Supreme Court Rules On Race

The Supreme Court knows how to end a term with a bang. The last opinion of the last day this morning redefined the way public schools can integrate. Basically, the schools can not take students' race into account to ensure diversity when deciding who gets in. Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion (it was another close 5-4 vote) and said that the two school districts have, "failed to provide the necessary support for the proposition that there is no other way than individual racial classifications to avoid racial isolation in their school districts." Given the recent changes in the makeup of the court, it wasn't a complete surprise, and cheers and criticism of the decision began even before the final announcement. Any thoughts on the outcome? Does this make public school admissions more fair for everyone, or does it take away a necessary tool to diversify schools after Brown v. Board of Education?

Scott Cameron

1:45 PM ET | 06-28-2007 | permalink | comments (15) | e-mail post

Working Girl

In the '80s, fashionable working women had Liz Claiborne to thank for their power suits, skirts, and shoulder pads. Her eponymous brand was everywhere ... she epitomized the women (like Melanie Griffith in Working Girl! My fave!) who were breaking glass ceilings and navigating the tricky waters of work, family, and femininity. She died Tuesday, at the age of 78, but her label (now a conglomerate that includes one of my other favorites, Juicy Couture), lives on. Robin Givhan will remember this power house today. Got any favorite Claibornes still filling out your wardrobe?

Barrie Hardymon

1:25 PM ET | 06-28-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Days Of Our Lives

When I lived in New York, a few of the ABC soaps filmed right down the street from my apartment. I had been hooked on them ever since I started waitressing and daytime TV became my only (sober) friend. The first day I ran into one of the actresses from All My Children, I had the weirdest feeling; it was like running into someone I knew; I almost lectured her on her poor choice in men. That's the thing about television; it's in your house, so we have a rather intimate relationship with Luke, Laura, Ross, Rachel, and even Jack Bauer (do not make him mad). No other medium has infiltrated our social consciousness in quite the same way as TV. Lee Siegel, a critic and essayist, has a new book about television, in which he deconstructs our favorite shows, and how television operates (in) our lives. What role does it play in yours?

Barrie Hardymon

12:57 PM ET | 06-28-2007 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Immigration Bill Obit (Again)

The second time around wasn't the charm for the immigration bill. The senate picked up debate again this week, after it died three weeks ago. President Bush made a trip to congress to push for the bill, and made last-minute calls to some Republican senators this morning. Several top Democrats made their own case for the compromise bill. But, as the tally on C-SPAN2 told me this morning, it just wasn't enough. Many conservatives want to focus on securing the border before offering citizenship to immigrants who are in the country illegally. And, some see a path to citizenship as amnesty, and don't want it in any final bill. Beyond what it means for immigration and border security in the country, the vote is a poke in the eye to President Bush from senators in his own party. And the animosity that's filtered across the country in the last few months could bleed into next year's congressional and presidential elections. We'll grab Ron Elving and hash this all out with him. Questions? Opinions on the demise of the bill? Let us know...

Scott Cameron

12:45 PM ET | 06-28-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Bald Eagle is Back

I was driving out west somewhere the first time I caught a real good look at a bald eagle up close. This was years ago, but I remember we all grabbed for the camera and ohh-ed and ahh-ed. These are big, beautiful birds, and they have a regal presence that I'm sure comes (in part anyway) from the position we give them in this country. The bald eagle is a symbol of America, and we've learned to respect that. But, it wasn't always the case. Eagles were hunted and pushed almost to the point of extinction. There were just 417 (documented) of them in the lower 48 states in 1963. Today, it was dropped from the endangered species list, and there are now nearly 10,000 bald eagles (it's been illegal to kill a bald eagle since 1940, and that's still the case). Now that more of us may be spotting one flying overhead, what meaning does the bald eagle have for you?

Scott Cameron

12:29 PM ET | 06-28-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Prospero's Staff

We don't talk about stage actors all that much anymore. A conversation about a memorable performance is more likely to be about a film; it's as if we're so involved in the life of Angelina Jolie (and honestly, I've had a subscription to Us Weekly for longer than I care to admit), that we can hardly believe it when she turns into someone else entirely -- let alone Marianne Pearl. There's no shiny veneer on a stage actor -- unless it's a few beads of sweat. When I was a kid, every summer our family would drive up to the Stratford Festival in Canada (which is where, I'm convinced, the best theater in North America is performed), to see an absurd amount of theater in far too few days. The schedule was brutally delightful: two plays a day, with a lot of reading by the river and food and drink sandwiched in between. The problem is, when you see fourteen productions in seven days, you're likely to forget a bunch of them. There are whole performances that have just floated right out of my head. (My mother used to describe the need for a "great big intellectual burp" at the end of each trip.) Sadly, they were most likely wonderful productions, but they didn't move me; and seemed to elicit admiration rather then real empathy. Of the plays that stuck, I would wager that most of them featured actor William Hutt. Hutt died yesterday at the age of 87; he was, I think what you'd call a "grand old man" of the Canadian stage; I had only to see that white-silver head of glinting on stage to become rapt. In a Much Ado About Nothing that eventually traveled to the United States, he wrested humor from a small role, in a scene that owed quite a bit to the screwball comedies of the '30s. (He did a happy drunk better then anyone else.) As James Tyrone in O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night, his performance (among four other extraordinary performances) gave me the feeling that I had somehow gained entry into the broken Tyrone house. I utterly forgot I was watching a play at all, and almost tiptoed out at the end. The first time I was ever moved to tears in the theater was watching Hutt become King Lear, in a spare, but deep performance. As he wandered the moors, he balanced the terrified, angry, and yet still dear old man -- eminently recognizable to anyone who's confronted the specter of dementia -- with the carriage of a man who had once been a king. It was high drama, real tragedy, and entirely intimate at the same time.

His final curtain call at Stratford was as Prospero in Shakespeare's Tempest. My mother heard a replay of the final speech on the CBC early this morning, where Prospero pledges to give up magic forever. She described it as "straight-forward, astonishing, without histrionics, right to the bone and full of meaning." Hutt was an actor who knew how to perform, he spoke the classics with a baritone that could shake walls, but more often chose to simply become a character -- a complicated and generous spell that enchanted all of us who were lucky enough to watch it happen.

But this rough magic
I here abjure, and when I have required
heavenly music, which even now I do,
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my book.

Prospero, The Tempest, Act V, scene i

Barrie Hardymon

10:14 AM ET | 06-28-2007 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Apple Haze

Oh yeah... we know, you've all fallen for yet another blitz of stylish advertising from that prom queen of technology, Apple. My esteemed co-blogger Scott certainly has. Never mind that they've only released about four (hyperbole, but you know) of the suckers. And that they've made a deal with the devil. Well, apparently, we've been sucked in too. This is ostensibly a show about the buzz that Apple has created around this product (see NPR for more details), but what I'm really interested in is how Steve Jobs has been able to position himself as a technology pioneer, when in reality, Apple seems to come late to the table on some things -- taking existing ideas and refining them. (Remember when they made you think that the Ipod was the first Mp3 Player? That's the equivalent of an Appletini hangover -- it wasn't.) Full disclosure: I love my Mac, I love my Ipod, and my Shuffle is engraved. In any case; what can your cell phone do? Do you take pictures, video, text, PDA, etc.? Do you know how to use your phone at all (Neal sometimes claims he doesn't).

Barrie Hardymon

1:57 PM ET | 06-27-2007 | permalink | comments (21) | e-mail post

Video Made the Political Star

Have you seen this flap between Elizabeth Edwards and Ann Coulter on MSNBC? It's worth the click through. And speaking of video, the draft Al Gore camp has taken their message to the airwaves. Their ad is running on an Iowa radio station. The immigration bill gets a second life in the senate. And, speaking of the senate, Richard Lugar, a Republican from Indiana, created quite the stir in Washington the other day, calling for a troop withdrawal from Iraq. To have a Republican senator of his stature breaking ranks could be a watershed for the war. If it's Wednesday, it must be Political Junkie time. Send us your questions for Ken Rudin.

Scott Cameron

1:38 PM ET | 06-27-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Not Just For Hooking Up Anymore

Remember when social networking used to be... well... social? MySpace, Facebook, even the venerable Friendster, were so successful at getting people in touch, that now they've crossed into the workspace and become an important business tool. Looking for a job? An employee? Check out Linkedin or SelectMinds. I must say, it's a lot easier to navigate these websites then it is to slog through a stack of paper resumes, and it really appeals to Generation Y (they tend to ask the question "where do I get information" before they ask "what am I supposed to do?"). We know that y'all have used social networking to stalk your secret high school crush, or to keep up with friends, but how are you using it in your professional life, and beyond?

Barrie Hardymon

1:25 PM ET | 06-27-2007 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

Whoa, Mummy

We've had some great titles floating around here; remember Nassim Taleb, Professor in the Science of Uncertainty? Well, check this out: Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo and Director of Excavations at Giza (yes, that Giza). You guessed it, it's Dr. Zahi Hawass, and he's got some very exciting news for anyone who's into girl power. Apparently, archaeologists have used DNA testing and identified a mummy that was discovered more than a century ago as Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's most powerful female pharoah. Now, there's literally no other way to describe Hatshepsut then to call her bad-ass (and believe me, I really didn't want to use that expression but check out this woman's bio). I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth I, and the two ladies, especially in their mastery of politics, have a lot in common. In any case, Dr. Hawass will fill us in -- best part? He's talking to us from a cafe. I'm not kidding. You have to tune in.

Barrie Hardymon

1:10 PM ET | 06-27-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

My Baked Goods Enabler

I have a slight problem... namely, a sugar problem. And here in the office, we have what I'll playfully call our enabler (sorry, Susan). Though, I'm really not complaining, I've already grabbed four or five (or six or seven, but who's counting) pieces of ginger peach cake that she brought in this morning. Last week, it was some cinnamon concoction, cheese, breads, crackers, even a great chunk of steak that I couldn't help but combine with the cheese and bread. Yes, sometimes it is healthy; yesterday it was blueberries, raspberries, and a strawberry. All of which makes me wonder, does every office have its "enabler"... that person who spoils everyone else with baked goods and fresh fruits?

Scott Cameron

10:12 AM ET | 06-27-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Goal Posts

It's hard to tell what progress means in Iraq -- it's an emotionally and politically charged issue that stretches from Baghdad, to Congress, all the way to your dinner table. Tom Ricks, who's so easy on the ears that getting information from him is actually fun, returned from a May trip to Iraq with fascinating details, and his own report card. He'll talk to us today, and rounding out the military perspective is retired Major General Mike Davidson as well. Let us know what you think about the changing goals in Iraq.

Barrie Hardymon

1:54 PM ET | 06-26-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Will, Grace, and Hair Whorls

Let's face it. Between Sex and the City's famous gay-straight man vs. straight-gay man episode and the rise of the metrosexual, so-called "Gaydar" doesn't mean much anymore. In fact, it's probably an easy way to reinforce social stereotypes. However, David France, a contributing editor at New York Magazine, was curious about what you could tell about a person's sexuality based on biological traits; and wrote this fascinating article. Check it out here. And post your "gaydar" experiences below.

Barrie Hardymon

1:18 PM ET | 06-26-2007 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

Go Dawgs!

Selecting a college still counts as one of the biggest, most stressful decisions of my life. I applied at a conservative four schools (ok, I was too lazy to fill out more applications than that), got into three -- my dream school, one I'd ruled out in the interim, and my safety school -- then decided dream school was less than dreamy and resignedly accepted at safety school, the University of Maryland. I liked Maryland, and my dad was an alum, it was just that it was so close to home that it didn't feel like a proper adventure. About two weeks before graduating from high school, my humanities teacher, Mr. Greenfield*, overheard my friend Susan and I talking about her choice, the University of Georgia. I thought it sounded pretty cool -- a similar size to Maryland, but in the exotic South, and thought maybe I'd transfer someday. Mr. Greenfield had another idea, however, and he ran me down to the Social Studies office, got Georgia admissions on the phone, and they faxed me an application that day. I found out I'd been accepted while at beach week, took a quick trip down there, liked what I saw, and accepted without hesitation. DRAMA! But you know what I didn't do? I didn't look it up in the US News & World Report ranking of colleges. Did you, when you chose a school, or are you taking a look with your college-bound kids now?

*A zillion thanks to Mr. Phil Greenfield... without him, I wouldn't be where I am today!

Sarah Handel

1:16 PM ET | 06-26-2007 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

TOTN Prevents Colds

As a kid, I always thought there were little men under the streets changing lights from red to green and turning on the street lights (sadly, I'm not kidding. But, come on, where did you think that quarter under your pillow came from when you lost a tooth?). I also thought if you slap someone on the back while they're making funny faces or crossing their eyes it would stay that way. (I still refuse to stand to close to the microwave while it's running.) Most of us have some quirky thing we just know to be true... yawns are contagious, reading in the dark damages your eyes, chicken soup cures a cold. But, has anyone ever tried to find out if it's true? Yep... And there's a whole book about it, called Never Shower in a Thunderstorm: Surprising Facts and Misleading Myths About our Health and the World we Live In. Are oysters aphrodisiacs, does green tea help you lose weight, is bottled water cleaner than tap water, can toothbrushes spread germs, is it dangerous to talk on the phone in a thunderstorm? What were you always told, and still wonder if it's true?

Scott Cameron

1:15 PM ET | 06-26-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Summer Reading List

Lucky girl that I am, I'm headed off on another incredible vacation tomorrow -- it's rare that I take even one a summer, so two is truly exceptional. This time I'll be gone for three weeks, visiting a tiny medieval village in France, with nary a public library nor Barnes & Noble in reach. So I've got to import all my reading material, and to that end I've amassed a collection culled from the books publishers send us here at NPR and from the shelves of my local library. So far I have...

You Don't Love Me Yet by Jonathan Lethem
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
Possible Side Effects by Augusten Burroughs
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer by Warren St. John
Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye by Jonathan Lethem

So, I've got one non-fiction book, one bodice-ripper, and a pile of reasonably serious contemporary fiction... by men. I'm looking for one or two recommendations to round out my traveling library... I'm thinking books by women, and possibly something a bit more classic, though I must warn you that if it's not immediately gripping, anything remotely canon-worthy will probably just gather dust. Any ideas? Please leave them for me in the comments section, and I'll pick them up after work... in the meantime, I'm going to revisit our annual summer reading show for recs!

Sarah Handel

8:29 AM ET | 06-26-2007 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

The American Dream

It's something I've been wrestling with for almost two years now... buy or rent? I scour databases of homes for sale, read books on finance, and talk it over with each colleague who takes the big step of homeownership... and still I can't find anyone to tell me if it's really in my best interests to buy a place, or if renting truly is more economical. On the one hand, renting feels careless, like throwing your money down a drain, and ownership sounds responsible and adult. But on the other, living beyond your means -- a serious concern when a mortgage enters the picture -- is untenable at best, catastrophic at worst... and is there something so wrong about preferring to own shoes and bags and books and music over walls and floors and light fixtures and doors*? If you've purchased a home recently, I'd love to hear on what criteria you made your decision to own... and if you're like me, still waffling, what's holding you back? Or do you take pride in renting?

*OK, busted... my linking is pretty biased. Am I just trying to justify my choices this far? Maybe.

Sarah Handel

1:42 PM ET | 06-25-2007 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

Opinion Page: Snore Wars... at the Office?

You know that gentle buzz coming from your computer under the desk? These days, it's possible that it's coming from a co-worker, taking a snooze. It turns out that more and more people are extolling the benefits of cat-naps, even at work. The most famous at work napper -- George Costanza -- was punished for it, but researcher Sara Mednick believes it can change your life. Do you ever doze off -- on purpose -- on the job?

Barrie Hardymon

1:41 PM ET | 06-25-2007 | permalink | comments (13) | e-mail post

Hunting or Gathering

I have some good and bad news for you. The good news is, that's it's really easy to stay healthy and lose weight. Eat less, exercise more. The bad news is, to lose weight and stay healthy, you've got to eat less, and exercise more. There's really no other way to do it, no matter how many times you read Eat Right for Your Blood Type. Today, we're talking to Deirdre Barrett about her book "Waistland," the evolutionary reasons for the current obesity crisis, and she's got some interesting info for you. In her history of human health, she details the idyllic life of a hunter-gatherer... more fresh salads, more time with the kids, and tons of fulfilling leisure activities. In any case, if you're...er...human, you've probably experienced that crisis of brain and belly: brain shouting "spinach" and belly growling "steak sandwich, please."

Barrie Hardymon

1:30 PM ET | 06-25-2007 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

No Bong Hits 4 Jesus

Call us a bunch of nerds, but here at Talk we've been on pins and needles for almost two weeks now, waiting for the Supreme Court to decide on the school busing case that may or may not redefine 1954's landmark Brown v. The Board of Education decision. Another Monday, another passel of decisions, and no word on busing. We groaned with disappointment, but there are plenty of interesting decisions, anyway, from the so-called Bong Hits 4 Jesus case to campaign finance.

Sarah Handel

12:44 PM ET | 06-25-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

$54 Million Pants

I stink at taking my dry cleaning in. For example, the dress I wore on New Year's Eve is STILL riding around in the trunk of my car, getting filthier by the day as it shares space with a portable grill for tailgating one weekend, dirty laundry headed for my parents' house another weekend, and so on for the last seven months. Turns out one woman's neglected clo* is a man's potential goldmine... well, he tried, anyway. In case you missed it, a DC man took some pants to the dry cleaner's, they lost the pants, then recovered the pants... or a similar pair of pants... and he sued them for $54 million for his "mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort." In a shocking decision, the DC court ruled today in favor of the dry cleaner, and the disgruntled customer will even have to pay court costs for the lawsuit. What's the most ridiculous suit you've ever come across?

*A friend of mine, when he was about 8 years old, used the word "clo" as the singular of clothes... I think it works, and can't believe it didn't catch on!

Sarah Handel

12:22 PM ET | 06-25-2007 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Eating on the Road

It was inevitable. Smack in the middle of not one, but two books about food (good vs. evil, french fries vs. carrots), I'm stuck in a car with nothing but a Bob Evans and a Cracker Barrel in spitting distance. I've always felt, though, that one is absolved of eating catastrophes on roadtrips -- if ever it's okay to eat a couple of McNuggets, it's in a rest stop on I-95. I'll be honest, I usually start out a road trip with a bag full of virtue: apples, string cheese, seltzer, the Economist. But at the first sign of a service area, my mouth waters, and before I know it, I'm picking sunflower seeds out of the seat , slurping a Red Bull, and reading People. Full disclosure: on the way to Pittsburgh this weekend, I had the pleasure of a diet that included:

3 Peanut Butter Buckeyes
1 Bag Jelly Belly jellybeans
1 order Chicken and Dumplings
2 tumblers of Raspberry Lemonade
1 Biscuit with Butter
1 InStyle Magazine

Feel free to share what you're eating in the car on your summer vacation... and consider yourself absolved. If the trip's more then 100 miles, it doesn't count!

Barrie Hardymon

10:24 AM ET | 06-25-2007 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Mawidge*

'Tis the season for blushing brides, probably a few blushing grooms, and of course, brand new in-laws galore. I'm talking about wedding season -- and I bet a few of you are talking about it too. Full disclosure: weddings are taking up a lot of my brain space this summer (not to mention some closet space), as I'm navigating showers, bachelorettes, wedding readings, and finding a dress for a dear friend's wedding in August. She has been delightful about the whole thing -- but man, I've heard some rough stories of Bridezillas, and worse, Bridemaidzillas (frozen lasagna can be a weapon). Ask Amy's Amy Dickinson is here to help with the whole mess, so please, confess your wedding woes here, and change names to protect the innocent, the damned, and your mother-in-law. And as a special bonus, we're also going to give you some ideas for your wedding dress... TRASH it. Seriously. (If you have any great ideas for a wedding reading...please let me know.)

*Ahh... the best bride of all.

Barrie Hardymon

1:42 PM ET | 06-21-2007 | permalink | comments (66) | e-mail post

Isolating Hamas

On Monday, we gave you the lowdown on the ragged split between Gaza/Hamas and the West Bank/Fatah. Every day there are new developments; today several countries in the Middle East are taking sides in the split. So we're giving you the estimable Daoud Kuttab for a few minutes. Any questions? Post 'em here.

Barrie Hardymon

1:15 PM ET | 06-21-2007 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Travel Survival Guide

On the train heading home last night, the little red-headed kid in front of me looked over and told me that he was done with school for the summer and visiting from Las Vegas (Funny how when you live in Vegas you have to find somewhere else where what happens there stays there). They were visiting Washington and hoping to get to a ball game. Which is really my cue to take a vacation... why should he get to have all the fun? Every year I somehow forget that summer is coming, and rush to squeeze in a trip to someplace where it's not 100 degrees, humid, and stuffy (and I'm talking about the city, not the train). I've done the road trip thing, the "backpacking" thing, the posh hotel thing, the camping thing, and lots of other travel "things." But I still panic every time I go to book a trip... what if I miss something? What if I pick the wrong hotel? What if I pay more than the guy next to me on the plane? What if I spend so much time worrying about the darn trip that I never actually enjoy it? (Yes, I'm a worrier and a perfectionist... bad combo.) Our second hour today is all about your travel tips... camping or Europe? Hotel or apartment? Car or plane? McDonald's or local eats? Help us all out, post your travel pointers here and we'll read some of them during the show. (And for secrets from a million mile traveler, click here)

Scott Cameron

12:52 PM ET | 06-21-2007 | permalink | comments (20) | e-mail post

What's the Cheat Code for Middle East Peace?

Educational video games are nothing new... you can learn all about human interaction with the SIMS, engineer giant structures with Roller Coaster Tycoon, and even let games teach your kids how to read and do arithmetic. But what if you could actually learn how to save the world with a video game? Well, guess what? You can! Want to figure out how to feed zillions of starving refugees in Africa? Try the UN's game, Food Force. Want to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian crisis in Gaza? There's a game for that too, called Peacemaker. As much as I'm sure Mario wants to rescue the princess (whenever I play, she's always in another castle... dang it!), somehow these games seem a little more worthwhile. Still... do you want to learn from your video game, or do you want to just zone out? Does this make gaming like homework? And isn't it a little depressing if you lose?

Sarah Handel

12:51 PM ET | 06-21-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Hey, I Phone Too...

The hype over the iPhone is pretty insane at this point. (T-minus a week and a day now.) People are talking about camping out in front of Apple stores and AT&T will close its stores down late in the afternoon, to open them back up at exactly 6pm Friday... just the time the phone is scheduled to be available. (Remember all those holiday stories of fights at Wal Mart over cheap DVD player? So cynical, I know.) And I should confess, I want one, too. I'm just way too cheap to actually buy it at this point. Maybe next year. Anyway, every company and their grand-companies are coming out with new models to compete (whether they can or not is another story). And that's only after the announcements of phones that stream live TV, share videos, track you (your kids, spouses, etc), offer directions, find nearby people to date, play music (duh), surf the web, email, IM, take photos, blah, blah, blah. I'm sure there's a show in here somewhere. I use my phone primarily to talk, occasionally IM, and every now and again to take a picture and shoot it to someone. Of course, it CAN do more, I just tend not to unleash it. So all you cell phone fanatics... what can your phone do? (And do you actually use it?)

Scott Cameron

9:57 AM ET | 06-21-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Defending the Damned

It may well be the least-lucrative post-law-school gig around... public defender. To me, though, it also seems like the most romantic, and certainly the most confounding. On the one hand, public defenders defend the folks who can't afford to retain their own, private-practice lawyers... a Mother Teresa-like mission. But I'm sure it's easy to lose sight of that in light of the tremendous downsides... the inescapable reality of being overworked and underpaid... and then there's the likelihood you may have to defend some heinous criminals. If you're a public defender, what's the best part of the job? What was your wildest case (that you can share, of course!)?

Sarah Handel

2:00 PM ET | 06-20-2007 | permalink | comments (11) | e-mail post

Political Junkie: The Bloomberg News

As though there weren't enough candidates fighting for the presidential nomination in 2008... Now, Mayor Michael Bloomberg drops the Republican party in favor of declaring himself an independent. And, he insists he is NOT a candidate for president... sometimes a sure-fire sign that the big announcement is coming. Would you vote for Bloomberg (IF he decides to run)? On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton spoofed the Sopranos to announce her new campaign song (is it a good idea to run for president of the United States with a Canadian singing your theme song?). Yes, it's time to check in with the Political Junkie. Questions? Comments? Click below...

Scott Cameron

1:48 PM ET | 06-20-2007 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Petite Stanwyck Seeks Her MacMurray

A colleague turned me on (no pun... you know) to the New York Review of Books personals today. These are some high-falutin folks, and my absolute favorite is the dark haired beauty who describes herself as: "Sparkling eyes, worldly intellect. Classic 1940s movie star good looks -- think Olivia de Havilland transported to 21st century." There are so many sites geared toward specific types: from the grand-yenta of all, J-Date, all the way to Afro Connections. I wish I could start one that made people describe themselves entirely based on old movies. "Lips of a Garbo, heart of a Crawford..." "Think Clark Gable -- without an undershirt." I know who I'd (wishfully) be. Why did you join a specific dating site over another? Do you think it's acceptable that sites like Eharmony screen so heavily?

Barrie Hardymon

1:29 PM ET | 06-20-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

No One Can Save Me, the Damage is Done

I'm sure it's happened to you... you're in a bar, and the familiar talk box riff starts... without even thinking twice, you start to sing along, "Tommy used to work on the docks...Union's been on strike, he's down on his luck...its tough, so tough..." You're really starting to feel the music when your eyes lock with a stranger's across the bar, belting along the words at a volume that nearly matches your own. You throw back your heads in unison, "WHOOAAAA, we're halfway there-ere WHOA-OH! We're livin' on a prayer!" C'mon, it can't be just me! I swear this has happened on multiple occasions, and there's just one artist that unites the bar, whether it's filled with hipsters, preps, bikers, yuppies, or run-of-the-mill drunks... BON JOVI. The band has a new record and the eponymous Jon Bon Jovi joins us today... leave your stories of bonding over "You Give Love A Bad Name" and the rest of the band's oeuvre here and make me feel better about my closing time serenades...

Sarah Handel

11:24 AM ET | 06-20-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Public Relations Everywhere

We're doing a show today on online dating; what's out there, where to post, how to post, and the horror and romance (sometimes intertwined...ah, love) of the whole thing. I had thought I would write a goofy personal ad for this post, until I realized that literally everything online is a personal ad -- or personal PR -- nowadays. This blog for instance, has my bio, my picture, my thoughts, a few of my likes and dislikes. Most people my age, and almost everybody younger, has a Facebook or MySpace page, which contains much of the information you'd fill out on Match.com or Salon personals. I realize this is old news; but it really emphasizes the characteristics of the World Wide Web as huge social experiment -- like that bar in Star Wars with all of the different species and characters doing business and interacting with each other. It's why that added layer of Second Life -- everybody, their mother, and their avatar -- is so intriguing. It's like putting a fur coat around your already shaped internet-self (the best photographed, funniest, feistiest version of your First Life self). I was out with my best friend in New York a while ago, and a friend of hers asked me what I did for a living. I told him I worked for NPR, and he said, "National Public Relations?!?" Makes me giggle. If you're on the web in any capacity... you work in PR, too.

Barrie Hardymon

10:18 AM ET | 06-20-2007 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

Fighting Fires

Last night, fire consumed a furniture warehouse in Charleston, SC. The fire took a lot more from the community than sofas and coffee tables, however... nine brave firefighters perished as well, rescuing two employees from the burning building. Details are still coming out, but it is clear the fire was both swift and terrifying, "like a 30-foot tornado of flames." As someone with a healthy fear of fire, it's tough for me to imagine the sort of bravery and compassion it must take to walk into a wall of flames... do you fight fires, or does someone you love? What motivates you, or them? Also, if you've been rescued from a fire, feel free to leave your story here, to thank the firefighters, or to remember them.

Sarah Handel

1:55 PM ET | 06-19-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Further Trials for Sir Rushdie

With all the hubbub, fatwas, and attractive chefs surrounding him, it's easy to forget that Salman Rushdie is a wonderful writer. Before he wrote a little book called The Satanic Verses in 1988, he had already won the Booker Prize (for one of my favorites, Midnight's Children... though I can't recommend his children's book Haroun and the Sea of Stories highly enough). Well, more hubbub, I'm afraid. Saturday's announcement that the Indian-born (but still British) writer is to be knighted in the UK has enraged Iran and Pakistan all over again. To some, it's an honor richly deserved; but the long held belief that The Satanic Verses contains blasphemous references to Islam, makes the politics of the knighthood pretty tricky. However, Rushdie may not care; my favorite quote of his (about poets, but you can read artists in general) is this: "A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep." Here's hoping we (with your help) can do all of that here at NPR as well: start arguments... shape the world.

Barrie Hardymon

1:54 PM ET | 06-19-2007 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

The Foreign Lobby: Turkmenistan or Bust

If you're a foreign government with an image problem in Washington, turns out you can hire a lobbyist to help clean up that image. And many have done just that. In the latest edition of Harper's Magazine, their Washington Editor Ken Silverstein went "under cover" to see how far these companies would go. Claiming to represent the government of Turkmenistan, and happening to be in the market for a little good PR, Ken approached several Washington lobbying firms. What he learned raises all sorts of questions about the foreign lobby in the U.S., and about how far a journalist should go to get the story. Where do you draw the line on both?

Scott Cameron

1:01 PM ET | 06-19-2007 | permalink | comments (15) | e-mail post

Talking with Tancredo

Formidable though the task may seem, we're making an effort to talk with every presidential hopeful in the '08 race, and today we've got Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) from Capitol Hill. Now's the time to ask him your questions, well, not exactly face-to-face, but it's almost that good.

Sarah Handel

12:45 PM ET | 06-19-2007 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

Morning People Stink

I've worked a lot of morning shows over the years, and when you get up before 4am, the snooze bar is not something to be played with. (I am not a morning person, and if given the chance would hit the snooze bar for 14 hours until it was time for bed again). So, I used to set three alarms (two on batteries, just in case) that went off in 5-minute increments and were placed farther and farther from my bed to drag/force my tired self off my pillow and onto my feet. The whole thing is either really embarrassing or kind of pride-inducing, depending on who I'm talking to. Anyway, I spotted this in the latest MacWorld (and honestly, reacted with that same, "I used to walk to school uphill both ways," kind of nostalgia). Set the alarm, and when it goes off it runs away. Literally. Right off the nightstand. And to stop the incessant noise, you have to get up and catch it. Kind of takes the fun out of the snooze bar challenge every morning. If you have any other suggestion on how to drag myself out of my morning coma, comment away...

Scott Cameron

9:53 AM ET | 06-19-2007 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Two State Solution

Well, we're edging closer to a "two-state solution" in the Middle East, but as some have commented, it's not the two states many hoped it would be. Hamas has consolidated power in Gaza, while Fatah holds the West Bank, with a wary Israel sandwiched between. We're going to talk about the Palestinian crisis this hour; particularly what it means for the stalled peace process. What do you think? Is a fully isolated Hamas-led Gaza more or less dangerous?

Barrie Hardymon

1:52 PM ET | 06-18-2007 | permalink | comments (10) | e-mail post

Opinion Page: Build the Fence

It's baaack... Yes, the immigration bill gets a second chance this week, or so we're told. The senate is busy with an energy bill, but with a little urging from the president, senators who back the bill promise it will resurface later this week. There are some tweaks that they hope will help it survive Senate Debate: The Sequel, but nobody expects an easy passage, if it even gets that far. To help smooth the path, Charles Krauthammer argues that congress should first pass a bill that would build a fence along the border, and stop illegal immigration (read his column here). Stronger enforcement is the only part of the bill with nearly unanimous support, he says, and fences work. Plus, he adds, they're easy to build and maintain, and will show the world that, "America is closed to... illegal immigrants." Do you agree?

Scott Cameron

1:46 PM ET | 06-18-2007 | permalink | comments (21) | e-mail post