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The Brian Lehrer Show

Thursday, July 17, 2008
  • (<a herf="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cleverclaire1983/1404808036/" target="_blank">cleverclaire1983</a>/flickr)
    Kids at a summer session in Japan (cleverclaire1983/flickr)

    The Summer of Forgetting

    After a summer of all play and no work, kids are at risk of losing two months’ worth of learning. YMCA’s Marty Forth and CUNY professor of education Ken Gold explain why – and how kids can use their academic skills during summer break. Plus, is your online identity really anonymous? Ben Smith talks about the recent gag order on his blog, Room 8.

    July Is Photo Month: See The Change Pictures!
    On Monday we'll talk with some of the participants of our "Change for the Better, Change for the Worse" photo challenge, but you can see all the great submissions we received here.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

Your Fab Cab

The Brian Lehrer Show

Who is in your fantasy Obama cabinet? Pick anyone!

Word from Abroad

The Brian Lehrer Show

John Burns, London bureau chief for the New York Times, reflects on his work in China, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, and Iraq.

Chief of Technology

The Brian Lehrer Show

Andrew Rasiej, founder of Personal Democracy Forum, talks about the potential presidential cabinet position of Chief Technology Officer. Who's in your fantasy cabinet? Visit our Fab Cab page and let us know.

Digesting Politics

A weekly podcast with Brian Lehrer and Andrea Bernstein

New Episode Posted November 13
Eavesdrop on Andrea Bernstein and Brian Lehrer, two of the most political savvy minds around, as they eat lunch and break down the week’s political activities.

Video Picks

The Brian Lehrer Show

See video highlights from The Brian Lehrer Show plus Brian's weekly video picks.