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The Brian Lehrer Show

Monday, July 16, 2007
  • (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/465840062/" target="_blank">cogdogblog</a>/flickr)
    (cogdogblog/flickr)

    On the Internet, No One Knows You're a Dog

    The CEO of Whole Foods was just unmasked as someone who left an anonymous comment praising his company and dissing his competitor under an assumed name. Some people think that shouldn’t be allowed. We debate the good and the bad of anonymity on the internet. Also: why men catcall — and how one group of New York City teens is learning to deal with it.

Clearing the Way for Congestion

Ester Fuchs, professor of international and public affairs and political science at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and former advisor to Mayor Bloomberg, weighs in on the Mayor's 11th hour push for his congestion pricing plan.

The Iraq-Al Qaeda Connection

Gloria Borger, contributing editor to US News and World Report, discusses the political push to withdraw from Iraq.

Taking Back the Streets

Brooklyn teens Latosha Belton and Ashley Lewis helped to organize a "Street Harassment Summit" to teach young women how to fight back against cat callers. Along with Maggie Hadleigh-West who made the anti-street harassment film War Zone, they talk about practical strategies to silence harassers.

Sisters in Strength: Our Struggle With Street Harassment
Youth Outreach for Victim Assistance
Holla Back NYC

On the Internet No One Knows You're a Dog

Does anonymity on the Internet facilitate free speech, or drag discourse down to the level of the lowest common denominator? Ian Clarke, founder of The Free Network Project and the new website Thoof, and Andrew Keen, author of The Cult of the Amateur, debate the issue.

The Cult of the Amateur is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

It Only Hurts When I Breathe

Working out outside can be hazardous to your health. Air pollution can bring on asthma, allergies, even heart disease. Kenneth Rundell, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Marywood University, and an expert in sports medicine, tells us about the dangers of outdoor exercise and how to minimize them.

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.