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The Brian Lehrer Show

Friday, September 28, 2007
  • Arsham Parsi
    Arsham Parsi, Executive Director of the Iranian Queer Organization – IRQO

    I Am a Gay Iranian

    No homosexuals in Iran, President Ahmadinejad? We meet a gay Iranian who got asylum in Canada based on his sexual orientation. Also, New York’s underground dinner club scene; congestion pricing in the air; health disparities in New York City; following up on the presidential candidates, and we take your calls on what chores men do around the house.

    Take part in our crowdsourcing project: Are You Being Gouged?

Airport Congestion

Patrick Smith, airline pilot and Salon.com’s air travel columnist, and author Ask a Pilot: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel (Riverhead Books 2004) and Herb Jackson, Washington correspondent for The Record of Bergen County, NJ, discuss the Bush administration's plan to ease airport congestion.

The "Ask the Pilot" Website

Big Apple Health Disparities

Dr. Nick Freudenberg, professor of public health at Hunter College and president of the Public Health Association of New York City, talks about the health disparities in New York City between the rich and the poor.

Dining In

Underground clubs meet fine dining in New York’s supper clubs. Representatives of clubs based in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan talk about this off-beat dining experience. “Danielle” helps run New York Bite Club; "Nancy" is the founder of Williamsburg’s Whisk and Ladle Supperclub, and Tamara Reynolds blogs about cooking and offers Sunday Night Dinner in Queens.

Other websites to check out:
The Roving Gastronome
Home Slice West

Following Up: I'm a Gay Iranian

This Monday President Ahmedinejad stated that there were no homosexuals in Iran, Arsham Parsi would beg to differ. He is the executive director of the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO) and is originally from Iran. He had to flee Iran in 2001 because of his activism surrounding homosexuality.

Following Up: Next Stop New York!

This week Senators Barack Obama and John McCain came to New York. WNYC's Andrea Bernstein talks about what candidates get out of New York and what New Yorkers get in return. Also, presidential candidate John Edwards has decided to opt for public financing, does this mean his candidacy is in trouble?

Following Up: Men's Work

Listeners call in about what household tasks men are "happy" to do, following up on Wednesday's interview with David Leonhardt about gender and happiness.

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.