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The Brian Lehrer Show

Wednesday, February 07, 2007
  • Ayaan Hirsi Ali
    Ayaan Hirsi Ali

    On the Outside

    Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali got political asylum in The Netherlands fleeing a forced marriage and became a leading politician and filmmaker, plus an outspoken critic of injustice in the name of Islam. We’ll speak with Ayaan Hirsi Ali about her new memoir and her religious and political journey. Also, being gay in the Dominican Republic.

Resolving to Resolve

First, Anthony Weiner, U.S. Congressman (D-NY 9)
-then-
Scott Garrett , U.S. Congressman (R-NJ 5) each comment on resolutions on Iraq and the federal budget.

In and Out

Maja Horn, assistant professor of Spanish and Latin American Cultures at Barnard College, questions whether looking at gay cultures in other countries through the lens of U.S. identity politics misses some of its vibrancy and strength. She will be joined by Jacqueline Jiménez Polanco, an activist and attorney who is a consultant & teacher at the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights (NMCIR) and Associate Researcher Abroad at the Latin American Social Sciences Faculty (FLACSO) in the Dominican Republic. She is the editor and a contributor to the book Divagaciones bajo la Luna/Musing under the Moon: Voces e Imágenes de Lesbianas Dominicanas/Voices and Images of Dominican Lesbians (FLACSO, 2006).

Event:
Maja Horn will give the "lunchtime lecture” at Barnard College on February 14th at noon entitled Between Colonial Legacies And Global Impulses: Contemporary Queer Dominican Cultures

Exhibit:
Still Musing: Dominican & Latina Lesbian Artists and Writers Depict the Sight of Discrimination and Acceptance
January 13-February 10
Rio II Gallery
583 Riverside Drive
Corner of 135th Street, 7th Floor Gallery

On the Outside

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, former member of Parliament in the Netherlands, fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author, Infidel (Free Press 2007) and The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam (Free Press 2006) discusses her life so far.

Infidel is available for purchase at Amazon.com

The New "U"

Sara Horowitz, founder and executive director of Freelancers Union, talks about reinventing the traditional labor union structure--and taking it nationwide.

Uncommon Indicators

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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.

Cast your vote for our video contest semi-finalists.

The Rocky Road Ahead

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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