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Topic: Science & Technology / Life

Life

Museum of God

Studio 360

November 20, 2009

Amateur paleontologist Jon Halsey isn't afraid to turn over a few rocks. By digging in areas near his home outside of Dallas, he's been able to amass an extensive collection of fossils which he stores in his garage. He calls the collection "The American Museum of God," revering the power he believes is behind his discoveries. Lindsay Patterson went digging with Halsey in the bed of the Sulfur River.


Stealing Time

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 19, 2009

Don't have time to listen to the entire show? Listen to this and you might gain it. Sue Shellenbarger, "Work & Family" columnist and senior writer for The Wall Street Journal, offers tips on managing time, deadlines and life.


On Display

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 13, 2009

New York Times reporter Julie Scelfo, who wrote about New Yorkers’ window-gazing ways, explores the inevitable voyeurism/exhibitionism of city living and the relationships that sometimes result.

Tell us your window-watching story! What's the strangest thing you've ever seen through a window? Do you have an ongoing window-watching relationship with a stranger? Have you ever met your window-neighbor? Comment below!


Julian (far right) with his Dad Bill and his mom Thya in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Revisiting the Family of a Brooklyn Soldier

November 11, 2009

Brooklyn Marine Lance Corporal Julian Brennan was killed in Afghanistan last January. His parents spoke to WNYC 10 months ago, after hearing that their beloved 25-year-old son died in a roadside bomb....


Twenty Years After The Fall of the Berlin Wall

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 09, 2009

On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, three authors who have written on the subject look back on the fall of communism and its continuing repercussions:

Michael Meyer, chief speechwriter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, former Newsweek Bureau chief for Germany, Central Europe and the Balkans between 1988 and 1992 and author of The Year that Changed the World: The Untold Story Behind the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

Victor Sebestyen, British journalist born in Hungary and author of the books Twelve Days: The Story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire.

Romesh Ratnesar, assistant managing editor of Time Magazine and the author of Tear Down This Wall: A City, a President, and the Speech that Ended the Cold War.


(<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southernfoodwaysalliance/3288797815/">Souther Food Ways Alliance</a>/flickr)

Where's the Beef?

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 02, 2009

Author of the bestselling novels Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer, discusses his new work of non-fiction, Eating Animals, and his attempt to resolve the issue of meat-eating versus vegetarianism.

Upcoming event with Jonathan Safran Foer: November 16, 2009 Barnes and Noble Union Square, 7pm.


Taxicab Confessions

The Brian Lehrer Show

October 28, 2009

Covering the best NYC taxicab stories since the 1970s, Amy Braunschweiger discusses her new book, Taxi Confidential: Life, Death and 3 a.m. Revelations in New York City Cabs.


Babble: Dirt Is Good For You

The Brian Lehrer Show

October 23, 2009

Imperfect parenting is authentic parenting, says Rufus Griscom, founder of babble.com and an editor of the new compilation of parenting essays, Dirt is Good for You: True Stories of Surviving Parenthood.


New York State Dept. of Environmental Protection

Drilling for Gas Upstate and New York City's Water

The Brian Lehrer Show

October 06, 2009

Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica reporter (and author of the newly published book China’s Great Train) returns to discuss the draft environmental review of natural gas drilling upstate and its impact on New York City’s water.


Arctic Inspiration

Studio 360

October 02, 2009

Would you seek creative inspiration while seasick in one of the coldest places imaginable? This fall a group of 14 artists sets sail for a two week journey to the Arctic Circle. They'll start from an archipelago halfway between Norway and the North Pole. Reporter Matt Holzman will be on board with the artists, but first he wanted to see how their preparations were going.


FAA to Change Safety Rules Over Hudson

September 02, 2009

The Federal Aviation Administration says it will change rules for flying over the Hudson River, in the wake of a deadly crash last month. Pilots will be required to use a common radio frequency when ....


Asbury Park Under Construction

The Brian Lehrer Show

August 27, 2009

William J. Ward, attorney and author of the New Jersey Eminent Domain Law blog, and Paul McEvily, associate executive director of Interfaith Neighbors discuss halted development, eminent domain and Asbury Park.

Halted Development Map: Help pin-point more!


Asian American Students at Risk?

The Brian Lehrer Show

August 26, 2009

Andrew Lam, editor at New America Media and the author of Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora , and Peter Yee, President of NY Coalition for Asian Mental Health and assistant executive director of Behavioral Health Services at Hamilton Madison House in Manhattan discuss whether cultural pressures for extreme achievement played a role in the suicides of three Asian American Cal Tech students in recent months.


Summer Vacation 2.0

The Brian Lehrer Show

July 27, 2009

If you're on vacation, chances are you're also online. So just what--or who--are you connecting with? Om Malik, the founder of the GigaOm network and chief blogger for GigaOm.com, talks about what he says is Our Great Internet Addiction.

Do you check email while you're on vacation? Or do you take a holiday from the internet as well? Comment below!


Jews and Organ Donation

The Brian Lehrer Show

July 27, 2009

Benyamin Cohen, journalist and author of My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith, Jennifer Siegel, former reporter at The Forward, and Rabbi Daniel Nevins, dean of the rabbinical school at the Jewish Theological Seminary, talk about the ethical debate over organ donation in the Jewish community.


NYC's New Health Commissioner

The Brian Lehrer Show

July 21, 2009

New NYC Health Commissioner, Thomas Farley, discusses what he thinks Washington health care reform can do for New Yorkers. And, lest you forget, the swine flu is back in the news and still on the DOH’s agenda.


Natural History Museum Stores Endangered Species Tissues

July 07, 2009

Tissue samples from endangered species will now be stored at the Museum of Natural History, under a new agreement with the U.S. Parks Service. The museum already freezes its own samples taken from wh....


Eggs for Sale

The Brian Lehrer Show

June 30, 2009

The Empire State Stem Cell Board recently announced that stem cell researchers in New York can use public money to pay women who donate their eggs for research. Brooke Ellison, 2006 state senate candidate, quadriplegic and advisory board member to the Genetics Policy Institute and Fr. Thomas Berg, executive director of the Westchester Institute for Ethics & the Human Person and a member of New York State Stem Cell Science's ethics committee, discuss the decision.

Do you think it's ethical to compensate women for egg donation? Would you donate your eggs--and if so, why? For the money--or to further scientific research? Comment below!


License to Teach (Yoga)

The Brian Lehrer Show

June 24, 2009

Yoga schools that provide teacher training are now required to get a license. Alison West, director of Yoga Union Teacher Training, discusses how this will affect the industry. Daily News columnist Bill Hammond writes about the law today.


Cool Moms

The Brian Lehrer Show

June 22, 2009

Jancee Dunn, author of Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?: And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had to Ask, on why it's so hard to feel like a grown-up around your parents, especially when they are trying so hard to act younger.

How do you behave around your mom? Will you always be a kid in her eyes? Comment below!


Getting Around: Underground Etiquette

The Brian Lehrer Show

June 11, 2009

All this month, the Getting Around series will look at the unwritten rules for traveling in and around New York City, whether it's underground, on the ground, or in the air. Billie Cohen, deputy editor of Time Out New York, is the unwritten rules guru for the series.

This Week: Subway Behavior. What are your rules for subway etiquette? What are your tips for being a good subway citizen? Comment below!


Live to Work/Work to Live

The Brian Lehrer Show

June 08, 2009

We spend much of our adult lives at work--yet what makes employment meaningful is not well understood. Alain de Botton, writer, philosopher, and author of The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, takes a look at the modern idea that you can do well by doing good.

Event
Alain de Botton will speak with Paul Holdengräber at New York Public Library tonight at 7PM. Click here for ticket info.

Question of the Day: Do you have to love your work to love your life? Comment below!


NY Cop Remembered as Family Man, Full of Promise

June 04, 2009

This morning thousands of police officers from across the country are gathering for the funeral of NYPD Officer Omar Edwards. He was shot and killed by another NYPD officer last week, in what police....


2 More New Yorkers Dead With Swine Flu

June 04, 2009

Two more city residents who had the swine flu have died, bringing the total to seven. And health officials are providing a first glimpse of the “underlying conditions” that can turn swine flu fro....


Gay Marriage Bill Still in NY Senate Limbo

June 04, 2009

With just two weeks before the end of the legislative session, New York's gay marriage bill is still in limbo in the state senate. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Tom Duane (D-Manhattan), insists it has eno....