wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

The Brian Lehrer Show

Tuesday, November 09, 2004
  • As The Ancestor Told His Tale....

    The search for a common ancestor to all life forms—or "concestor" —is the idea animating Richard Dawkins’ latest book. The Oxford biologist took Chaucer as his inspiration, and gave chapter titles like "the Cauliflower’s Tale" and "the Rhizobium’s Tale".

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Bob Hennelly WNYC New Jersey correspondent on NJ Governor Jim McGreevey's farewell address

70 Is the New 68

Timothy Smeeding, Director of theCenter for Policy Research at the Syracuse University Maxwell School, gives his thoughts on the potential and perils of raising the retirement age
» Timothy Smeeding

"From Plato to NATO"

Richard Dawkins, Biologist, "Professor of the Public Understanding of Science" at Oxford University author of many books on science, most recently, The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution (Houghton Mifflin,October 2004), gives a history of evolution in the form of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

Gift from the Gods

Lewis Fidler, New York City Councilmember, (D-District 46, Brooklyn), says city schools need to allot more spaces for gifted children
» Fidler

Uncommon Indicators

The Brian Lehrer Show

The Brian Lehrer Show wants to hear how the economy is affecting the little things in your daily life. Share your stories and photos of the downturn.

Just Launched! The Uncommon Economic Indicators Video Contest. All the details here!

The Rocky Road Ahead

The Brian Lehrer Show

Ray Young, the chief financial officer of General Motors, talks about GM’s bankruptcy.

Then, Damon Lester, president of the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, and Greg Williams, former owner of the recently closed Huntington Chevrolet in Huntington Station, NY., discusses the effect GM’s bankruptcy has had on dealerships and their employees.

Tweet If You Use Twitter

The Brian Lehrer Show

Farhad Manjoo, Slate's technology columnist and the author of True Enough: Learning To Live in a Post-Fact Society talks about what Twitter means and how different groups use it.

What's your take on Twitter? How do you use it? Comment below!

Don't Say That, Literally

The Brian Lehrer Show

John Flansburgh of the band They Might Be Giants discusses the running list the band keeps of "things we can no longer say." (a few examples: "my bad" "don't go there" "one hundred and ten percent" and "voted off the island")

What would be on your list of banned words or phrases? Comment below!

From Denmark with Love

The Brian Lehrer Show

Jesper Grunwald, senior managing editor with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, talks about the Danish economy, biking to work, and why the Danes are allegedly the happiest people in the world.

Squatting, Then and Now

The Brian Lehrer Show

As former squats in the East Village make the transition to coops, making homes from abandoned housing is again an issue. Andrew Reicher executive director of Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, Frank Morales an Episcopal priest involved in East Village/Lower East Side squatting and homelessness activism since the late '70s, and Rob Robinson, a leader of the Housing Campaign of Picture the Homeless, discuss the return of squatting.

Video Picks

The Brian Lehrer Show

Check out some recent video clips of interviews with guests and Brian Lehrer's weekly Web video picks.