation for Brian to come see the art, Brian accepted:

While most of you sent advice about loaning money or finding friends jobs, one person wrote back with help for artists:

Wordle Count: words appearing most on Your Uncommon Economic Indicators

In over 380 posts to Your Uncommon Economic Indicators, take a look above at the words most used by contributors writing about the recession. Our producer Jody Avirgan pasted the project's URL into the nifty website WORDLE and sent us the word cloud above.  How interesting that the most frequently appearing word is 'people,' followed by 'now', 'work', 'business' and 'new'. It struck us as significant that so many of you write about others, and often with great concern--about their shopping habits, their lost jobs, their family businesses and even changes in their driving habits.

Check out this great video from the WNYC News Blog. Oates Ritthichai went out and spoke with New Yorkers both about the toll the recession is taking, but also the ways in which they are maintaining normalcy in their day-to-day expenses.

This is something we see in the YUEI posts: ...

We recently received a call to our Uncommon Economic Indicators hotline (that's 1-800-543-2543 if you haven't already added it to your cell phone's speed dial) about a listener's shampoo bottle. Take a listen:

from iko on ...

paperwork

One of the underlying goals of our Uncommon Economic Indicators project is not just to gather interesting stories, but to try and notice patterns, connect listeners, and possibly ...