The Rundown for Monday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Win Rosenfeld

5:05 PM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Video: The Most

Filed under: Links From the Show

It's the Most.

Comic powerhouse Harvey Korman dies at 81/ Japanese scientists create microscopic noodle bowl/ Japanese woman lived in man's closet/ "Uncontacted tribe" sighted in Amazon/ Eddie Murphy back in "Beverly Hills"

Win Rosenfeld

5:03 PM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

A Tribute to Harvey Korman

Filed under: Stuff We Love

Comic genius Harvey Korman passed away at age 81. On "The Most" today I tried to pay tribute to one of my favorite Harvey Korman moments, but describing sublime physical comedy doesn't made great radio.
I tracked down video of the scene I meant. It's from "High Anxiety." Korman plays Dr. Charles Montague, a debonair but secretly masochistic psychiatrist. Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman) has warned him not to be late to dinner, because "those who are tardy do not get fruit cup." What happens when he's 30 seconds late? Comedy gold.

The bit I mean starts at 7 minutes in. Enjoy.

Tricia McKinney

2:14 PM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

All About Anansi, the Trickster Spider

Filed under: Book Club, Luncheonette

So, if you're liking Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, our current BPP Book Club pick, you've probably been wondering about this Anansi character. And you've probably discovered that he is a figure originating in West African folklore about whom many stories are told throughout the African diaspora. He's a trickster, always scheming. Sometimes things turn out well for him, sometimes not--especially when he's greedy.

After reading a book called Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott, my six-year-old wanted more Anansi tales, and I went looking on YouTube. This one, Anansi and the Tug o' War, by Story Cove, was his favorite. Enjoy.

Bonus:
Crazy Polish TV commercial for Anansi Boys
Sign up for BPP Book Club alerts

Sarah Goodyear

12:55 PM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Impossumble!

Filed under: ROFL

Cute and Gross are waging a serious battle in my brain right now. I'm not sure I believe it, but find the story here.

Ian Chillag

9:42 AM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

What to Do with the Florida and Michigan Delegates?

Filed under: Sound Off

On today's show, Twitter pal Kerstin Upmeyer (@kittydew )talked about the frustrations of being a Democratic voter in Florida.

The National Democratic Committee meets this weekend to decide what to do with the delegates from Michigan and the Sunshine State. Upmeyer says she voted in the primary (for Barack Obama) even though she believed her ballot would count for nothing. Her husband, believing the same, stayed home. Hillary Clinton won.

Now, she says, there may be no good answer. "Definitely between a rock and a hard place," she says.

Got a fix?

Laura Conaway

9:11 AM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

'Sex and the City' Made on Bryant Park

Filed under: City Living

Whatever you think of Sex and the City -- the movie, the show, the column, the brand -- you couldn't help bumping into it last year in New York as the film version went into production. Someone captured this scene across Bryant Park from our office.

Laura Conaway

8:56 AM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Court Smacks Texas over Sect's Kids

Filed under: Sound Off

Awhile back, we opened a thread about Texas taking more than 450 kids from a polygamous sect and putting them in foster care all over the state. Valentina wrote, "Can anything by done to help these children and mothers to stay together?"

The answer is in: yes. On Thursday, the Texas Supreme Court ruled the state had no right to take 139 of the kids; the ruling is expected to extend to all of the children. The court said Child Protective Services failed to demonstrate any immediate danger to the youth.

It's your thread, people. You know what to do with it.

Laura Conaway

8:20 AM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Linkfest: The 10 Worst Jobs in Science

Filed under: Links From the Show

English majors regretting it all, take heart: Maybe you didn't become a scientist like mama wanted, but at least you didn't end up as a whale-feces researcher. That's number 10 on a new list of worst jobs in science.

It's the Most.

The 10 worst jobs in science/ Stonehenge used as cemetery from the beginning/ Navy hopes to solve WWII plane mystery/ "Uncontacted tribe" sighted in Amazon/ Marine removed from duty over Bible coin reports

Laura Conaway

8:01 AM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Farewell, Harvey Korman

Filed under: Links From the Show

One of America's funniest funny men has died at 81. Harvey Korman appeared on the Carol Burnett Show and on Blazing Saddles, as what the AP calls a "natural second banana."

It's the Most.

Comic powerhouse Harvey Korman dies at 81/ Japanese scientists create microscopic noodle bowl/ Japanese woman lived in man's closet/ "Uncontacted tribe" sighted in Amazon/ Eddie Murphy back in "Beverly Hills"

Laura Conaway

7:51 AM ET | 05-30-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Friday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Zena Barakat

1:56 PM ET | 05-29-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Clarence Carter's "Patches"

Filed under: Luncheonette, Stuff We Love

Courtesy of Nathan Deuel, a song that'll keep on breaking your heart.

Bonus: Wikipedia on Clarence Carter

Laura Conaway

1:15 PM ET | 05-29-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Video: The Most

Filed under: Inside The BPP

Win Rosenfeld

1:05 PM ET | 05-29-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Gallery: Art at the San Francisco Dump

Filed under: Slideshow

Click to view.

Courtesy of Art at the Dump

 

On this morning's show, Paul Cesewski talked about his work making art out of the trash in San Fransico's municipal dump. It's part of the Norcal Waste Systems' Artist in Residence program.

Laura Conaway

8:56 AM ET | 05-29-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Linkfest: In Dire Indicator, Spam Sales Rise

Filed under: Links From the Show

The government says food prices are rising at just over 6 percent a year. And guess what else is up? Annual sales of Spam -- by nine percent in the last six months over last year's totals.

It's the Ramble.

Sales of Spam rise as consumers trim spending/ Sharon Stone "deeply sorry" for karma remarks regarding quake/ Pisa's leaning tower "stabilised"/ NASA puts rush order on space toilet fix/ National Spelling Bee favorites are friendly rivals

Laura Conaway

7:13 AM ET | 05-29-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Thursday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Win Rosenfeld

2:59 PM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Gamillions of Bikes in Copenhagen

Filed under: City Living, Luncheonette

Several times in New York this spring, I've pulled up to intersections on my bike and realized I'm looking at more bikes than cars. It mostly happens in neighborhoods instead of Midtown Manhattan, but sometimes it happens even on high-traffic streets.

City transportation planners report that the number of cyclists is way up. But we're nowhere near the velo crowd in Copenhagen, Denmark. The person who took the video above admits it's a bit of a cheat -- the footage was taken just after a drawbridge had been lowered. Even so, it's an amazing stream of bikes.

Bonus: L.A. Times covers riding in New York.

Laura Conaway

2:11 PM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Video: Mates of State

Filed under: Music, Video

It's a family affair for the duo Mates of State. When husband-and-wife Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner came to the BPP studios, they brought their kids and Kori's mom babysat. They call their blog Band on the Diaper Run.

Forget everything you think you know about rockstars. Mates of State have a picture-perfect Connecticut suburban life and it's cool.

Here's My Only Offer from their new album Re-Arrange Us.

Zena Barakat

1:06 PM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Video: The Most

Filed under: Links From the Show

It's the Most.

Dunkin' Donuts yanks Rachael Ray ad/ Energy drinks may be a red flag/ X-rated content infiltrates library's story line for kids/ Ex-Bush spokesman: President used "propaganda" to push war/ Teacher lets students vote on whether to let little boy stay in class

Win Rosenfeld

12:19 PM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Former Bush Aide Says Iraq War 'Not Necessary'

Filed under: News

"Not necessary": Scott McClellan

Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images

 

In a book coming out on Monday, former White House press secretary Scott McClellan says that President Bush misled the nation to war in Iraq and that the president wanted to create for himself a "legacy of greatness." For the record, the White House calls McClellan "disgruntled."

McClellan certainly sounds displeased, at any rate. He writes:

"No one, including me, can know with absolute certainty how the war will be viewed decades from now when we can more fully understand its impact. . . . What I do know is that war should only be waged when necessary, and the Iraq war was not necessary."

McClellan's argument reminds me of a conversation I had recently with someone from the other end of the political spectrum. Writer Tony Judt describes himself as a Socialist Democrat, the kind of political thinker you might find in Scandinavia. Judt has been a vocal critic of the Bush Administration and the war in Iraq, but he's no pacifist. He considers war a valid branch of foreign policy, but only as a last resort.

Judt stopped by a few weeks ago to talk about his new book, Reappraisals: Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century. Among his central ideas is that American policymakers reach for war too quickly, because we have forgotten what war really means.

Laura Conaway

11:35 AM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

Afraid of Seeming Racist?

Filed under: Sound Off

On today's show, we looked at a new study that says many white people avoid situations where they might come off as racist. They're afraid to talk about race, for starters, but some are also nervous about simply hanging out with people of different backgrounds.

Want to talk about it?

Laura Conaway

9:54 AM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (32) | e-mail post

Video: Letters to the Next President

Filed under: Video

Artist Sheryl Oring says her latest project, "I Wish to Say," came out of her growing concern that "not enough voices were being heard about the state of affairs in this country."

To help fix that, Oring set up tables in public places all around the country armed with her vintage manually operated typewriter, and asked intrigued passersby to sit down for a few moments and dictate a letter to the future president of the United States.

So far, Oring has typed tens of thousands of notes from people all over the world and sent them to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Her first book, I Wish to Say, is collection of those letters. Sheryl was in Bryant Park last week, just downstairs from our studio, typing letters all day long. Here's how it went:

Win Rosenfeld

8:24 AM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Sound Off: Your Letters to the Next CIC

Filed under: Sound Off

Artist Sheryl Oring types letters to the president for perfect strangers. A lot of letters. You can learn a little more about her here. And while Sheryl was in town, she was also kind enough to play secretary for a few BPP listeners. Check out their letters -- and add your own -- below.

And while you're at it, check out NPR's Get My Vote Project. It's for you.

Continue reading "Sound Off: Your Letters to the Next CIC" »

Win Rosenfeld

8:23 AM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Listener Challenge: What Is This Baby Saying?

Filed under: Maternity Leave

YOUR CAPTION HERE.

 

Alison Stewart sends this picture of her own baby Ike, doing what babies so often do.

But what on earth is baby Ike saying?

That's where you can help, dear listener. Try your hand at a caption in the comments, please.

After the jump, Alison asks for advice.

Continue reading "Listener Challenge: What Is This Baby Saying?" »

Laura Conaway

8:10 AM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (45) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Space Station Needs a Plumber

Filed under: Links From the Show

The, um, facilities on the International Space Station have gone out of order. While astronauts attempt a repair, they're using the more limited loo in the Soyuz capsule that serves as a lifeboat for the station. Meanwhile, company's coming -- the space shuttle Discovery, with a crew of seven, is scheduled to launch on Saturday. At least the shuttle has its own W.C.

It's the Ramble.

New challenge for Space Station crew: a broken toilet/ Sharon Stone films banned in China after "karma" comment/ Pagan tomb under St. Peter's Basilica reopened/ "Andy Griffith" composer dies at 88

Laura Conaway

7:41 AM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Dunkin' Donuts Pulls Rachael Ray Ad

Filed under: Links From the Show

A new Dunkin' Donuts ad shows Rachael Ray pitching summer coffee drinks in a scarf that looks like a keffiyeh, more traditionally seen as a headdress on Arab men. Or maybe we make that a former Dunkin' Donuts ad, now that the company has pulled it after threats of a boycott.

It's the Most.

Dunkin' Donuts yanks Rachael Ray ad/ Energy drinks may be a red flag/ X-rated content infiltrates library's story line for kids/ Ex-Bush spokesman: President used "propaganda" to push war/ Teacher lets students vote on whether to let little boy stay in class

Laura Conaway

7:29 AM ET | 05-28-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Wednesday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

For some folks, letting go is tough.

Zena Barakat

3:33 PM ET | 05-27-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Like a Ski Slope: Juneau's Energy Use

Filed under: News

Juneau's electrical use, before and after the avalanche.

From Up in Alaska

 

Our old pal Jill Homer has been having a world of fun in Alaska, going on 150-mile bike rides, etc. Jill works at the local paper, the Juneau Empire, where lately the news has been all about the city's precipitous decline in electric use.

An avalanche last month wiped out Juneau's hydroelectric power. The electric company has been powering the city on diesel, at $4 a gallon. After the utility warned people about outsize bills -- something like three or four times the usual -- residents went around unplugging every possible appliance. Jill and her housemates just got their bill; she writes that they came in under $100, when they'd expected to pay more than twice that.

Laura Conaway

3:05 PM ET | 05-27-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Lord Stanley's Cup

Filed under: Sports

I don't know if I've ever used the phrase "a beautiful ad created by the National Hockey League" before, but this is as good a time as any...

Dan Pashman

2:49 PM ET | 05-27-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Sydney Pollack, Smart Like That

Filed under: Luncheonette, News

The news:
Film director Sydney Pollack died Monday of cancer at his home in Los Angeles. He was 73.

The clip: Pollack gives a lesson in making movies.

Bonus: The agent scene in Tootsie.

Laura Conaway

12:55 PM ET | 05-27-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

No Title Necessary

Filed under: Stuff We Love

Nothing I could write could make this better than it is.

Dan Pashman

9:33 AM ET | 05-27-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Video: The Most

Filed under: Links From the Show

It's the Most.

Former Dallas council member chooses prison over apology/ Late rush nets Brat Fest record/ Canadian foreign minister resigns/ Japanese railway turns to feline "stationmaster" for help/ $100 laptop story, dated 2005, makes most e-mailed list at MSNBC

Win Rosenfeld

9:18 AM ET | 05-27-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

What Do Brands Mean to You?

Filed under: Slideshow

Click to play.

Ian Chillag, NPR

 

What is a brand? Noah Brier says it might just be the sum total of everything everybody thinks about it. That's the idea behind his new website, Brand Tags.

After the jump, check out a very special logo and tell us the first thing that comes to your mind in the comments.

Continue reading "What Do Brands Mean to You?" »

Ian Chillag

7:45 AM ET | 05-27-2008 | permalink | comments (15) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Apologize or Go to Jail

Filed under: Links From the Show

Former Dallas City Council member James Fantroy faced a choice -- admit he stole money from a Texas college or go to jail for 30 days. Fantroy is dying of kidney cancer. He insists he's innocent. He chose jail.

It's the Most.

Former Dallas council member chooses prison over apology/ Late rush nets Brat Fest record/ Canadian foreign minister resigns/ Japanese railway turns to feline "stationmaster" for help/ $100 laptop story, dated 2005, makes most e-mailed list at MSNBC

Laura Conaway

7:35 AM ET | 05-27-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Zimbabwe's Mugabe Insults Diplomat

Filed under: Links From the Show

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is getting ready for a run-off election next month with rival Morgan Tsvangirai. Along the way, Mugabe said of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer, "You saw that little American girl trotting around the globe like a prostitute."

It's the Ramble.

Mugabe labels U.S. diplomat a 'prostitute'/ Israel has "150 or more" nuclear weapons: Carter/ Scientists announce top 10 new species in last year/ McCartney receives honorary degree for "musical genius"

Laura Conaway

7:32 AM ET | 05-27-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Tuesday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Win Rosenfeld

12:25 PM ET | 05-26-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Lunchtime Laugh-In in Memory of Dick Martin

Filed under: Luncheonette, Stuff We Love, TV

Dick Martin of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" passed away over the weekend at age 86.

Martin was the comic half of the title comedy duo--the other being straight man Dan Rowan. (Want to know the difference between comic and straight man? Look it up in your Funk and Wagnalls.)

Although I am not of the generation for whom "Laugh-In" was made, as a lover of comedy, especially anything that has ties (however tenuous) to vaudeville, I have been a fan of the show forever. As a kid I was more interested in the zany characters like Ruth Buzzi's little old lady with the hairnet or any of Lily Tomlin's creations from Edith Ann to the telephone operator, than of Rowan and Martin themselves. But of course now I get the two mcs nattily dressed in tuxedos, carrying drinks and cigarettes as they kept the weirdness moving along. Or did I imagine the drinks and cigarettes? They made it seem like that kind of a party.

Coincidentally, yesterday I was surfing through youtube looking for Danny Kaye routines (see? the comedy thing again!), when I stumbled upon his brief appearance on "Laugh-In." And that started me down an hour or so journey laughing at "Laugh-In" clips. All before I heard about Dick Martin's death. Here, then, for your luncheonette pleasure today, is one of my favorites of yesterday's discoveries, in memory of Dick Martin.

Tricia McKinney

12:21 PM ET | 05-26-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Video: The Most

Filed under: Links From the Show

It's the Most.

Fourth disembodied foot washed up in British Columbia/ Odds of Cataclysmic Space-Rock Crash: 1 in 10/ Texting drivers: R U 4 real?/ Hops shortage hitting US craft-breweries/ Lost divers "should pay rescue"/ Boeing 747 splits in two on take off

Win Rosenfeld

10:41 AM ET | 05-26-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

The Once and Future Lower East Side

Filed under: City Living

We talked about America's most endangered historic places on BPP this morning. The list caught our eye because one of the sites, New York's Lower East Side neighborhood, is close to the BPP's home turf. It also reminded us of a great conversation we had with acclaimed novelist and The Wire screenwriter Richard Price. His latest story is set in the Lower East Side. It's a crime novel that's just as much a work of anthropology, studying the neighborhood's supercharged diversity. Our conversation with Price is well worth a listen.

Mark Garrison

10:04 AM ET | 05-26-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Linkfest: It's Time to Jump Babies in Spain

Filed under: Links From the Show

In Spain this week, men playing the part of Colacho, a person bound to the Devil, have been leaping over rows of babies. That's a move you've got to get right.

It's the Ramble.

"Family Circus" mom dies at 82/ Cheez Whiz is overrated for cheesesteaks/ Indiana Jones and the wrath of the Communist Party/ Spanish village holds baby jump

Laura Conaway

7:43 AM ET | 05-26-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Stop TXTNG and DRV, PLS

Filed under: Links From the Show

A new study shows more than a third of all drivers in several states admit to sending text messages while driving. People, people, just listen to the radio. Seriously.

It's the Most.

Fourth disembodied foot washed up in British Columbia/ Odds of Cataclysmic Space-Rock Crash: 1 in 10/ Texting drivers: R U 4 real?/ Hops shortage hitting US craft-breweries/ Lost divers "should pay rescue"/ Boeing 747 splits in two on take off

Laura Conaway

7:36 AM ET | 05-26-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Monday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

We love twins.

Zena Barakat

4:35 PM ET | 05-23-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Video: The Most

Filed under: Links From the Show

It's the Most.

Fireworks mark Brooklyn Bridge's 125th birthday/ Dealer offers free gun with car purchase/ Lost parrot tells veterinarian his address/ Ten reasons Gen Xers are unhappy at work / Wing Music, at the top of Google Trends

Zena Barakat

3:59 PM ET | 05-23-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

This Is a Libertarian Open Thread

Filed under: Election 2008

On today's show, David Weigel of Reason magazine reported from the 2008 Libertarian presidential convention.

Weigel says the Libertarians have real hope for winning elections this year. Candidates are talking about furthering the legacy of Ron Paul, who has been running as a Republican this year. Meanwhile, the Libertarians are talking about each other, with the left and right wings trading accusations about plans for last-minute takeovers.

Consider this your Libertarian thread. No questions. No directions. The marketplace of ideas is always open. Unless I'm out having a picnic with my family.

Laura Conaway

2:50 PM ET | 05-23-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Son House Makes an Afternoon Shine

Filed under: Luncheonette

Son House isn't living anymore, but his music is. The blues giant re-emerged from his Delta obscurity to play around the city where I grew up, in Mississippi, not long before his death in 1988.

For the warm spring afternoons listening to him on patios and lawns, I thank my ancestors who couldn't get out of the mud, and the ones who moved into the mud so they could preach revivals, and especially the ones who tried to move to Texas but came back on the same trail their bulldog had followed home weeks before. Son House, you made the whole thing worth it.

Laura Conaway

2:09 PM ET | 05-23-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Happy 125th Birthday, Brooklyn Bridge

Filed under: City Living

Click above to celebrate the Brooklyn Bridge's birthday vicariously.

Dan Pashman, NPR

 

Last night New York kicked off a five-day celebration of the Brooklyn Bridge's 125th birthday. The bridge holds a special place in my heart, for a variety of reasons. My (now) wife Janie and I walked across it on our first date. We got engaged on it. And we got married in its shadow. Now we're fortunate enough to live down the street from it, which means we get to view it and walk across it on a regular basis.

Janie and I attended last night's festivities. I tried to tell her it was all in our honor, but I don't think she believed me. It was a clear night featuring fireworks, a specially-designed multi-colored lighting scheme for the bridge, and a giant birthday cake in the shape of the bridge. We even got to eat the cake. (I don't want to get all political here, but that Michael Bloomberg sure knows how to run a city. He brought enough cake for everyone! The event greatly improved my tax-dollar-to-cake ratio.)

Continue reading "Happy 125th Birthday, Brooklyn Bridge" »

Dan Pashman

8:53 AM ET | 05-23-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Dumbest Generation: The Remix

Filed under: Links From the Show

The Dumbest Generation?

iStockphoto.com

Having read Mark Bauerlein's The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes our Future, which is thorough, authoritative and provoking, I just kept thinking, "Haven't I heard this somewhere before?" One generation finding fault with the entire character of a later generation is an age old discussion. You hear strains of these bemoanments informing works like the Bowery Boy movies, through the Blackboard Jungle, on to the real life "damn hippies" of Max Yasgur's farm, up through the "Me generation," and crashing into those entitled "millennials." The specific complaints always sound something like this:

"These young people ARE JUST DIFFERENT. I don't get them. It's not just the slang or unfamiliar words, it's their near total lack of communication skills. Also they're rude and so damn lazy. I think back to my youth-- we knew something back then. But today ... ugh. And the worthless pop culture. I really worry about them."

That spiel, I realized, is nearly an exact paraphrase of the song Kids from the 1960 Broadway show, Bye Bye Birdie. So with this in mind I asked Professor Bauerlein a series of questions, first soliciting his thesis, then talking about communication, on through indolence, touching upon the greatness of prior generations and ending up in pop culture. Post interview I edited out my questions and just plopped in the song from Bye Bye Birdie. I hope you'll find it actually works pretty well.

--Mike Pesca

Angela Ellis

8:10 AM ET | 05-23-2008 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

Gallery: From the Zone -- the Twilight of My Youth

Filed under: Slideshow, Stuff We Love

Click to watch

Savannah College of Art and Design

 

OK, I admit it. I was watching TV at work. Well, actually, I was legitimately looking something up on the CBS site when I discovered that you can watch full episodes of their classic TV shows. The first one to catch my eye: the Twilight Zone. And it was all over.

Memories came flooding back, transporting me to another dimension . . . also known as 1983. Picture if you will a 9-year-old girl. An innocent scene of a young girl and her big sister, crossed-legged on the floor of their grandmother's house, an oversized, mustard-colored velveteen pillow their only shield from the black-and-white images of creepiness on the screen. God, I loved the TZ marathons on KTLA 5! And there was chocolate milk and Wonder bread, too.

Continue reading "Gallery: From the Zone -- the Twilight of My Youth" »

Angela Ellis

7:47 AM ET | 05-23-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Linkfest: New York City Not as Big as It Thought

Filed under: Links From the Show

While New York City celebrated the 125th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge opening yesterday, another story was making the rounds: that the city is 17 square miles smaller than long believed. Which won't make finding a place to live any easier.

It's the Ramble.

LA welcomes 18,000 new citizens, a city record/ High gas prices force cops to walk the beat more/ Wolf whistle works, woman strips/ New York's still a big city, just not quite so big

Laura Conaway

7:40 AM ET | 05-23-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Linkfest: The Brooklyn Bridge Turns 125

Filed under: Links From the Show

The Brooklyn Bridge celebrated its 125th birthday last night. Producer Dan Pashman says the city had plenty of cake for everyone. He had two pieces. And he took some pictures. They're on the way.

It's the Most.

Fireworks mark Brooklyn Bridge's 125th birthday/ Dealer offers free gun with car purchase/ Lost parrot tells veterinarian his address/ Ten reasons Gen Xers are unhappy at work / Wing Music, at the top of Google Trends

Laura Conaway

7:01 AM ET | 05-23-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Friday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Here's a preview of tomorrow's broadcast with Tricia & Matt.

Win Rosenfeld

3:06 PM ET | 05-22-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Lenny Henry, Narrator, Friend of Neil Gaiman

Filed under: Book Club, Luncheonette

Meet Lenny Henry, big in Britain..

Listener Gavin Bruce took the BPP to task today for not knowing who Lenny Henry was when we played a clip of Henry's audiobook recording of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys (this month's BPP Book Club selection). Bruce wrote:

You didn't seem to recognize Lenny Henry's name or voice on the show today (he's the narrator of your talking book version). I wanted to mention that he is actually a very very very famous person, one of the most well-known and talented people in the UK for at least 20 years. You might want to learn more about him.

Right you are, Gavin! You can find out everything you might want to know about Henry on his website. He's not only a very accomplished comedian, he's also a friend of Neil Gaiman's, and, according to Gaiman, was at least in part the inspiration for Anansi Boys:

There's definitely a part of me that feels that Lenny Henry's reading of ANANSI BOYS will be in some odd way the definitive text, but that's because Lenny was there when I came up with the idea, and much of the time while I was writing it, I was hearing Len's voice in the back of my head.

Gaiman also said this about Henry in an extensive interview about Anansi Boys for About.com:

On the one hand he's a very private, quiet, scholarly, reserved person, and on the other hand is an absolutely wild, outgoing, over-the-top, huge, funny dude. And both of these things are true. And I love the fact that both of these things are true.

After the jump, links to ever-so-slightly blue, absolutely hilarious Henry clips.

Bonus: Sign up for BPP Book Club alerts

Continue reading "Lenny Henry, Narrator, Friend of Neil Gaiman" »

Sarah Goodyear

12:23 PM ET | 05-22-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Video: The Most

Filed under: Links From the Show

It's the Most.

A surprise as fans pick a 7th "Idol"/ ilots run out of fuel, pray, land safely near Jesus sign/ Tire danger: the cryptic code that could save your life/ Sleepy brain prone to sudden shutdowns/ Fleet Week 2008: Ships, helicopter raids & more/ Getting into college is easier with a gladiator at your side

Zena Barakat

11:21 AM ET | 05-22-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Confidence Key to 'American Idol' Win

Filed under: Links From the Show

David Cook played his way to the top of American Idol yesterday. "As far as I'm concerned," he said, "the competition's over and we're just having fun." Sounds like a rock star to me. You?

It's the Most.

A surprise as fans pick a 7th "Idol"/ Pilots run out of fuel, pray, land safely near Jesus sign/ Tire danger: the cryptic code that could save your life/ Sleepy brain prone to sudden shutdowns/ Fleet Week 2008: Ships, helicopter raids & more/ Getting into college is easier with a gladiator at your side

Laura Conaway

7:03 AM ET | 05-22-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Langhorne Slim Plays the Real Bryant Park

Filed under: Video

In recent years, Langhorne Slim's combination of thoughtful lyrics and energetic live performances has earned him a reputation as an up-and-coming folk rocker with a punk sensibility. A few weeks ago he came by the BPP for an interview and in-studio performance.

Afterward, he and his band wandered out into Bryant Park, one of Midtown Manhattan's most beloved green spaces, in the middle of the lunch rush. With little fanfare, they set up in the park and started playing. Some people slowly turned their chairs in the direction of the music, while others barely glanced up from their salads. In the end, most of the unsuspecting crowd applauded. Some grabbed pens and paper to write down his name, so they could ask their kids about him.

Win Rosenfeld

5:39 PM ET | 05-21-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Thursday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Here's a preview of tomorrow's broadcast with Tricia, Matt, and a special guest.

Zena Barakat

4:45 PM ET | 05-21-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.21.08

Filed under: Links From the Show

Win Rosenfeld

1:35 PM ET | 05-21-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Washington's Scholar-on-Scholar Softball Action

Filed under: Sports

Little League season is upon us, and an article by Scott Ganz of the American Enterprise Institute caught my eye recently. Its argument about the positive impact of youth sports participation was interesting, but the description of the co-author was what got me thinking. The author, as it happens, also coaches the Institute's softball team.

Wait, AEI's softball team? Does Richard Perle call his homers like Babe Ruth? Does neocon godfather Irving Kristol give a rousing pre-game speech? (I need hitters, not quitters!!!) I'm not sure, but a bit of lunchtime searching revealed that think tanks from left to right aren't just engaged in the battle of ideas. They've also got their own softball league.

Just imagine the trash talk when the liberal Center for American Progress takes on the righties at the Heritage Foundation. I'm sure it's all erudite and perhaps even peer-reviewed, though. Things really got interesting when I found their flickr photostream. . .

Continue reading "Washington's Scholar-on-Scholar Softball Action" »

Mark Garrison

1:11 PM ET | 05-21-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Students Video the China Quake

Filed under: Luncheonette, News

The YouTube summary for this video clip says it was filmed by a student at Sichuan University, in Chengdu, during China's May 12 earthquake.

The 3,500 comments are peppered with arguments about the Chinese government and the question of outsider aid. One person writes: "why do you blame the innocent victims for wat the government does?i know other countries out there arent getting ALL the help they need but right now people are being buried and need to be found in less than a week."

More:
Surveillance camera footage in Chengdu
China needs a million tents

Laura Conaway

12:42 PM ET | 05-21-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

A Miracle: Our New Site

Filed under: Inside The BPP

If you've ever worked on websites, you'll know that redesigns usually take long enough for the technology you started out with to be rendered obsolete by the time you flip the switch.

Not so with the new Bryant Park Project. The brains over at the NPR mothership put together a new site for us in weeks, literally weeks. We love it, and we'll hope you'll love it, too.

A huge thanks to everyone at NPR.org, including but by no means limited to: Jennifer Sharp, Scott Stroud, Darren Mauro, Daniel Jacobson, Todd Welstein, Joe Matazzoni, Wright Bryan, Andy Carvin, Stephanie Oura, Lindsay Mangum, Adam Martin, Joanne Garlow, Ben Hands and much-loved alums Maria Thomas and Jay Kernis.

Laura Conaway

8:54 AM ET | 05-21-2008 | permalink | comments (22) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Giant Panda Comes Home After Quake

Filed under: Links From the Show

Bonus: Pre-earthquake video by David Gilkey, NPR, at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Embed this on your blog via YouTube

An adult giant panda that went missing in China's May 12 earthquake turned up again at the Wolong National Nature Reserve. Two other pandas remain missing.

It's the Ramble.

Panda finds way home to reserve after China quake/ Man reprimanded for blasting Springsteen hit/ Google responds to Lieberman's call to censor/ Sleepy brain prone to sudden shutdowns/ Fleet Week 2008: Ships, helicopter raids & more/ Tin Thatcher sparks assembly row

Laura Conaway

6:23 AM ET | 05-21-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Gun Owners Pinched as Ammo Prices Rise

Filed under: Links From the Show

For years now, comedian Chris Rock has been doing a bit about "bullet control" -- the idea is that ammunition should be expensive enough to make people think twice about firing it off. Now, thanks to China's demand for metals and the need to supply U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, the price bullets is on the rise. "If things get bad enough, we may all just get one bullet each," one enthusiast told Reuters.

It's the Most.

So much for restaurants' "diet" menus/ Group plans fifth annual prairie dog killing contest/ Mom forced to live in car with dogs/ Former Carter aide Hamilton Jordan dies/ Gun owners pinched as ammo costs shoot up/ Tin Thatcher sparks assembly row

Laura Conaway

6:22 AM ET | 05-21-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Rundown for Wednesday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

We've got our fingers crossed.

Zena Barakat

3:33 PM ET | 05-20-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.20.08

Filed under: Links From the Show

It's the Most.

Divers find combined gold toothpick, earwax spoon/ "Sound of Music" plan protested/ Carbonated fruit a hit in school/ White valedictorian: A first for historically black Morehouse/ For Hall and Oates, a new appreciation

Zena Barakat

12:28 PM ET | 05-20-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

On Today's Snack Menu: That Animated Graffiti Thing

Filed under: Luncheonette

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

I keep bumping into this clip on some of my favorites sites.

Thankfully, the artist (at least somewhat) explains the otherwise unexplainable.

Laura Conaway

12:22 PM ET | 05-20-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Not a Video Game

Filed under: Iraq

A scene from Virtual Iraq

Image courtesy of Skip Rizzo

 

On today's show, Albert "Skip" Rizzo told us about Virtual Iraq, a virtual reality environment used to help returning soldiers deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The theory is that by immersing soldiers to virtually relive their trauma in a safe environment, you can help them better process their memories. I've watched some direct feed from Virtual Iraq. It looks like a video game, but knowing that what I'm seeing is a representation of something that might have actually happened to someone makes it feel like something else entirely.

Ian Chillag

9:16 AM ET | 05-20-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

'A Self-Sealing Wound:' Photog Gets Javelin in the Leg

Filed under: News

Ryan McGeeney, former Marine, current photo intern.

Darrin Harris Frisby

On Saturday, photo intern Ryan McGeeney showed up at the Brigham Young University stadium to cover Utah's high school track championship. McGeeney spent seven years in the Marines, including six months in Afghanistan, and now he's interning for the Ogden Standard. Now he stationed himself in the neutral zone between the discus and javelin throwers.

McGeeney says he watching the discus thrower when he heard officials start shouting at him to look out. He'd wandered into the field of play for the javelin toss and a javelin was coming straight at him. It pierced the skin just below his left knee. McGeeney kept taking pictures. He calls it the rational thing to do.

The veteran and photographer says he takes full responsibility for what happened. When he got out of the hospital later that day, he went back to the meet to say as much to the Provo High thrower who pinned him, Anthony Miles. I'll let McGeeney tell you the rest -- including the amazing result for Miles -- and I'll drop the key image after the jump.

Continue reading "'A Self-Sealing Wound:' Photog Gets Javelin in the Leg" »

Laura Conaway

8:28 AM ET | 05-20-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Linkfest: 14 Tons of Oreos Close Highway in Illinois

Filed under: Links From the Show

In Morris, Ill., a tractor trailer carrying 14 tons of double-stuffed Oreos tipped over Monday on Insterstate 80. Officials closed both lanes while they removed the cookies.

It's the Ramble.

Hello Kitty appointed Japan's tourism ambassador to China, Hong Kong/ Extinct Tasmanian Tiger's DNA Revived in Mice/ "Disaster fatigue" blamed for drop in Americans' giving/ Carbonated fruit a hit in school/ White valedictorian: A first for historically black Morehouse/ 14 tons of spilled Oreo cookies snarl Illinois traffic

Laura Conaway

7:08 AM ET | 05-20-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Linkfest: We All Heart Hall and Oates

Filed under: Links From the Show

My favorite Hall and Oates song, even if Rich Girl's better.

Rock critic goddess Ann Powers turns her considerable attention to Hall and Oates, the most successful duo in pop music history. In sum, her message is that it's OK to go ahead and love them. Hip-hop artists have been sampling their music for years, and now the emo crowd has piled on. Powers writes, "In particular, two qualities that characterize the hits of this long-lived band resonate with younger listeners: their truly equal footing in both rock and R&B and their belief that accessible and artistically adventurous music could be one and the same."

It's the Most.

Divers find combined gold toothpick, earwax spoon/ "Sound of Music" plan protested/ Carbonated fruit a hit in school/ White valedictorian: A first for historically black Morehouse/ For Hall and Oates, a new appreciation

Laura Conaway

7:00 AM ET | 05-20-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Rundown for Tuesday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

We will launch a new website when we're ready tomorrow. Here are Tricia and Matt with more:

Zena Barakat

4:58 PM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

'Minimalist' Mark Bittman Says Change or Die

Filed under: Luncheonette

This Luncheonette is for all the East Coasters and Midwesterners coming back to their desks, and for the West Coasters still considering what to eat.

One of my favorite cooking gurus, New York Times "Minimalist" Mark Bittman, would like a word with all of us about food. Bittman gave a TED Talk, basically saying that we can have our fast-food beef and corn-based everything, or we can have our planet.

You decide, Bittman says. You're deciding every day.

Laura Conaway

2:13 PM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

The Big Cover-up: On the Politics of Breastfeeding

Filed under: Maternity Leave

A YouTube ad for the Slurp & Burp breast cover..

My husband, Bill, tells Ike every day, "Sir, we have your favorite table waiting."
That would be the baby-friendly pillow in my lap (great product, bad name: My Breast Friend), where young Isaac Stewart Wolff dines seven or eight times a day. I've made the commitment to use these knockers, cans, bra buddies for their natural purpose. With questions about formula (see today's New York Times headline on the sweetener in organic formula) and the immunity benefits for a baby, I never really considered not breastfeeding.

However, I do find myself questioning when and where it is appropriate to whip out "the boob." As some of my more straitlaced guy friends have visited, I've found myself using a very cool coverlet that was a gift. (Thanks, BPP-er Caitlin Kenney!)

Lactivists will likely see my covering up as selling out. I've been sort of shocked by how adamant some lactivists can be and how dismissive some in the traditional medical community are of lactivists. One lactation consultant I encountered in the hospital practically chewed me out for improperly identifying a type of breast milk. (Yes there are types -- who knew?) A medical practitioner told me not to allow myself to become a "human pacifier."

I've come to learn that breastfeeding is a political issue. Remember when Bill Maher angered a lot of women and received the Stinky Diaper award from Baby Talk magazine for saying on his show that women who don't cover up in public are "too lazy to either plan ahead or cover up" and that they're just seek the spotlight for something a dog can do?

What do you think about breast feeding in public? And why has it become so politicized?

Bonus: The Easy Expression bustier.

Alison Stewart

11:19 AM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (32) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.19.08

Filed under: Links From the Show

It's the Most.

Students' photos altered in McKinney yearbook/ Yearbook producer apologies, tries to make amends/ Researchers teach "Second Life" avatar to think/ A Push for Prince George's County to Impeach Pear Tree/ Kenny Chesney is right! ACMs ain't the Country Folks' Choice Awards!/ Royals sell wedding exclusive for $1 million

Zena Barakat

10:12 AM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Can John McCain Save the Republican Brand?

Filed under: Election 2008

Conservative Republicans wonder whether John McCain can reinvent the party.

photocredit

On this morning's show, Jim VandeHei of Politico.com took a look at the state of the Republican brand. And what a picture.

VandeHei says the GOP is in the worst shape with voters that the party has seen since Watergate. The editor spent time recently with Republican governors, looking for a preview of their strategy for the presidential campaign. "It's clear they feel that the one ace in the hole that they still hold is national security and fighting terrorism," he says.

And that brings us to Sen. John McCain, the presumptive nominee and Vietnam war hero. VandeHei says conservative Republicans who dismissed McCain as not Republican enough are now hoping he can reinvent -- and reinvigorate -- the party. Even if they don't much like the results.

Laura Conaway

9:58 AM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

River Mea Culpa

Filed under: Corrections

I have a retraction to make. I goofed on the air today and said that the Barack Obama rally yesterday in Portland, Ore., happened along the banks of the Columbia River. This is not true.

The rally happened along the banks of the WILLAMETTE river. As a former resident of the Pacific Northwest and someone with family and friends in Portland, I am ashamed to have made this mistake.

My sister Abi and my college roommate Kelly are definitely going to give me a hard time.

Rachel Martin

9:51 AM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Computer Solitaire Hooks Another Generation

Filed under: Sound Off

Can't stop? You're not alone.

"You don't win that often, but you have these incremental victories."

So says Josh Levin, author of a Slate article on the bizarrely addicting computer game Solitaire.

On today's show, Levin talks about why it is that so many people play Solitaire on their computers. In a Grand Theft Auto world, a lot of us still turn first to a game that hasn't changed all that much since the 1970s.

Personally, I never play Solitaire anymore. But dear listeners, I know you're out there lining up those cards on a screen. Set the mouse down for a second and tell us why.

Laura Conaway

9:40 AM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Video: Sondre Lerche on the BPP Jukebox

Filed under: Music, Video

Although the U.N. declared this week that Iceland is the best place in the world to live, former six-time champ Norway still has Sondre Lerche to brag about. At the tender age of 25, this singer/songwriter has written the music for a major motion picture and toured with Aha, Elvis Costello and Beth Orton. He stopped by the studio yesterday to play us a couple of tunes from his new album. Check out his performance of "To Be Surprised":

Laura Conaway

8:32 AM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Linkfest: The Cub Scout Mom Who Wasn't

Filed under: Links From the Show

A Pennsylvania mom dressed her seven-year-old son up as a Cub Scout and had him collect money for a phony camping trip. Now she's up for a stint in county prison, with a sentence of six to 23 months.

It's the Ramble.

Mom sentenced in Cub Scout scam/ Dallas Morning News crowd-sources probe into lost JFK files/ As prices rise, crime tipsters work overtime/ Taser duel in parking lot

Laura Conaway

8:05 AM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Linkfest: The Mix-and-Match Yearbook Photos

Filed under: Links From the Show

Students at a high school north of Dallas opened their yearbooks to find several of their heads superimposed on the wrong bodies -- and at least one person's head attached to a nude figure. At least 34 kids were mismatched.

It's the Most.

Students' photos altered in McKinney yearbook/ Yearbook producer apologies, tries to make amends/ Researchers teach "Second Life" avatar to think/ A Push for Prince George's County to Impeach Pear Tree/ Kenny Chesney is right! ACMs ain't the Country Folks' Choice Awards!/ Royals sell wedding exclusive for $1 million

Laura Conaway

7:41 AM ET | 05-19-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Bat Mitzvah Flies Free

Filed under: City Living, Video

On Wednesday night, I went with Bill Chappell to Fort Marcy Park in Fairfax, Virginia, for the release of his beloved Bat Mitzvah.

For the last five months, Bat Mitzvah had been living the good life under the care of bat rehabilitator Leslie Sturges with all the mealworms and darkness a little bat could want, but the time had come for her to fly home.

For me, watching her disappear into the darkness was a little sad, but Leslie didn't feel that way at all.

"The wonderful thing about rehab is to have a wild creature share your life for a little bit and then go finish being wild," she said. "You know, our interest is not in keeping them -- it is in helping them go on. All these wild animals are up against such pressure from people right now that any little thing we can do to help them live a healthy life we feel like we kind of owe it to them."

She sounded just a like a proud mother.

Caitlin Kenney

3:36 PM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Look Here, Hudson Valley

Filed under: Stuff We Love

Riley wears chain mail.

 

The BPP's search for the World's Awesomest Person is over, and we have a winner. Riley. In his awesomely awesome CraigList post he writes:

I'm tired of answering ads on these pages only to find poseurs, geeks and acoustic folk acts who want me to change my unique playing style to match their style. It's time for a band that is as unique and forceful as I am, and I'm taking no prisoners.

This monumental effort will require the cooperation of a thunderous bass player with the mind and skills to keep this beast of a freight train on its tracks while a talented drummer will unleash an unrelenting hailstorm of destruction down upon his kingdom of percussion....

As you can see from my picture, I wear chain mail to protect my body from the rigors of extreme playing.

It doesn't really matter whether this post is real. It's awesome. (Read the whole thing here.)

Dan Pashman

2:04 PM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

The Physics of Bowling (Or: When Harry Met Alley)

Filed under: Video

Today we did a segment that combined everything I love: bowling. Actually, it was an interesting look at the physics of bowling, in which we talked with Paul Ridenour, research engineer at the United States Bowling Congress. They just wrapped up a two year study on bowling ball motion, conducted in response to fears that fancy new balls are making bowling more about technology than skill. They conducted their tests using "Harry," a ball-rolling robot that is the feature of this awesomely deadpan video on the USBC's website, entitled, "When Harry Met Alley." Enjoy...

Dan Pashman

1:10 PM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

We'll Take One Order of Shame. With a Side of Fried Pickles.

Filed under: Inside The BPP

The BPP ordered BBQ for lunch today.

 

Dan Pashman

1:04 PM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Neil Gaiman, Defender of Free Speech

Filed under: Book Club, Luncheonette

One of the things I've discovered about Neil Gaiman since we picked his novel Anansi Boys for the BPP Book Club is that he has a really nice blog. Nice sounds like a mushy word, but I mean it in the best possible way.

Gaiman's posts are warm and spontaneous, filled with details of his travels and what he eats and the shenanigans of the bees he keeps. The blog also includes many letters from his fans -- many of them aspiring writers -- and his detailed personal responses to their questions. Overall, it gives the impression of a guy who is insatiably interested in the world around him and who is dedicated to supporting other creative people.

Check out this video clip he posted recently, of a spot he taped in support of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

He even blogged about us on May 10, the day after we announced our pick of Anansi Boys:

The biggest news that doesn't involve walking along a fallen tree over a river with a dog following behind me is that NPR has picked Anansi Boys for the Bryant Park Project book club.

See what I mean? The man has things in perspective.

Bonus: Want a taste of Anansi Boys before committing to reading it? There's an excerpt here. // Sign up for BPP Book Club alerts or just drop us a line here.

Sarah Goodyear

12:21 PM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Mondown for Runday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Here are Tricia and Matt with a preview of tomorrow's BPP.

Win Rosenfeld

12:10 PM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Kentucky Explained in Black and White

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Our conversation this morning with a professor from Kentucky stopped a few Twitter listeners cold.

Donald Gross, who teaches political science at the University of Kentucky at Lexington, took a question from Mike Pesca about Hillary Clinton's 30-point lead over Barack Obama in polls ahead of that state's Democratic presidential contest.

Gross noted that Kentucky has a very small African-American community -- the U.S. Census Bureau puts the figure at 7.5 percent of the population.

"I think in many parts of the state of Kentucky people are a bit uncomfortable with African-Americans," he said. "In a lot of the rural areas, literally a lot of these individuals have never seen African-Americans. They don't interact with them."

Continue reading "Kentucky Explained in Black and White" »

Laura Conaway

9:06 AM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (26) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Your Letter to the Next President

Filed under: Slideshow, Sound Off

Sheryl Oring wants your thoughts for the next boss.

Click to view.

 

What would you like to tell the next president?

We'd like to know -- and so would artist Sheryl Oring. Using an old manual typewriter, Oring will be taking dictation on Monday in Bryant Park for letters to the next commander-in-chief, as part of her project "I Wish to Say."

You can get in on it now. Drop your letter to the next president (in less than 400 words, if you can) in the comments. We'll ask Oring to include some of them in work next week.

Laura Conaway

8:21 AM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Giant Beetles in the Mail

Filed under: Links From the Show

Postal workers in Mohnton, Pa., heard a curious scratching sound coming from packages labeled as toys and jellies. The noise was coming from 26 giant beetles inside. Customs officials say smugglers may have shipped the beetles in for breeding.

It's the Most.

Beetlemania: Giant bugs cause quite a stir/ Really lite beer making genuine impression on calorie counters/ New Hard Rock Park mixes rides with rock 'n' roll/ Macy's sells "peace baskets" from Rwanda/ Why Chris Matthews is big on Google Trends

Laura Conaway

7:42 AM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Tonya Harding Tells Harrowing Tale

Filed under: Links From the Show

Olympic skater Tonya Harding is best known for her involvement in the 1994 kneecapping of rival skater Nancy Kerrigan. Now 37, Harding has spent the past eight years telling her story to Lynda D. Prouse for a new book called The Tonya Tapes. "So many people do not have a voice and they should be heard," Harding told the A.P.

It's the Ramble.

Nine-year-old girl's twin is found inside her stomach/ Former Olympian Harding tells harrowing story in new book/ DeGeneres, de Rossi plan to marry, AP is told/ Murdoch victory, jury rejects spying charges

Laura Conaway

7:40 AM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Best Busker Balla Tounkara Performs at the BPP

Filed under: Music, Video

Balla Tounkara, kora player and singer handily won our first BPP Best Busker contest last week. Tounkara claims that he's a 40th generation kora player, and based on the way he played that rare instrument at the BPP yesterday, it's a hard point to argue. Here he is, your champion, Balla Tounkara with his original piece, "Nina".

BONUS: After the jump, Balla discusses his rare and possibly "powerful" instrument with Rachel.

Continue reading "Best Busker Balla Tounkara Performs at the BPP " »

Win Rosenfeld

7:33 AM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

T. G. I. Rundown

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Here are Tricia and Matt with a preview of tomorrow's BPP.

Win Rosenfeld

4:52 PM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

MySpace Mom Indicted by Federal Grand Jury

Filed under: News

From the AP:

"A Los Angeles federal grand jury has indicted a Missouri woman for her alleged role in a MySpace online hoax played on a 13-year-old girl who committed suicide.

"Lori Drew of suburban St. Louis was indicted today on one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress."

Drew helped create a fake MySpace persona, that of the handsome Josh Evans, to woo a neighbor girl, Megan Meier. After a few weeks, "Josh" turned on Megan, telling her the world would be a better place without her. Megan hanged herself.

Flashback:
Blogger takes on Lori Drew
Lori Drew's lawyer checks in

Laura Conaway

2:58 PM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

New York Announces Winning Subway Buskers

Filed under: City Living, News, Video

A big thanks to everyone who voted in our best subway busker contest. Tomorrow on the BPP, winner Balla Tounkara will perform during our broadcast. Tune in to hear his beautiful voice and intricate picking on the kora, a Malian instrument with 21 strings.

And moments ago, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced the winners of the Music Under New York auditions. All four of the musicians in our contest were accepted into the Music Under New York Program. Kip Rosser, the theremin player in the audition story, was also accepted.

So next time you're in New York City, you might see these great musicians performing in the most coveted spots in the subway system.

Congratulations to all.

Zena Barakat

2:33 PM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

California Supreme Court Opens Way to Gay Marriage

Filed under: News

Full disclosure: I care.

And now the news, from the AP: "California Supreme Court overturns voter-approved gay marriage ban, though more challenges loom."

The court published its 4-3 decision on that 2000 citizen referendum here. A key portion of the majority ruling:

[I]n contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation, and, more generally, that an individual's sexual orientation - like a person's race or gender - does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights. We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples.

The ruling takes effect in 30 days. Opponents of same-sex marriage say they've collected enough signatures to place a constitutional ban on gay nuptials on the ballot in November. State officials are now reviewing the more than 1.1 million signatures submitted; of those, 694,354 must be deemed to belong to currently registered state voters.

Bonus: L.A. Times report.

Laura Conaway

1:10 PM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

The Most for 5.15.08

Filed under: Links From the Show

Win Rosenfeld

11:31 AM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Death Cab for Cutie Plays the BPP

Filed under: Music

Death Cab for Cutie stopped by the BPP yesterday to deliver some musical goodness from their new album, Narrow Stairs. It's the band's second major label effort and its already getting some serious attention from critics and listeners alike. Here's DCFC with the somewhat co-dependently titled but beautifully written single off that record, "I Will Possess Your Heart."

Win Rosenfeld

8:56 AM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

The Internet Is So Hot Right Now

Filed under: Links From the Show

Somebody just got photobombed.

 

From time to time, Scott Lamb of Buzzfeed drops by to tell us how best to use our valuable Internet time. Today:

Hitler Subtitle Mashups: Crafty types taking a scene from the film Der Untergang about the downfall of Adolf Hitler, and resubtitling it. Imagine a raging Hitler screaming about Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears, about his star getting stolen, about getting banned from Microsoft Live.

Photobombing: Sneaking into the background of other people's photographs. Sometimes this is done with NSFW intentions, so clickers beware.

Kittens on Treadmills: These are pretty much videos of kittens on treadmills.

Ian Chillag

8:54 AM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Into the Wild: A Little Bat's Trip to, and from, Rehab

Filed under: City Living, Video

On Wednesday night, I got to watch the little bat I found in December getting released back into the wild!

Leslie Sturges, who has been looking after the bat since NPR became a bit obsessed with it -- How does it survive this brutal cold? Why is it all alone? -- had pronounced Bat Mitzvah healthy and ready to return to full-time bat duties.

Leslie says the bat, a silver-haired female, is likely pregnant, though we weren't going to breach its privacy enough to find out for sure.

I visited Leslie's BatWorld NOVA (that's Northern Virginia for acronym-ophobes) on my bike a couple weeks ago and checked out the rehab process. That's her, holding the bat in the clip below. Soon, with Caitlin Kenney's help, we'll be posting more video -- including a clip from the release!

Bill Chappell

7:41 AM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Teen Gets 'Awesome' Job -- Mayor!

Filed under: Links From the Show

Muskogee, Okla., has a fresh face in charge -- a very fresh face. John Tyler Hammons captured 70 percent of the vote this week to become the town's new mayor. (Remember Benazir Bhutto's 19-year-old son, who inherited the reins of her political party?)

It's the Ramble.

Oklahoma freshman named town's mayor/ "Crazy ants" causing crazy damage in Houston/ Gold thieves hit 11 JCPenney stores/ Record opium crop for funding resurgent Taliban

Laura Conaway

7:29 AM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Is Your Office Making You Fat?

Filed under: Links From the Show

"Culinary occasions of sin" -- that's how Boston Globe describes the offices of New England. Since I work in New York now, I'll go ahead and admit that a regular parade of snacks is by no means limited to that rocky region.

So is your office making you fat? Mine would, if I let it.

It's the Most.

Is your office making you fat?/ Ohio man finds someone already buried in his grave/ U.S. orchestra conducted by robot

Bonus: Why, why, why is "zxbfwwr" spiking on Google Trends?

Laura Conaway

7:26 AM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Thursday

Filed under:

Here are Tricia and Matt with a preview of tomorrow's BPP.

Win Rosenfeld

6:21 PM ET | 05-14-2008 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

Coming Soon: An Update on Our Pet Bat

Filed under: City Living

Only echolocution could have made sense of this route.

Bill Chappell

 

Some of you might remember Bat Mitzvah, the little bat we found wedged into the side of a building near NPR this past winter. It was a silver-haired bat, and it turned out to need help to survive.

We're planning an update on the bat Thursday, with all kinds of good stuff.

But for now, let me ask you: Have you ever been really lost -- so turned around that you couldn't trust your sense of direction to set you straight? The kind of lost where asking the locals only makes things worse?

That's what happened to me when I tried to ride my bike the 19 (theoretical) miles from NPR to Bat World NOVA, to check in on the bat and visit with Leslie Sturges, who runs the bat-rehab operation.

It turns out there isn't a good bike route to get there, which means I took to underpasses, overpasses, highways (even a pike, briefly!) and other generally stupid places to ride a bike.

By the time I got out there, I could totally identify with the bats who have lost their way in this world and relied on Leslie to get them back on track.

As for the ride back into town, I took a route not available to most bats: the subway.

Bill Chappell

3:53 PM ET | 05-14-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

LOL, Cats

Filed under: Luncheonette

Oh, treadmill cat, why are you so sublime?

Ian Chillag

12:49 PM ET | 05-14-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.14.08

Filed under: Links From the Show

A man in Fort Worth reached for an itch on his back with a revolver. The good news is that he was treated and released.

It's the Most.

Rough transition to a new asthma inhaler/ Father jailed after daughter fails to get diploma/ Man uses gun for backscratcher, shoots himself/ Divers find Caesar bust that may date to 46 B.C./ Why Anika Sorenstam's big on Google Trends

Win Rosenfeld

8:55 AM ET | 05-14-2008 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

What's the Opposite of a Zero-Sum Game?

Filed under: Sound Off

Yesterday during Laura's On The Blog segment, she was discussing whether it's possible to blog too much, when she had this exchange with Mike Pesca:

Listen to it again. It gets funnier.

But the question got us thinking...What is the opposite of a zero-sum game? We know there's such thing as a positive-sum game, where sides can both gain or lose at the same time, but that doesn't exactly seem to be the opposite of a zero-sum game. Are we missing something? What's an example of the opposite of a zero-sum game?

Dan Pashman

8:46 AM ET | 05-14-2008 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

Food, Clothing, Shelter: Caring for Kids in China

Filed under: News, Slideshow

Children sleep on parents' backs as families head for help.

Getty Images

 

We've seen a lot of painful, horrifying images from China this week, with parents mourning children lost in Monday's earthquake. Reports suggest the death toll from the 7.9 magnitude quake is at least 12,000, perhaps even 15,000. Authorities say thousands more remain buried in the rubble. Mothers and fathers will be grieving in China for a long while yet to come.

For other families, the question now is how to get through the hazy limbo that follows close behind the moment of disaster. This morning, the latest pictures out of China documented the beginnings of that journey.

Full read:
Rescuers reach city at epicenter of Sichuan quake
Art Silverman describes the scene

Laura Conaway

8:13 AM ET | 05-14-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Why President Bush Gave Up Golf

Filed under: Links From the Show

President George Bush tells Politico and Yahoo News that he gave up golf in 2003 after the bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. The president said:

"I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf," he said. "I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."

It's the Ramble.

Bush talks to Politico, Yahoo News/ Jesuit astronomer: Belief in aliens is not heresy/ Study: Over half of Americans on chronic medicines/ 'The Real World' brings apocalypse to unsuspecting Brooklyn

Laura Conaway

8:12 AM ET | 05-14-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Band Uses Security Cameras to Make Video

Filed under: Video

The Get Out Clause, an unsigned British band, wanted to make a music video. Lacking a more obvious way to make one, the Get Out Close turned to the closed-circuit security cameras that have become so omnipresent in British life.

They performed "Paper" for the security cameras, then filed freedom of information requests for the footage.

Bonus: Band rocks Big Brother

Laura Conaway

7:30 AM ET | 05-14-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

What I Could Not Do This Morning

Filed under: City Living

Fortunately, the unfolding part went just fine. The ride was great, and now the mostly folded Brompton is under my desk. Will practice after the show.

Laura Conaway

6:10 AM ET | 05-14-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Fluffy Quiche, 05.13.08

Filed under: What I Made for Dinner

Like Tricia, the grande dame of "What I Made for Dinner," I've been out of the kitchen a lot these past few weeks... mostly because Little League season is underway, and this year, I've got two players. That's three games and two practices a week, if you're keeping score.

But this weekend, I made an old standby... a recipe I got from my good friend and star Los Angeles news anchor Sylvia Lopez. It's called Fluffy Quiche. It's DESIGNED for working moms, and it's good for breakfast, dinner, and two-in-the-morning musing. Recipe after the jump.

Continue reading "Fluffy Quiche, 05.13.08" »

Sharon Hoffman

5:51 PM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Wednesday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Here are Tricia and Matt with a preview of tomorrow's BPP.

Zena Barakat

3:03 PM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

BPPdian Rhythm: Sleep Struggles in Morning Radio

Filed under: City Living, Personal/Private

This morning we talked to Dr. Ana Krieger about sleepwalking. It was an interesting conversation, especially for BPPers, who spend an enormous amount of time thinking and plotting about when to sleep and how to get more of it. No one who has ever worked an a.m. shift for more than a week will find this surprising.

Our day starts before 5 a.m. Getting the fabled eight hours a night is attainable. But the real challenge is getting a decent night's sleep AND having a normal life, as in going out to dinner, seeing your friends' new band play, generally having face-to-face contact with people you like. It is not mathematically impossible, but it's pretty tough.

The math? Assume it takes you 90 minutes to get ready and get to work. (This sub-assumes you aren't too vain and don't live too far. More primp time and longer commutes make it even worse.) That means to get in by 4:30, you need to be up at 3 a.m. To get eight hours, you need to be asleep at 7 p.m. Not a lot of time for fun with friends, unless your entire social circle consists of teachers, pastry chefs, the unemployed or others with consistently free afternoons. But, there is a way out. . .

Continue reading "BPPdian Rhythm: Sleep Struggles in Morning Radio" »

Mark Garrison

12:57 PM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Cleveland Indians Notch Unassisted Triple Play

Filed under: Luncheonette, Sports

Editor's note to the editor's note: Someone helpfully pointed out the replacement video showed an assisted triple play, not an unassisted one. The clip above purports to be an unassisted triple play, and I defy anyone to sort it out well enough to argue otherwise. The original replacement is now after the jump.

Editor's note: YouTube pulled the video of the Indians' unassisted triple play, citing a copyright claim from Major League Baseball. Since you couldn't see it all that well anyway, I'm posting video of this (somewhat similar) amateur triple play. At least in this one you can see the lead runner.

For your lunchtime viewing pleasure, a moving meditation on right time/right place:

Baseball's unassisted triple play -- when a lone fielder is responsible for three outs on a single pitch -- is a rare and freakish feat.

Last night, Cleveland Indians second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera turned the 14th unassisted triple play in the history of the major leagues. Facing the Toronto Blue Jays, Cabrera dove for a liner by Lyle Overbay for out number one. Toronto had runners on first second and secondthird, and both had taken off with the pitch. Cabrera stepped on second base to get the lead runner, Kevin Mench, who'd already reached third. He then tagged the following guy, Marco Scuataro, who'd just crossed second.

Check the video -- it's three outs in a blink.

Bonus: ESPN breaks it down.

Continue reading "Cleveland Indians Notch Unassisted Triple Play" »

Laura Conaway

12:10 PM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.13.08

Filed under: Links From the Show

Win Rosenfeld

9:43 AM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Video Clip: A Walk to Beautiful

Filed under: Video

"A Walk to Beautiful" is the true story of five Ethiopian women who suffer from fistula, a devastating childbirth injury and their journey to find new hope for better lives. Instead of living in a culture that ostracizes them for the disability, they make the long difficult trip to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in search of a cure and a new life.

Filmmaker Mary Olive Smith was on the BPP this morning & she brought a clip from this award-winning film:

Win Rosenfeld

9:01 AM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Cloud and Unclear

Filed under: Stuff We Love

My Japanese is rusty. Can somebody tell me what is going on here? I'm also interested in your wild theories.

Ian Chillag

8:54 AM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

The News from China: Twittering the Earthquake

Filed under: News

From @trusip

 

Before the big earthquake stopped Monday in China, people were getting the news out on Twitter. In posts no longer than 140 characters, they've been finding the news, describing what they see, reckoning with how it all feels.

"Just got a telephone call from my friends telling me that they expecting an other big one in the next half an hour," Trusip wrote on Monday.

Twitter pals @marilynm, @robpatrob and @acarvin have followed the tweeting from China closely.

With thanks to them, three recommendations for people to follow: @trusip, @dedlam and @chengdoo.

Also:
@dedlam on his big day
NPR reports from the scene
The BPP on Twitter

Laura Conaway

8:27 AM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Cricket Players Bring a Beautiful Game Stateside

Filed under: City Living, Video

From Elsa Butler:

For those of us who grew up with the American pastime of baseball, cricket can be a confusing game. For immigrants from places like Guyana, the Caribbean islands, India and Pakistan, cricket is a way of life. "I was born in India, I've been playing for a long time," says Sohom Datta, a senior at Stuyvesant High School who helped start his school's cricket team.

But when families move to the United States, kids end up playing American sports like basketball and football in school.

"My favorite quote about that is that when Indian kids come to Britain, they're still cricket crazy. When they go to America, they forget about cricket," says Datta. "That stuck with me."

That is quickly changing. The New York Department of Education introduced cricket into the public school system and the response was tremendous. It's only the first season, but the varsity league is already in full swing. Teams signed up from Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens.

As in baseball, there are bats and balls, but no bases to be found. Instead, the batters run back and forth between "stumps." The pitchers are called "bowlers." They try to knock little wooden "bails" off the "wickets" -- three wooden sticks stuck in the ground.

Several kids in the league have never played before, but they say they're having blast learning an unconventional sport.

Laura Conaway

7:43 AM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

A Little More Fun with Jason Mraz

Filed under: Music, Video

Today's show took another listen to Jason Mraz, who came to the BPP studios awhile back to play some tunes. Here's his performance of a track from his first album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come:

Laura Conaway

7:19 AM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Get Older, Get Happier

Filed under: Links From the Show

A new study shows that as we get older, we get happier. That's what the researchers say, and not being 22 anymore, I believe them.

It's the Most.

Who's happier -- older or younger?/ Passenger sues airline over flight spent on toilet/ Why Sue Simmons showed up on Google Trends/ Student is this year's sole graduate of North Dakota high school

Laura Conaway

7:14 AM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Linkfest: LeBron James' Mama Takes His Side

Filed under: Links From the Show

LeBron James took a bear-hug foul from Paul Pierce in the Cavaliers-Celtics game Monday night, right under the basket and in full view of James' mama. Gloria James let Pierce know he should use his words instead, and then showed him how. LeBron James used his words, too, telling his mother to stay out of it.

It's the Ramble.

LeBron James scolds mom during Cavs-Celtics game/ Old gas pumps can't handle ever-rising prices/ Apple Says IPhone Is Sold Out at Its Internet Store/ Wrinkles could be key to buying cigarettes in Japan

Laura Conaway

7:03 AM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Alison Checks In One Week After Isaac's Arrival

Filed under: Maternity Leave

Alison's bundle o' boy at 3 hours

Isaac Stewart Wolff turns one!

One week old, that is......

What a difference a week makes. This morning my son and I ( so funny to write that) went to the pediatrician, where he was described as "one of the strongest infants" the doctor has ever seen.

Regular readers know about 11 days ago I had a really tough time with the first two trips to the hospital, but the third was the charm. We were given the superstar treatment -- literally, since we were assigned the same fancy labor room as used by Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael J. Fox/Tracey Pollan and Bowie and Iman -- and after 11 hours of labor and one C section, 8 pounds and 6 ounces of cuteness came into the world.

As I've blogged, Ike was over a week late but we think we know why. In my family a lot of us were born on holidays. My birthday is July 4th, my sister is New Years Day, my niece July 4th, my paternal grandfather Halloween, my maternal grandfather New Years Day, my paternal grandmother was born on the first day of summer and my mother is Thanksgiving (11/25).

So we think he was holding out for a holiday and don't you know...his cumpleaños is Cinco de Mayo.

More maternity leave blog posts on the way...but right now....a dirty diaper needs changing.....

Alison Stewart

4:10 PM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Tuesday

Filed under: The Best Song In The World Today

You will be assimilated.

Win Rosenfeld

3:46 PM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

The Office's BJ Novak: Uncut

Filed under: TV

BJ Novak as Ryan Howard

NBC

 

Today we spoke with BJ Novak, co-star, writer, and producer from The Office, which many of us (read: me) consider the best show on network television. (30 Rock may be blatantly funnier, but The Office is overall better.)

Mike Pesca, himself a big booster of the show, spent about 40 minutes talking to Mr. Novak, covering some of the real nitty gritty of the show's production. In the end we cut it down to 14 minutes, with a bunch of clips from The Office mixed in. We tried to make a segment that would appeal to hardcore fans of the show as well as newbies. (Here's that segment.)

But we've also decided to make the raw, uncut version of the interview available here, for all you Office-obsessed fans out there. This version doesn't have the perfect mix, it doesn't have the sound clips of the show dropped in, and it might even contain--gasp!--a stutter or two. But it probably has as much insight into the show as anything you've heard or read. So grab some popcorn and enjoy:

Dan Pashman

2:59 PM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Tortellini with Lemon Juice and Oil, 05.11.08

Filed under: What I Made for Dinner

I honestly haven't cooked at all for weeks and weeks and weeks. A combo of being busy with work plus decent weather outside means that by the time my kid and I come in from playing in the park, it's too late to make a decent meal.

So yesterday, I finally made something. Yes, I know it was mother's day and technically my husband should have cooked, but he did offer and I said I would handle it while he took the dog to the dog park.

Here's what I made (basically ripping off a recipe my husband invented for us a few months ago):

Continue reading "Tortellini with Lemon Juice and Oil, 05.11.08" »

Tricia McKinney

1:51 PM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

After the Earthquake: Reporting from China

Filed under: News

Rescuers try to free a boy from the collapsed Juyuan middle school. Click for slideshow.

XINHUA/AFP/Getty Images

 

The death toll in China has topped 8,500 today after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in Sichuan province.

NPR correspondent Melissa Block was in the middle of an interview when the shaking started. She continued out into the street, rolling tape of the scene around her. It's scary, and it sounds it.

An early major report is here. The group is continuing to cover the story on its blog.

Laura Conaway

1:18 PM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Had It with Long Lines for the Women's Room?

Filed under: Luncheonette, Sound Off

For lunch today, an open thread. I'll start:

Some guys just do not understand certain things about life as a girl/woman.

Take the guy who shot this video over the summer in Prince Edward Island. The line for the women's restroom is out the door and into the parking lot. The line for the men's room is not. Having had maybe enough of that age-old scenario, the girlwomenpeople start queuing up for the opposite sex's loo.

Our camerman: "A new low! A new low!"

Dude, wait on lines like I've waited on lines and then editorialize. Or talk to Kathryn Anthony, an architecture professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who told us today about so-called potty parity laws.

Bonus: Potty parity haunts St. Louis arena

Laura Conaway

12:37 PM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (19) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.12.08

Filed under: Inside The BPP, Links From the Show

Win Rosenfeld

12:21 PM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Open Thread: Religion and the 'Cure' for Being Gay

Filed under: Sound Off

On our show today, psychiatrist David Scasta told us about his plans for a panel called "Homosexuality and Therapy: the Religious Dimension."

Scasta, who calls himself a quiet gay activist, says he wanted to address the needs of gay and bisexual patients whose religious beliefs might prompt them to seek some kind of "cure" for their sexual orientation. Scheduled for last week's American Psychiatric Association convention, the forum was to include V. Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, and conservative Christians who consider homosexuality a sin.

But after infuriated gay activists complained, Scasta called off his own panel.

"If you literally believe in a literal hell where you are going to burn and fry and be in excruciating pain not just for a moment but for eternity because you're a gay person," Scasta asks, "then how do you go to psychotherapy in which somebody like me would be telling you that to have a happy life, in this life, you need to learn to accept who you are?"

Scasta hoped for a discussion that might begin to bridge the gap between sides with very different opinions on a core issue. Personally, I'm just hoping to hear what you have to say, in the comments.

Laura Conaway

7:46 AM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (48) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Introducing 'Buffalo Candy'

Filed under: Links From the Show

Makers of the Tanka Bar say its combination of bison meat and cranberries marks a return to the healthy diet of Native Americans before Europeans showed up with cane sugar and shortening. Native American Natural Foods tested the bar among kids on a reservation, who call it "buffalo candy."

It's the Ramble.

Native company returns to roots with energy bar made of buffalo meat and cranberry/ Teenagers to take embarrassing ailments to Second Life doctors/ Office romance gets contractual/ Girl wins track team title by herself

Laura Conaway

7:41 AM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Nation Stuck on Emily and Jacob

Filed under: Links From the Show

Among the newborn set, it's all about Emily and Jacob. The names have topped the list of most popular monikers for the 12th and 9th time in a row, respectively.

It's the Most.

U.S. legal work booms in India / Emily heads top 10 baby names list/ Why Kim Kardashian's back on Google Trends/ Families will make case for vaccine link to autism/ Chicago students seek Obama's haircut, speedy spud, Weird Al

Laura Conaway

7:35 AM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

On the Victory Train: Balla Tounkara

Filed under: Music, Video

The Baby Soda Jazz Band made a furious last-minute run over the weekend, but they couldn't catch Balla Tounkara. The koura player from Mali has won the Bryant Park Project's first ever audience poll for subway buskers.

Tounkara was one of 50 musical acts to audition for New York City's Music Underground program. Every year, the subway system gives 20 performers coveted spots throughout its network of stations.

When voting ended this morning at 6 o'clock, we'd had 6141 ballots cast. I'll drop a screenshot of the results after the jump.

Now we're off to find Tounkara so we can have him in to play for the BPP.

Continue reading "On the Victory Train: Balla Tounkara" »

Laura Conaway

7:03 AM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Monday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Win Rosenfeld

5:00 PM ET | 05- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

The Lesson in Operation Ivy's 'Knowledge'

Filed under: The Best Song In The World Today

I'm second from the left.

When I was 14, growing up in New York City, my favorite band was Operation Ivy. They were a California punk band, famous for their simple, driving power-chord riffs and rabid distrust of all things establishment. In a way, maybe it isn't so curious that they spoke so strongly to an East Coast, middle-class, turtle-necked nerd like me.

After all, music has long inspired teenage boys to experience their hormones in a powerful way, and I was no exception.

Operation Ivy gave me a way to feel like a bad-ass without having to commit to metal spikes and mohawks. But it was more than that for me, too. Listening to that album helped me get through fights with my parents, stress at school and many a bad pimple. I'd put that disc in, and it would pump me up to go out and blow off some steam -- in my own deeply non-rebellious way.

At 14, though, blowing off steam in Manhattan presented its own problems. We couldn't get into bars or clubs, and sitting in the middle of a pre-Giuliani Central Park wasn't wise unless you were packing mace.

So when my friends and I found out that a "club for kids" had opened up on the Upper East Side, we were thrilled. It was a big townhouse filled with pool tables, Dr. Pepper and moody lighting, designed to be a safe place for teens to hang out in a drug- and alcohol-free environment.

One Saturday evening, a few of my buddies and I drenched ourselves in Drakkar Noir and headed over. I put on my Operation Ivy and steeled myself for what was to be a night filled with teenage excitement. Of course that didn't happen.

The party itself was pretty anti-climactic, and we spoke to no one, except each other. After an hour of pounding silver cans of Nestea, we decided to call it a night.

We set off around the corner to get bagels with cream cheese and jelly. But we never got that far.

That night, I was in for robbery, police chases and the end of my love affair with Operation Ivy.

Win Rosenfeld

1:29 PM ET | 05- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Book Club's New Pick: Neil Gaiman's 'Anansi Boys'

Filed under: Book Club

Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys

Unlike some other book clubs that shall remain nameless, the BPP Book Club is not a one-trick pony. We like to mix it up. So far we've brought you the story of a boy coming of age inside authoritarian Libya (Hisham Matar's In the Country of Men) and the very different story of a girl coming of age on a ranch in Colorado (Aryn Kyle's The God of Animals). So no more coming of age. For a bit, anyway.

This time out, we'll be reading Anansi Boys, by cult hero Neil Gaiman, author of comics, novels and song lyrics, among other things. It's the very tall tale of a hapless bookkeeper named Fat Charlie Nancy, whose dreary life in London is turned upside down when his father dies . . . and Fat Charlie discovers that his dad was actually the trickster god Anansi.

If you've never read Gaiman before (I hadn't), here's your chance to find out why people are so crazy about him.

Our online discussion of the book will happen on Wednesday, June 4, and we'll be talking to Neil Gaiman shortly after. So get the book (available in paperback, audiobook, or Kindle editions) and get reading.

Bonus:
Announcing the pick.
Sign up for BPP Book Club alerts.

Sarah Goodyear

12:02 PM ET | 05- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (19) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.09.08

Filed under: Inside The BPP, Links From the Show

Win Rosenfeld

12:02 PM ET | 05- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Ken Lee, We Hardly Knew Ye

Filed under: Stuff We Love

Today's segment about the Chinese version of American Idol reminded me of this recent Web gem, taken from the Bulgarian version of American Idol. You may have seen it before, but it really never gets old.

Bonus: A corresponding Wikipedia page that's hilarious in its own right.

Dan Pashman

11:21 AM ET | 05- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

My War-Cursed Country

Filed under: News, Personal/Private

BPP video producer Zena Barakat as a four-year-old.

 

I was born in Lebanon in 1980, in the midst of the civil war, and my family moved to Nashville when I was six years old.

From time to time, I remember flashes of my childhood in Beirut, and this morning, they came back to me as I read the Washington Post article about the street fighting in Beirut.

"Hezbollah militants, some carrying assault rifles or rocket-propelled grenade launchers, patrolled outside Starbucks and other shops in the mostly deserted commercial strips of neighborhoods normally controlled by Sunnis loyal to the U.S.-backed Lebanese government. Masked armed men in civilian clothes set up checkpoints and asked passersby for their identity cards..."

It's a different time -- but it's a disturbingly familiar scene. That mention of Starbucks tells the story of the brief period in last few years when things seemed hopeful, open, and safe in Lebanon. No more.

Continue reading "My War-Cursed Country" »

Zena Barakat

9:02 AM ET | 05- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Exit the Dragon: New Views of China

Filed under: News

Modern rural youth in San Yuan Li

Courtesy of Karin Chien

 

Don't you love it when you meet a cool person doing cool things at a cocktail party? At a recent fête I met Karin Chien, a New York-based film producer who's launching her own company called dGenerate Films. Her goal is to bring more images of contemporary life in mainland China to the U.S. -- not like the films we usually see out of Hong Kong or Taiwan that feature martial arts or Dynastic-era glorifications. This summer she'll debut 15 independent Chinese films that show a slice of everyday life in the PRC.

We spoke to her and one of the filmmakers she works with on the show today. If you happen to be in New York City tonight, you can catch dGenerate's free screening of contemporary films from China at New York's Center for Architecture.

After the jump, check out a clip from another independent flick coming soon to the States called Raised from Dust, by Gan Xiao-Er.

Continue reading "Exit the Dragon: New Views of China" »

Angela Ellis

8:44 AM ET | 05- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

'Super Girls' in China: Holy Gender Bending!

Filed under: News

2005 Super Girl contestant

Hunan TV

 

On the show today, we spoke to Jian Yi, independent filmmaker and director of Supergirls!, a documentary following 10 of the 80,000 teenage girls trying out for China's most popular TV show ever, a version of American Idol. Contestants in the Super Girl Singing Contest represent an amazing cross section of China's young population -- urban, rural, rich and poor.

But what's most striking about of a lot of these girls is how much they look like boys. Jian Yi told us one reason for the cropped hair, baggy jeans and big shirts is that most of the call-in voters on the show are girls, and looking like a cute boy in this all-female competition can make a performer more appealing. But he also says there could be a deeper cultural motivation behind it. Take a listen to the clip from our interview with him.

Angela Ellis

8:34 AM ET | 05- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

From the Subway to the Radio Waves

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Update: Voting closed Monday at 6 a.m. See full results.

Only a few days left to vote for your favorite NYC subway busker! The contest ends Monday, when the winner will be announced on our broadcast.

You can also watch a story about the Music Under New York auditions, and see many more buskers, including a musician who plays an instrument without touching it. It's nuts.

And now...the contestants.

Zena Barakat

7:33 AM ET | 05- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Bedbugs in the Subway!

Filed under: Links From the Show

The great New York City bedbug epidemic has spread to the subway, says the New York Post. Me, I'm riding a bike.

It's the Ramble.

Subways' blood-bug invasion/ Man who lost homes in Katrina claims $97M Powerball prize/ Texas teens tell police they converted skull into bong/ Tempest over a Timbit: fired Tim Hortons cashier gets her job back

Laura Conaway

7:16 AM ET | 05- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Linkfest: BBC Says Great Tits Cope Well with Warming

Filed under: Links From the Show

A British bird called the great tit seems to be doing fine in the changing climate. Great tits feed on caterpillars, which in warmer weather have been emerging sooner. Great tits in the Netherlands haven't adjusted as well, the BBC reports.

Science. Ahem.

It's the Most.

Rush for 23-cent pizzas closes Papa John's stores/ Great tits cope well with warming/ Acting Mexican police chief killed/ Omaha man uses steak knife to perform self-tracheotomy/ Can you become a creature of new habits?

Laura Conaway

7:08 AM ET | 05- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Friday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Go speed racer!

Zena Barakat

6:13 PM ET | 05- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Correction: McGovern Is Not a Superdelegate

Filed under: Corrections

In our top story on the radio show today, we talked about former Senator and Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern's switch from the Clinton camp to the Obama camp. We described Senator McGovern as a superdelegate, but he is not one. We regret the error.

Tricia McKinney

4:06 PM ET | 05- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Woody Allen + Ringtone + Baby Duck = Cuteness Overload?

Filed under: Luncheonette

My colleague Zena and I have been talking about maybe doing some kind of a story on Woody Allen's jazz band. In case you didn't know he has been playing clarinet in a New Orleans-style jazz band for decades. They play pretty much every Monday night at the Cafe Carlyle in New York City.

So while we were noodling around for an angle, we checked out the website of one of the band's members. And there we found a blog entry about a new ringtone he created -- the theme from the "Wonder Pets."

If you are not a small child or the parent of one, you have probably never heard of the Wonder Pets and you have no idea why they would make an awesome ringtone. Let me set it up for you. Every day after the little kids leave the preschool where they live, Linny the Guinea Pig, Tuck the Turtle and Ming Ming the Duckling get a phone call from an animal in trouble and they spring into action. Here's a clip for your lunchtime viewing:

Tricia McKinney

12:00 PM ET | 05- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.08.08

Filed under: Inside The BPP

Win Rosenfeld

10:04 AM ET | 05- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

The Great Beef 'n Cheddar Tragedy of '08

Filed under: City Living

We had a good conversation this morning about chain restaurant reviews in the New York Times. Here's our talk with David Corcoran, who reviewed T.G.I. Friday's for the Times, and blogger Ezra Klein, who reacted to the reviews.

Working on this segment yesterday got me thinking about Arby's, hands down my favorite chain meal. I lack the literary ability to convey the soul-nourishing deliciousness of the Beef 'n Cheddar, so I don't dare try. Seconds after finishing the day's work, I met up with my girlfriend (I know what you're thinking: a date at Arby's can't be romantic. I also know you are wrong.) and we hustled to the Manhattan Mall, site of the ONLY Arby's in Manhattan. Nothing prepared us for what we found.

Continue reading "The Great Beef 'n Cheddar Tragedy of '08" »

Mark Garrison

8:48 AM ET | 05- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (14) | e-mail post

Fetch 2.0: Guy Builds Machine for His Dog

Filed under: Video

Back in January, Lam Ngo posted a video of his dachshund, Jerry, playing fetching with a machine Ngo built at home in Cary, N.C. Since then, nearly 1.7 million people have watched the clip on YouTube, leaving comments like "Simply awesome," and "OMG Best video on YouTube."

Ngo shared his video with us and explained how he made it. He also explained a part of the video I'd been wondering about. When the dog tugs on the red cord, he's forcing the machine to speed up, Ngo says. Which means Jerry learned not just how to use the machine, but also how it works. I'm amazed.

Laura Conaway

7:38 AM ET | 05- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (19) | e-mail post

Linkfest: A Peek Inside the Platypus

Filed under: Links From the Show

Aides to Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama say their candidate would have finished even closer to Hillary Clinton in Indiana if not for radio host Rush Limbaugh, reports the Washington Post. The talk show icon launched "Operation Chaos," urging Indianans to cast votes for Clinton "to bloody up Obama politically" and keep the nomination race going.

It's the Most.

Did Rush Limbaugh tilt result in Indiana/ Scientists find something good about a big bottom/ Some advice on winning West Virginia/ Platypus looks strange on the inside, too

Laura Conaway

7:36 AM ET | 05- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Gravel Woos the Obama Girl

Filed under: Links From the Show

Mike Gravel, Libertarian for president, made his own YouTube video. It's supposed to woo away the Obama Girl. Wonder if it's working.

It's the Ramble.

The slump: It's a guy thing/ Mike Gravel, Libertarian for president, sings/ When men marry later, age gap is larger, researchers find/ Prince William off to fight cocaine war in the Caribbean

Laura Conaway

7:36 AM ET | 05- 8-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Rundown for Thursday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Here's a look into the future.

Zena Barakat

4:30 PM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

The Joy of Chain Dining

Filed under: City Living

A New York Times article got more than a few BPPers talking about their loves and hates of chain restaurants. The Times dining coverage gets the most attention when it reviews the fantastically expensive and the impossibly exclusive.

So this piece stood out, since it reviewed several chain restaurants that normal people, far from Manhattan, go to every day, like Outback and Olive Garden. It caused a bit of a buzz online, even on blogs that normally stick to politics.

We'll talk to one of the Times reviewers and one of the bloggers on Thursday's show. Working on this segment got all of us talking, and thinking about our favorite chains. Someone proposed a BPP staff field trip to the nearby Times Square Red Lobster (the one with the really giant, really glowing, really red, rotating lobster out front). For me, there is one chain that towers over all others: Arby's. On a recent road trip, I swerved a car across two lanes of traffic to pull into one and grab a Beef 'n Cheddar. (Don't worry. No one was ever in danger, and the car was a rental.) Sadly, the king of marinated beef doesn't have a franchise in Manhattan. Or so I thought...

Continue reading "The Joy of Chain Dining" »

Mark Garrison

4:17 PM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

Vote for Your Favorite Subway Busker

Filed under: Music

Update: Voting closed Monday at 6 a.m. See full results.

The voting continues! Watch these four clips of New York City subway buskers and choose your favorite. The winner will perform at the BPP studios.

Voting ends Monday, May 12 at 6:00AM EST.

You can also watch a story about the Music Under New York auditions, and see many more buskers, including a musician who plays an instrument without touching it.

Here are our contestants.

Zena Barakat

3:32 PM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Cricket Cracks New York Public Schools

Filed under: Video

For those of us who grew up with the American pastime of baseball, cricket can be a confusing game. For immigrants from places like Guyana, the Caribbean islands, India and Pakistan, cricket is a way of life. "I was born in India, I've been playing for a long time," says Sohom Datta, a senior at Stuyvesant High School who helped start his school's cricket team.

But when families move to the United States, kids end up playing American sports like basketball and football in school.

"My favorite quote about that is that when Indian kids come to Britain, they're still cricket crazy. When they go to America, they forget about cricket," says Datta. "That stuck with me."

That is quickly changing. The New York Department of Education introduced cricket into the public school system and the response was tremendous. It's only the first season, but the varsity league is already in full swing. Teams signed up from Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens.

As in baseball, there are bats and balls, but no bases to be found. Instead, the batters run back and forth between "stumps." The pitchers are called "bowlers." They try to knock little wooden "bails" off the "wickets" -- three wooden sticks stuck in the ground.

Several kids in the league have never played before, but they say they're having blast learning an unconventional sport.

Elsa Butler

12:58 PM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.07.08

Filed under: Links From the Show

Wal-Mart replaces Garland Hypermart with first "Hispanic community" store/ Irvine Robbins, 90; co-founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire/ Why Cynthia Rodriguez was #1 on Google Trends/ Facebook Page Sows Confusion About Conny The Whale/ 75 students arrested in San Diego State University drug bust/ Golfing Baghdad's Green Zone: a course with real bunkers

Win Rosenfeld

12:52 PM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Is This Better Than a FEMA Trailer?

Filed under: News

Could be yours: A model MEMA cottage

 

Found this in my hometown paper today. After Hurricane Katrina, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency got a $280 million grant to see if it could design something better to live in than a FEMA trailer.

You're looking at what the state came up with, the so-called MEMA cottage. Now the agency is considering letting at least some of the cottage residents keep the little homes, because they're good housing in an area that sorely needs it. The numbers involved are relatively small. All told, the cottage program will top out at about 3,100. In coastal Jackson County, 139 cottages may be up for keeps.

One blog, Katrina in Mississippi, takes issue with the idea of spending so much on the question whether a MEMA cottage is better than a FEMA trailer:

MEMA just needs to talk with those who suffered or still continue to suffer the confines of a trailer and the mold and toxic formaldehyde issues with those trailers. . . . That $280 million would house a lot of people in cottages! Just get on with solving the problems and stop messing around!

Bonus: "Katrina Cottages" Wait to Become Homes.

Laura Conaway

11:29 AM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Farewell to an Ice Cream Mogul

Filed under: Links From the Show

As a kid, I equated birthdays with a great big Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake -- chocolate almond and plenty of icing. For this, I can thank Irvine Robbins, ice cream mogul. He died Monday at the age of 90 in California.

It's the Most.

Wal-Mart replaces Garland Hypermart with first "Hispanic community" store/ Irvine Robbins, 90; co-founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire/ Why Cynthia Rodriguez was #1 on Google Trends/ Facebook Page Sows Confusion About Conny The Whale/ 75 students arrested in San Diego State University drug bust/ Golfing Baghdad's Green Zone: a course with real bunkers

Laura Conaway

8:58 AM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Black Flag Re-Imagined from Memory

Filed under: Music

Yale dropout Dave Longstreth is no stranger to the concept album. In 2005, as the "Dirty Projectors," he released a critically lauded album, The Getty Address, based around the imaginary story of musician Don Henley. This year, he released Rise Above, an album of Black Flag songs as re-imagined from memory. According to Dave, the project started when he stumbled across the empty cassette case to the seminal punk album, Damaged while doing some spring cleaning.

Here's "Rise Above" from the new record:

Win Rosenfeld

8:55 AM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Colbert Named Webby 'Person of the Year'

Filed under: Links From the Show

Maybe, if he can't be president of the USA, he can at least be king of the Web. On Tuesday, the Webby Awards named Stephen Colbert the Person of the Year.

It's the Ramble.

Colbert wins "Webby Person of the Year"/ 18th century skull shows signs of scalping/ At 107, Livermore centennial lightbulb is still a real live wire/ California cracks down on "Legal Weed" beer

Laura Conaway

8:33 AM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Clinton, Obama Split Pair of Contests: Now What?

Filed under: Election 2008, Sound Off

Clinton and Obama split Tuesday's contests.

AFP/Getty Images

As expected, Sen. Barack Obama took the Democratic presidential primary in North Carolina by a good margin -- some 56 to 42 percent. Obama received more than 90 percent of the African American vote and about 40 percent of the white vote. He won in every age group except voters over 65.

Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Clinton won in Indiana by about 22,000 votes of the more than 1.2 million cast. She did well among white men and made some inroads into Obama's base, garnering support from younger white voters and those making more than $100,000. Clinton now trails Obama in pledged delegates by 171; she retains a 271-256 lead in declared superdelegates.

So those are the numbers, as NPR reports them this morning. Now comes the jawing -- starting with the New York Times analysis piece headlined "Options Dwindling for Clinton." Your turn's in the comments.

Laura Conaway

6:35 AM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (16) | e-mail post

The Great Batman Debate

Filed under: Sound Off

Every Friday our friend Daniel Holloway, Metro movie critic, joins us to break down the upcoming weekend's new films. Last Friday, as you might expect, a lot of attention was paid to Ironman. And while discussing where that film ranks in the superhero movie pantheon, Daniel happened to mention that he doesn't list Batman in his top 10. That utterance caused Ian Chillag and me to jump from our cubicles and go running into the studio to protest. Here's a 1:36 clip of what happened:

As promised, Daniel and I have taken this outside...to the blog. Below are the e-mails we exchanged over the weekend, as we continued the discussion on friendlier terms. Take a read, then tell us what you think. And tell us what superhero flicks make your top 10.

DANIEL HOLLOWAY WRITES:
I was disappointed in my performance today during the raid by the Batmaniac Society. Really, if I'm going to say something like "Batman isn't one of the 10 best superhero movies ever," I should at least have the decency to be able to say why, right? So here's why:

1. Because X2, Superman, Spider-Man, The Incredibles, X-Men, Superman 2, Iron Man, Superman Returns, Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2 were all better.
2. Because it marks the beginning of Nicholson's "Jack being Jack" period, during which almost every part he's had could have been played just as well by a drunk person doing a Jack Nicholson impression.

Read the rest of Daniel's e-mail, and my response, after the jump...

Continue reading "The Great Batman Debate" »

Dan Pashman

3:30 PM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (29) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Wednesday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Due to popular demand, Tricia's glasses are back!

Zena Barakat

2:42 PM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Brooklyn Outraged Over Spraypainted Turtle

Filed under: City Living

Found in Brooklyn: A spraypainted turtle

From Gowanus Lounge

A few folks in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, found their favorite backyard turtle for the first time this spring -- newly spraypainted.

Being from Brooklyn, they reached out to the blog Gowanus Lounge. They wrote:

We have this turtle that wanders through the different backyards here. She hibernates every winter and comes out every spring. I had been wondering why she wasn't "up" yet , by May 1st; but, I blamed it on the lack of rain in the last half of april. It seems though that she had gotten up and out instead. My landlord passed her through the window to me day before yesterday looking like the photo. Painted. Pepto colored spray paint. It is obviously intentional because she got such a sustained spray that it has drip marks. The face and feet, as well.

The neighbors suspect workers from a nearby construction site, since the paint appears to match a color used there. Me, I'm not ready to make the leap. But I have put a bug into a herpetologist I know for advice about how to clean the critter up.

Bonus: Newsday story on the turtle.

Laura Conaway

2:15 PM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

For Dessert: 24 Hours of Darkness Banana Cake

Filed under: What I Made for Dinner

From two great music blogs (I found it at Idolator, who got it from Paper Thin Walls) comes this week's moment of synergy. Follow me here:

A) Last week we had photographer Peter Beste on the show to talk about the Norwegian Black Metal scene he photographed for his book True Norwegian Black Metal. You may remember it from the amazing/terrifying slideshow Win Rosenfeld posted here on Friday.

B) I tried out a recipe for banana cake this weekend, and brought the leftovers in to the BPP office today.

So after today's show, where does the Internet take me? A black metal cooking blog. It's called The Black Oven and features recipes like "frostbitten molasses cookies entombed with ginger," which are described as "Packed full of grim and evil spices, they will leave you feeling despondent and isolated within their stronghold of flavor."

With apologies to the folks at the Black Oven, anyone up for a little 24 Hours of Darkness Banana Cake with Corpse Paint Cream Cheese Frosting?

Continue reading "For Dessert: 24 Hours of Darkness Banana Cake" »

Jacob Ganz

11:14 AM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.06.08

Filed under: Links From the Show

The world's 10 most disgusting beers/ Famed actress investigates "Green Porno"/ Magic trick costs teacher job/ / Mildred Loving, matriarch of interracial marriage, dies/ Waltzing Matilda "not socialist"

Win Rosenfeld

11:07 AM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Myanmar Update: Death, Flooding, Destruction

Filed under: News

The red areas were flooded as of May 5. Click for (huge) source PDF.

MODIS/UNOSAT image

Yesterday I posted some of the first pictures out of Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis passed through. They came from the city Yangon, where people were clearing roads and drying out their possessions.

Judging from news reports, the scene in Yangon was far from representative. Officials are describing damage on the scale of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, with at least 22,000 dead and hundreds of thousands homeless after the weekend storm.

Full read: AFP report on ReliefWeb

Laura Conaway

10:18 AM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Genius, Thy Name Is Waits

Filed under: Stuff We Love

Tom Waits announces his upcoming tour in a rather surreal press conference. Stick with it 'til the end...

Dan Pashman

9:34 AM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Vote for Your Favorite Subway Busker

Filed under: Music

Update: Voting closed Monday at 6 a.m. See full results.

Fifty musical acts have squared off for 20 official spots in New York City's subway music program. We've winnowed that list into four favorites of our own. Check out the videos of each performance and vote for the one that makes your heart sing. We'll coax the winner into playing for the BPP.

Laura Conaway

8:40 AM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

'God of Animals' Author Takes Your Questions

Filed under: Book Club

Aryn Kyle

Simon and Schuster

On this morning's show, Aryn Kyle took questions about her novel -- and our April book club selection -- The God of Animals.

Kyle says she actually set out to write a different novel, a Victorian-era sprawler. The work wasn't going well. But the characters in her celebrated short story, "Foaling Season," kept coming back to her. The protagonist, middle schooler Alice Winston, demanded her attention.

"The voice of that particular character was so strong," Kyle says. "I never questioned it much."

Determined to turn "Foaling Season" into a novel, Kyle pulled away from friends and family for a couple of years and hammered away. "The writing process is so private and so isolating, and then to suddenly have it out in the world, and all of these people interacting with it and bringing their own things to it -- it's a very odd thing to sort of get used to," she says.

These days she's finishing a collection of short stories while she lets the clamor of the novel subside. Those characters were so alive in my head that I really needed some space to sort of get them out," she says. "You know, I don't want to write The God of Animals, Part II."

Bonus:
BPP Book Club meets online
Sign up for BPP Book Club alerts

Laura Conaway

8:03 AM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Linkfest: The World's 10 Worst Beers

Filed under: Links From the Show

When good beers go bad, they really, really go bad. St. Petersburg Times critic Joey Redner lists his worst 10. Fair warning: He gives no quarter to sentimental favorites like Milwaukee's Best.

It's the Most.

The world's 10 most disgusting beers/ Famed actress investigates "Green Porno"/ Magic trick costs teacher job/ / Mildred Loving, matriarch of interracial marriage, dies/ Waltzing Matilda "not socialist"

Laura Conaway

7:16 AM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Welcome, Little (Big?) Isaac Stewart Wolff

Filed under: Inside The BPP

From executive producer Sharon Hoffman, to everyone in the known world:

...Introducing the very first Bryant Park baby.

Everyone's healthy and happy.

Laura Conaway

7:09 AM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (24) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Brazilian Tourists Paying for Slum Tours

Filed under: Links From the Show

Police in Rio de Janeiro are looking into claims that a company selling tours of the Brazilian city's slums offers travelers the chance to meet armed drug dealers.

It's quite a Ramble.

Brazil tourists "meet drug dealers"/ Chinese switch license-plate numbers to escape speeding violations/ France reveals British WWI cave camp/ Vog -- volcanic smog -- casts haze over Hawaii

Laura Conaway

7:01 AM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Tuesday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Here's a preview of tomorrow's BPP.

Zena Barakat

4:09 PM ET | 05- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

DIY: The Mysteries of Yogurt

Filed under: City Living

Cuisipro Donvier Electronic Yogurt Maker

 

About this time last year, I started riding my bike to work every day. Then I got a basket to carry packages in. And then I brought home a Cuisipro Donvier Electronic Yogurt Maker.

My family eats approximately five or six hundred quarts of yogurt a week, between the three of us, and I'd had it with plastic tubs spilling out of the cupboard. We were going to make our own. The recipe called for starting yogurt the old-fashioned way -- with more yogurt. But I quickly discovered that the stuff you buy off the shelf, even from cows that roamed free and studied Suzuki violin, doesn't always pack enough active culture to turn milk into yogurt.

We turned to off-the-shelf yogurt starter, a powder that is to yogurt what yeast is to bread. That stuff works, every time. But then came the mystery, or mysteries.

Continue reading "DIY: The Mysteries of Yogurt" »

Laura Conaway

3:43 PM ET | 05- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

Gallery: Scenes from Myanmar After Cyclone Nargis

Filed under: News, Slideshow

Click to launch.

Khin Maung Win/AFP/Getty Images

 

Reports coming in from Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis suggest thousands of people -- even as many as 10,000 -- were killed by the storm.

The nation is set for a constitutional referendum next week. Now the storm has some wondering whether the vote will go ahead as planned.

Another blogger says Nargis hit a major farming region in Myanmar, the Irrawaddy Delta. "The northern and central parts of the delta are major rice-growing areas, producing 40 percent of the national total," writes Jotman. He adds that Nargis struck as farmers are getting ready to plant next year's crop.

Bonus: Global Voices compiles citizen reports from the scene.

Laura Conaway

1:02 PM ET | 05- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Turn a Subway Busker into a BPP Star

Filed under: City Living, Luncheonette, Video

Update: Voting closed Monday at 6 a.m. See full results.

It's our version of American Idol, folks. Turn to your inner Paula, Simon and Randy and watch these clips of New York subway musicians, then vote for your favorite!

We chose these four musicians of the 50 who participated in the Music Under New York competition.

The winner of your votes will be invited to the BPP studios to perform. Voting ends at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, May 12. We'll announce the winner on our broadcast that morning.

Zena Barakat

11:52 AM ET | 05- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (21) | e-mail post

NYC Subway Musicians Compete

Filed under: City Living, Video

On an average weekday, 173,00 people walk through New York City's Times Square subway stop -- nearly 10 times the audience at a sold-out Justin Timberlake concert at Madison Square Garden.

That's why every year, musicians compete for the opportunity to perform in the Times Square subway station, and other prime underground locations.

On Thursday, nearly 50 musical acts auditioned for the Music Under New York program, and 20 will be accepted this year. The winners will be announced next week.

Since 1985, the annual auditions have showcased diverse talents. As master of ceremonies Bob Holman puts it, "It's the most New York of all events!"

Zena Barakat

11:45 AM ET | 05- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.05.08

Filed under: Links From the Show

"Water Monster's" Ancient artifact or modern graffiti?/ Man asks court to change his name to "In God We Trust"/ Study: Anti-psychotic drug use soars among U.S. and U.K. kids/ Illinois man designs beer can coffin/ Man pushes creation of panel to prepare city for space aliens

Win Rosenfeld

11:02 AM ET | 05- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Now That's a Bad Review

Filed under: Stuff We Don't Love

I don't think they like it.

From the Spiritual Science Research Foundation.

 

If you're like me and happily contributed your $12 to the $101 million opening of Iron Man, you probably saw the trailer for the new Mike Myers vehicle, The Love Guru. Looks pretty terrible, but the Spiritual Science Research Foundation says the film commits a sin worse than just being dumb. For more on their objection to the film, try this pdf. To get a sense for just how bad it is in the eyes of the SSRF, note that murdering an average person is also worth 30 demerits.

Here's my question: What movie would you sentence to eternal damnation?

Ian Chillag

8:31 AM ET | 05- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

Linkfest: The PBR Coffin. For Reals.

Filed under: Links From the Show

One man, in South Chicago Heights, designed himself a coffin that looks like a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, while another, in Denver, wants a city commission to prepare for an influx of space aliens.

Hard to say more when it's already the Most.

"Water Monster's" Ancient artifact or modern graffiti?/ Man asks court to change his name to "In God We Trust"/ Study: Anti-psychotic drug use soars among U.S. and U.K. kids/ Illinois man designs beer can coffin/ Man pushes creation of panel to prepare city for space aliens

Laura Conaway

8:07 AM ET | 05- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Linkfest: One Boy, One Girl, One Happy Dorm Room

Filed under: Links From the Show

First colleges added co-ed dorms. Now they're opening co-ed dorm rooms, in which students of opposite sexes are allowed to share a single space. The schools discourage couples of what combination from living together, if only to avoid having to shuffle everyone around when love drops out.

It's the Ramble.

Indian baby dropping ritual/ Comedy uses satellites to play sketches set where you are/ One boy, one girl -- one dorm room/ New song from Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Laura Conaway

7:11 AM ET | 05- 5-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

How to Make a Mint Julep

Filed under: Stuff We Love, Video

It's Derby time! BPP's Mark Garrison gives a tutorial on how to make a delicious mint julep. Have your own recipe? Share it here!

Zena Barakat

8:26 AM ET | 05- 3-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Monday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Happy weekend.

Zena Barakat

6:56 PM ET | 05- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

High School Friend Calls 'D.C. Madam' Shy, Serious

Filed under: News

"D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey, outside the courthouse after her trial hearings in September, was once a majorette and a member of the Future Nurses Club.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

 

When the news broke Thursday that "D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey had been found dead in mother's Florida home, an apparent suicide, Debbie Hudspith Blozik was home in Alabama sorting through papers. Blozik looked up to see that her high school friend was gone.

Blozik and Palfrey grew up together. They attended Charleroi Area High School in Pennsylvania's Mon Valley. "I wouldn't say that we were at the top of the class," she remembers, "but our grades were important to us."

Blozik describes her friend as caring and loyal. Palfrey was convicted last month on federal racketeering charges stemming from what prosecutors described as a high-end prostitution ring. Palfrey told her friend she didn't know the women who worked for her were trading sex for money. Blozik expected her to appeal. "She felt like she didn't do anything wrong," Blozik says. "She truly believed that. I felt that she would be one that would want to prove that, and I felt that this was where this was headed."

Laura Conaway

5:27 PM ET | 05- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Alison Delivers .... a Blistering Memo

Filed under: Maternity Leave

Okay, my maternity leave has now turned political.

I, a person who has insurance, an amazing doctor, a couple of brain cells that work and enough confidence to question the system, have experienced in the past 16 hours our broken medical system at one of the best hospitals in the country.

I got caught up in an overcrowded, understaffed hospital which led a night-long cycle of being checked in, checked out, checked in, checked out. IV in, IV out. Let's just say what was supposed to happen didn't.

Without divulging too much of my own personal information, I'll just say I've been thinking all morning about how much time TV and radio, as well as the campaigns, have wasted on trivial issues when people are struggling just to get basics like food, housing and health care.

No baby yet. All is well, but I am back at home.

Alison Stewart

4:04 PM ET | 05- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

The Most, 05.02.08

Filed under: Links From the Show

Win Rosenfeld

2:18 PM ET | 05- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Video: Norwegian Black Metal Culture

Filed under: Video

Norway is home to "black metal," an intense and violent music genre. Peter Beste visited the country 13 times in seven years to photograph the brutal scene, and his work appears in True Norwegian Black Metal. He took us through some of his favorites from that work.

WARNING: Some of these images can be disturbing to sensitive viewers.

Win Rosenfeld

1:03 PM ET | 05- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

Happy Birthday, James Brown

Filed under: Luncheonette

Today's breaktime special comes courtesy of my kid brother (he of the freight trains and salamanders) and @kristasphere, who notes that James Brown would have turned 75 tomorrow. Get up, get down, Godfather of Soul.

Laura Conaway

12:06 PM ET | 05- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Friday at BPP HQ: Prepping a Video You Can Taste

Filed under: Inside The BPP

BPP producer/newscaster Mark Garrison is ready for the Kentucky Derby.

Dan Pashman, NPR

 

When Mark Garrison first joined the BPP crew a few weeks ago, I recall him pitching a story with a caveat that went something like, "Of course we all agree that excessive alcohol consumption is dangerous to one's health..."

Now several weeks later, he's offering to make mint juleps in honor of this weekend's Kentucky Derby. He's going to do it on camera, and we'll post the video instructions later today.

Dan Pashman

11:28 AM ET | 05- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Bissinger Responds to iKerfuffle*

Filed under: Links From the Show

Recently on Bob Costas's HBO show "Costas Now," Pulitzer Prize-winning sports journalist Buzz Bissinger and Deadspin editor Will Leitch had a heated debate about the merits of traditional vs. new forms of sports coverage. Actually, most of the heat came from Bissinger, who said blogs are "dedicated to cruelty, they're dedicated to journalistic dishonesty, they're dedicated to speed." (Watch the whole profanity-laced rant here.)

The iKerfuffle* even got covered by Richard Sandomir in The New York Times.

Well we had Bissinger on the show today, and he was quite contrite about his behavior, saying in part, "Will Leitch actually is a nice guy, he is, and I should never, ever have treated him that way, and I am embarrased for myself. And the emails that I got that hurt the most were from fans that said 'I'm gonna burn your books, I'm gonna turn my back on you,' and that did hurt me personally."

But while Bissinger acknowledged that he may have come on too strong, and his condemnation of blogs may have been too broad, he was sticking to his basic point. Here are some excerpts from his interview with NPR's Mike Pesca:

Click here to listen to Bissinger's entire interview with Pesca, in which they also discuss the Kentucky Derby.

*Yes, I did just invent a new Internet term, iKerfuffle. It's when something controversial or heated happens and it gets posted to YouTube and it creates a virtual kerfuffle. By which I mean a real kerfuffle. Here's how you use it in a sentence: "That video of Buzz Bissinger on HBO sure started an iKerfuffle. I'm glad I'm not in his shoes today."

Dan Pashman

9:55 AM ET | 05- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

N'SYNC

Filed under: Stuff We Love

If you're like me, you can never get your multiple metronomes synchronized. Fear not!
Thanks Neatorama!

Ian Chillag

8:14 AM ET | 05- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

Book Club Meets: 'Truth, Cruelty & the American Way'

Filed under: Book Club

Read any good books lately?

Update: Aryn Kyle takes your questions on the BPP.

Welcome to the online meeting of the BPP Book Club. We want to hear what you think of our latest selection, Aryn Kyle's The God of Animals, so lay it on us in the comments.

Next week, we'll use what we hear from you when we sit down to interview Kyle on the air.

A couple of days ago, we chatted about the book with listener and reader Seth Bate, the Kansas guy who dared to buy a book by a woman about horses, about some thoughts that he first sent over in an e-mail message titled "Truth, Cruelty and the American Way."

Want to join us for our next selection? Sign up for BPP Book Club alerts.

Sarah Goodyear

6:05 AM ET | 05- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (31) | e-mail post

The Rundown for Friday

Filed under: Tomorrow's BPP

Here's a preview of tomorrow's BPP.

Win Rosenfeld

1:45 PM ET | 05- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

Report: D.C. Madam Palfrey Kills Self in Florida

Filed under: News

"D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey waits outside the Prettyman U.S. Courthouse after trial hearings, Sept. 7, 2007 in Washington, DC.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

 

No confirmation from NPR yet, but Fox News in Tampa Bay, Fla., is reporting that the so-called D.C. Madam, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, has killed herself.

In a story with a Tarpon Springs dateline, the Fox affiliate reports:

Police were called to the home of DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey's mother on Thursday to investigate her apparent suicide.

Police have confirmed that the dead person is Palfrey who was 52.

Fox is seconded by a bulletin from the Associated Press.

Palfrey was convicted on April 15 of running an escort service in the Washington, D.C., area. Palfrey called it a "high-end erotic fantasy service." She argued that she hadn't known her escorts were trading sex for money. The Washington Post reported:

In a gray suit and black boots, her lips and nails stoplight-red as always and her dark hair swirled into a familiar bouffant, Palfrey stood, hands clasped at her waist, maintaining the poise she showed throughout her week-long trial. Then the clerk spoke, and she swayed a bit, lowering her chin ever so slightly and emitting a barely audible groan.

"Guilty," the clerk said four times -- guilty of racketeering, money laundering and two counts of using the mail for illegal purposes. The U.S. attorney's office said that under sentencing guidelines, Palfrey probably faces a prison term of four to six years.

Her list of clients contained the names of Beltway movers and shakers. In July, Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana admitted to using her escort service and issued a public apology.

Laura Conaway

1:24 PM ET | 05- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Can't Judge a Book by the Woman on Its Cover

Filed under: Book Club

Karen Heller calls this cover "literal and beyond cliche."

Update: Book Club meeting online

Remember the debate we had a couple of weeks back about whether there's such a thing as a "woman's book"? The other day in the Philadelphia Inquirer, columnist Karen Heller lamented the way books by women are packaged and marketed, in a piece entitled "These Covers Say Women Are Dumb":

The beautiful book is an increasingly rare thing. Most times you see one, the author is male. What does this say? All women writers deserve generic treatment while all men are special in their own way?

Thanks to @elizs for the tweet.

Don't forget, the BPP Book Club meets online this Friday, May 2, starting bright and early in the morning to discuss this month''s selection, Aryn Kyle's The God of Animals.

Bonus: Sign up for BPP Book Club alerts.

Sarah Goodyear

11:16 AM ET | 05- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Antistrot: The Art Band

Filed under: Video

The Dutch art collective Antistrot are currently having their first American solo show at the Sara Tecchia Roma New York Gallery.
BPP producer Angela Ellis and I dropped in on them last week to watch them put the finishing touches on their latest work:

There's more about the band from the gallery's website after the jump.

Continue reading "Antistrot: The Art Band" »

Win Rosenfeld

8:53 AM ET | 05- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Langhorne Slim Live on the BPP

Filed under: Music

Langhorne Slim's thoughtful lyrics and energetic live shows have earned him a reputation as a folk singer/songwriter with a punk rock sensibility. After success on an indie label, this week he releases his first major label album, entitled "Langhorne Slim." And he's off to a good start. Just a couple of weeks ago he made his first ever television appearance--on David Letterman.

Langhorne Slim and his band The War Eagles came by our studio yesterday to talk a bit and perform some music from their new album. Here they are doing "She's Gone"...

Dan Pashman

8:50 AM ET | 05- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Listener Asks: Advice for Moving to New York City?

Filed under: City Living

Gotta be a place for you somewhere.

Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

 

So a listener has a friend who's maybe moving to New York City.

My best guess is that my household spent something like $10,000 on that process, which included renting an apartment we'd never seen and being asked to sign the lease in a parking lot under an elevated subway line.

Despite the horror stories about real estate, the listener and her friend have gamely sent over some questions. If you think you can help, hit the comments.

1.) Is it possible to find a livable, fairly decent apartment for under $1,000 a month, or would it be better to find roommates?
2.) What are the best times to go apartment shopping?
3.) How wise would it be for a 21-year-old small woman to live by herself the first time she's even in NY?
4.) How long does it usually take to get from Brooklyn to Manhattan?
5.) What's average for a one-bedroom or studio apt in NY?
6.) Is it generally OK to get an apartment in NY without first viewing it?
7.) In what neighborhoods does one NOT want to live?
8.) In NY, when one decides on an apartment, how much notice does the landlord need?
9.) What neighborhoods are preferable for NYU students (are there any places where NYU students tend to live in a large group)?

Laura Conaway

8:23 AM ET | 05- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (13) | e-mail post

The Lost Sugarbaker

Filed under: ROFL

This makes my OMG hurt.

From "Sleeper Hits of the Internet" at ROFLCon. As I post this, it has but 30,669 views. Fifteen of those are mine.

Ian Chillag

7:45 AM ET | 05- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Biofuels Are Good for You. Or Not.

Filed under: Links From the Show

The unsettling spike in global fuel prices prompted a U.N. official to speak out recently against biofuels like ethanol, which is made from corn. Jean Ziegler told the world, "Burning food today, so as to serve the mobility of the rich countries, is a crime against humanity."

Which remark much offended the leaders of Brazil, the world's largest producer of biofuels. "The real crime against humanity is discounting biofuels a priori," said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

It's the Most.

Iron Man vs. various nefarious ferrous adversaries/ Marathon runner takes down a thief/ Brazil's counterattack on biofuels/ People of Lesbos take gay group to court over term "Lesbian"/ Bush lauds Super Bowl champion New York Giants

Laura Conaway

7:33 AM ET | 05- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Linkfest: Dino Dung Fetches Big Bucks at Auction

Filed under: Links From the Show

Seriously, you can see anything in New York City. And if you're stuck with an extra chunk of fossilized dung from the Jurassic era, you can sell it for nearly a cool grand.

It's the Ramble.

Dinosaur dung sells at NYC auction for nearly $1,000/ Fertile women 'have sexier voice'/ CDC: More than 3 out of 4 new moms breastfeed/ Italy posts salary details on Web

Laura Conaway

7:05 AM ET | 05- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post