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A Taxing Debate

Should New Yorkers be taxed for making purchases from Amazon.com, even though the online retailer has no physical presence in the state? Governor Paterson is fighting Senator Schumer and other New York lawmakers on Capitol Hill over the issue. Tax counsel Joseph Henchman joins us to sort through online taxes. We also discussed this in April.

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Bullying the Blogs

Ben Smith, co-founder of Room Eight, discusses a grand jury subpoena issued to silence his blog, where he writes about New York politics. Attorney Paul Alan Levy also joins us to talk about bloggers' First Amendment rights.

Ben Smith's blog about New York politics, Room Eight

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Summer Learning Loss

When kids don't use it, they lose it, according to the YMCA Center for Summer Learning. The YMCA's Marty Forth explains why kids lose math and reading skills over the summer, and what can be done to prevent it. College of Staten Island professor of education Ken Gold chimes in to talk about summer's place in American public education.

Do you think kids would be better off with year-round schooling? Comment below!

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Counterfeit Culture

You’ve seen them down on Canal Street, but do you know how they got here? Counterfeit goods are everywhere, but who’s behind the fake goods industry? Dana Thomas, European Editor of Portfolio and author of Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, and Susan Scafidi, author of the blog counterfeitchic.com and visiting professor at Fordham Law School, join us to talk about the business and law of counterfeits both here in New York City and online.

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The Diversity Vote

Are the presidential candidates recent efforts to reach out to voters of color actually working? Christopher Smitherman, Cincinnati chapter president of the NAACP, and Pilar Marerro from La Opinion, weigh in on the issue.

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Far Away, At Home

Staying home for vacation is one thing, but recreating an out-of-country experienece takes it to a whole new level. Wall Street Journal Reporter Mary Pilon wrote about Karen Ash and others who are experiencing the far away from home, right at home.

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