Militias v. the Military in Iraq

When Iraq's Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, launched an attack last week on Shiite militias in the southern city of Basra, it set off a week of heavy fighting. In the end, U.S. and British troops were called in to provide support, and the fighting spread to other cities, including Baghdad. Now, Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on members of his militia to withdraw, in what he is calling a victory. On the show today, we'll talk about what's happened in Iraq this past week, why Sadr abruptly withdrew his forces over the weekend, and who -- if anyone -- can claim victory. We'll also talk about the role of U.S. troops in the fighting, and what all of this means for the future of Iraq.

Scott Cameron

1:59 PM ET | 03-31-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

Forget Tolstoy? Forget Paris.

I'm really a literary omnivore. I adore Dickens, Tolstoy, Hemingway, but there's an awful lot of Daphne Du Maurier, Philippa Gregory, and yes, at one time, Dan Brown (!) on my night table as well. That said, I really do not think I could love a man who didn't share certain of my literary tastes -- for instance, the phrase "Saw the movie..." when talking about, say Ian McEwan's masterpiece Atonement would be the literary equivalent of halitosis (i.e., I'm not going to kiss you if you haven't read the book. I still may not kiss you if you didn't love it.) Rachel Donadio captured this perfectly in her much read -- and railed about -- piece in the Sunday New York Times, "It's Not You, It's Your Books." So today, lend us your snobbiest stories -- the moment when a paramour mispronounced J.M. Coetzee (it's cut-ZEE-uh -- Duh), or confessed an aversion to Nabokov (that's na-BOK-off). Or -- have you happily made a home with someone who loves their Tom Clancy (I am a Clancyphile, so there)?

Barrie Hardymon

1:58 PM ET | 03-31-2008 | permalink | comments (64) | e-mail post

Trouble In Tibet

The Dalai Lama.

Giulio Napolitano/AFP/Getty Images

 

In 1997, Martin Scorsese released Kundun, a biopic about the fourteenth Dalai Lama, Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso. (I was one of a handful of people who saw it, I think; the movie wasn't a commercial success.) The plot is mostly chronological. We follow the Dalai Lama from his birth and discovery to India, where has lived in exile since 1959, after the Tibetan National Uprising. In that quarter century he became a political figure when the Dalai Lama was called upon to lead Tibet. In 1954 he traveled to Beijing to meet with Mao Tse-tung. Since then, he has traveled the world, lobbying for a solution to the disagreement between the Tibetan people and China over their homeland. One of his three commitments is to "the Tibetan issue," as he calls it.

His Holiness has a responsibility to act as the free spokesperson of the Tibetans in their struggle for justice. As far as this third commitment is concerned, it will cease to exist once a mutually beneficial solution is reached between the Tibetans and Chinese.

In the last few week, tensions and violence in China have showed us (as much as we've been able to see) how strong the disagreement over the territory is. (Very few Western journalists have been able to enter Tibet.) An estimated 150 people died in protests, which resulted in some 400 arrests.

In our second hour, we'll get an update on the political and social situation in Tibet as we get nearer and nearer to the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. And we'll try to find out more about who the Dalai Lama is as a religious and political leader. We'll talk with Pico Iyer, who wrote The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. An excerpt from his book, with some beautiful photographs by James Nachtwey, is available here. Iyer has known the Dalai Lama for more than 30 years. If you have a question for him, please leave it here.

David Gura

1:57 PM ET | 03-31-2008 | permalink | comments (22) | e-mail post

Earth Hour '08

A poster advertising Earth Hour 2008.

Source: aussiegall

This past Saturday night, the world went dark for an hour.* I missed it of course. I was busy in another kind of darkness -- developing my prints of DC's cherry blossoms in my friend's makeshift darkroom. But, apparently, at 8 pm, starting in Christchurch, New Zealand and working west from Australia, Dubai, and Dublin to New York, Chicago, and finally San Francisco, people from around the globe turned off their lights for a full 60 minutes in an attempt to highlight the link between energy use and climate change. They called it "Earth Hour," and it joins the ranks of other efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, such as Earth Day and last year's Earth Live concert. Bryan Walsh, who writes the Going Green column for time.com, will join us today to talk about his op-ed, "Earth Hour '08: Does It Matter?" So tell us, did you participate in Earth Hour? How did you mark the event? Or did you miss it, like me? In either event, what difference do you think it made, and does it matter?

* No, it wasn't a total solar eclipse (cue sigh of disappointment), or a prelude to the apocalypse (cue sigh of relief).

Ashley Grashaw

1:56 PM ET | 03-31-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

March 31st Show

At the top of the show, we will talk about what is happening in Iraq a day after Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his militiamen to put down their weapons. This comes after ongoing violence between Shiite militas and Iraqi and U.S. forces. We'll talk about what happened and what it means for the future of Iraq. Following that, we'll talk to writer Rachel Donadio about her essay that appeared in the New York Times last weekend entitled, It's Not You, It's Your Books. In it, she describes how similar tastes in literature could indicate romantic compatibility and a missed literary reference "makes it chillingly clear that a romance is going nowhere fast". So tell us... Do you have a literary standard that could make or break a budding relationship?

In our second hour, we will talk with journalist Pico Iyer about violence and anti-Chinese protests in Tibet. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet, but he is also the head of the Tibetan government and has been blamed for the unrest by the Chinese government. Iyer will talk about his conversations with the current Dalai Lama over the past 34 years, and his new book, Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. At the end of the hour, we'll talk to you about what you were doing this past Saturday evening when the world went dark for a full hour. Were you a participant in "Earth Hour"? (Did you even notice?)

Gwen Outen

11:54 AM ET | 03-31-2008 | permalink | e-mail post

My Way or the Highway

I have a zillion cousins, each more interesting than the last. It's a family tree too complicated to elaborate on, but suffice it to say I got to spend a lovely morning with about a dozen cousins from three generations on Saturday, and we had a great conversation about motherhood and careers. Sure, it's well-trod territory, but it's particularly interesting right now. Not to me personally -- don't worry, there are no buns in this oven --, but my best friend has a new son, and I know she and her husband have had to work out a solution for their family, and that what felt like a good strategy yesterday may not today. My cousins have all seemed to reach various happy mediums, and what's so interesting to me is that there is so much gray now. When I was growing up, either your mom stayed home or she worked. Dad worked. Period. My mom stayed home, and then volunteered in our schools as we aged. So that's the model I grew up with, but I'm not sure it'll be right for me. Nowadays women can work nontraditional schedules if they need or want to stick with their careers, and since women make up so much more of the workforce these days, some workplaces are actually changing to accommodate "off-ramping" moms. Whatever I decide when my day comes, you can bet my decision will be met with strong opinions. Think we've evolved past the "staying home is anti-feminist"/"working is child abandonment" debate? Think again... and if you're unconvinced, take a look at the message boards for TLC's new reality program, The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom. Chilling. Clearly, how you choose to raise your children is one of the most personal and important decisions a person ever makes, and that decision is bound to be wrapped up in passionate opinions. But why do others feel so free to critique that decision? And why can't we talk about it nicely? So, in an effort to be constructive instead of de-, what's the best advice you received when you were making this decision?

Sarah Handel

11:16 AM ET | 03-31-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Your Political Roots

Politics is inescapable these days... It's taken over dinner conversations, chatter at the water cooler, certain radio shows every Wednesday, you get the idea. And as we get closer to the November election, many people get more firmly set in their views. Here's the question, though: Where did those views come from? Do your political views come from your parents? Or in spite of them? Did you start out leaning left in college, but now lean right? Or vice versa? We're going to talk today about those moments when your politics became, well, yours. So turn on the TV pundits in the background, get fired up, and tell us your stories: Where do your politics come from?

Scott Cameron

1:59 PM ET | 03-27-2008 | permalink | comments (34) | e-mail post

Get My Vote: Get Your Vote

Today's the day -- we're introducing GMV guru Joe Matazzoni to TOTN. It's GMV+JMAT+TOTN.. And we'll be talking to Liz Garmendia about her commentary -- the one Sarah liked so much from earlier this week. This is democracy in action (DIA), folks, so get to GMV and start uploading -- and while you're there, go watch some of our favorite people (ZZ Packer! Kinky Friedman!) do the same thing. The link is below -- check it out.

Barrie Hardymon

1:58 PM ET | 03-27-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

He Didn't Do It [Diddy]

The late Tupac Shakur.

Source: Getty Images

In 1994, rapper Tupac Shakur was attacked in New York City, in the lobby of Quad Recording Studios. Two years later, he was shot dead in Las Vegas. Neither case has been solved.

Last week, the Los Angeles Times published an article by Chuck Philips, called "An Attack on Tupac Shakur Launched a Hip-Hop War." Citing new reports, Philips wrote that associates of Sean "Diddy" Combs were responsible for the first attack on Shakur, in Manhattan. In the last week, Combs cried fowlfoul, denying his involvement. Last night, the newspaper issued an apology. The documents on which the article centered, it seems, were fake, drafted by a con man. (The Smoking Gun dug deep into this story.)

David Folkenflik, NPR's media correspondent -- and the ringleader of Talk of The Nation's "Media Circus" -- will join us in the first hour, to talk about the Times story. If you have a question for him, leave it here.

David Gura

1:57 PM ET | 03-27-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

A Path With Many Brambles

September 13, 1993: Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres signs the agreement on Palestinian autonomy in the occupied territories after months of secret talks in Oslo, Norway. One more step forward -- preceding a couple steps back.

Source: J. DAVID AKE/AFP/Getty Images

 

In Aaron David Miller's new book, The Much Too Promised Land: America's Elusive Search For Arab-Israeli Peace, he tells an old story about a rabbi summoned to the czar. He is told his whole village must be relocated to Siberia.

Determined to avoid this fate the rabbi tells the czar that if he cancels the decree, the rabbi will teach the czar's favorite horse to sing within a year. Returning to his village, the rabbi happily reports his success. "You can't deliver on that promise," the villagers reply. "I know, said the rabbi, "but in a year the czar, the horse, or I might die, or the horse might talk."

Miller tells this story as an illustration of one of the tactics that both Arab and Israeli negotiators use to respond to ideas they don't like. If they waited long enough, one of the players would change, or die -- and no horse ever sings. It's only one of the reasons that the path to peace in Israel and Palestine has been so long, so bloody, and yielded so little actual peace. Aaron David Miller spent almost a quarter century working in the State Department -- and working on that most Sisyphean of foreign puzzles. His book is incredibly readable -- just flipping through it I found his descriptions of the larger-than-life characters he worked with (Arafat, Netanyahu) really compelling. We'll talk to him today -- specifically, about America's role in the process. If you have questions for him, post them here.

Barrie Hardymon

1:57 PM ET | 03-27-2008 | permalink | comments (8) | e-mail post

What's Going on with All These Planes?

AA planes got so grounded.

Source: Scott Olson/Getty Images

American Airlines and Delta grounded hundreds of planes today in order to perform safety maintenance re-inspections. This, two weeks after Southwest Airlines knowingly flew passengers on over 40 jets that hadn't undergone inspections. Not surprisingly, confidence in airline safety has waned as a result. Jim Hall, a former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, warns:

The safety we know in this decade is a result of a whole lot of accidents that occurred in the 1990s that were investigated and, because of them, changes were made in the system... If this [current] culture continues, then we could face another rash of accidents in this decade.

John Goglia, a former member of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, will join us today to answer our questions about plane safety and routine maintenance inspections. Got a question? Leave it here.

Ashley Grashaw

1:56 PM ET | 03-27-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

March 27th Show

In our first hour today, we'll talk to guests and to YOU about that "a-ha!" moment when you realized exactly what your political views are. We want to hear about the people or experiences that helped shape those beliefs. Was it a family member who triggered your lightbulb moment? Or a stint as student body president? Maybe it was a contentious debate with a friend with an opposing view. What happened in your life that determined your political views? Tell us your story. We'll spend part of the hour talking to the head of NPR's "Get My Vote" online project that gives people a platform to share their personal stories about how their core political beliefs were formed. At the end of the hour, NPR's David Folkenflik will talk about an internal investigation at The Los Angeles Times over an article that linked associates of Sean "Diddy" Combs to the 1994 attack on rapper Tupac Shakur. New evidence has revealed that details in the report were partially based on false documents.

In our second hour we will be joined by Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. Middle East negotiator. Miller's new non-fiction book, The Much Too Promised land, America's Elusive Search for Arab Israeli Peace, goes inside the workings of the Middle East conflict. Miller will explain why he believes that peace in the region is possible. Stay tuned for the topic of discussion for the end of the hour. We're working on it!!!

Gwen Outen

12:17 PM ET | 03-27-2008 | permalink | e-mail post

More Free Stuff!

You know the old adage, "One man's trash is another man's treasure?" It's a phrase I've certainly used, but in recent days I've realized it's even more true than I thought. Last month I joined Freecycle as a way to offload some computer detritus I'd amassed over the years and didn't want to haul to my new home (where everything would sit buried in a bin somewhere, of course). If you don't know what it is, Freecycle's a simple email list attached to a locality, and on it folks offer up their unwanted items. Typically, the taker comes to the giver and picks up the offering, so it's even more convenient than Goodwill. Plus, it keeps perfectly good stuff out of landfills. As a relative newbie to the Freecycle world, I've been shocked and entertained at the items offered up and claimed, from racy comic books to knee-high socks (ok, that was me.) My dad, however, is a Freecycle veteran, and he's seen it all...

I have seen, for example, serviceable (if in need of some repair) sailboats with trailers offered on my local Freecycle board, while at the other end of the spectrum I have on more than one occasion seen single "cents-off" coupons on grocery items offered (and taken!). One would think that the cost of gas to drive over and pick it up would exceed the value of that coupon for $0.35 off on that jar of mayonnaise - even after doubling!

Mayonnaise coupons?! Boats?! What's your tallest Freecycle tale?

Sarah Handel

10:44 AM ET | 03-27-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Name That Political Junkie

Sen. Clinton in Pittsburgh Tuesday.

Source: William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

This may be spring break (hope you're enjoying the sunshine Ken!), but politics stops for nothing. So, while our political junkie is tanning his toes on a beach somewhere, we'll talk with guest junkie Matt Bai. And is there plenty to talk about... Re-votes seem less and less likely in Michigan and Florida, Barack Obama's pastor continues to face criticism, Hillary Clinton says she mis-spoke about the sniper fire in Bosnia, and John McCain stands against big bank bail-outs. And with the Clinton campaign facing pressure from some opinion writers about the viability of her winning the nomination, we'll talk about the fierce arguments over whether or not she should continue her campaign. We'll hear from one writer who says, why should she get out when there are so many reasons for her to stay? What do you think?

Scott Cameron

1:59 PM ET | 03-26-2008 | permalink | comments (105) | e-mail post

Eat my Dust. And Vote for my Candidate!

A collector's item! (The sticker, not the car.)

teresia

 

A few years ago, a friend of mine got into a fender bender. It was no big deal, really. I thought that the damage was aesthetic: a few dents here, a small scratch there. When he took it to a garage, though, a mechanic told him that the whole thing had to be replaced. Bumpers are different than they used to be, he said. They're full of new safety features and sensors. The small wreck cost my friend several hundred bucks.

Bumpers are different these days, aren't they? They're made of plastic, not shiny chrome. And what happened to those bumper stickers that used to cover them? They're gone too. Well, not entirely, but they used to be everywhere. There were joke bumper stickers. They acted as resumes. "Guess where I went to school?!" And they helped us broadcast to the world who we planned to vote for. (Or, in many cases, who we voted for two or three elections ago.)

Our guest at the end of the first hour, Patti Brown, says that the political bumper sticker is alive and well. She has been collecting them -- and blogging about them -- for a while now.

Do you put political bumper stickers are on your car? Do you have a favorite?

David Gura

1:58 PM ET | 03-26-2008 | permalink | comments (47) | e-mail post

Free Stuff!

This Google worker is recharging so he can get back to making "free" profitable.

Source: joelogon

Made ya look. But honestly, you don't have to go far to find free things on the web. Mail, music, news, coupons, blogs, even web design. If you're paying for almost anything, you're a sucker. (I am always horrified when I go to a news site and have to pay for an article -- which is hilarious, given a) how much I pay for shoes, and b) the public radio model is just to beg for money. (Now take this moment to go pledge or something.) I do everything on the web -- and I do it all for free, and mostly through Google, but also with the help of Tumblr, Weebly, Digg, and all the other various Lifehacker recommended sites. Which of course begs the question: How the heck are they making any money? (My online banking is free, too, FYI.) Someone's got to pay for those awesome Google nap pods. (I just use the floor under my desk.)

The advertising revenue model might not be the saving grace of social networks and webmail it's cracked up to be. But venture capitalists are still putting money into these things. The question is, What business model do they think will give them a return on their risk? We'll ask them today. Come out of your nap pods, people. Let's get thinkin'.

Barrie Hardymon

1:57 PM ET | 03-26-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

The Big Ol' Middle Class

"Homi Kharas, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, estimates that by 2020, the world's middle class will grow to include a staggering 52% of the total population, up from 30% now."

It sounds like good news, right? And, of course, it is -- the projection is attributed to folks moving up from poverty, not down from wealth. But according to Moises Naim, the thunder created by the far-off middle class herd is already audible... And it is getting louder.

Briefly, a larger middle class creates a higher demand for the comforts we're all used to, like an ample variety of foods, modern appliances, and a wardrobe (and not just the clothes on your back). And what does a higher demand make room for? Higher prices. And scarcity. It's simple economics, and according to Naim, it's unpredictable, and it's going to be noisy.

Sarah Handel

1:56 PM ET | 03-26-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Get My Vote: A Late Bloomer

NPR's Get My Vote project is in full swing. Many of you have answered the question Neal posed last week: "When was the first time you became political?" Jackie Matlock did. For most of her life, she voted Democratic, but wasn't that active in party politics. In 2004, she became involved.

By joining in I was introduced to elected officials, candidates for public office and dedicated citizens who worked to benefit our community, its citizens, and our country and it's image around the world.

"I learned that one person, one voice can make a difference," Matlock says.

On tomorrow's show, we'll feature audio and video commentaries from Get My Vote. So send one in! Head on over to Get My Vote and tell us when you became political.

David Gura

1:13 PM ET | 03-26-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

March 26th Show

Today, the role of the political junkie will be played by Matt Bai, author and political writer for the New York Times magazine. (Ken Rudin is on vacation and has yet to promise us that he will be back next week). In this week's Political Junkie, we'll talk about Bill Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama, the delegate grab-bag in Michigan and Ohio, and author Leslie Bennetts will try to put to rest the question that has been rearing its head around the political-sphere: Should Hillary drop out the race? Stay tuned for our topic of discussion for the end of the hour. It's coming together as I type this.

In our second hour, Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, Kevin Rose, founder of Digg.com, and Brad Feld, a venture capitalist, talk about the cost of offering online information... at NO cost. How does it work? How do businesses get their money? And is this the only business model that works? At the end of the hour, Moises Naim, editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine, explains why he believes the lifestyles of the existing American middle class will have to drastically change to make room for a new emerging global middle class.

Gwen Outen

12:17 PM ET | 03-26-2008 | permalink | e-mail post

Live from Moon

Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin salute President Richard Nixon. From the Moon.

NASA

 

"One small step for man..."

NASA

In 1973, I stayed up much of the night to watch the fuzzy, black-and-white image from a single camera trained on the tarmac of Clark Air Base in the Philippines, to await the arrival of the first planeload of American POWs released from North Vietnam. (At least I remember the picture as both fuzzy and monochromatic -- it might well have been the nine-inch black-and-white Sony TV I had at the time.)

The event was memorable by itself, but I distinctly remember a thrill reading the words on the bottom of the screen, "Live from the Philippines." Luzon seemed so far away that the technology that made all this possible might as well have been magic. It was on a par with seeing the words, "Live from Moon" just a few years earlier.

Then, this morning, before heading into work, I scarcely thought twice about flipping on my substantially larger, flatter and more-colorful TV to watch a couple of innings of the Boston-Oakland baseball game splashed across half my living room in the exquisite clarity of HD. Four years ago, HD signals from the Summer Olympic Games in Athens arrived on these shores a day late. Later this year, live, glorious HD images of gymnasts, swimmers and
basketball players in Beijing will seem like a birthright (no live images from Tienanmen Square, but that's another issue that we'll talk about today with columnist Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post.)

I know the march of technology is a cliche, but it's hard not to marvel at what's happened in the 35 years between Clark Field and the Tokyo Dome, and wonder which previously insuperable barriers of time and space will seem mundane a few years from now. Who knows, we might even see "Live from Moon" again.

Neal Conan

11:23 AM ET | 03-26-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Slavery by Another Name

I've always had a murky sense of what went on between Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1862 and the desegregation ruling of Brown v. Board in 1954. The question I would ask myself -- and forgive the naivete -- is, Why didn't the civil rights movement happen earlier, like, say, during the 20s and 30s? What took so long? Turns out, slavery wasn't really over when Lincoln said it was over. A new book by Douglas Blackmon called Slavery by Another Name argues that slavery persisted in different forms long after 1862. Black men arrested for petty or non-existent crimes that couldn't make bail were leased to white cotton farmers or sold to coal mining companies to pay it off. To me, it sounds like a form of indentured servitude, and Blackmon says this extension of slavery helps explain why black Americans made so little economic progress before the civil rights movement. If you have questions about where, when and how this happened, and what it means for us today, leave them here.

Ashley Grashaw

1:59 PM ET | 03-25-2008 | permalink | comments (47) | e-mail post

Real Girls, Going Wild

Spring break in Miami Beach.

Source: tavopp

Good grief, am I glad to be past spring break. I know it's the event college kids across the country hotly anticipate, waxing and tanning and sweating to prime their physiques for debauchery. To no one's surprise, I'm sure, I was far too... too something* to participate in this ritual during college. And, now, as a nearly-30 non-supermodel, I'd be far too intimidated to go. Spring Break's never been about sipping root beer floats and holding hands, but according to the Los Angeles Times's Meghan Daum, it's not just about getting drunk and hooking up, either: For young women, it's about confidence building.

Huh?

She hit Cancun for an article, and she found women defending what some might call raunch -- wet t-shirt contests and worse -- by explaining it was all about validation. In a Girls Gone Wild world it's no surprise, really, that this has happened, and I hate to be puritanical about it, but what?! It's just so foreign to me that I honestly can't get inside the head of those girls, and it's certainly not fair for me to judge them, so I want to know: If you're headed for spring break (or have just returned anytime in this decade), does what you did and -- er, accomplished -- there affect how you define yourself now?

*Nerdy? Hipster-y? Broke?

Sarah Handel

1:58 PM ET | 03-25-2008 | permalink | comments (44) | e-mail post

Barrie Doesn't Like Kermit The Frog

Rampant rumors: a giant game of telephone.

Source: Leo Reynolds

There. I've done it. I've started a rumor -- a vile, despicable rumor about my own prejudice against frogs, Jim Henson, and possibly the color green, which, as we all know, it ain't easy bein'. Now, this rumor is a lie. I love Kermit -- and can sing the Rainbow Connection from beginning to end with no mistakes and much feeling. But here's the thing that's kind of amazing -- if I continue to send around the title of this blog post enough, people will believe it. Worse, if I debunk it entirely, they're more likely to believe it. This is why outright falsehoods -- such as the Obama-as-Muslim rumor -- are so dangerous. Today -- at the speed of rumor -- we're taking you on a trip through Rumorville. From the first mention, to the campaign to discredit it -- it's all rumor on Talk of the Nation. And I LOVE Kermit. Spread that.

Barrie Hardymon

1:57 PM ET | 03-25-2008 | permalink | comments (23) | e-mail post

Bleacher Bums

Take me out to the ballgame.

Source: wallyg

I don't miss the weather in Chicago (5-inches of snow last week!), but I do miss Wrigley Field. There's nothing quite like sitting in the right field bleachers, screaming "left field sucks" at the top of your lungs, and gorging on hot dogs and peanuts (and frosty beverages). The bleachers are a culture unto themselves, and now (in some parks, anyway) it's a bleacher buffet. Last year the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that, for $35, you could get an all-you-can-eat bleacher seat (note that's eat, not drink, for obvious reasons). And Neal Pollack tried it out last spring, and survived... Barely. He wrote about it in a piece called All You Can Eat Baseball. We'll talk to him today about bleacher culture, and let us know your stories of life in the bleachers.

Scott Cameron

1:56 PM ET | 03-25-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

Get My Vote: Liz's First Time

Today I was poking around the Get My Vote website and found a really interesting answer to Talk of the Nation's favorite related question: When was the first time you became political?* Liz Garmendia joined the military and signed on for its healthcare, and came to realize that, unlike her father, she saw merit in universal health coverage... and that led her to vote in this year's primary, her first vote ever cast. So how'd she vote? Go to her commentary on Get My Vote and find out, then submit your story!

*We want your answers to this question for our Thursday show! So head on over to Get My Vote and tell us: When was the first time you became political? Maybe we'll feature your story!

Sarah Handel

12:30 PM ET | 03-25-2008 | permalink | e-mail post

March 25th Show

In our first hour, we will be joined by Douglas Blackmon, the Atlanta bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal. Blackmon will talk about his book Slavery by Another Name, where he argues that slavery did not end with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, but in fact continued for another 80 years, a period which Blackmon calls an "Age of Neoslavery." Following that, we'll talk with Los Angeles Times columnist Meghan Daum about why she feels women see their sexuality as their only currency. Daum's column appeard in the March 15th edition of the L.A. Times entitled, "Raunch is rebranded as 'confidence.'"

We'll talk about the psychology of a rumor in the second hour and how our brains distinguish truth from fiction. According to an article written by guest Farhad Manjoo for the New York Times, "repetition, psychologists have shown, easily tricks us... if one person tells you that something is true many times, you are likely to conclude that the opinion is widely held, even if no one else said a thing about it." Tell us your story. Have you ever been subject to a rumor? How did you handle it? At the end of the hour, we'll talk with author Neal Pollack about his recent experience as a spectator in the "all-you-can-eat" bleacher seats at Dodger Stadium. (Sorry. Beer not included.)

Gwen Outen

12:19 PM ET | 03-25-2008 | permalink | e-mail post

The 'Kaglom' Wars -- Defending the Desktop

I just got a Playstation 3. As I typed those words, a small thrill of excitement coursed through my body like a sip of Drambuie. To clarify -- I (we, really, there's a man involved in the arrangement) intended to by a Blu-ray, but was told that the Playstation 3, which also plays Blu-ray discs, was a better deal. A better deal for whom, is the question? Visions of my as-yet unborn children, lying neglected on the living room floor as I battle Nazis in Call of Duty haunt me. I'm afraid to even look at PS3 games, because I remember the long nights I spent building elaborate villas for my Sims. By long, I mean ALL NIGHT LONG. But here's the thing: Despite my great fear of my own vulnerability to the snazzy graphics and complicated levels of PS3 games, I think I'm far more vulnerable to the simplest of games. On my Blackberry, that's Kaglom, a sort of exploding Tetris (I just made it sound like a gastrointestinal disorder, I know). I can play it for hours. I think I pulled my thumb over the weekend trying to beat my high score. And on my desktop, the game that sucks away everything, including my desire for food, is Desktop Tower Defense. This thing is so simple, so free, and so addictive, that I think if it was a dollar a day to play, I would play it. They should make it part of a pledge drive. Every day when the show is finally, laboriously on the air, I take a DTD nap -- that is, I play the game in order to give my brain a much needed respite. So here's the question: Why would anyone heed the Call of Duty when there's so much to do on your own desktop? See above for examples.

Barrie Hardymon

10:37 AM ET | 03-25-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

4,000

Yesterday evening, four American soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb. Now, just days after we marked the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, we acknowledge another milestone: 4,000 American troops have died in Iraq. (For more information on soldiers who have been killed, you can go to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count and USA Today.)

On today's program, we'll hear from a widow of a soldier who was killed in Assadah; a Marine who lost six friends in a suicide attack; a father whose son died near Haditha; and a reporter who has written hundreds of obituaries for the Fayetteville Observer. If you've lost a brother, sister, son, daughter, co-worker, or friend in the war in Iraq, we want to hear from you. What was he or she like? And today, when you read that 4,000 troops have been killed, how do you mark that loss?

David Gura

1:59 PM ET | 03-24-2008 | permalink | comments (26) | e-mail post

Bomani on Barack

"Too Black." "Not Black Enough." "Black Enough." "Post-Racial." "The Black Candidate."

Sen. Barack Obama's race and "blackness" have been a part of the dialogue surrounding his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination from the outset, sometimes despite his best efforts to keep the focus on other issues. Today, we're going to approach the conversation from a different angle: Obama's "white side." Poet, satirist and educator Bomani Armah joins us in our weekly op-ed segment to discuss why it's necessary to "start pushing the idea of how white [Obama] is." The reason? It has something to do with what Armah refers to as "the 'Aw Hell No!' voting bloc." He joins us in our first hour to elaborate and field your questions. The op-ed ran in the Washington Post over the weekend, and is titled, "Okay, Barack. Now Show 'Em Your White Side." It can be found here. Read it, listen in, and tell us your opinion.

Ashley Grashaw

1:58 PM ET | 03-24-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

What's Grosser than Gross?

Mike Rowe, the dirtiest man on television.

Source: Paul Souders

There's just something about ostrich poop that really makes for great television. A little more than a year ago I was hanging out with my new boyfriend's roommate, sans boyfriend. It was mostly fine, because we'd been friends for a bit, but the sudden change in status all around made things a little, well, awkward. We were sitting in the living room with the TV tuned to the Discovery Channel, and there on the screen host Mike Rowe was doing one of the most disgusting things I'd ever seen -- cleaning up after a farm full of ostriches. Now, I'm no girly-girl -- my grandma lives on a farm, so I'm just fine with cow pies and pig sties. But whoa -- the ostrich farm? A thousand times more disgusting. Turns out, the poop's not even the worst part with ostriches. Nope, what's worse is that they puke a little every time they take a drink of water, which quickly leads to water troughs filled with ostrich vomit. EWWW!!! Trust me, there was no gap in conversation this show couldn't fill, and I pretty much haven't stopped talking about it since. I've since watched Mike at vineyards (dirtier than you'd think), harvesting all kinds of seafood, compacting garbage, cleaning silos, and more. And each time I'm sure he's done the last dirty job there is, another episode of Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe rolls around. So thanks to him I'm dying to know, BotNers, do you have a dirty job? Tell me all about it!

Sarah Handel

1:56 PM ET | 03-24-2008 | permalink | comments (70) | e-mail post

I'm A Bracket Cinderella, Too!

My brief moment of bracket glory.

Source: Yahoo Fantasy Sports

Cast your eyes to the left of this entry, squint real hard, and you will just be able to make out my rank in the office NCAA tourney pool. My team is Pajama Friday (the name is courtesy of a moment in the office last spring -- rookie intern yielding comic gold -- you know who you are, Goobers), and the rank, is ONE. Numero Uno. Granted -- I'm sharing it with a few other people, but it's a moment of pride for me, before more Cinderallas and Giant Killers stomp all over my bracket. People -- share your pride -- share your defeat -- share your Schaden -DUKE- freude -- and bless this special time of year, where almost every game is good, and every streak can be broken. We're talkin' Tourney Time. Go 'hawks.* Go 'heels.** Go 'toppers***. Amen.

*For my honey.
**For my history.
***For the fun.

Barrie Hardymon

1:51 PM ET | 03-24-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

March 24th Show

The number of U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq has reached 4,000. Today, we want to talk about who those men and women were. Call, email or leave us a blog comment with your stories about a loved one who you've lost in the war over the past five years. Tell us what you remember most about them, and how your lives have changed. We will talk about fallen US service members for most of the first hour. Following that, we will talk to Bomani Armah about his Washington Post op-ed where he gives a satirical take on why he feels it's time for Barack Obama to switch gears. His piece is entitled, Okay, Barack. Now Show 'Em Your White Side.

Now I haven't had the gross pleasure of watching the Discovery Channel series called "Dirty Jobs", but what I've heard so far??? EWWW! Mike Rowe, the host of the program, will be our guest in our second hour to talk about what it's like to be knee and elbow deep in some of the more disgustingly messy jobs that could ever grace a resume. We're talking everything from installing a billboard to collecting road kill. Think you can top him? Call in with a dirty job of your own. You may give Mike Rowe ideas for his next episode! After that, we will talk about the sweetness of the NCAA sweet 16!!!

Gwen Outen

12:06 PM ET | 03-24-2008 | permalink | e-mail post

March Madness

Go, Heels!

Source: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

I could've caught March Madness here, in Washington, D.C. Three local universities were in the big dance, and one of them was expected to make it to Ford Field, maybe to the Alamodome. At the Verizon Center, just three blocks away, Duke narrowly beat Belmont, then lost to West Virginia; Georgia, Sarah's alma mater, fell to Xavier; and the Boilermakers burned Baylor. (Barrie, who is equal parts fan and clairvoyant, boasts the best bracket among us.)

But I went home instead, to North Carolina, where I first caught basketball fever.

On Friday night, Chapel Hill bars and restaurants were full of fans, eager to see the Tar Heels take down Mount St. Mary's. (They did. Handily.) On Saturday afternoon, I happened to be in the UNC Student Stores for the final minutes of the Duke v. West Virginia game. (The crowd, gathered around a modest flat-screen display there, rejoiced when the Blue Devils were felled.) Later that day, over dinner in Durham, my dad pointed out how solemn everyone seemed to be. (For their beloved DeMarcus Nelson, it was all over. A championship title had eluded Greg Paulus, Martynas Pocius, and Jon Scheyer again.)

For my part, I promise to be productive 'til Thursday, when North Carolina plays Washington St. And I'll try to resist the urge to barrel down I-95, back to Chapel Hill.

David Gura

11:30 AM ET | 03-24-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

When Was the First Time You Became Political?

This week, Talk of the Nation embarks on a new political adventure - and we're asking you to serve as our guides. NPR recently launched a new project called Get My Vote, which invites you to share your thoughts on a simple question: What will it take for a candidate to get your vote? We've created a Web site that allows you to upload your own commentaries in the form of audio, video or text, as well as explore other people's commentaries.

We want you to participate and we plan to feature some of your commentaries on air, beginning this Thursday, March 27. Since this will be our first time doing this on air, we thought we'd frame it by asking you to tell a story of the first time you became political. What happened, and how does that experience influence your politics today?

Here's a video from host Neal Conan talking about the project and how you can join in.

You can share your story and upload your own Get My Vote commentary by clicking on the big button above. And stay tuned on March 27 - you might just hear your story on air!

Andy Carvin

11:26 AM ET | 03-21-2008 | permalink | comments (32) | e-mail post

Race at the Dinner Table, Or in the Cafeteria

I went to a high school that was predominantly white. There were maybe five black kids in the entire school, a couple of Latinos, and a handful of Asians. Race was rarely a topic of conversation among friends, except maybe in history class when we discussed race relations during the 50s and 60s.* It wasn't until college, at Berkeley, where the population was much more diverse, that I began to really discuss race with my friends and family in a concrete way. We talked about reverse racism, the black tax, white guilt, and the list goes on. As a white woman, many of my comments about race were marred by hedges and uncertainty. Sometimes I'd even couch my point of view in humor, and I was insufferably PC for about a two-month period during my sophomore year. Barack Obama's speech in Philadelphia this week has launched an open conversation about race in many circles that we haven't seen since, arguably, the O.J. Simpson trial... or the L.A. riots. Today we want to talk about how we talk about race. Is race something you talk about at home, at work, or school? Do you word things differently depending on who you're talking to? Do you find that conversation about race generates resentment or anger? Do you feel excluded from the discussion, or too uncomfortable to participate? Tell us, how do you talk about race?

* I guess when you're in a homogenous environment, it's easy to miss (or ignore) issues that tend to come up in more diverse settings.

Ashley Grashaw

1:59 PM ET | 03-20-2008 | permalink | comments (76) | e-mail post

Tift Merritt

In high school, a few friends and I would while away Friday evenings in Bynum, North Carolina, a small mill town, halfway between Pittsboro and Chapel Hill. Bynum, which sits on the northern edge of the Haw River, isn't a big place; its residents have resisted development for years.

Every weekend, the Bynum General Store hosted local musical talent. Singers and bands of all stripes would play on its front porch, for an audience that filled the front yard and the sleepy street in front of it. Families would bring picnic baskets, couples would share bottles of wine. The setting couldn't be beat. You could hear the river rush over the Haw River dam, there were lightning bugs, and the sky, high above the pine trees, was sprinkled with stars. Do I sound wistful?

Tift Merritt, whose music we'll hear today, started out at the Bynum General Store. Since then, she's gone on to record two well-reviewed albums, one of which was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Sadly, the Bynum General Store has closed its doors. (That development it tried to stave off got the best of it, finally.) I visited it a few years ago when I was home for vacation, and I got into a conversation with its owner. Tift Merritt put Bynum back on the map, he told me, drawing crowds to a town that most North Carolinians forgot when they built a bypass. He pointed to a few photographs of her. She hasn't forgotten us, he said. Whenever she went on tour, she always came back; and her shows there, informal as they were, would draw hundreds.

Tift Merritt has a new album out called Another Country, which she wrote while she was in Paris. She may have derived most of her inspiration for it from the City of Lights, but it isn't hard for me to close my eyes and remember where she came from. If you have a question for her, please, leave it here.

David Gura

1:57 PM ET | 03-20-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Know Your Chapeaux

The late, and wonderful hat champion Isabella Blow in 2006.

Source: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

I adore hats. I cannot walk by a hat -- in a department store, a street fair, a friend's closet -- without trying it on. I love tiny little cocktail hats with a demure little blusher veil, wide brim silk confections stacked with faux flowers, fetching fedoras , leopard-skin pillbox hats (of course), Philip Treacy's Dali-esque creations, Stephen Jones' careful artworks, and the funky designs of Eugenia Kim. If I could still wear a corset and white cotton gloves I would slide them on in a second -- but failing those old-fashioned accessories, a hat is the statement for me. It's the cherry on the top of your outfit; and most of all, it's the little piece of magic that allows you to become someone else. "I am a woman of mystery," purrs a fedora tipped over your highly smoky eye. "I am a lady," coos the lacy slice of heaven pinned to your curls. "I am an artist," intones... well, anything the late, great, Isabella Blow ever wore. Today, just in time for Easter, Los Angeles Times columnist, and hat devotee Patt Morrison will tell you how to unlock your inner Hedda Hopper. And if you want a how-to video on topping off your outfit hosted by Ms. Morrison herself, go to this link.

Barrie Hardymon

1:56 PM ET | 03-20-2008 | permalink | comments (26) | e-mail post

March 20th Show

The discussion of race continues to be a hot button issue across America... even if the conversation is simply, "I'm tired of talking about race!!!" Whether or not you ARE talking about race, the door has certainly opened to let your opinions in. In this show's case, our phone lines and blog comment space are open and we will continue to invite you in to talk about your views and opinions as we try to peel back layers upon layers concerning the issue of race in the coming weeks. Today, for our entire first hour, we will discuss HOW we talk about race. What do you say when you're sitting at your dinner table surrounded by loved ones? Does that change when you are in public or among people of different ethnic groups than your own? Are you more uncomfortable? Do you completely shut down? Or have you chosen not to discuss race at all? We want to hear from everyone today... and particularly from those of you who may be feeling left out of the discussion entirely. Do you feel the issue of race has been narrowed down to just a "black-white" issue? Please call-in or send us your blog comments.

Our first hour should generate a very lively and perhaps a sometimes heated discussion. So for our second hour we'll cool things down a bit with some music!! Singer/songwriter Tift Merritt will be here with her band to play a few tunes. She went to Paris, France to write her latest album, it is titled Another Country (she'll be singing strictly in English, though). She'll talk about how 'Gay Paree' changed her sound, her life on the road and how she moonlights as a public radio host. Following that, pull out your Easter Bonnet (or Easter Brim). Los Angeles Times columnist Patt Morrison will talk about the allure of the hat!

Happy first day of spring!!!

Gwen Outen

12:25 PM ET | 03-20-2008 | permalink | e-mail post