NPR: BPP Back in the Saddle: Bush in Iraq, Liberians in Ohio, Cubicle Culture in America, and The Most in the World

BPP Back in the Saddle: Bush in Iraq, Liberians in Ohio, Cubicle Culture in America, and The Most in the World

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Credit: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images

In today's show Jared Sandberg, who writes the "Cubicle Culture" column for the Wall Street Journal, explains "The Art of Playing Dumb to Deter Unwanted Tasks."

After a five day break from the studio, Luke and Alison are back behind the mics today, and didn't seem to miss a beat. Here's a taste of today's show...

-- ALL THINGS POLITICAL: We'll talk about the jockeying for presidential primary position, Fred Thompson's arrival, Condi Rice's disappearance, Larry Craig's return, and President Bush's secret visit to Iraq. What's it like to be a reporter invited on one of those secret trips?

-- BPP IN DEPTH: We take on two stories in greater depth today. The first is the case of a Liberian woman who the US is trying to deport, even though she's been here for 24 years and is married to a US citizen, also a Liberian immigrant. We'll talk to them to get their story. Plus we'll have Wall Street Journal writer Katherine Rosman in the studio to tell the emotional and fascinating story of discovering her mother's online life after her death.

-- MAKE ME CARE: The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum is underway. We weren't sure why we should care, so we invited Steve Clemons from The Washington Note on the show to play Make Me Care. He got 60 seconds for his pitch. Did he make you care?

-- THE MOST: Our roundup of some of the most emailed stories on the web...Baseball star Alex Rodriguez has reunited with his half brother, an Air Force Lt. Col., after 23 years apart...Since high altitude port-o-potties are too hard to clean, mountain climbers are having to pee into jars...NPR's Brian Unger has some tips for parents who need to explain senatorial bathroom misconduct to the kiddies.

-- THE RAMBLE: The mayor of a Russian town is fighting bureaucracy by banning phrases like "I don't know" and "It's not my job."...A pair of pants was found on the street with a $41,000 cashier's check inside...Nepal Airlines has sacrificed two goats to the Hindu sky god in the hopes it will address a problematic 757.

-- AND MORE: On top of all that, we introduce our brand new newscaster, Rachel Martin! Don't worry, the arrival of a new member of the BPP team is not an empty ploy to garner listeners. It was part of the plan all along.

Dan Pashman

1:36 PM ET | 09- 5-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

welcome rachel! things seem to be expanding into a wonderfully eclectic, tasteful show...like a fantastic new restuarant; some interesting appetizers, fabuluous in depth entrees and a sweet finish...so what's on tap...good luck, as you head towards the grand opening!!!

Sent by jay | 8:35 PM ET | 09-05-2007

Good Show. Good work Luke and Alison. But, I have to say two hours is a bit too long for my taste.

Sent by Robert | 10:47 PM ET | 09-05-2007

Welcome, Rachel and other new BPP staffers!

Interviewing the Los Angeles Times reporter who got called to fly with Secretary Gates was an interesting angle to cover President Bush's surprise visit to Iraq from.

I liked hearing about Bernice. Stories about immigrants from regions other than Latin America aren't heard that much on the national level.

Cubicle Culture: Luke, are you smarter than a fifth grader? My dad and aunt have funny stories within the realm of cubicle incompetence. In my family we don't drink coffee, and at different times my dad and his sister were in charge of making coffee at work. They both saw the filter, which was dirty, and cleaned it. I've been told that is a no-no. Either they learned quickly about coffee brewing or never made coffee at work again.

There's a bleeping machine? People don't have to manually bleep bad words out? The best tribute album in the last 10 years was reviewed during this show? Wrong! For The Masses for Depeche Mode is the best tribute album from the last 10 years!

It's the GAO versus the world!

Where's Condi? Great idea.

I have to pack out what?!

Thanks for revisiting the Utah coal mine story.

Why shouldn't we care about China?

If I have to pay more than $2 for downloading an episode of The Office after NBC cozies up to Amazon, I'll get mad. There's only $300 million generated by downloaded videos?

Sent by Steve Petersen | 12:04 AM ET | 09-06-2007

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