February 12th Show

I know, I know... I go away for a week, I don't write or call, and then I bust back in and take over the spot you expect Gwen to be in. It's just rude. But trust me, I do so with her blessing. So we're OK, right? Great. Moving on... Today's first hour. It's all about the economy, people, and specifically the housing market. It's pretty obvious who some of the losers are in the mortgage crisis, and their plight can be incredibly vivid. I know the nice family that lived next to my boyfriend disappeared, literally under dark of night... and a month or so later, all the worldly possessions they left behind littered their (former) front lawn. There's nothing quite so poignant as a playpen half-covered in snow. But there are other, less-obvious people and sectors losing out too, and, naturally, a handful of winners. We'll follow that conversation with one with Louie Palu, who just returned from a trip to the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility, which he photographed inside and out. And then it's time for your letters... and a cameo from a former TOTNer, Megan Williams!

Next, it's a topic some of you are going to identify with intensely, while the rest of us will thank our lucky stars we're not afflicted: Migraines. I know a number of folks on our staff suffer with the all-consuming headaches (really, "headache" seems like much too small a word for the enormity of the pain), and I wouldn't wish 'em on my worst enemy. The New York Times has a blog devoted to migraines, and we'll hear from those who suffer, and those who try to ease the pain. Finally, Michael Yon will join us. He's a citizen journalist in Iraq -- he's been covering the Iraq war for three years now, and works for no one but himself. What motivates a journalist to work in such a dangerous place... without a paycheck? We'll find out, and hear how he thinks the conflict is going.

Sarah Handel

Tags: Guantanamo Bay | Iraq | migraines | mortgages