For Richer or Poorer

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Energy independence has become a catchphrase of this election season. On today’s show: find out how energy interests like coal, oil, and ethanol have influenced the political campaigns! Also, a States of the Union update on Nevada. Plus: a look at the history of marriage.

Join us for another Political Projections film screening on Mon., Nov. 3! We'll watch "Recount." Get psyched for Election Day and meet fellow WNYC listeners. Find out more and RSVP here.

....AND, check out our new Thanksgiving Recipe Swap! We want your favorite side dish recipes.

Drugs and Deals

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Find out how much influence the pharmaceutical lobby and its allies in the healthcare industry have had in the presidential campaigns. Also: a States of the Union update on Wisconsin. We look at why steak became an iconic American food, as well as how the milk industry has evolved from fresh, raw milk to Cheez Whiz. Plus, a discussion on the pros and cons of our fast-paced 24-hour news cycle!

Join us for another Political Projections film screening on Mon., Nov. 3! We'll watch "Recount." Get psyched for Election Day and meet fellow WNYC listeners. Find out more and RSVP here.

....AND, check out our new Thanksgiving Recipe Swap! We want your favorite side dish recipes.

Some Like It Hot

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Tony Curtis, the golden boy of the silver screen, tells us about living through Hollywood’s heyday. Also, States of the Union is all about Ohio, one of the most hotly contested battleground states in this election. Find out what credit derivatives are, and how they're affecting the financial crisis. Plus, John Updike!

Join us for another Political Projections film screening on Mon., Nov. 3! We'll watch "Recount." Get psyched for Election Day and meet fellow WNYC listeners. Find out more and RSVP here.

Balancing Act

Monday, October 27, 2008

Cherie Blair was the first British Prime Minister’s wife who also had her own serious career. Find out how she balanced work, family, and official duties, as well as friendships with the Bushes and Clintons. Also: a father on his daughter’s struggle with mental illness. A look at the work of Joan Miro, who once said "I want to assassinate painting." Plus, composer John Adams!

Political Funnies

Friday, October 24, 2008

Politics can be both dead serious -- and hilarious. Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor of the New Yorker magazine, talks about what makes for good political humor. Also: Please Explain is all about jealousy! Find out why the green-eyed monster can sometimes be productive.

The Show-Me State

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Missouri is one of the closest battleground states in this election. On States of the Union, find out about the issues Show-Me State voters will be thinking about when they cast their ballots on Nov. 4. Also: Underreported looks into the top censored stories of the past year. Plus, we talk dance! Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon shares his hopes for the future of dance in America; we also pay tribute to the late Antony Tudor.

The Road Ahead

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz explains how he thinks we can repair our troubled economy, solve our energy problems, and deal with climate change all at the same time. Also: 17,000 people around the world weigh in on whom they hope American elect on Nov. 4. And Michael Pollan weighs in on the food policy challenges that will face our next president.

It's Unmentionable

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Human waste is unmentionable in polite conversation, but it affects everyone's lives. Find out why human waste management is a growing public health problem. Also: can arts education help disadvantaged students improve their lives?

Speak Up

Monday, October 20, 2008

Freedom of speech was central in some of the earliest human rights documents, like the Magna Carta. We speak with three people who have dedicated themselves to defending and celebrating free speech. Also: a new novel about clashing cultures in post-9/11 Chicago. Photographer Susan Meiselas. Plus, comedian and actor Richard Belzer!

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge! There's still time to submit your map.

How to Cook Everything

Friday, October 17, 2008

The Minimalist Mark Bittman gives tips on how to cook everything. And on Please Explain: all about Botox. It's the most common cosmetic procedure in the U.S.

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge! Submit your map ASAP.

Eating Out on a Budget

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Get recession-friendly tips on dining out in New York from Tim and Nina Zagat. Also, on Underreported: the current financial crisis is often compared to the Great Depression; find out why it may be more like the Panic of 1873. And Sudanese refugee Halima Bashir talks about how to bring peace to Darfur.

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge! Submit your map by tomorrow - Friday, October 17.

Migrations

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Hear about factory cities that have spring up all over China, and the hundreds of millions of workers who have migrated to them from small villages. Plus: States of the Union is all about Florida, which has been a make-or-break state in past elections. Then, a look at a family's legacy of depression and suicide. And word maven Patricia T. O’Conner will be here to answer your questions about the English language.

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge! Submit your map by October 17.

Traveling Bones

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Find out about the fascinating journey Rene Descartes’ bones took after his death in 1650 - his remains traveled through six countries and three centuries, and were buried three times. Plus: a States of the Union update on Iowa, with 3 weeks until Election Day. A look at the art of 17th-c. Chinese painter Wang Hui. Hear about one man's childhood in Coop City in the Bronx. And Nicholas Katzenbach, attorney general in the Johnson administration, talks about his civil rights work in the 1960s.

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge! Submit your map by October 17.

Scores

Monday, October 13, 2008

Find out whether scores from educational tests like the SAT and the MCAT are misinterpreted...and whether there’s a better measure of academic achievement out there. Also: an academic-turned-cop who worked the streets in one of Baltimore’s toughest neighborhoods. We look at winemaking as an art as opposed to a business. Plus, the story behind the restoration of Max Ophuls’ 1955 cinematic masterpiece “Lola Montes.”

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge! Submit your map by October 17.

Movie Friday

Friday, October 10, 2008

We kick off with some of the world's leading filmmakers: Mike Leigh, and then Wong Kar Wai and his longtime cinematographer Christopher Doyle. Also: a look at J.B. Priestley’s 1957 play "The Glass Cage." And Please Explain is all about photosynthesis, and why it brings us beautiful fall foliage this time of year!

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge. Submissions are due October 17, so get going!

North of the Border

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Here in the U.S., the focus is on our elections next month - but Canada is holding its big elections next week! On today’s Underreported: find out about politics in our neighbor to the north. But first: Oliver Stone on his new film, "W." A look at the Hitchcock sendup now on Broadway, "The 39 Steps." We hear about proposals to redesign Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza. Plus, a States of the Union update on Michigan!

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge! Submit your map by October 17.

The Price of Style

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi gives tips on how we can all learn to have great style – at any budget. Also: States of the Union is all about New Hampshire! Al and Larry Ubell answer your home repair questions. And to start us off: find out how Goldman Sachs has managed to survive the financial crisis so far.

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge! Submit your map by October 17.

Beyond Chicken Nuggets

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Get tips on how to get your kids to eat foods other than chicken nuggets and pizza. Also: public radio star Sarah Vowell on America's Puritan heritage. Then, our latest Political Projections is all about presidential biopics! And to start us off: find out what made Abraham Lincoln an effective wartime commander in chief, despite his own lack of military experience.

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge! Submit your map by October 17.

France's Fight

Monday, October 06, 2008

Execution by guillotine wasn’t eliminated in France until the early 1980s! Hear about the fight to end the death penalty there, and what the US can learn from France’s example. Also, Ian Buruma on his new novel. A look at the history of the Bollinger champagne house. And we find out how the oil industry got so big, and what can be done to keep it under control.

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge! Submit your map by October 17.

....And be sure to tune in on Tues. Oct. 7 for the latest in our Political Projections election film series! We'll talk about presidential biopics.

Memory

Friday, October 03, 2008

An estimated 27 million people worldwide are afflicted with Alzheimer's. On Please Explain – find out what Alzheimer's is all about, and whether there are ways to prevent it or slow its progress. Also: a look at what the Savings & Loan crisis can teach us about our current financial problems. A conversation with author Judy Blume. Paul Theroux revisits his journey from London to Tokyo thirty years ago. Plus, join us for updates on the House's vote on the $700 billion bailout bill.

Check out our Redraw the Electoral Map challenge! Submit your map my October 17.

Stars

Thursday, October 02, 2008

One of America's most celebrated writers, Philip Roth, talks about his latest novel. Also, Italian cookbook star Marcella Hazan tells stories of her life beyond her fabulous recipes. Actress/singer Diahann Carroll on how she’s broken both racial and age barriers throughout her long career. We look into how the effect the financial crisis could have on small businesses. And on Underreported: find out about U.S.-backed renditions in the Horn of Africa.

History Lesson

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Find out why studying the international humanitarian intervention in Somalia in the early 1990s may help us understand what’s happening in Iraq right now. And then we go literary! Phillip Lopate talks about his new book of 2 novellas; then Salman Rushdie on what he thinks the best short stories of 2008 are. Plus: a look at why the years between 1815 and 1848 were such a tumultuous time in American history.