WNYC New York Public Radio Most Emailed of the Month

You Were Always Mom’s Favorite (The Leonard Lopate Show: Tuesday, 20 October 2009)

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:49 GMT

Deborah Tannen discusses the perplexing relationships between sisters. Her latest book, You Were Always Mom’s Favorite: Sisters in Conversation Throughout Their Lives, shares insights and anecdotes from interviews with over a hundred women, and looks at the closeness and competition that exists between sisters.

Parasites (Radiolab: Friday, 25 September 2009)

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:00 GMT

What's gotten into you? In this hour we explore nature's moochers - the good, the bad, and the hideous. We have stories of lethargic farmers, zombie cockroaches, and even mind-controlled humans (kinda, maybe). Could parasites be the shadowy hands that pull the strings of life?

Glimmer (The Leonard Lopate Show: Tuesday, 27 October 2009)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:00 GMT

Warren Berger, shares the principles of design that can improve the way we think, work, and live. His book Glimmer: How You Can Transform Your Life, and Maybe Even the World shows how we can all apply the skills designers use to solve problems and spur innovation.

Artificial Intelligence for the Unemployed

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:04 GMT

Could a mathematical formula cause a big leap forward in the job search? The New York State Department of Labor thinks so. It's testing an algorithm it hopes will do much better than ordinary job boa....

New Stu (Radiolab: Friday, 02 October 2009)

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:00 GMT

Stu Rasmussen, of Silverton, Oregon, is an avid metalworker, woodworker, and electrician - and in 2008 became our country's first transgendered mayor. News of his election swept the country, but what was it like at home?

Mind The Gap: Why Good Schools are Failing Minority Students

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:23 GMT

Nationwide, suburban schools are doing a good job educating white students but are not getting the same results with black and Latino students. This weekend, WNYC will air a documentary about one New....

New Normal? (Radiolab: Friday, 02 October 2009)

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:00 GMT

How do you tell the difference between a sea change and a ripple in the water? Is a peacenik baboon, a man in a dress, or a cuddly fox a sign of things to come? Or just a flukey outlier from the norm? Is there ever really even a norm? In this hour we examine three stories that reframe our sense of normalcy.

Recipes from Chef David Chang

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:57 GMT

ginger scallion noodles Our ginger scallion noodles are an homage to/out-and-out rip-off of one of the greatest dishes in New York City: the $4.95 plate of ginger scallion noodles at Great New ....

Bright-Sided (The Leonard Lopate Show: Wednesday, 14 October 2009)

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:29 GMT

Barbara Ehrenreich talks about why she thinks America’s love affair with positive thinking has a negative side. Her new book Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America traces the origins of our sunny outlook and looks at how relentless positive thinking has led to an era of what Ehrenreich calls irrational optimism.

Event: Barbara Ehrenreich will be reading and signing books
Wednesday October 14, at 7:00 pm
Barnes & Noble, Upper West Side
2289 Broadway at 82nd Street

Numbers (Radiolab: Friday, 09 October 2009)

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:00 GMT

Radiolab dedicates this hour to an exploration of numbers. Those pesky little things on the chalkboard. Where do they come from and what do they really do for us? We bring you stories on how they confuse us, connect us, and reveal secrets about us.

A Cut Above (The Brian Lehrer Show: Monday, 26 October 2009)

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:00 GMT

First there were rock star chefs, then rock star mixologists – now it’s time to "meat" the new class of hip butchers. And, it’s one week and one day to election day - Bill Thompson discusses his home stretch strategy. And: the week-long series on inductees into the City Lore People’s Hall of Fame kicks off with DJ Rekha, who is fusing Hip Hop with Punjabi and Jamaican to make "basement bhangra."

A Fine Romance (The Leonard Lopate Show: Tuesday, 10 November 2009)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:46 GMT

Poet, editor, and cultural critic David Lehman looks at the origins of the American songbook—jazz standards, iconic love songs, and famous movie sound tracks. In his book A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs, explores the fact that the majority of this music was written exclusively by Jews.

Event: David Lehman will be speaking and he’ll be joined by pianist Jonathan Breit and vocalists Thomas Dolan, Hannah Oberman-Breindel, and Megan Stern
Tuesday, November 10th, at 8:15 pm
The 92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue, at 92nd Street
Tickets $27. More information and tickets here. Or call 212-415-5500.

New Baboon (Radiolab: Friday, 02 October 2009)

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:00 GMT

John Horgan examines how Americans seem to have a completely different attitude toward war than we did thirty years ago. He takes us on a stroll through Hoboken, asking strangers one of the great unanswerable questions: "Will humans ever stop fighting wars?" Strangely, everyone seems to know the answer. Robert Sapolsky brings us farther afield - to eastern Africa, where a population of baboons defies his expectations of violent behavior. Robert is surprised to feel hopeful for a gentler future, but then primatologist Richard Wrangham asserts that their aggressive nature is innate, unchanging, and hanging over them like a guillotine.

Sex Abuse in Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish Community (The Brian Lehrer Show: Friday, 30 October 2009)

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:08 GMT

A spike in sex crimes victims coming forward in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community is seen a positive first step for law enforcement. Charles Hynes, District Attorney for Kings County and Rhonnie Jaus, chief of the District Attorney's sex crime bureau, discuss their efforts to encourage reporting with various community partnerships, including one with Faye Wilbur, coordinator of family violence services to the Jewish community, Jewish Board of Family and Children Services in Borough Park.

Where's the Beef? (The Brian Lehrer Show: Monday, 02 November 2009)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:50 GMT

Author of the bestselling novels Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer, discusses his new work of non-fiction, Eating Animals, and his attempt to resolve the issue of meat-eating versus vegetarianism.

Upcoming event with Jonathan Safran Foer: November 16, 2009 Barnes and Noble Union Square, 7pm.

Across the Ages (The Leonard Lopate Show: Wednesday, 28 October 2009)

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:46 GMT

On today’s show Robert Skidelsky talks about what we can learn from the economist John Maynard Keynes. Then, pianist Lang Lang discusses his upcoming performance at Carnegie Hall. And A. S. Byatt is here to talk about her latest novel, The Children’s Book. Plus, our Word Maven Patricia T. O’Conner answers your questions about the English language.

Are you running the New York City Marathon?
Tell us why you are running! Share your story as a comment here.

Come see our show live in the Greene Space on November 11th! Get tickets here.

Sculptors of Monumental Narrative (Radiolab: Friday, 25 September 2009)

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:00 GMT

Dickson Despommier tells us the story of how the insatiable millionaire John D. Rockefeller turned an eye to the untapped market of the American South and ended up eradicating the hookworm (and, in the process, a number of other awful afflictions) with an ingenious contraption. Then Patrick Walters introduces us to Jasper Lawrence, a modern-day entrepreneur whose passion for hookworms stems from lifelong battles with allergies and asthma. But unlike Rockefeller, Jasper sees this parasite as friend, not foe.

In Defense of Cheats (Radiolab: Friday, 25 September 2009)

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:00 GMT

Carl Zimmer plays defense lawyer, trying to exonerate parasites for their wrongs, while Jad and Robert argue in defense of the victims. Our producer Lulu Miller comes in to moderate a lightning round of: "Parasites: are they evil, or are they awesome?" The parasites in question are the zombie wasp, the nematode, and the lovey-dovey blood fluke.

Healing Touch (The Brian Lehrer Show: Tuesday, 13 October 2009)

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:59 GMT

Much of the health care debate has centered around care for the elderly, but a new group hopes to include young people in the discussion as well. Plus, Michael Meyer looks back at the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago. And Deepak Chopra on restoring balance to your life.

30 Issues in 30 Days: See the Schedule!

Participate in a post-debate online chat with Brian and Andrea Bernstein tonight at 8. Details here!

WNYC - Slideshow: The Map as Art

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:02 GMT

Culture Wars (The Brian Lehrer Show: Friday, 23 October 2009)

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:46 GMT

30 Issues in 30 Days continues with a look at gay rights and abortion in the context of the New Jersey elections. Plus, New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez on the Governor’s race and his new book about Latinos in America; Babble.com’s new compilation of essays on parenting; and a doctor’s take on training for the New York City marathon.

30 Issues in 30 Days: See the Schedule!

Pros and Cons of Teaching to the Test (The Brian Lehrer Show: Wednesday, 11 November 2009)

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:29 GMT

Earlier this year, we collaborated with the Vote 18 Political Literacy Project, which looked to engage Pace High School students in the mayoral election. Education was a hot topic, and in particular the question of how much NYC schools should rely on standardized testing. Christopher Malone, associate professor of political science at Pace University, is organizer of the project. He's joined by Quincy Adonis and Melanie Lugo, two Pace High School students who participated in the project.

StuyTown Tenants Fear Inspections

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:03 GMT

Tenants at Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village say landlord Tishman Speyer is conducting massive complex-wide apartment inspections and then threatening them with possible evictions. Letters to....

Man of Constant Sorrow (The Leonard Lopate Show: Tuesday, 10 November 2009)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:58 GMT

Ralph Stanley looks back on his long career as the patriarch of old-time mountain music. In Man of Constant Sorrow, he tells the story of how music now popular around the world was created by two brothers from a dying southern mountain culture.

Momofuku (The Leonard Lopate Show: Monday, 02 November 2009)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:39 GMT

Chef David Chang, owner of award-winning New York restaurants Momofuku Noodle Bar, Ssäm Bar, Ko, and Milk Bar, discusses his new cookbook. Momofuku tells the story behind the cuisine that has altered New York’s culinary landscape and shares recipes (including his famous pork buns).

Events: David Chang will be in conversation with co-author Peter Meehan and Anthony Bourdain
Monday, November 23, at 7:00 pm
Barnes & Noble, Union Square
33 East 17th Street

David Chang will be in conversation with co-author Peter Meehan and Mario Batali
Wednesday, December 2, at 7:00 pm
The Strand
828 Broadway, at 13th Street