The "Torture Memos" - What's Your Take? And The Green Experiment!

Monika Evstatieva here...

This has been one long week full of news that made us think about our own fundamental values and beliefs. But it is good sometimes to reflect on how news affect us on an individual basis.

Here is Senior Producer Teshima Walker:

Happy Friday - what are you doing this weekend? I'm sure you're debating with your family, friends and co-workers about President Obama's decision to publicly release what has come to be know as the "torture memos". The discussion is on-going and of course we're curious, we want to know where do you line up in the debate - Should Obama have released interrogation details in four top secret memos in which Bush administration lawyers sanctioned harsh tactics? Should people be prosecuted? Who should be prosecuted? Should the memos be released at a "truth commission" before they are released to the public? Or, if it could be proven that the CIA officers "tactics" helped to keep the country safe from possible terrorist threats would you be willing to forgive the use of extreme interrogation techniques...as long as it never happened again? Let us know what you're thinking.

And, to steal a line from Michel...Can I Just Tell You - I tried an experiment on Earth Day. I turned off all the lights in my apartment. I have never done that. The neighborhood I live in is pretty decent but someone did break the glass on my little Honda Civic to take my navigational system...but I've digressed. It's a nice neighborhood but as a single woman, you've got to be alert. So, I walk into my apartment - it's dark inside, I'm nervous. I walk into my bedroom and I catch my breath - I think someone is in my bed...I'm going to scream but I turn the light on to discover that the sheets, pillow and comforter are piled up because I didn't make up my bed! Tell Me More Blog Brothers and Sisters - I will need your encouragement on my journey to help save the planet. I didn't grow up in a household where people separated their paper from their plastics. And, if I call my Daddy right now while he's washing dishes (always by hand, he doesn't believe in a dishwasher), he'll let the water run and run and run. It doesn't occur to him that the planet is running short of water or there are folks in the world that don't have the access to water that we have in the U.S. but... I'm doing the best I can to educate myself and my parents as I go. And, if you're wondering, I debated with myself for five extra minutes before I left for work this morning but, I did cut off all the lights in my apartment but I made up my bed this time.

Have a good weekend. Two more weeks and Marie Nelson - this show's fearless leader will be back in the office! Amen.

Cheers!

Monika Evstatieva

4:39 PM ET | 04-24-2009 | permalink

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Financial Woes? Maybe We Can Help

If you're a regular listener, then you know about our "Money Coach" segment on Tuesdays when expert Alvin Hall helps us navigate all things financial.

Now, because of the financial crisis gripping the nation we want to make sure that we're bringing you the news you really want to know. And we're going to let Alvin answer your questions.

Are you fretting over the tumbling stock market? There have been quite a few steep drops in the past few weeks.

What about age? Are you nearing retirement and worried about what to do with your nest egg? Should you leave it in place or move it somewhere safer? And where would that be?

How about you younger investors -- has your stockbroker had to talk you off the ledge lately?

What about women? Do you feel more vulnerable? Tell us why.

We want to know what you think.

Remember, at Tell Me More the conversation never ends. So blog it out right here.

No time? Then simply call our comment line at 202-842-3522.

Lorrie Grant

2:29 PM ET | 10-20-2008 | permalink

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Who's Fascinating to You?

Closing in on the New Year. It was an eventful year for us -- the launch of our program over the air, the birth of our first TMM baby (to Planning Editor Alicia Montgomery), and we have another baby on the way ... not me, though! And there are other milestones; too personal to share, but cherished nonetheless.

To commemorate the end of the year, we've been offering conversations about fascinating people of 2007 (to us). There was no contest. It is totally unscientific ... totally a matter of impressions and interests, and folks we wanted to talk to.

We'd like to know who would be on your list.

And, we are not just looking backwards at 2007. Throughout January, we will be time-traveling -- looking back on important historical news that we think will captivate you, and looking ahead to what we anticipate will be some of the biggest stories.

Starting next week, new research about slavery in America. This will rock your world. It turns out there has been an explosion of research about the antebellum experience in America in recent years. We will acknowledge the end of the transatlantic slave trade next week, and in the weeks to come, by exploring what scholars are finding. The story did not begin, nor end, with Harriet Tubman.

Have a great weekend. Snag that last pedicure appointment before the holiday!

Michel Martin

2:49 PM ET | 12-28-2007 | permalink

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Send us your 'Attitudes of Gratitude'

Lee, here...

Today's conversations on the Pew/NPR poll on racial attitudes make quite the dinner table/water cooler discussion. So, check them out when you have a moment, and meet us back here at the TMM blog with your personal observations on how this all plays out in your world.

Now, attitudes of gratitude.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. As we sat around the conference table recently, in one of our editorial meetings (we have them daily), we began thinking about how we might produce a Thanksgiving program with some added flavor. A few newsmaker voices came to mind that we wouldn't mind hearing from, but then, as the wheels were churning, it clicked! We really need to hear from YOU...

As the holiday approaches, we're looking for heartwarming experiences from YOU to possibly share with our audience.

So, tell us ... what are you grateful for? And, is there a particular Thanksgiving that will forever be "unforgettable" in your book?

I'll go first:

I was a college senior enrolled here in Washington, D.C. ... For whatever reason, I couldn't get home to Milwaukee for the holiday. It was cold here. I didn't have a whole lot of money, and I was not ordering from the "Great Wall" Chinese carryout on Thanksgiving (not after growing up on my parents' signature make-you-wanna-holler dishes). Well, a woman I once attended church with, her name is Lakaiya, somehow learned I was in this strange city (after three or four years, Washington was still strange to me ... still is) alone on the holiday. In a selfless act of kindness, "Kai" dropped by with an entire home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner -- a turkey, family-sized trimmings, even dessert -- all just for ME. And she didn't even expect me to share it with HER. I would have, of course. That's when she and her family truly became "family" to me. And they still are.

So, again, what influences your attitude of gratitude?

Looking to hear (read) from you...

And, Kai, thanks again.

Lee Hill

3:18 PM ET | 11-14-2007 | permalink

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Grateful for _______.

We've had a full day, so this will be quick:

What are you grateful for?

Yes, the big day is coming up -- the national holiday -- when we are to (try) and maintain an "attitude of gratitude."

So, again, what are YOU grateful for?

Be original, be interesting, be poetic. We just might record your comments for our Thanksgiving show...

And coming up tomorrow...

The Pew Research Center, in association with NPR, has come up with some new numbers about race and racial attitudes -- among African Americans and Whites. We'll be discussing this for the next few days, along with several other NPR programs. We plan to have a range of discussions -- cross-generational, multi-racial. After the numbers are published, we want to know how this resonates with your world. Let us know...

Michel Martin

6:42 PM ET | 11-13-2007 | permalink

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