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Finding the Middle
What does it take to be middle class in New York City? $75,000 a year for a family of four, according to a new survey of New York City leaders. Daily News columnist Errol Louis guest hosts and takes calls about being middle class in Gotham. Also, husbands who take their wives’ last names; grading restaurants; and should the NAACP widen its focus to fight for social justice, as well as civil rights?
Middle Class Squeeze
Andrea Batista Schlesinger, executive director of the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, wants to keep the middle class in New York City and John Mollenkopf, professor of political science at City University Graduate Center, tells us who is middle class.
When Men Aren't Wedded to their Own Name
Ariel Meadow Stallings, author of The Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides, looks at why newly-wed men are taking their wive's last name.
Advancing the NAACP
Leonard Pitts, columnist for the Miami Herald, urges the NAACP to embrace empowerment as well as fight injustice as it picks a new president.
Banning Bags
This week the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to mandate the use of biodegradable plastic bags in local stores. Jared Blumenfeld, Director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment, and Donna Dempsey, Executive Director of the Film and Bag Federation debate the pros and cons of enacting a similar rule in New York.
"F" is for Rats
State Senator Jeff Klein, (D-34th - Bronx & Westchester) proposes switching to letter-grade system for restaurant inspections and Chowhound.com’s founder Jim Leff weighs in.
Jim Leff expands on his view of grading restaurants here.
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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.
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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.- Comments [41]
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!- Comments [15]
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!- Comments [172]
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.
- Comments [22]
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.
- Comments [45]
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