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The Brian Lehrer Show

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
  • (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aturkus/2096689374/" target="_blank">aturkus</a>/flickr)
    (aturkus/flickr)

    Renter's Remorse

    A new survey shows that more and more New Yorkers spend half their income on rent. With a looming economic downturn, what’s the future of apartment prices in the city? But speaking of an economic downturn, there may be a silver lining: your health may improve. Also, Kelly McMasters reflects on the environmental and social cost of a nuclear laboratory near her Long Island home-town. Plus, you’ve heard of live blogging, but what about live “poet-ing”?

High Cost of Renting

Congressman Anthony Weiner (D, Brooklyn & Queens) tells us that an increasing number of New Yorkers pay at least 50% of their income in rent, according to his recent survey.

Bad Times, Good Health

An economic downturn may be bad for your bank account--but maybe not your physical health. Christopher Ruhm, professor of economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, tells us why. Ralph Catalano, professor of public health at the University of California at Berkeley, says the link isn't all that clear.

Poet-In-Residence: Hour One

To celebrate National Poetry Month, spoken word artist Roland Legiardi-Laura joins us in the studio to poet-ize throughout the show. Plus, we'll hear from listeners who answered our challenge to versify about their favorite show segments. Join in by sending your poem to brianlehrershow@wnyc.org, and start each poem with the words “I heard.”

Companies Rake in Profits Amidst Food Shortage

Wall Street Journal reporter David Kesmodel explains how Big Agriculture is profiting heavily from the current global food shortage.

Read Kesmodel's article in today's WSJ

Welcome To Shirley

Kelly McMasters was reared in a different sort of "nuclear family." In Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town, she recalls growing up in Shirley, NY (map), near a nuclear facility, and discusses the dangers it posed to her community.

See the calendar for the KGB Bar Reading Series
Visit Kelly's website

Poet-In-Residence: Hour Two

To celebrate National Poetry Month, spoken word artist Roland Legiardi-Laura joins us in the studio to poet-ize throughout the show. Plus, we'll hear from listeners who answered our challenge to versify about their favorite show segments. Join in by sending your poem to brianlehrershow@wnyc.org, and start each poem with the words “I heard.”

Nuyorican Poets Café celebrates its 35th anniversary!

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.