Those loveable grifters.

Source: Universal Studios/Courtesy of Getty Images

The confidence scheme certainly seems like an American obesession -- the golden age of grift came courtesy of the Jazz Age -- and boy does Hollywood love a huckster. I suppose then, it's no surprise that the latest con to hit the papers is a guy proclaiming himself American Royalty: the peculiar case of Clark Rockefeller, nee Christopher Chichester, nee -- I'm not kidding -- Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter. For the whole story, read the Boston Globe's excellent reporting -- it reads like fiction. What's most fascinating to me is how many people believed him -- state senators and Upper East Side art dealers -- everybody wanted to believe him. These days, the confidence game is less an art, than a science; a race to see how many people will be trapped by a mass mailing signed by a "Nigerian Prince." It makes me nostalgic for the days of Harold Hill -- at least back then, a con cared about the trouble in River City.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter on the stage of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO.

Source: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Jimmy Carter. America's 39th President. Nobel Peace Prize winner. Humanitarian. And today's special guest of our on-going series, "This American Moment." All this week and next, we're asking top thinkers from a variety of backgrounds to put this election in context, and tell us what he or she thinks is at stake. We'll check in with President Carter. We'll ask him about the transformation he's seen from segregation and Jim Crow to the nomination of Senator Obama, and whether he thinks America's role in the world has changed. But we also want you to join the conversation: what does this American moment mean to you?

The entrance to Ireland's "Gates of Hell."

Source: IrishFireside

It's tempting to characterize journalist Patrick Tracey's family as beautiful, but damned. They hail from Ireland's County Roscommon, and for generations have been plagued by schizophrenia. When I say plagued, I mean it -- the "Irish madness" claimed his great-great-grandmother, grandmother, uncle, and two sisters. His mom, after watching her grandmother committed to a mental hospital, suspected a genetic connection and swore never to have kids. Handsome, "half Irish and charmingly persistent" Mr. Tracey changed her mind, and she had five -- Paul and his four beautiful sisters -- Elaine, twins Michelle (Chelle) and Seanna, and Austine. They had a fairly typical family life, until, in 1976:

I was an average eighteen-year-old, home for the weekend during my freshman year in college. When the phone rang, it was Keith, Chelle's boyfriend, calling from Manhattan to say Chelle was on a bus back home. He keeps it short. "Michelle," he says, "is not well."

And so it began, the sickness of his own siblings from which it was "impossible to turn away." Patrick Tracey decided to face it, and went to Ireland to confront the disease. Have you had experience with schizophrenia? Leave us your stories here.

The three men arrested in Colorado posed no real threat to Sen. Barack Obama, according to federal authorities. Still, the fact that one of them carried a rifle, scope, bullet proof vest, and said threatening things about the candidate only adds to the worry many have over the safety, and the security around, Obama. Obviously, much of the protection (including Secret Service guards) is secret, and behind the scenes. But, we've heard assurances that both candidates are as protected as possible. As we wait on tonight's acceptance speech in front of tens of thousands at Denver's Mile High stadium, are there fears in the back of your mind for Obama's safety?

In our first hour today, we'll talk about the artistry of the con artist. Why do we fall for them? This topic is largely pegged to the recent mystery of a German man who convinced everyone that he was a Rockefeller. Turns out, his name is actually Christian Gerhartsreiter and he is wanted for questioning in a disappearance and possible murder that occurred in 1985. How is it possible for con artists to swindle us for so long? We'll talk with a reporter who has been covering the "Rockefeller" investigation for The Boston Globe, and an assistant professor of behavioral science who will explain why we fall for cons. Tell us your story. Have you ever conned anyone? Or have you ever fallen for one? After that discussion, we'll continue our "This American Moment" series with former President Jimmy Carter. He is at the Democratic Convention and will describe for us how he felt after it was determined Illinois Sen. Barack Obama would be the Democratic nominee for President.

In our second hour, we'll be joined by author Patrick Tracey. In his new book, Stalking Irish Madness: Searching for the Roots of My Family's Schizophrenia, Tracey talks about coming from a long line of family members who suffered from schizophrenia. He'll talk to us about how his life has been largely influenced by schizophrenia, and how tracing his family lineage of the mental illness led him all the way to Ireland. At the end of the hour, we'll discuss the current federal investigations into possible plots to assassinate Sen. Barack Obama, and what's being done to protect him.

"I thought Paris HIlton was in this parade!"

Source: John Moore/Getty Images

 

Getty insists that this is a shot of protesters in Denver. What are they protesting? Democratic fashion sense? Tiny Dogs For Everybody! Big Sunglasses For All!

Sen. Ted Kennedy addresses the DNC.

Source: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

I can't even imagine what this week in Denver is like for our Political Junkie, Ken Rudin. Well, it's probably pretty exhausting living on a hybrid of Eastern and Central times (late to bed and early to rise), but wow, what a week it's already been. Highlights? Sen. Ted Kennedy's emotional return to the fold in the midst of his fight with cancer; Michelle Obama's speech, in which she worked to undo the damage done by her oft-misquoted assertion that "for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country;" and, of course, Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech in support of hers and Obama's common cause. And, of course, the week hasn't been all grandstanding, there have been some political ads too, namely the Obama campaign's "Seven Houses," the McCain campaign's "Hillary's Right," and the swiftboat-esque attack on Obama for his relationship with Weather Underground founder William Ayers (quickly -- and quietly -- refuted by the Obama camp). All that, Ken Rudin, and trivia and some tape from the vault! What's your favorite moment so far? Leave them below.

This election must have an added significance for Christopher Hitchens. The British ex-pat became a U.S. citizen in April of last year, on his 58th birthday. This will be the first time he's able to vote in a presidential election. Of course, citizenship isn't the only transformation Hitchens has undergone over the years. Once identified with the radical left, he has since come out strongly in defense of the Iraq war, and now leans on many issues to the political right... some call him a neo-neo-conservative. As we continue our series all this week (and next) on This American Moment, we'll check in with Christopher Hitchens, and find out what this election means to him... As an observer, as a writer, and as a new citizen.

Senator Hillary Clinton speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

 

Last night, Senator Hillary Clinton spoke at the Democratic National Convention. She threw her full support behind Senator Barack Obama, and appealed to those among her supporters who still feel resentment and anger about her failed bid:

I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?

For some, Hillary's speech was a persuasive call to unite with Obama supporters. But for others, it still might not feel like enough. Today, we're joined by four female powerhouses: Farai Chideya, host of NPR's News and Notes; Susan Faludi, of Backlash fame, who recently wrote an op-ed for The New York Times titled, "Second-Place Citizens"; comedian and co-creator of The Daily Show, Lizz Winstead; and co-founder of Third Wave Foundation, Amy Richards. We'll talk about reactions to Hillary's speech, whether her message extended beyond Denver, and generational splits within feminism. We also want to talk about historical context. This is a unique moment in history -- Senator Obama says we're in a post-racial era, past the battles of the 1960s, but are we beyond gender, too?

And we want to hear from you -- what does Senator Clinton's candidacy mean for women's rights and feminism? And are we headed toward a post-gender society?

We're live in the Newseum and it's DNC, DNC DNC. Did I mention DNC? Okay, Ken Rudin will talk about more than just the Democratic convention, but Denver will be our main focus in this week's Political Junkie. At the end of the hour, we'll continue our "This American Moment" series. Author and Vanity Fair contributing editor Christopher Hitchens talks about what this presidential campaign means for him.

For our full second hour we will speak with four women about what Senator Hillary Clinton's run for president means for women's rights and feminism. We'll be joined by News and Notes host Farai Chideya, who is at the Democratic convention, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author Suan Faludi, comedienne Lizz Winstead, and author and co-founder of Third Wave Foundation Amy Richards.

Buildings in downtown Denver are covered with signs. The logo for the Democratic National Convention, a mountain scene with stars, is omnipresent. That now-iconic rendering of Obama, printed by Shepard Fairey, has been plastered everywhere. That said, I thought this image was especially eye-catching:

Good advertising.

David Gura, NPR

 

And pretty awesome.

Have you done your hospital homework?

Source: katherine of chicago

We once had a guest on the show say that most people took more time to research a kitchen appliance than a hospital. Sad, but true - at least in my case. I've just never thought about it much. And if I need emergency care, I assume I'll be taken to the nearest ER. But there's more and more information available that makes it easier to compare hospitals. At a government site called (appropriately enough) Hospital Compare, you can check out services available, quality of care, and for the first time the survival rates for specific illnesses. Of course, it's best to do your homework now rather than later by Blackberry in the back of an ambulance. Any hints on what you do to research a hospital?

News anchor Jorge Ramos in 2002.

J. Emilio Flores/Getty Images

Anybody familiar with Spanish-speaking households knows that Jorge Ramos is synonymous with the nightly news. Since 1985, when he first appeared as a young, scrawny correspondent on Noticiero Univision -- Univision's nightly news -- millions of Latinos in the US have grown familiar with his Mexico City-accented Spanish. Along with co-anchor Maria Elena Salinas, via satellite he is beamed into to Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean and of course, across the US. Combined, his reach in the American continent is in the millions. Ramos has talked to all of the controversial heads of state in Latin America -- think Evo , Hugo, Fidel. In the US, presidential candidates, former US presidents, and lawmakers know that an interview with Ramos is key to reaching the Latino voting bloc. As part of our series of conversations about the campaign season we call "This American Moment," today, we hear from Jorge Ramos about what this election means to him and US Latinos. And we'd like to reach out to Latino listeners: Tell us, what does this political season mean to you?

What about you? Did you bike to work?

Source: BikePortland.org

This may be terribly un-NPR of me, but I just can't bike to work. D.C. is a tough city to navigate under any circumstance, and even after 7 years here, I just can't get my head around doing so on two wheels. I've seen too many bus drivers fail to notice cyclists, too many cars in designated bike lanes, and too many accidents at the intersection right outside my window. But, as I'm sure is true for many, my feelings about bicyclers are complicated. While, ideologically, my sympathies lie mostly with them, there are few words adequate to describe the rage I feel when "Share the Road"-ers blatantly disregard the rules of said road, riding opposite traffic, through red lights, and on what I adamantly assert (in my head, anyway) are sidewalks. No group in this scenario -- walkers, drivers, cyclists -- is blameless, and I think we all make a lot of assumptions. For example, I always assumed the cyclists were doing something, intentionally or not, that's pretty good for the environment. You know what? Even that rationale's got some doubters. But with gas prices still insane (that's a technical term), it'd be pretty hard to argue that cycling doesn't make economic sense for the rider, even if it doesn't in the big picture. So as the numbers of two-wheelers grow, so does the interest in making our cities more bike-friendly for commuters. Where do you stand -- or sit -- in the intersection of cars, bikes, and walkers... or of fuel economy, safety, and the environment?

Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign ended back in June, but the voters who "put eighteen million cracks" in a very high glass ceiling are still hurt, and still angry that it isn't Sen. Clinton accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday night. Below is just one of them...

Sen. Clinton has said in no uncertain terms that she does not support that message -- but I have to wonder what she thinks when she sees it. The primary battle was long, bitterly fought, and even people who supported Sen. Obama may have felt that it was, in the end, very unsatisfying. Gail Sheehy -- one of our keenest cultural observers -- covered Sen. Clinton's campaign, and her insider's view in this month's Vanity Fair gives more flesh to the limited portrait of Hillary painted by the media (yep, that's us, too). On the eve of Hillary's big moment at the DNC, it's hard not to wonder who she is now, after the bruising experience of the primary that continues to haunt the convention. Who better to ask than Sheehy herself? Comments welcome.

Neal Conan is out, Lynn Neary is in (just for today) and here's what's coming up on the show:

There is a website called Hospital Compare established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as part of the Department of Health and Human Services. And the site now compares hospital death rates around the country and shows how individual hospitals stack up against the national average, and each other. In our first hour, we'll talk about the information available on the site, and what you need to know about your hospital. Then, we'll continue our "This American Moment" series with Jorge Ramos, national anchor for Univision. Ramos will discuss the significance this presidential campaign has for Latino voters, and their role in this election.

In our second hour, we'll talk about the relationship between our friends who go cruising on two wheels and those who put the pedal to the medal in four wheel drive. Can't they just get along? If you've been out on the roads lately, you've no doubt seen more cyclists... and more road rage. But some cities are coming up with ways to re-shape their roads to encourage a truce in the war of wheels. We'll hear from both sides of the issue. At the end of the hour, Gail Sheehy will talk about her piece that appeared on vanityfair.com where she talks about what Hillary Clinton's campaign reveals about her. Sheehy opines that some of the elements in Clinton's campaign that brought her so close to victory are the same ones that prevented her from winning. Sheehy's article is entitled "Hillaryland at War".

Continue reading "August 26th Show" >

"And the crowd goes wild..."

David Gura, NPR

 

As I wrote yesterday, security here at the Democratic National Convention is heavy. Credentials are hard to come by, and the lines to get into the Pepsi Center are long.

There are more than 40 NPR employees here, working on our coverage. Engineers, producers, editors, and reporters. And although almost everyone has a perimeter pass, which lets us into the area surrounding the Pepsi Center and INVESCO Field at Mile High, there aren't enough arena and floor credentials to go around.

Reporters get them, of course. And a few producers and editors do too. Our Political Junkie, Ken Rudin, was on the floor last night, wrangling guests for Debbie Elliot and Audie Cornish. If there are any to spare, left unused, our boss passes them out. Last night, from 8:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., I got hold of a coveted floor credential, just in time for Michelle Obama's speech.

A few producers and I walked from our workspace to the Pepsi Center. On the way over, we passed Bill O'Reilly (so tall!), Arianna Huffington (so small!), and Vernon Jordan (also tall!). Once we got inside the [first] set of gates, we had to walk another few-hundred yards to the security line, which was really just a giant mass of delegates and journalists.

Inside the Pepsi Center, we took the escalators up to "Radio Row," a part of the concourse filled with tables for an assortment of local and national radio broadcasters. I picked up my pass there, and walked down to the floor, by the delegates from Delaware and Illinois, between the NBC News and CBS News sets.

Minutes later, the lights in the hall dimmed. A video, narrated by Michelle Obama's mother, introduced us to the evening's main speaker. Then her brother, the coach of the men's basketball team at Oregon State University, took to the stage. The crowd went wild, and not for the first time. Volunteers made their way through the audience, passing out posters. When he asked the crowd to welcome his sister, signs and hands were up in the air, obscuring the stage.

Back at the workplace, after the speech, we swapped notes. Who liked the speech? Who didn't? What was she trying to get across? And what did we think of the Obama daughters?

Tonight: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and former Virginia Governor Mark Warner are scheduled to speak. If I make it in, I'll report back tomorrow.

Joey Logano, I see a lot of orange in your future.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images for NASCAR

With the Olympics fading in the rearview mirror and football season a few exits down the road, I'm happy to share some right-now sports news to get excited about. Joe Gibbs Racing has announced 18-year-old racing phenom Joey Logano will officially join the Gibbs team next season. And he won't be slipping into the pack unnoticed -- no, he'll be driving the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota soon to be vacated by one of the biggest names in the sport, Tony Stewart, who'll be leaving Gibbs Racing to form his own team. It's clear Gibbs has high hopes for the kid -- Logano will be signing a "longer than normal" cup racing contract -- and Logano's willingness to strap into the #20 car indicates he's got a lot of confidence. He'll be joining one of the best teams in racing, led by Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, and crew chief Greg "Zippy" Zipadelli, who won two championships with Stewart, will stay with the Gibbs team. I've said it before and I'll say it again -- I never wanted to like NASCAR, but now that I do, I can't help but get swept up in stories like this one. So take a peek at these links, and see if you too can feel a little of the fever too.

What global issues does the next president face?

Source: Laura Padgett

So the economy isn't the only issue in this election, after all. And even when it is, pocketbook concerns touch on another area that underlies many voter's thinking... Foreign policy (the Venn diagram in my head links energy, the economy, China, Russia, Iraq, etc, etc, in a convoluted mix). And while opinions may differ on the specific steps involved, there's general agreement that the world facing the next administration come January will present unique challenges, and opportunities to redefine and enhance US power. Robert Kagan, in Foreign Affairs lays out his vision for the next president in what he calls "The September 12 Paradigm."

The United States and other democratic nations will need to take a more enlightened and generous view of their interests than they did even during the Cold War. The United States, as the strongest democracy, should not oppose but welcome a world of pooled and diminished national sovereignty. It has little to fear and much to gain in a world of expanding laws and norms based on liberal ideals and designed to protect them. At the same time, the democracies of Asia and Europe need to rediscover that progress toward this more perfect liberal order depends not only on law and popular will but also on powerful nations that can support and defend it.

Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, also in Foreign Affairs calls what the next president faces, "a daunting agenda," but says:

The United States is not a helpless giant tossed on the seas of history. It is still the most powerful nation on earth, and within certain limits, it can still shape its own destiny and play the leading role in a multipolar world. It can still take the helm in addressing the world's most pressing problems (as President Bush did effectively on only one issue, AIDS). There are many issues waiting for inspired and, yes, noble U.S. leadership, backed up by enlightened U.S. generosity that is also in the United States' own interest. The United States is still great. It deserves leadership worthy of its people, leadership that will restore the nation's pride and sense of purpose. That task must begin at home, but the world will be watching and waiting.

We'll hear a lot in the next two weeks about pocketbook issues, the finances of candidates and whether they can relate to the average Joe, and of course that "it's the economy stupid." But with US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russian troops in Georgia, China's economy exploding, Iran's nuclear ambitions unclear, middle east peace in question, and the global war on terror ongoing, issues of national security and foreign policy can't be overlooked.

As a voter, what do you think should be the top priority for the next administration?

The Democratic convention kicks off today in Denver with headliner Michelle Obama, and next week Republican delegates will gather in St. Paul to take up the podium. So we thought now would be the perfect time to pause, take a deep breath, and reflect on this unique American moment. For the next two weeks, TOTN will ask men and women from different backgrounds and political persuasions -- artists, journalists, scholars and politicians -- to put this election and campaign season into context. Every day, we'll ask a different thinker to tell us what is at stake, and what this election means to him or her. This week, we'll talk to Jorge Ramos, Christopher Hitchens, Jimmy Carter, and Lani Guinier, who joins us today.

In 1993, President Clinton nominated Lani Guinier, the first black woman to receive tenure at Harvard Law School, to be assistant attorney general for civil rights; but, ultimately, her nomination was withdrawn due to controversy over her views on racial quotas. Guinier is widely regarded as an expert on race, gender, class, and voting rights, and today she'll tell us what this American moment means to her.

And, of course, we want to hear from you, too: what is the significance of this American moment to you?

Anonymity gets vicious.

Source: JuicyCampus.com

 

Anyone who's ever shopped at Forever21 knows that kids can be heartless. I've stood in dressing rooms and gasped at the incivility that passes for "gossip" these days. I hate to be a cranky old broad -- but it literally makes me long for the old (yes, first season) Kelly Taylor. She may have been bitchy, but at least she had a heart.* Kids these days (YES! That just happened) have devised a new way to torture each other -- anonymous gossip message boards. "100% Anonymous!" screams the JuicyCampus website -- and with no one taking responsibility, the posts become more and more vile. Racist, homophobic, and rampantly vicious rants against women proliferate -- and the more schools try to tamp them down, the more the kids are drawn to the bile. Is there anything socially redeeming at all about this stuff? Is it just sanctioned bullying? You can ask Andrew Mann, who set up his own message board site, CollegeACB. Otherwise, prove me wrong if you can -- can you have a good experience on these things?

*Of course then, the producers punished her for the next nine seasons with two rapes, a psychopathic roommate, and that dude with the eyebrows.

Michelle Obama in June in St. Paul.

Source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

By now you've probably heard our segments on the presumptive democratic and republican nominees for president -- "Who is Barack Obama?" and "Who is John McCain?" -- so now it's time for a look at the women behind the men. Michelle Obama's up today. She's gotten a lot of press for her fashion, but who's the woman behind the chic sheath? So far, we know she's a mother, a lawyer, and a wife, but it's time to learn more, and this week at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, she's going to try to fill in the blanks. Dahleen Glanton's been covering her for the Chicago Tribune, so if you've got questions on Mrs. Obama, tune in.

In our first hour today, we'll talk again with our Talk of the Nation news analyst Ted Koppel for a look at how foreign policy affects the United States. Koppel will be joined by Greg Craig, a senior adviser to Sen. Barack Obama, who will shed light on what an Obama administration would look like in the face of international politics. As president, what would Obama's top priority in foreign policy be? At the end of the first hour, we'll begin a series we're calling "This American Moment" where we ask different thinkers to tell us what is at stake in this campaign season and what this election means to them. Today, we'll talk with Lani Guinier about what this moment in American history means to her. In 1993, President Clinton nominated Guinier to be assistant attorney general for civil rights. She is currently the Bennett Boskey Professor of Law, at Harvard University and is widely regarded as an expert on race, gender, class and voting rights. We'd also like to hear from you. Call or submit your comments about what this American moment means to you.

In our second hour, we'll discuss the rise in popularity of college gossip websites -- namely Juicy Campus. Portfolio magazine reporter Jeff Bercovici will describe what gossip websites are and how bad the gossip can really get. And Andrew Mann will talk about how and why he started a series of college message boards called College ACB. At the end of the hour, Dahleen Glanton, a national correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, will discuss Michelle Obama... her upbringing, her life outside of politics and how her experiences growing up as an African-American woman have shaped her life.

Democrats play ball.

Source: David Gura/NPR

 

I'm in Denver, mere miles from where I was born, helping with NPR's coverage of the Democratic National Convention. Needless to say, it's beautiful here. No humidity!

The centerpiece of our convention coverage is a series of interviews called "This American Moment." Every day, we'll ask a different artist, writer, scholar, thinker, or politician to put this campaign -- and this election -- in context. What does it mean to them? How does it fit into history? And what is at stake in the fields in which they work? This week, we'll hear from Lani Guinier, Jorge Ramos, Christopher Hitchens, and Jimmy Carter.

Since I landed on Thursday night, journalists and Democratic delegates have flooded the city. Needless to say, security here is tight. The perimeter around the Pepsi Center and INVESCO Field at Mile High, built of concrete barriers and chainlink fencing, is formidable. Police officers, from Denver and beyond, are on most street corners, wearing menacing-looking outfits. (Last night, on the way to dinner, I passed a white Humvee. Officers in riot gear clung to the side of the SUV.)

A few days ago, I grabbed a small pizza at one of my favorite Denver restaurants, the Wazee Supper Club. The bartender told me that he and his staff had been briefed about what to do if there are riots or bomb threats. (He didn't seem worried.) He said that many other bars and restaurants downtown had been rented out. If you watch CNN this week, take a close look at their studios. They took over a bar called Brooklyn's, just steps away from the Pepsi Center.

Some family friends had a pair of spare tickets to the Rockies game yesterday. In beautiful Coors Field, I watched the local team stage a pretty good comeback against the Cincinnati Reds. As you can see in the photograph above, which I snapped from our seats, there were a few sports-loving Democratic delegates in the crowd.

Our office space is in a hotel downtown, just a few minutes away from the arena and football stadium. Picture a large hotel conference room, crammed with laptops, telephones, television screens, and sundry audio equipment. In two adjacent rooms, engineers have built small studios for guests. (Ted Koppel, with whom Neal is going to speak later, will be here soon.)

I'll provide updates during the week. With photos! If you have any questions for me, leave 'em here.

We know a lot about Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)... His military service, the time he spent as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, his tenure as a senator from Arizona, his candidacy for president in 2000 -- and of course in 2008. He talks often about his policies, and his platforms, but what about the man himself? What are the experiences and influences that shaped the candidate?

Today, we'll talk with people who knew McCain at various stages of his life, and with one of his biographers.

What questions do you have about John McCain... Not about policy, but about his character and personality?

Ava Gardner is the real killer in The Killers.

Universal Pictures/Getty Images

 

Men, listen up. If you're driving around on a rainy night in Los Angeles wearing a fedora, and you happen to spot a pair of dangerous eyes narrowing beneath a curtain of hair -- dude, you're in trouble. Shut your eyes, grab your wallet, and run for the hills. That creature with the tiny waist and curving smile is a ticket to a thrill ride of terror that will almost certainly end in tears and bullets. That lady isn't just a woman, she's a femme fatale -- and you are about to get noired up.

Right -- so I'm a hardcore feminist. I think Pretty Woman is sexist as hell, and every time I see Mad Men I feel slightly nauseated. So, why, you might ask, am I so hung up on the archetypal femme fatale? Sure, the fatalicious femme is completely without moral compass; all she wants is the cash, the car, and the way out of town. She's greedy and heartless. And it looks like the quintessential male punishment for a spirited dame -- if she's fearless around a snake and has a taste for apples -- we better make sure she doesn't haunt the Paradise Motel again. We'll put a bullet in her chest, and make sure a wide-eyed blonde shows up to provide children, dinner, and laundry help for any good men that didn't taste her apple pie.

But what if the femme fatale is actually subverting all that male fear? Listen, there isn't much control a woman could possibly have had back in the '30s... come to think of it, check out the '70s and '80s too, and then go ahead and check this out. A woman screaming inside for some kind of power might just feel that she would kill to get out of her confinement. And she's not afraid to die trying. So sure, she's greedy and heartless, but she's brave, and smart, and ambitious -- just like the men who fall for her.

So the guys keep looking for these dolls, and it's not just about the sex er, that honey of an anklet, it's because they want to feel the freedom of leaving their own roles behind. It's not the femme that's fatal -- it's the weight of all those expectations. So forgive me if I love Babs, and Lana, and Rita, and Sharon best when they're bad. They're fighting for freedom the fatale way.

If you are moving into freshmen dorms this weekend or beginning your first semester after transfering from community college, it's likely you know what FAFSA or FFEL mean. By now, you've probably decided between a subsidized or unsubsidized loan. Or maybe you didn't have to think about tedious financial aid paperwork because your parents made sure the tuition check went out early to avoid the late fees. Whatever method you are using to pay for higher education, how are you making your decision? Sallie Mae and Gallup surveyed 1,400 undergraduate students and parents in a study called "How America Pays for College." Here's what they found: the majority of families ruled out a school that was too expensive. But, 40% of families did not limit their search based on cost. Today we ask, what was important to you in making your decision? What overules the cost of tuition? The school's prestige? Location? Courses? And if you are a parent -- what will or won't you sacrifice to pay for your child's college education?

About a week ago I signed up to receive a text mesage whenever Sen. Barack Obama chooses his presidential running mate. The pitch was personal, addressing me by name: "Carline be among the first to know." So this morning when I read Mary Schmich's column in the Chicago Tribune, I knew whereof she wrote. I too immediately sent my mobile number to 62262 and within seconds, I became a Barack insider. Since then I have been waiting anxiously to receive the news. I'm a journalist and a producer. Information is my lifeline, and this information is big. Every time my phone trills to signal I have a message, I dive for it. And every time so far the message has been from someone else... my contractor, the car dealership, or my gym buddy asking for a ride. Come on Barack, the suspense is killing me.... I want to be the first to tell everyone whom you've chosen.

As my boss Carline Watson would say, "Ok people," here's what we have on the show for you today. In the first hour, part two in our "Who Is..." series. Sen. John McCain's getting the treatment today, and we have a lineup of guests who'll reveal a bit more about the senator as a person, as opposed to a politician. It's about his personality, his character, and his beliefs, not his policies. We'll follow that conversation with your nominations for favorite femmes fatales with film guru Murray Horwitz, the third installment of our summer movie series.

In our second hour, the role of money in choosing a college. A new Sallie Mae and Gallup study shows that families frequently don't factor in the cost of a college when making a selection, and don't often consider how the degree sought will help pay off the debt post-graduation. How did you make the decision about where to attend, and did you factor in cost? Parents, how big of a factor is it in selecting a school with your child? Finally, around here we're all "Waiting on Barack...." Waiting, that is, on the text message he'll be sending to anyone who registered with his website, announcing his selection of a running mate. Producer Dalia Martinez quipped, "It's like waiting for a baby to be born," and new dad Scott Cameron concurred. Are you, too, waiting on a text from Sen. Barack Obama?

Usain Bolt wins the 200m.

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

 

By the time I got home last night, I already knew Usain Bolt, Jamaican track phenom, had broken Michael Johnson's record in the 200-meter and earned the gold medal. It was a little disappointing to know the outcome before watching the race, but I still leaned forward in my seat when the runners assumed the position in the Wednesday night telecast. Somehow, knowing Bolt would win didn't affect my enjoyment in the least -- watching that man run, and buckle down and run the whole race (unlike the 100-meter, when he practically danced to the finish, so far ahead of the field he could've bunny-hopped), was witnessing history*. And his buddy, American Wallace Spearmon, came in third! Just as Spearmon, wrapped in the American flag, grabbed Bolt, wrapped in green and gold, for a bear hug, the news spread around the stadium: Spearmon had stepped on the line. Disqualified. The post-DQ interview with Spearmon was one of the most awkward things I've seen in my life. And then, on the replay, it became clear 2nd-place-finisher Churandy Martina of Netherlands Antilles had run a similarly tainted 200, and suddenly 2 more Americans, who originally ran in 4th and 5th, earned medals. Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix took silver and bronze, respectively, but there was no triumphant flag-wrapped victory lap around the track for them. In fact, when Dix's agent ran up to him with a smile and a hug after learning of his medal, Dix, nonplussed, stated simply, "I still lost." Ugh. What an awful way to finish a race that started with so much promise.

*In case you missed it, it'll go down in Olympic and sports history as the race where Usain Bolt broke Carl Lewis's record of winning the 100 and 200 in one Olympics, and broke both world records at the same time, which has never been done before.

With the Democratic Convention only a few days away, and the Republican Convention to follow, voters from both parties are anxiously awaiting news about running mates. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has indicated that he'll announce his vice president on Friday, Aug. 29, his seventy-second birthday. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will tell his supporters any day now. By text message.

So, on our regular Political Junkie segment, Ken Rudin will go through the short lists. If you want to know who he has picked, you can read his latest column here. And if you're a betting man or woman, you can check his record there, too.

As usual, Ken will take us through the latest political news. The two candidates traveled to California, to Saddleback Church, and to Orlando, for the annual convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Back from vacation, Obama has some new ads, running in battleground states, including this one, about the economy:

It's his answer to ads like this one, by his opponent:

What questions do you have for Ken, about the campaign? And who do you think the candidates should pick to be their veeps?

Where do you get your economic news?

Source: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

Up to date on the latest gas prices? You probably watch network TV news. Know everything there is to know about the housing crisis? You must be a fan of the newspaper. And if you feel like you're not getting enough coverage of the lousy economy, then you must be a fan of talk radio. This new study from the Project for Excellence in Journalism tracked media coverage of economic news, and found that while the economy is now a bigger story than the war in Iraq, it still follows a distant second to the presidential campaign. And, while 8 percent of all news stories focused on some aspect of the economy, the topics and type of coverage varied depending on whether you watch network news, cable news, or listen to the radio. Since many of you probably do some or all of the above, what economic stories do you want to see covered?

I know why I hate her, but why do we hate US?

Source: Michael Buckner/Getty Images

So, you know that feeling when you see a fourteen-year-old girl sashaying down the street in cork heels, short shorts, and a baby-T that reads, "That's Hot"? Sort of like acid is rushing down your throat, and possibly over the grave of Mark Twain? Yeah, me too. But I also can't stand the molten hatred that pours out of blogs on that very subject (yes, like this one), and I mourn the lack of critical thought that accompanies those screeds. Dick Meyer feels our pain. NPR's new head of Digital Media (yeah, like this!) has written a new book diagnosing the disease, and its cause -- the cultural revolution of the 60s, and the technological revolution at the start of this century, have set people adrift. Now we're lonely and mad. But don't worry, he's got a prescription too, so we can leave behind the phony and the lonely, and bask in authenticity. However, I do have to say, that some of the technological changes that he talks about, have actually enriched my life -- I find great fulfillment in my Facebook community, and Paris Hilton isn't part of it. What parts of modern life have provided authenticity to you?

It ain't easy being silver...

Source: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

 

So you've won gold -- good for you! You've won bronze -- well done, you're a medalist! Silver.... eh... meh. Silver is the slighter sister of the medals, that somewhat middling ground that damns with faint sheen. A new study out of Cornell studied the reactions of medalists and found that silver medalists at the Olympics tend to compare themselves against athletes better off than they -- while bronze medalists do the opposite, and compare themselves with people who did worse. Today, we're talking about why second place is so hard on people, and we want to hear from you -- if you've won silver, or second, how did it feel?

It's Wednesday, which means a) we're live at the Newseum and b) it's time for the Political Junkie. NPR's Ken Rudin will talk about Barack Obama's and John McCain's interview with pastor Rick Warrren at his Saddleback Church last week, new attack ads and the elusive veep spot. And of course he'll have a trivia question for you. At the end of the hour, Mark Jurkowitz, associate director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, talks about how the media covers the economy and why the news hasn't always kept up with the public's concerns.

In his new book, Why We Hate Us: American Discontent In The New Millennium, Dick Meyer argues that Americans for the most part are dissatisfied with their own society. But he offers a solution: a return to some traditions that predate the '60s. Dick Meyer will offer his critique of modern society in our second hour. At the end of the hour, we'll discuss the psychology of coming in second place. Tom Gilovich, a psychology professor at Cornell University, will talk about a new study he conducted that explains why winning a bronze medal may score higher on the happiness scale than winning silver for an Olympic athlete. Tell us your story. Have you ever come in second in that all-important competition?

Is it illegal to bite someone's rear end in wrestling?

Source: TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images

 

Either someone guzzled the "Drink Me" potion and ended up with more appendages than are strictly necessary, or India and Kazakhstan are wrestling for the bronze medal.

If you're interested, it is relatively easy to see where Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Barack Obama (D-IL) stand on the issues. (You can check their websites.) It's harder to find information about who they are, where they've come from, and how they act.

What was Obama like at Harvard Law, when he edited the Harvard Law Review ? Or when he first ran for office? What was it like to sit next to McCain at Annapolis? Is there any truth to those stories about his temper?

This week, we're going to bring you two shows about the candidates, focusing on who they are. Today: Obama. We'll hear from someone who knew him in Cambridge, a political opponent in Chicago, and a reporter who has covered his career.

What questions do you have about Obama['s character, interests, and personality]?

None of the psychologists are arguing in favor of inhumane treatment, or torture (at least not publicly)... But the American Psychological Association is divided over what role, if any, its members should play in the interrogation of detainees. And after a lawyer for a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay complained that a psychologist played a crucial role in alleged abusive treatment, there are new calls to make it a violation of its code of ethics to be involved in any military interrogations. On one side of the argument, critics say psychologists should "do no harm" and see no reason to be involved in interrogations. On the flip-side, some argue that psychologists can make interrogations more humane. Some call it a fight for the soul of the profession. What do you think? Should professional psychologists be involved in interrogations, or is that a slippery slope?

Rich people, beware. Jamie Johnson is publicly talking about money. Again. For the past few months, he has been chronicling the lives of the super-rich on Vanity Fair.com.

He writes that some old-money scions are welcoming the bumpy market because distinctions of wealth -- Bentleys, jets and yachts -- have been available to "new money." Johnson knows about this world -- he is one of the heirs to the Johnson and Johnson pharmaceutical fortune.

Years ago, we saw him as a 20-something, talking to fellow heirs about (gasp!) money, in the documentary Born Rich. Earlier this year, his second film, The One Percent, turned the cameras on the vanguards of old-money establishment, questioning them on the growing chasm between rich and poor .

Today, we talk to Johnson about why money is a taboo topic of discussion and why he thinks the culture of WASPs is on the decline.

I know, I know. PCP is sexier, PPOs you had to learn, and PBR -- well, that's just vital. But I swear, the Producer Price Index is something that you ought to be paying attention to -- it's the number which measures inflation pressures before they reach the consumer (er... your wallet). Bad news -- that number is the highest it's been in twenty-seven years. Adam Davidson, our intrepid Econonaut, is going to explain this particular economic term -- and why manufacturers are having such a hard time balancing between passing costs on, and absorbing them. If you're in a business that's having that particular struggle -- let us know -- or, what have you noticed a price bump in (besides of course, oil)?

The Econonaut is out for the next two weeks -- but we want to spend that time collecting the questions that you have about the economy. What don't you understand? Post 'em here.

In our first hour today, we'll talk about Barack Obama, but we're saving the usual political rhetoric for another day. Today we want to know: Who IS Barack Obama? We'll hear stories about Obama from different stages in his life with one of Obama's Harvard Law School classmates and an Illinois State senator who worked with Obama in the state legislature. What questions do you have about Obama... not about his politics, but about his personality and his character? (We will air a similar show on John McCain in our first hour this Thursday.) Then, our resident econonaut Adam Davidson will explain the term "producer price index" and what the latest economic numbers mean to you.

Over the weekend, about one hundred anti-torture activists staged a rally outside the annual American Psychological Association convention in Boston. Inside the convention hall, APA members debated a resolution that will restrict the participation of psychologists in interrogations at Guantanamo Bay. Should the APA pass a resolution on restricting the role of psychologists in interrogations? In our second hour, we'll hear from two psychologists on opposite sides of the issue. Following that, we'll talk about WASP culture and their search for identity with Jaime Johnson, one of the heirs of the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune and director of the 2003 HBO documentary, "Born Rich." Johnson blogs about the blessing and burden of being WASPy on vanityfair.com. At the end of the hour, we'll read your comments about off-shore drilling, the controversy surrounding the reporting of John Edwards' affair, and your picks for favorite nuke flicks.

As a producer here, I regularly screen calls and check emails. (You can read about how to get on Talk of the Nation here.)

A couple of weeks ago, Rep. Bob Barr joined us, to talk about his candidacy for president. During that segment, Lynn Neary asked him why he left the Republican party. This was how he answered the question:

As some of us older folks remember, years ago when a fellow named Ronald Reagan was asked a similar question about why he left the Democrat Party and at the time joined the Republican Party, he said he didn't leave the Democrat Party, the Democrat Party left him. And that's very much how I feel, and a lot of sort of Libertarian-leaning Republicans feel that the new Republican Party -- the Republican Party of this early 21st century -- has veered so sharply from its fiscal conservancy roots, from its respect for individual liberty and its fighting for smaller government.

Almost immediately, our inbox filled with angry emails from listeners. Not about the substance of Barr's answer, but about his use of "Democrat" instead of "Democratic."

"Please let Bob Barr know that we are the Democratic Party, NOT the DEMOCRAT Party," Gilda wrote.

From Jim: "Would you please be so kind as to inform your guest, the esteemed Mr. Barr, that "democrat" is a noun, and that the term "democratic" is the adjective form of that word that is typically used to modify the term 'party.'"

Other emails categorized "Democrat," used as an adjective without the "-ic," as "an insult."

Is it?

In The New Yorker, back in 1996, Hendrik Hertzberg asked, "What is the name of a certain political party in the United States -- not the one which controls the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal government but the other one, which doesn't? The question is a small one, to be sure: a minor irritation, a wee gnat compared to such red-clawed, sharp-toothed horrors as the health-care mess and the budget deficit, to say nothing of Iraq and Lebanon. But it has been around longer than any of them, and, annoyingly, it won't go away."

"There's no great mystery about the motives behind this deliberate misnaming," he continues. "'Democrat Party' is a slur, or intended to be -- a handy way to express contempt."

What do you think? Is the adjectival "Democrat" an insult? Do you think politicians and pundits use it deliberately, or out of laziness? Does it rile you? Why?

The stories seem very different: War in Georgia, Pakistan's president resigns, and Iran launches a dummy satellite into orbit. But, beyond the nuts and bolts of the news there is a common thread -- of U.S. power, and influence, and super power politics on a global scale. And the way it all comes together will have repercussions for the U.S. for many years. How do we make sense of the connections, and what it means in a broader sense? We call in Ted Koppel, our global news buddy, and Strobe Talbott, the former Deputy Secretary of State. What questions do you have about the hows and whys of Pakistan, Iran, Georgia, and Russia?

Ted Koppel and Leroy Sievers in Iraq (Read the story, here).

Source: ABC News

It's a shame to take up your time and energy asking you to read our blog, when you could be reading Leroy Sievers' blog. The cancer that he chronicled in such an immediate and generous way finally took his life on Friday. We were so lucky that the tremendous relationships that he shared with so many people in this building extended to us -- we were able to have him on the show more than once, most recently this past July.

Blogging is an oddly self-involved thing -- it can seem like a one-way communication tool -- but Leroy Sievers was such a natural writer and communicator, it really seemed like he was waiting for an answer -- for your answer.

We've talked a lot about his journalistic legacy, and the great community that the My Cancer blog became -- but he also did something quite extraordinary with blogging, that we sometimes pass over. He revealed himself. Not in the way that bloggers sometimes do now -- oversharing, performing -- but in a way that celebrated the mixed blessings of being human -- the glorious network of joy, grief, love, pleasure, and pain that grows more furiously than any disease. We'll miss him.

In the 1970s, Paul Theroux embarked on a train trip across Europe and Asia, which he chronicled in The Great Railway Bazaar. Some 30 years later, he decided to retrace his footsteps. As Theroux notes in his introduction, few of the great travel writers have returned to the far-away cities, countries, and continents about which they wrote:

What traveler backtracked to take the great trip again? None of the good ones that I know. Greene never returned to the Liberian bush, nor to Mexico, nor to Vietnam. In his latest fifties, Waugh dismissed modern travel altogether as mere tourism and a waste of time. Thesiger did not return to the Marsh Arabs. Burton did not mount another expedition to Utah, or to substantiate the source of the Nile -- at my age he was living in Trieste, immersed in erotica. Darwin never went to sea again. Neither did Joseph Conrad, who ended up hating the prospect of seafaring. Eric Newby went down the Ganges once, Jonathan Raban down the Mississippi once, and Jan Morris climbed Everest once. Robert Byron did not take the road to Oxiana again, Cherry-Garrard made only one trip to Antarctica, Chatwin never returned to Patagonia, nor did Doughty go back to Arabia Deserta, nor Wallace to the Malay Archipelago, nor Waterton to the Amazon, nor Trollope to the West Indies, nor Edward Lear to Corsica, nor Stevenson to the Cevennes, nor Chekhov to Sakhalin, nor Gide to the Congo, nor Canetti to Marrakesh, nor Jack London to the Solomon Islands, nor Mark Twain to Hawaii.

For Theroux, the second trip proved to be more illuminating -- and harder -- than he expected it would be. (Reasons why his literary forebears did not retrace their footsteps, perhaps.) He chronicles the voyage in his new book, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar.

What questions do you have for Paul Theroux? Did you read The Great Railway Bazaar? What did you think of it? Have you ever gone back and revisited a place you traveled to before? What was it like?

Cutiepie Yang Peiyi sang a song for China.

Source: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Mixed in with all the stories of Michael Phelps' gold-medal record chase and Jamaica's total dominance on the fast track, there have been a couple articles about the little bits of deceit -- stagecraft? -- in the Olympics' opening ceremonies in Beijing. Of course, there were those fake fireworks -- digitally enhanced for the television audience, because they were too difficult to film. The bigger Talk story, though, seems to be the little girl who sang a patriotic hymn in the opening ceremony, but who didn't get to perform it because she was deemed unattractive by event organizers. A "prettier" girl took her place, Milli-Vanilli-ing her way through the recording by girl #1.

The public has met this revelation with varying degrees of outrage and understanding -- just a tough game-time decision or simple cruelty? Masha Ma experienced something similar -- though on a much smaller stage -- as a child in China, and she didn't like the call. What do you think?

It's a new week. Here's what's happening today:

We begin a series today where we will talk with Ted Koppel about events around the world, and how they affect our lives. And we start with what is going on in Pakistan, Russia and Georgia, and Iran. Koppel is the Managing Editor at Discovery and a Senior News Analyst here at NPR. Much of the news on the international front is interconnected, but it's sometimes hard to understand why, and what international relations mean for the United States. Today Koppel will be joined by former Deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott with a look at what is going on in international news and what those developments mean for America. At the end of the hour, we remember the life of our friend and journalist Leroy Sievers. He was frequently a guest on our program to talk about his battle with cancer and the community that formed around his "My Cancer" blog. Ted Koppel will stay with us to talk about working with Sievers when Koppel was the anchor of ABC's Nightline.

Novelist Paul Theroux's journey across Europe and Asia inspired a book, The Great Railway Bazaar and American travel literature over thirty years ago. Now, his new book, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star chronicles his retraced steps to those same locales. Theroux will be our guest in the second hour. At the end of the hour, we'll touch on the Olympic lip-syncing controversy. Peking University graduate student Masha Ma will recall her experience of being rejected from a pen-pal program because she was told her image wasn't good enough to represent her school.

"You must pay the rent!"

Source: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

 

"I can't pay the rent!"

Source: Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images

 

For the sake of journalism, and the good photographers at Getty, I will tell you that above, you'll see Evanthia Makrygianni and Despoina Solomou of Greece performing their technical routine in duet synchronized swimming, and below, Marie-Pier Boudreau Gagnon and Isabelle Rampling of Canada. (Why do they all have such amazing NAMES!?)

To me, however, it just looks like they're performing Aida in fancy swimsuits.

The Justice Department identified government scientist Bruce Ivins as the man responsible for the anthrax attacks that killed five people in 2001 -- but he took his own life before he could be charged. His lawyer has insisted that not only was he innocent, but that it's possible it was the pressure of the investigation that drove him to suicide. Pressure like following Ivins, searching his home, interrogating his family -- even showing his kids pictures of the anthrax victims. Tough stuff, but all legal. A previous suspect, Steven Hatfill, was subjected to even more relentless tactics -- and eventually agreed he was paid millions to settle a lawsuit. Today, we're looking at the ethical boundaries of such investigations -- it's just tough tactics when pressure is applied to a guilty person, but it's harassment when an innocent, like Hatfill, is subjected to them. Where's the line?

There's really no plot device like the Bomb. It can end things summarily, move the plot along, or in some post-apocalyptic cases, start things up. I'll admit, I was skeptical when I started producing this week's summer movies spectacular, but it turns out that not only do I love most of these films, but I'm deathly afraid of the Bomb. (And it's not a great week for this sort of thing -- given the Russians have had a big week.) In any case, I'd like to keep writing, but if I go into detail about all the terrifying stuff I've seen while pulling tape -- several cities destroyed, faces melting, giant locusts, Godzilla -- I'll have to duck and cover again. In lieu of that, enjoy the amazing clip from On The Beach (1954), below. Anthony Perkins giving instructions to his young wife on how to kill herself -- and their baby! -- when the radiation poisoning sets in.

Spider: Big. And Scary..

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A spider nearly killed me once. Scratch that. I nearly killed myself because of a spider. I was tooling along a quiet sidestreet in the '79 Pontiac we called "Larry" and the thing went crawling up my shorts. That's about the extent of what I remember, until some short length of time later my friend riding shotgun screamed, "SCOTT!!!!" and punched me in the arm. Since realizing I had a spider crawling up my shorts, I had let go of the steering wheel completely... Turned my full attention to my lap, slapping and swatting at what I imagined to be a black widow... And FLOORED the big V-6 under the hood. Needless to say, by the time I was smacked out of my stupor, we were headed right for the back bumper of a parked car at a speed that would have smooshed the spider, and both of us. So, I screeched to a stop, dropped my pants in the middle of the street, and made a lot of embarrassing wiggly moves until I was sure my pants were arachnid-free.
Why am I telling you all this? Because I'm hoping you'll tell us what you're afraid of. And I don't mean that you're afraid of orange food, or get nervous on an airplane. Do you truly have a phobia that affects the way you live, and if so how do you cope with it? (By the way, I don't have arachnophobia, but the story is -- sadly -- completely true.)*

* True phobias can be debilitating... find info about phobias and treatment options, at ADAA.org

The fabulous Helen Thomas, last October.

Source: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

When asked the age-old question, "If you could have dinner with 3 people, living or dead, who would they be?" my first answer* is easy: Helen Thomas. The so-called Dean of the White House Press Corps has been covering presidents for over 60 years (count 'em -- that makes 9 presidents), and if I had her over for dinner I'd want to keep my mouth shut and have her regale me with story after story. She's so fascinating, I probably wouldn't even feel hungry (because you know, keeping my mouth shut would make it pretty hard to eat). Filmmaker Rory Kennedy must feel similarly, because she's got a new documentary on the fabulous Ms. Thomas that is much like my imaginary dinner -- while Rory can be heard questioning Helen occasionally, she's off-camera, and Helen Thomas shines. Thank You Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House is the most delightful 40 minutes I've spent in a while.

*Seriously, the other 2 change minute to minute. Right now I'm thinking... Hank Williams Sr. and Diana Vreeland.

Here's a quick look at what's coming up today:

In our first hour, we'll look into the ethics of criminal investigations. Most recently, the FBI has been accused of using aggressive tactics in the anthrax investigation. We want to hear from you, particularly those with direct experience in investigations. How far should investigators go? And should hardball tactics remain legal? At the end of the hour, we'll continue our summer movie series with your picks for favorite NUKE flicks. And yes, Godzilla counts. He LOVES nuclear energy.

In our second hour, we'll talk about the very real fear of fear itself... and of spiders and dogs and flying and the great outdoors and the tight indoors. Sometimes those fears can turn into serious phobias. We'll speak with a woman who suffers from dog phobia, and a clinical psychologist explains how to face our fears and phobias. At the end of the hour, filmmaker Rory Kennedy talks about her mini-film that chronicles the career of long-time White House Press Corp member Helen Thomas.

Continue reading "August 14th Show" >

Olympic wheelbarrow tournament.

Source: PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images

 

Wrestling, of course, yields the oddest photos -- besides of course, sabre fencing. Check out Andrea Minguzzi (Italy) walking Zoltan Fodor (Hungary, in a better clothing choice than their hideous opening ceremony outfits) around in a Greco-Roman wrestling match.

Later in the day, the egg and spoon race, and then go ahead and help yourself to bug juice and potato salad.

The eternal candidate.

Source: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

There was a time, my parents assure me, when the name Ralph Nader was associated with more than the 2000 election, or indeed, any election. Now, Nader's running in his third consecutive presidential election. Critics in the Democratic party argue that he can't win, but might get enough votes in a key state or two and throw a close election to the Republicans. Their argument: Florida, 2000. Today, he joins us at the Newseum to take your questions, as well as the Political Junkie's queries. Plus, we know where you've been getting your political news -- the National Enquirer -- the Atlantic publishes some Clinton campaign secrets (that sound sorta tabloid-y), and Georgia is on everybody's mind. It's the Political Junkie at the Newseum... post your thoughts here.

*Every picture of Nader looks like an edition of Unintentional Hilarity.

In the latest issue of The Atlantic, James Fallows, a national correspondent for the magazine, deconstructs the 47 primary debates from this campaign. (That's right, there were -- count 'em -- 47 debates.)

"Recently I did what no sane person would," he writes. "I watched the entire set of presidential primary debates, in sequence, like a boxed set of a TV show."

Fallows, who is based in Beijing, has agreed to join us from our bureau there to talk about how the presumptive nominees for president performed, and how a debate between the two of them might go.

(For extra credit, read this brilliant Fallows article, "When John Meets George.")

In the online version of his article, he includes a few highlights.

Barack Obama v. Alan Keyes:

And Sen. Hillary Clinton, responding to a question about drivers licenses and illegal immigrants:

We found this clip, of Sen. John McCain, talking about federal spending:

Looking back on those 47 debates, is there a moment that stands out to you? What do you think your candidate has to do in the three official presidential debates?

You probably know the stock in trade of the National Enquirer -- alien babies born to all-American families, Bigfoot sightings, celebrities' cellulite and botched plastic surgeries -- supermarket checkout line perusing par excellence. I know I usually assume the stories are fakes, and it'd be hard to blame you if you do too. This time, however, the Enquirer bested us all when John Edwards, subject of months of Enquirer coverage for his (then-alleged) extramarital affair, came clean in the mainstream media. Oops.

While I'm not sure this means I should book tickets to Wyoming, to catch a glimpse of a Yeti striding through Yellowstone, it does poke some holes in the supposed supremacy of ye olde MSM.

Some say we ignored the story, others say we covered it up. Insiders cite a litany of reasons the Enquirer story stayed an Enquirer story for so long. Today, the debate hits our air. We've got our media guy, David Folkenflik, plus representatives from the Enquirer, the North Carolina News & Observer, and ABC News. So get ready for answers to all your questions.

Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, has complained to a federal court about the Newseum display of his Montana cabin. It's only 10 feet by 12 feet, and is part of the "G-Men and Journalists" exhibit in Washington. Apparently he read about the exhibit in an ad in the Washington Post, and wrote:

Since the advertisement states that the cabin is 'FROM FBI VAULT,' it is clear that the government is responsible for the public exhibition of the cabin. This has obvious relevance to the victims' objection to publicity connected with the Unabom case.... I don't think I need to say anything further.... The Court can draw its own conclusions."

Back in June, we had talked with Ted's brother, David, about his relationship with one of the Unabomber's victims, Gary Wright. And we asked him if he might visit his brother's cabin while it was on display:

Probably not. You know, the cabin that really holds the intimate memories for me is the one I remember where I spent hours with Ted before he became the Unabomber, and of course that's the brother I prefer to remember as well. I think, you know, the display, and I haven't seen it and I wouldn't judge it without seeing it, does tend to play to a popular fascination with crime and violence.

We'll talk with Gary Wright on the show today, and get his view on this as a victim. And also hear from Susan Bennett, vice president and deputy director of the Newseum. Is it tasteful to display the cabin, or not?

It's Newseum time again... and also time to check in with Ken Rudin, NPR's political junkie. The biggest story in politics this week is John Edwards' admission that he had an affair back in 2006. We'll look at how that could affect his political career in our first hour. We'll also talk about new attack ads from Senators John McCain and Barack Obama and their stance concerning the conflict in Georgia and Russia. Later in that hour, independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader will discuss why he is running for president, and his campaign strategy. At the end of the hour, James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic, will deconstruct the presidential debates. He's watched ALL 47 of the primary debates and has a pretty good opinion of how the candidates will debate.

In our second hour, we'll continue our discussion about John Edwards' affair, but take a deeper look into the actual reporting of it. The National Enquirer published a story months ago that claimed that the then presidential candidate had an extramarital affair. At the time, Edwards dismissed it as "tabloid trash". It was only after he admitted to having the affair last week that many news organizations jumped on the story. So how aggressive should the media be in breaking a story like this? We'll ask you that question in our second hour. Then, we'll talk about an exhibit now featured at the Newseum that displays the cabin of convicted "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski. Kaczynski has written a three-page letter to the U.S. Court of Appeals protesting the exhibit. At the end of the hour we'll talk with Susan Bennett, Vice President and Deputy Director of the Newseum and to Gary Wright, one of the Unabomber's victims.

We here at TOTN have taken a bold leap into an unknown universe: Twitter. If you don't know what it is, it's kind of a micro-blogging tool, kind of a conversation facilitator, and a perfect technology for you to fill us in on the talk of your nation. Basically, we update it with questions we hope you will answer and news we think you'll find interesting -- what's coming up on the show, the question we're asking of listeners for a particular segment, what guest you'd recommend on a specific topic. If you subscribe to our feed, you'll get our "tweets" on your Twitter page, or even on your cell phone, if you're so inclined. And then you can tweet back to us with your insights and answers. We've already begun reading Twitter-submitted responses on air, and will continue to do so. Our sadly demised sister show, the Bryant Park Project, really managed to use Twitter to converse with their audience, and we aspire to the standard they set. In addition to that, since the great stuff you've been writing already isn't readily viewable anywhere on NPR.org, I'll be doing a weekly wrap of the great tweets that didn't make it to air. So, if you're on Twitter already, subscribe to us @totn. And if you're interested in joining the Twitter party, go here to give it a whirl.

"I put on makeup for this?"

Source: Harry How/Getty Images

 

Nastia Liukin probably really loves artistic gymnastics. But I really love pictures that capture the actual moment when someone questions their career choice. I'm sure there's one of me somewhere, listening to the radio, perplexed.

150,000 people gather in Tbilisi, Georgia, to hear Mikheil Saakashvili speak.

Source: Burak Kara/Getty Images

 

Earlier today, I spoke with Charles King, chairman of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, about the conflict in Georgia, which he calls "The Russo-Georgian Weekend War." Although there is an official ceasefire in South Ossetia, there are reports of continued fighting there.

King, who wrote an opinion piece about the conflict for The Christian Science Monitor, will join us in our first hour. We'll ask him if he thinks there will be any -- or many -- long-term consequences to the fighting in South Ossetia.

James Traub, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, will join us too. On Sunday, The New York Times published his keen analysis of the conflict and its causes, "Taunting the Bear." "The border between Georgia and Russia, in short, has been the driest of tinder," he wrote. "The only question was where the fire would start."

Do you have questions about the cause of the fighting in Georgia? Or what it means for the region? How do you think that the international community should react? Has the United States said enough? Done enough?

Adam Davidson, explaining stuff, probably to yours truly.

Source: Brian McCabe, NPR

Those of you who are regular listeners to NPR will recognize Adam Davidson as The One Guy On The Planet Who Can Bring Clarity To Economics (TOGOTPWCBCTE). He and Alex Blumberg collaborated on what is, possibly, the best explanation of "the credit crisis" I've heard on any media outlet, for the excellent radio program, This American Life. Now, you will recognize him (you will! you will!) as TOTN's Econonaut (that's four syllables, rhymes with Argonaut) -- the man who brushes microeconomic cobwebs away from business news, and sprays clarity all over Henry Paulson's wordiness. We'll be talking to him regularly about the most abstruse economics news and terms, helping you understand what's going on as oil fluctuates madly, credit is harder to come by, and the dollar is worth less than a sixth grade love note. Think of him as your economic Valium -- not boring, just anxiety soothing. Today, we're talking trade -- what the hell does a narrowing trade deficit mean? -- and we want to hear what you've noticed, especially if you're in a business that exports stuff. (Stuff is not a technical term. We're talkin' soybeans to airplane engines.) And one more thing! if there's something you don't understand (hedge funds! windfall tax! fungible!) let us know... we'll run it by Adam. We're here to help.

Placido Domingo applauds Thomas Quasthoff with the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra in 2006.

Dieter Nagl/AFP/Getty Images

 

At 48, Thomas Quasthoff is already a legend. He's a superstar in the classical world -- "filled Carnegie and probably could have done so twice" -- and has already had a documentary made of his life, called The Dreamer. See, Quasthoff possesses not only a remarkable voice, but also a remarkable story. His mom was prescribed thalidomide while pregnant with him, and as a result, he's only about four feet tall. But oh, what a voice.

Thomas Quasthoff joins us today to share his story -- please leave questions for him here, and check out this article by NPR's Tom Huizenga for more on the man whose "burnished, burgundy-colored voice... soars."

Miley Cyrus -- hoping that "V" stands for recession-proof?

Source: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The other day I read that candy sales are up -- in these sad economic times, a Snickers sounds like a little luxury we can afford -- nay, deserve! Country music turns out to be a "recession-proof" sector of the economy too (for now, anyway), with superstars like Toby Keith seeing ticket sales on the rise, and country duo Sugarland just pushed Miley Cyrus off the top of the CD sales chart. So what's your personal recession-proof must-have? So far, I just can't give up trips home to Annapolis, in spite of gas prices; the occasional can of super-fancy food for the cats (Turducken! New England Boil!); or mail-order bacon. Fingers crossed it never gets so bad I have to give up the bacon!

In our first hour today, we'll look at tensions between Russia and the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. After five days of fighting, talks of a ceasefire appear to have turned into a war of words between Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili. Guests will explain how the conflict began and what the conflict could mean for the European Union and the United States. At the end of the hour, Adam Davidson, NPR's economics correspondent and Talk of the Nation's economics translator, explains how the shrinking trade deficit could affect you.

There are two things that are unique about bass-baritone opera singer Thomas Quasthoff. One of them is that he stands at just about four feet tall. The other? He is recognized as one of the most remarkable singers of our day. Quasthoff's new memoir is simply titled, "The Voice" and we'll hear from The Voice in our second hour. Our producers are still working on a topic to follow Quasthoff, and we will squeeze in your letters and blog comments at the end of the hour.

"Now cracks a noble heart..."

Source: Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images

 

Now, Getty claims that this is a photo of Mihai Covaliu of Romania winning the men's fencing individual sabre (sabre? really!?!) bronze medal match on the fourth day of the Olympics. Whatever, Getty. I think we all know this is a post-apocalyptic rendering of the last scene of Hamlet, with Laertes and Claudius lying slain somewhere off stage. I don't know who directed this thing, but I love the costumes -- and it's just brilliant to set it in post-communist Romania. The Olympics are getting so artsy!*

*A welcome change from certain sorority antics of days prior -- though, come to think of it, that felt post apocalyptic, too.

An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

Source: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

With the sustained back-and-forth between Sens. McCain and Obama about offshore drilling for oil (McCain: "We have to begin the drilling." Obama: "That's not a strategy designed to end our energy crisis. It's a strategy designed to get politicians through an election."), there's plenty of speculation (har) on how and when digging new wells in the Gulf of Mexico would affect gas prices. Today we're leaving that debate, and instead talking about the reality of offshore oil production, and we're starting at square one. For example, producer Susan Lund straightened out our lingo in the morning meeting today, clarifying that once the well's been dug and it's operating, it's no longer a "rig," it's a platform. Thanks, Susan! So if you've got a room with a view of a platform, what's it like? Or maybe you're in Florida, trying to keep the rigs out of your vista -- how come?

It is tricky business to write about religious figures, particularly in fiction -- witness Salman Rushdie's Satantic Verses or Nikos Kazanzakis' Last Temptation of Christ. The Jewel of Medina, an as yet unpublished novel about the youngest wife of the prophet Muhammad, has put its author, Sherry Jones, in the midst of a whirlwind of debate about religion, fiction, fear, and history. Meant to publish on August twelfth, the book was pulled in May by the publisher, Random House, and Jones is now seeking a new publisher. The bare bones of the story are explained in this statement from the Ballantine division of Random House:

After sending out advance editions of the novel The Jewel of Medina, we received in response, from credible and unrelated sources, unsolicited cautionary advice not only that the publication of this book might be offensive to some in the Muslim community, but also that it could incite acts of violence by a small, radical segment. We felt an obligation to take these concerns very seriously. We consulted with security experts as well as with scholars of Islam, whom we asked to review the book and offer their assessments of potential reactions. We stand firmly by our responsibility to support our authors and the free discussion of ideas, even those that may be construed as offensive by some. However, a publisher must weigh that responsibility against others that it also bears, and in this instance we decided, after much deliberation, to postpone publication for the safety of the author, employees of Random House, Inc., booksellers and anyone else who would be involved in distribution and sale of the book. The author and Ballantine subsequently agreed to terminate the agreement, with the understanding that the author would be free to publish elsewhere, if she so chose.

The Jewel of Medina author Sherry Jones, sent us this statement:

I'm distressed to see The Jewel Of Medina and its termination used as a tool to promote divisiveness and hatred. There's an "I-told-you-so-those-Muslims-are-evil attitude" that makes me cringe. I started writing Jewel for the pleasure of presenting A'isha to the western world; I finished it, and its sequel, with the hope that these books would become bridge-builders to another culture and increase understanding of Islam as it was originally intended. I know I can't control the discourse, but I still harbor the highest, most idealistic hopes for these books. Let's keep it civil. And let's remember: There have been no terrorist threats over The Jewel of Medina. Only warnings of possible threats.

Asra Nomani, a journalist and writer who has read the book, wrote this op-ed in response. An historian asked to comment on the book, responded in kind. Today, we'll talk to her about it, and hope that you'll weigh in. You can read excerpts from the book on the Talk of the Nation webpage. Do you think Random House did the right thing?

I'm sure Wolves, Jackals, and Foxes: The Assassins Who Changed History is a fine book, I just haven't had the time to read it. What I did have time to do is peruse the appendix, and that is fascinating... What's the most common day of the week for assassinations? Friday. Most common months? April and November. What's the fate of assassins? Most are either caught or killed at the scene or captured later, but a plurality (38.9%) are never caught. And while most heads of state are assassinated in public, the most common place for the average Joe to be whacked is right in his own home. If the book is half as interesting as the appendix, I'll fly through it. What I'm not so sure of is this fascination with assassins... at the movies (Day of the Jackal, even Grosse Pointe Blank), in books, on TV, whatever. Why are so many of us so interested in assassins?

Isaac Hayes: 1942-2008.

Source: Cyberex

 

The obits for Isaac Hayes all show pictures of a defiant, imposing bald man wearing chains. And rightly so -- that was the iconic look of the Black Moses, of Hot Buttered Soul, which prefigured disco and, in some ways, hip hop, too. Few will remember the picture on the cover of his first album, Presenting Isaac Hayes, which showed a smiling man in top hat and tails; tipping the hat, which let us know that he was bald even then.

As a very young man in the late 1960s, I worked as a combo-operator at WBAI-FM in New York. The combo-operator does eight hour tricks in a radio studio, playing hour and half hour programs on tape, operas and symphonies on records, and taking transmitter readings. I also introduced the various elements, and announced station breaks at the top of the hour. From time to time a program ran short, or didn't show up, and the announcer got the chance to program what we called a "miscellany" -- pretty much whatever struck his or her fancy. And my fancy in those days very much included the amazing records issued by Stax/Volt out of Memphis, Tennessee -- Otis Redding, Booker T and the MGs, Eddie Floyd, Sam and Dave, Carla Thomas, and Albert King. As a voracious reader of liner notes and record labels, I knew of Isaac Hayes as the house pianist at Stax and co-composer of many of their greatest hits. So when Presenting Isaac Hayes arrived, I listened avidly, and played it many times on the air. Same guy, same voice, very different approach. Piano, bass, and drums, for the most part, much of it very pretty, and none of it with the driving beat that characterized his later work. Despite, or perhaps because of my vast influence, the record vanished without a trace. It's still one of my favorites (sadly, along with all my other vinyl, it's in storage at the moment). If you're looking, it's on Enterprise Records, a tiny offshoot of Stax/Volt.

The world will remember Isaac Hayes for Shaft, his Oscar -- the first ever for a black composer -- and those chains. I'll remember the top hat and tails.

Gwen's furiously putting together the right mix of guests and music for our remembrance of Isaac Hayes, so allow me to fill you in on what else we've got coming up on the show today. In our first hour, all about oil -- specifically, rigs, platforms, the Gulf of Mexico, and NIMBY. If you've got a view of a platform or work on one, we want to know what it's really like. And later, on our Opinion Page, a novel that you may never get to read, called The Jewel of Medina. Random House was all set to publish the saucy story about Aisha, the youngest wife of the Prophet Muhammad, but pulled it due to information that the book may not sit well among some Muslims, and the publisher's concern that it could lead to violence from some Islamic radicals. Asra Nomani blames professor Denise Spellberg for raising the concerns that got the novel dropped, Spellberg says she's just one of many who raised concerns. We'll have an excerpt on our website, so tune in and check back for that.

In the second hour, Kris Hollington's new book, Wolves, Jackals, and Foxes: The Assassins Who Changed History. Hollington gathered tons of research, some of it newly available, on assassins and would-be assassins, and discovered commonalities across the world, from motivation to method. Finally, we remember Isaac Hayes. We'll start with Neal's first memory, then take them from our audience and those who knew him.

Team USA gets a grin from the Commander-in-Chief.

Source: AFP/Thomas Coex/Getty Images

 

All this week, we'll be bringing you the most unintentionally hilarious photos from the Olympic games in Beijing. Our inaugural photos are probably well known to you -- but they're such a strong start to the week, that it would simply be foolish not to let you enjoy them. Above, you'll see a happy volleyball fan, also well known to you as President Bush. Below, you'll see -- well, you'll see a couple of well-toned rear ends.

Customary volleyball fun.

Source: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

The Getty caption follows:

US beach volleyball player Misty May Treanor invites US President George W. Bush to give her a playful slap to her lower back (as is customary in the sport) as team-mate Kerri Walsh looks during a visit to the beach volleyball venue in Beijing on August 9, 2008.

I like Getty's straightforwardness. I mean, you would have to assume that the good-humored back slap is customary for beach volleyball, and not for greeting the President, but still, clarity is preferred. After all, you wouldn't want to see people bending over in, say, the U.N. General Assembly -- and I doubt you could get Chavez to do it.

One more quick note. This photo has been linked again, and again -- it's all over the web this morning. And you'll note, there's more than one photog that got the shot (so to speak). That means that both GWB and MMT were likely surrounded by cameras when she decided to drop it like it's hot, and he contemplated slapping her (in the customary fashion). And they both thought it was a good idea to give them the shot.

Fort Detrick, MD, where Bruce E. Ivins worked.

Source: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

It's tough to keep up-to-date on all the details coming out about Bruce E. Ivins, the man the Justice Department believes is behind the anthrax letters mailed shortly after Sept. 11 that killed five people. They've been quietly building the case against Ivins for nearly seven years, and believe the former researcher at the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, who committed suicide July 29th, acted alone. It's a fascinating case and an incredibly involved investigation, so today we'll catch you up on all those articles you've been meaning to read about it with NPR's David Kestenbaum and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), whose home district is where the deadly envelopes hit the mail. Got questions about the evidence against Ivins, or the man himself? Doubts about the investigation the FBI calls effectively closed, with Ivins' death? Tune in.

It's sort of embarrassing to me, as a woman and a human, that weddings excite us so much. They're like catnip for our ovaries. Add a big white dress and a tall cake, and we're utterly satisfied. Since I'm planning my own wedding at this moment, I'm looking a little more carefully at all my old favorite Hollywood weddings -- mostly for dress ideas -- and I have to say, I'm struck by two things. First, the heyday of the wedding movie, complete with the word "wedding" in the title -- Wedding Singer, My Best Friends Wedding, Monsoon Wedding -- seems to be the mid to late '90s... and why not? Prosperity reigned -- the Cold War was over, defense spending went down, and private consumption went up, balancing the books. Bridal magazines were thick, and brides were zilla'd. Contrast that with the most recent wedding movie I've seen -- Sex and the City. It's strikingly fraught with financial anxiety, albeit slightly masked, (Carrie asking Big if they can afford the apartment, wearing "vintage" to City Hall in the final, "successful" wedding, after an opulent "failed" wedding. Never mind the seven hundred dollar shoes with the "vintage." Sigh.) Do a search on Amazon for wedding books written in the last year (you can also do a cursory search of my coffee table) and you'll find they're all about the DIY Bride or Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot. The economy seems to dictate more about our nuptials then we care to admit

My second point is that the old-school wedding movies (Father of the Bride, We're Not Married, Royal Wedding), have a lot in common with the wedding extravaganzas of the mid-'90's and afterwards. Gender roles haven't really gotten an update, which is -- how shall I say it -- bulls--t galling. Marriage -- and the wedding as an expression of matrimony -- is still represented as the high point of a woman's life. Why would you shoot for any other dream besides Cinderella's? Oh, that's right. Because now, YOU CAN. (Insert for the 300th time -- all my bosses are women.)

That doesn't mean you shouldn't have a wedding (thank god -- anyone who has experience with JCrew wedding dresses please weigh in), nor does it mean you shouldn't enjoy Cinderella nailing her man. (Nailing the old fashioned way, never fear.) In the spirit of pure fun and wedding catnip -- go ahead and soothe your addiction below.*

*At least Cinderella is awake when she meets the Prince! I've always maintained the Snow White is the misogynist's perfect bride -- she's shut away with magical dwarves who hold no sexual interest for her, and she's asleep -- read: NOT TALKING -- when the Prince really falls for her. (I know one special fiance out there who might identify with Snow's Prince, but stands no chance of his chatty bride closing her piehole. Er... ever. Hi honey!)

Let's be clear... I'm not funny. I get out a nice one-liner every now and again, but you won't see me cracking 'em up on YouTube. That's why comedians are fascinating to me, especially those who make topics that are decidedly NOT funny, very funny. Like politics. We cover a lot of politics on this show, and I can tell you most of it is not the least bit funny (silly, or awkward sometimes, but rarely laugh-out-loud hysterical). Not like the Paris Hilton "campaign ad" we talked about yesterday. Darn funny. Or The Daily Show. Really funny (usually). Or some SNL segments... I'm thinking about Janet Reno's dance party, with the REAL Janet Reno. Hilarious. Who comes up with this stuff? Well, people like Adam McCay and Lizz Winstead. Adam is, among other things, one of the writers behind FunnyOrDie.com (if you haven't seen it yet, go now... We'll wait). Lizz co-created The Daily Show and has since branched out to host her own show, Thinking & Drinking. Think you can make politics funny? Prove it. And while politics obviously influences comedy, do you think comedy affects politics?

Yesterday, an attorney for the federal government presented the details of its case against Bruce Ivins. The evidence against him is circumstantial, mostly.

At the end of our second hour, we'll focus on the legal case against Bruce Ivins. How strong is it? How might the lawyer for Ivins, Paul Kemp, defend it?

What questions do you have about the legal side of the anthrax case?

The FBI said yesterday that evidence points to scientist Bruce Ivins being solely responsible for killing five people in 2001 by sending them envelops of anthrax through the mail. Investigators called it the "worst act of bioterrorism in U.S. history." Last month, Bruce Ivins committed suicide as the government was preparing to indict him. Therefore, there will be no trial. But lingering questions remain about the case and the investigation. In our first hour, our NPR science correspondent David Kestenbaum will give us the background information about the case, and tell us what we know about Bruce Ivins. We'll also be joined by U.S. Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ). He represents the congressional district where the anthrax letters were believed to have originated. At the end of the hour, we will completely switch gears. Our movie impresario Murray Horwitz will join us to talk about your favorite wedding movies. My personal favorite is The Princess Bride. Gotta love an ending that involves white horses. But your favorite doesn't have to involve a happy ending. Just a wedding!!!

At the top of our second hour, we'll talk about the influence of political comedy. From The Daily Show to The Colbert Report to political skits on SNL. Does watching... and laughing... at political satire effect your view of politics or the politicians who are in -- or running for -- office? Following that, Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor in the district of New Jersey, will take us inside the legal process in the anthrax investigation.

Knowshon Moreno can also do a backflip!

Source: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Olympics, schmolympics. Nah, I'm kidding -- I like the Olympics as much as the next sports fan (and especially loved the Olympics challenge on Project Runway last night, did you see it? No spoilers on the winner here, but it was a great challenge. The opening ceremony of the Olympics is one of my favorite fashion events, and it was great to call some attention to that particular parade.) BUT have you seen who is on the cover of the new Sports Illustrated? I can barely speak about it... it's my beloved Georgia Bulldogs, pre-season #1! It's terrifying -- for sure. If we get the cover, we're cursed, right? So I'm not placing a lot of stock in the prediction (and if you've seen the Dawgs' schedule, you know why), just enjoying it for what it is. And here's something for you to enjoy: Knowshon Moreno, star running back, had a little run-in with the University of Georgia Conduct Review Board for violating quiet hours in his dorm. The Board sentenced him to write a "two-page research paper about the harmful effects of excessive noise pollution on the health and lifestyles of others around you." Sounds pretty mundane, right? Not so. How does Knowshon demonstrate he learned his lesson?

To show the responsibility that I have gained over this situation I was recently asked in my room one night after quiet hours if I could do a back flip. My answer to this was yes because I can, but I kindly stated that I would not be able to perform this act at the time because I did not want to disturb my fellow neighbors.

Awesomeness. Click here to read the full essay by the best running back in the NCAA, Knowshon Moreno.

Shhh... don't tell Ken Rudin, but we've found another Political Junkie for the day. Ken's out this week, but as they say, the show must go on. So into the hot seat goes Ron Elving, NPR's Senior Washington Editor. The hot topic of the day, of course... Paris Hilton (and just mentioning that name might make this a most emailed blog post!). There are new polls, and ads, and attacks, and veeps to talk about. We'll also take some time to talk about polling in this election. Last week, we did a show about people's s1/4onscious biases ("the bigot in your brain"). The question for pollsters, then, is can white voters be truly honest in polls when it comes to race? Or is it likely that they might say, "of course I'll vote for a black candidate" but then not follow through. I have never been polled on politics, but if you have... Were you honest (really?)?

If you were a diplomat, you wouldn't have to pay this.

rknickme

 

Professors Raymond Fisman and Edward Miguel, authors of Economic Gangsters: Corruption, Violence and the Poverty of Nations, have been studying corruption for many years now. Their book, which will be published in October, uses economics and econometrics to explain why organizations and countries succumb to bribery, extortion, favoritism and fraud.

In 2006, they published a working paper, entitled "Cultures of Corruption: Evidence From Diplomatic Parking Tickets." It got a lot of press.

Diplomats in New York, affiliated with the United Nations, have diplomatic immunity. From lots of things. Fisman and Miguel found that "there was essentially zero legal enforcement of diplomatic parking violations" in New York City. Basically, if a diplomat got a parking ticket from the NYPD, he didn't have to pay it. That said, some diplomats did.

Fisman and Miguel found an interesting correlation between the diplomats who did pay. And those who didn't: "...diplomats from high corruption countries (based on existing survey-based indices) have significantly more parking violations, and these differences persist over time." In simple terms, an ambassador from a corrupt country is less likely to pay a parking ticket than one from a less-corrupt country.

Last week, when Neal was on vacation, he read this piece, by Drake Bennett, published in The Boston Globe. It got him thinking about corruption. What causes it? Who causes it? And [how] can it be curbed?

We'll talk to Ray Fisman and Robert Klitgaard, an expert on corruption, currently the president of the Claremont Graduate University. And we want to hear from you. Have you ever taken a bribe? Or have you ever considered taking one? If you have, why? Did you think twice about it? Do you think that an organization or a city or a country can eliminate corruption?

Sen. Barack Obama's run for the White House has kept race in the headlines like few other news events have, and it raises some questions for journalists about covering his campaign. Specifically, how does a black journalist cover Obama in a positive light without seeming like an advocate, and how does a white journalist criticize Obama and avoid accusations of racism? Try as they might, everyone's a critic, and race can be especially tricky. And then there's that grey area between intention and perception -- even if a writer intends to pen a balanced piece, if the readers disagree, they'll be taken to task. So as consumers of news in this political cycle, I want to know: When you read pieces about the candidate -- be they pro or con -- do you wonder about the race of the writer? Furthermore, do you trust some reporters more -- or less -- because of their race?

Here's a quick look at what is coming up today from the Newseum:

In this week's Political Junkie, guest junkie Ron Elving, NPR's senior Washington editor, talks about each presidential candidate's take on energy policies, Hillary Clinton's campaign for Barack Obama, and new names in the veep-stakes. Later in the first hour, Elving will be joined by Michael Shober, a psychology professor at the New School for Social Research and Andy Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, for a discussion about polling, race and honesty. Have you ever not given a truthful answer to a survey question about race?

If you read the news on a regular basis, you've no doubt detected that corruption shows up in practically every sector of business, here and abroad. But what exactly causes corruption? In our second hour, author Ray Fisman and Claremont Graduate University president Robert Klitgaard will talk about the culture of corruption...and possible ways to change it. And at the end of the hour, two journalists discuss the challenges they face in reporting objectively on race and politics during this presidential campaign.

I can count the number of times I've thought "What does Paris think?" (WWPT) on one elbow -- and that's being generous. After watching this delightful piece of delicious policomedy, I'm sure I'll start thinking, "What do Paris' comedy writers think?" more often. Plus, I'm really, truly, heartwarmed by the fact that a Google search on "Paris Hilton video" will now bring up something that is SFW.

I don't care if she thinks offshore drilling is a euphemism for soft porn. God Bless America.

I primarily commute to and from work on the bus, and said bus is generally laden with public health placards. Whatever the p.o.v. of the placard in question, fear tactics are the fashion -- a round, zoned out kid playing video games headlined with "the couch kills," a circle of kids playing ring around the rosie reads something like, "When the game ends and they all fall down, everyone hops back up again except Sarah... Sarah doesn't have health insurance.*" There's one poster, however, that I remember with crystal clarity: "One in twenty D.C. residents has HIV." Holy cow -- now that's a sobering statistic. And it's been that way for years. New national HIV numbers are out, and unfortunately, the news isn't good. Turns out, the CDC has been underestimating the number of cases significantly, though the rate of infection has remained fairly constant. There's also a lot of new information on which populations are most affected. We want to know more about the people behind the numbers, specifically. Black people account for 45% of new infections, but why? And, infections are particularly high in the South -- what's going on there? NPR's Brenda Wilson and Dr. Robert Johnson, who treats HIV positive teens, join us today to get at the stories behind the numbers.

*Ok, it's probably a bit zippier than that. Forgive me -- one, I'm not in advertising, and there's a reason for that. Two, I see these placards either before I've had my coffee or at the end of a long day, so I'm doing the best I can here.

Producer Susan Lund informs me that we've spoken with Rami Khouri twenty-one times over the past four years, but usually on a phone line from his office in Beirut. He is the Editor-at-Large of The Daily Star - which is published throughout the Middle East - and is the Director of the Islam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have a family connection there. My father once ran the Medical School at AUB, and I was born in the AUB hospital. My family also has connections to Syracuse University, which Rami attended, and it turns out that we're both devoted fans of the New York Yankees.

He's just finishing a stint as a visiting scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Institute here in DC, and we're taking the opportunity to invite him into the studio for a longer conversation about Lebanon in particular and the Middle East in general; the challenge that Hezbollah represents to the Lebanese state and to American policy, and the ways that the obvious demographic, ethnic and religious divisions in Lebanon mirror less obvious divides in other Arab states.

And, of course, the dismal view from third place.

Is this still a geographic and a cultural boundary?

transplanted_mountaineer

 

In the latest issue of Newsweek, the magazine's Paris bureau chief, Christopher Dickey, refers to the South as "the old Confederacy," "a land without closure, where history keeps coming at you day after day, year after year, decade after decade, as if the past were the present, too, and the future forever." In July, he flew back to the United States, and embarked on a driving tour of the region in which he was raised.

"Now this part of the country, where I have my deepest roots, feels raw again, its political emotions more exposed than they've been in decades," he writes. "George W. Bush and Barack Hussein Obama have unsettled the South: the first with a reckless war and a weakened economy, the second with the color of his skin, the foreignness of his name, the lofty liberalism of his language. Suddenly the palliative prosperity that salved old, deep wounds no longer seems adequate to the task."

As someone raised in the South, I too have seen the region change. In the last few years alone, struggling farmers, facing mounting debts and losing odds, bowed to big agribusinesses and federal crop buyouts. Just outside of my hometown, military contractors became mammoth, transnational corporations, exporting equipment and security personnel to Iraq and Afghanistan. And down the street from my childhood home, a calamitous case, brought by a crooked prosecutor against Duke University's lacrosse team, exposed racial fault lines in our community that we had ignored for years.

Dickey will join us today, in our second hour, to talk about the so-called "New South." And about Southern politics. Polls tell us that, for the first time in many years, states that have been solidly Republican, red, and conservative, are in play. If you live below the Mason-Dixon Line, what does the South look like? How is it different than it was five years ago? Ten years ago? Fifty years ago? And what do you and your neighbors make of the two candidates for president?

Camp, circa 1967. Future movers and shakers?

Source: Potter/Express/Getty Images

Talking with my fiance the other day, I began to reminisce -- fondly -- about my days at sleep away camp. (I am convinced I went to the very best camp in the entire world.) He snorted derisively, and gave me an account of his summer Bible camp in rural Kansas (which does not sound like the very best camp in the entire world). I realized that he thinks sleep away camp is elitist -- and it does sort of represent an image of middle class happiness, in a sixties-ish sort of way. And he's got a point -- the Getty caption of the archival photo above reads, "They may be attending a summer camp run by the National Association for Gifted Children, but these two boys enjoy reading comic books just like other kids their age." But the kids that were shipped off to moldy cabins, mosquito fields, and competitive ping-pong tourneys may have felt anything but special. Timothy Noah, in a thoughtful (and hilarious) piece in Slate, dissected the emotions attached to sleep away camp, and came up with a way to use the experience as a sort of litmus test for the kind of adult you might be. Unfortunately, I might be the kid that liked camp a little too much. See where you fall on his scale.

According to a report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, forty-percent more Americans are infected by HIV than previously estimated. The rate of new infections is extremely high for men who have sex with men and for members of African-American communities. Latinos also have a higher infection rate than whites. And more people are living with AIDS in the South than in any other area of the country. In our first hour, Brenda Wilson, NPR science desk correspondent, and Dr. Robert Johnson will talk about what factors may be contributing to the number of people infected with HIV. Following that, Daily Star editor Rami Khouri will explain the political challenges facing Lebanon and how people in the Middle East are viewing our presidential election.

In our second hour, Newsweek's Paris bureau chief and Middle East regional editor Christopher Dickey will discuss the South of the United States. Is it a'changin? Dickey recently drove through Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas to see how this presidential election (namely Obama's candidacy) has stirred up the residents of these southern states. Are they troubled by this "change" election? You can read Dickey's article in this week's Newsweek. It is entitled, "Southern Discomfort." After that, call in with your stories of your youthful days of summer when you were ushered off to sleep away camp. Our guest Timothy Noah, senior writer for Slate online magazine, believes you can tell a person's character by the level of enjoyment (or lack thereof) they experienced at summer camp. His article is entitled, "You Are How You Camped." Do you agree? At the end of the the hour, we'll read from your email and blog comments.

Discuss.

Source: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

It's time for a special Monday Tuesday edition of my favorite photo feature, Unintentional Hilarity! Today, I've found a special photo, straight from the streets of Cornwall. Here's the caption the good folks at Getty posted:

A young person cuddles his cat on the streets of the Close Hill estate, where a voluntary night curfew for all under 16-year-olds has recently been introduced, on July 25, 2008 in Redruth, England. The brainchild of community police officer PC Marc Griffin, Operation Goodnight in Redruth, Cornwall, will see officers given the power to remove any youth under 16 seen on the streets after 9pm and any child under 10 after 8pm. It has been introduced to coincide with the start of the summer holidays and aims to cut down anti-social behaviour and will be the first to punish parents for letting their children out alone at night.

There are several things I love about this photo. One, it's straight-up funny. Two, in light of the cops attempting to cut down on "anti-social" behavior, I love that this "young person" has opted to walk around snuggling his kitty. And three, I particularly like the expression of yearning on the cat's face; staring into the middle distance, thinking about the playtime he will never be about to have with his young companion (that is, after 8 pm.) Sigh.

Michael Gordon, the chief military correspondent for The New York Times has been to Iraq dozens of times since the start of the war there. As he notes in his most-recent piece, "The Last Battle: The Fight Among Iraq's Shiites," published in The New York Times Magazine, many of his reporting trips have been to Sunni strongholds: Arab Jabour, Baquba, Hit, and Mosul. This time around, from March until May, he went to southern Iraq. To Diwaniyah, Karbala, Kut, and Najaf.

As Gordon discovered, there are growing fractures between Iraq's Shiites. And that, he writes, may be the biggest obstacle to political progress in Iraq.

What questions do you have for Michael Gordon about political progress in Iraq?

I've heard of testing athletes for drugs... Happens all the time. But I had no idea there was such a long history of testing athletes for gender. Early tests were visual... Women stood nude in front of a panel, which would decide if they were really women. Today, Olympic organizers in Beijing plan a much more high-tech version of gender tests... Using hormone measures, genetic samples, etc. None of which sits will with Jennifer Finney Boylan. She wrote an op-ed in the New York Times yesterday arguing that these tests for sex are profoundly flawed, and unfair. The methods are imperfect, she argues, and natural chromosomes or hormone levels hardly define who an athlete is. We'll talk with her on the Opinion Page today... And what do you think? Should Olympic athletes face gender testing?

Charisma is elusive. It's that special something. While I've been thinking about it all morning, I can't quite put it into words. It's Gatsby's smile ("one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it... [it] believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself.")* and the twinkle in Willie Stark's eye ("You saw the eyes bulge suddenly like that, as though something had happened inside him, and there was that glitter.")**.

In The Boston Globe, our guest Mark Oppenheimer describes charisma as "an unusual, even inborn power to command attention". But while most people, including myself, assume that charisma is mysterious and innate (you either have or you don't), some scholars believe that we can learn how to be charismatic.

John Neffinger, also a guest on our show today, is just that: a charisma teacher. And guess who he thinks is the most charismatic person in America? Oprah. What about you? Who has the most charisma? And do you think its something that can be learned, or are the charisma-less just out of luck?

* Nick Carraway describes Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
** Jack Burden describes politician Willie Stark in Rober Penn Warren's All The Kings Men

Zoriah Miller's story captured my attention from the time I read the headline: 4,000 U.S. Deaths, and a Handful of Images. What does 4,000 dead look like? Then I realized, while dozens of images comes to mind when I think about the war in Iraq, the only images I associate with U.S. casualties are flag draped coffins and Arlington cemetery.

Miller is a freelance photographer who took images of Marines killed in a suicide attack in Iraq, and after he posted them on the Internet, he was barred from covering the Marines.

The Marines say the issue is security. Miller says its censorship.

What do you think? What do you want to see? Are security concerns sanitizing our view of the war in Iraq? Or are journalists overstepping their bounds?

Neal Conan is back, and here's what we'll be talking about today:

Michael Gordon, the chief military correspondent for The New York Times, has spent half of the past year reporting from Iraq. In his latest article, Gordon says that "the tug of war among the religious parties and the Shiite tribes has emerged as one of the most-significant but also least-understood aspects of Iraq's political scene." You can read his article entitled, "The Last Battle: The Fight Among Iraq's Shiites," in this week's New York Times Magazine. In our first hour, Gordon will talk about Iraq's political future and Shiite power sharing in the region. Then on our opinion page, Jennifer Finney Boylan discuss gender testing going on at Beijing's Olympic games.

Charisma. Either you have IT, or you don't. We've all met someone who seemed to have that certain... something... that lights up a room and leaves a lasting impression. Were they born with it? Perhaps, but on second thought, maybe practice makes perfect. In our second hour, two people will explain the definition of "charisma", and whether or not personal magnetism can actually be taught. Tell us about that charismatic person in your life. And if YOU'VE ever been described "larger than life," does it come naturally, or are you working hard at it? At the end of the hour, we'll talk with free-lance photo-journalist Zoriah Miller who was dis-embedded from his Marine unit after posting pictures of scattered victims of a bomb blast in Anbar province.

I confess, I've made calls at odd hours of the day to avoid certain conversations... Why spend 10 minutes explaining why you can't book an author on the show if you can spend 30 seconds, right? So you'd think I'd be thrilled by a new service that let's you skip the conversation and go right to voicemail. But, I'm not so sure. It sort of takes the sport out of it, sure (you never know when a publicist in LA will actually pick up at 7am), but are there wider implications? As The New York Times reported yesterday:

Indirect communication, experts suggest, may be turning some people into digital-era solipsists more interested in broadcasting information than in real time give-and-take....

Unlike text messaging or e-mailing, James Katz, head of the center for mobile communications studies at Rutgers University, said, telephone communiques had been seen as requiring a sacrifice of time and energy and a higher level of commitment on the part of the communicator. Not anymore.

Missed or indirect communication can often actually be preferable, Mr. Katz said. "You pretend to be communicating, when you're actually stifling communication," he said.

Katz goes on to compare a phone call to wildfire -- you just don't know where it's going to go. Which is sort of the point.

We already have services that make fake "excuse" calls to get you out of bad dates or boring meetings, and caller ID is perfect for screening people out. Maybe I'm just being a Luddite here, but this all seems to be sliding down that old cliched slippery slope.

But then again, I'm posting this on a blog instead of talking face-to-face...