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The Brian Lehrer Show

Tuesday, May 20, 2008
  • George Packer (glynnish/flickr)

    Wedge Issues

    The Democrats are still battling it out in the here and now, but Republicans are already deeply worried about the November elections. New Yorker writer George Packer talks about his recent article, Have the Republicans Run Out of Ideas?. Also: food prices may be on the rise, but that doesn't seem to be pushing us to conserve it: a recent study shows that Americans generate 30 million tons of food waste a year. And: we continue our look at parks around the city with a visit to Travers Park in Jackson Heights, and author Carl Hiaasen talks about his twisted relationship with golf.

Republican Malaise

George Packer, New Yorker staff writer, talks about his article this week on Republican despair and the fall of the conservative movement.

Packer's Blog at the New Yorker

Resistance Formula

Can organic formula make your children crave sweets when they get older? The ingredients in organic may make you want to think twice about that high price. Nina Planck, author of the upcoming, Real Food for Mother and Baby, and New York University professor of food studies Marion Nestle weigh in.

Clean Your Plate

New York Times business reporter Andrew Martin talks about Americans and food waste.

"One Country’s Table Scraps, Another Country’s Meal" (NYT, 5/18/08)

Shanks for the Memories

Author and columnist Carl Hiaasen wanted to be better at something in middle age than he was when he was young. So he foolishly reconnected with golf. He talks about his new memoir, The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport. Joining him is his golfing buddy, Paul Bogaards, executive director of publicity and media relations at Alfred A. Knopf.

Event: Carl Hiaasen will be reading tonight at Barnes and Noble Bookstore at Union Square at 7pm.

Are you a golfer in the city? What's it like to be an urban duffer? Comment below!

If you can't see the video click here

It’s My Park: Travers Park

As part of our series on parks around the five boroughs, Len Maniace, chairman of Friends of Travers Park in Jackson Heights, talks about his park.

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.

Cast your vote for our video contest semi-finalists.

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.