Wnyc Videos

Are you confused by cosmology? Do you really understand photosynthesis? The brainiacs of They Might Be Giants want to help demystify those scientific concepts and many others, by playing songs from their new album, Here Comes Science, live in our studio. They Might Be Giants perform an all ages in-store at Barnes & Noble in Union Square on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. More information here.

Making a living has never been easy for subway musicians but some say it's only getting tougher. Some buskers are striking up deals with corporate sponsors. Others complain that transit police have been cracking down on performers. Today, we get several views on New York’s “underground economy.” Joining us is Luke Ryan, a musician who struck a deal to be in a deodorant campaign; Heather Haddon, a reporter at amNewYork newspaper, and Steve Zeitlin, executive director of the organization City Lore.

Rita Dove, former U.S. Poet Laureate, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and musician, discusses Sonata Mulattica: Poems. It tells the story of the 19th-century virtuoso violinist, George Polgreen Bridgetower, who was friends with Ludwig van Beethoven until a rivalry for the same woman drove them apart.

Director Werner Herzog latest film, "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," a re-imagining of Abel Ferrara’s 1992 film “Bad Lieutenant.” It stars Nicolas Cage as Terence McDonagh, a drug-addled detective investigating the murder of five African immigrants. "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,"opens in New York Friday, November 20, at Empire 25; Lincoln Plaza; Cinema 1, 2, 3; Chelsea 9; and Angelika Film Center. Another film by Werner Herzog, "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done," opens Friday, December 11 at IFC Center.

New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg discusses his series "Toxic Waters," about the state of drinking water in the United States, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s negligence in enforcing the Clean Water Act. You can read the series "Toxic Waters" here. You can find information about water pollution by state and by zip code here.

On today’s Please Explain, we take a close look at strokes—the causes, effects, and therapeutic and medical advances that help people recover. We're joined by Dr. Randolph S. Marshall, chief of the Division of Stroke, Columbia University Medical Center, and Dr. Jay P. Mohr, Daniel Sciarra Professor of Clinical Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center.

Following up on our coverage of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's trial in civilian court, Karen Greenberg, executive director of the Center on Law and Security at NYU Law School and author of The Least Worst Place: Guantanamo's First 100 Days, explains the history and use of military tribunals.

Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz, Jr. talks about his plans to reach out to gang leaders following the shooting of a teenage girl caught in crossfire.

Duff Wilson, staff writer for The New York Times, discusses calls for a Congressional investigation into possible price gouging by pharmaceutical companies.

Aine Duggan, The Food Bank for New York City's vice president of Research, Policy & Education, and Nurah Amat'ullah, executive director of the Islamic Women's Institute for Research and Development, discuss hunger in New York and demand at food pantries across the city.

2008 GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin doesn't have an index in her new book, Going Rogue. Seyward Darby, assistant managing editor at The New Republic, tells us about the fun she had creating one.

A federal advisory panel and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists made controversial recommendations this week for women to delay breast and cervical cancer screenings. Gina Kolata, science writer for the New York Times and author of Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss--and the Myths and Realities of Dieting, provides analysis.