fora.tv at Brave New Films

Goodbye, Cody's Books

2008-07-26T18:43:28Z

FORA.tv Partner Cody's Books closed its doors for good on June 20, 2008. In this FORA.tv video blog, Syndication Editor Maureen Olund pays tribute to this legendary Bay Area cultural landmark.

Cody's Books Partner page on FORA.tv: fora.tv

Cody's Books homepage: www.codysbooks.com

Cody's Books Wikipedia entry: en.wikipedia.org

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FORA.tv's Summer Reading List!

2008-07-09T12:58:53Z

Get to know the FORA.tv staff as they walk you through their picks for summer reading! Authors discussed include:

Walter Isaacson on Einstein: His Life and Universe
http://fora.tv/2007/04/20/Walter_Isaacson_on_Einstein

A.J. Jacobs - The Year of Living Biblically
http://fora.tv/2007/10/24/A_J__Jacobs_Year_of_Living_Biblically

Mary Roach on Bonk
http://fora.tv/2008/04/15/Mary_Roach_In_Conversation_with_Beth_Lapides

Khaled Hosseini - A Thousand Splendid Suns
http://fora.tv/2007/06/08/Khaled_Hosseini_A_Thousand_Splendid_Suns

Michael Krasny on Off Mic: A Memoir of Talk Radio
http://fora.tv/2007/10/18/Michael_Krasny_A_Memoir_of_Talk_Radio

Fareed Zakaria on The Post-American World
http://fora.tv/2008/05/20/Fareed_Zakaria_The_Post-American_World

Tom Wolfe on American Novels
http://fora.tv/2008/05/12/Tom_Wolfe_on_the_Journalistic_Approach_to_American_Novels

Raj Patel on Stuffed and Starved
http://fora.tv/2008/05/16/Raj_Patel_Discusses_Stuffed_and_Starved

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins
http://fora.tv/2008/04/07/A_Selection_of_Poems_by_Billy_Collins

Leslie Bennetts - The Feminine Mistake
http://fora.tv/2007/05/02/Feminine_Mistake

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FORA.tv at Battle of Ideas in London

2008-06-09T09:39:12Z

Update from Day 2 at the Battle of Ideas in London: I'm slightly exhausted, but have been extremely inspired by this wonderful series of debates. I really can't wait to get this content live on FORA. Stay tuned.

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Remembering San Francisco's "Summer of Love"

2008-06-17T03:31:38Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Dr. David E. Smith, founder of San Francisco's Height Ashbury Free Clinics, reminisces on his experiences during that city's "Summer of Love" of 1967.

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"The Roots of a Counter-Culture" with panelists David E. Smith, Executive Medical Director, Prometa Center for Addiction, Founder, Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic; Wavy Gravy, Activist, Clown, Former Frozen Dessert; Wes "Scoop" Nisker, Author Radio Commentator; Paul Krassner, Writer, Founder, The Realist Magazine. Moderated by Peter Finch,Co-host, KFOG Morning Show.

In the summer of 1967, youths from all over the country converged on San Francisco and laid the foundation for a socio-political legacy. Forty years later, decisions made during the Summer of Love continue to have an impact on our national politics and our lives. Join in a discussion with panelists who witnessed the revelry and the repercussions of a summer that shaped not only a generation, but a way of life. - Commonwealth Club of California

Dr. Smith is a Visiting Research Physician, who is serving as State Medical Specialist for a substance abuse services grant at the Institute for Health and Aging at the University of California, San Francisco. In 1967, Dr. Smith founded the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics in San Francisco. He is a fellow and past President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He is also Medical Director at the California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, and is Associate Clinical professor, Clinical Toxicology and Occupational Health, at the School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. Since 1984, Dr. Smith has served as Research Director at MPI Treatment Services at Summit Medical Center in Oakland, California. In addition, Dr. Smith served as Visiting Associate Clinical Professor of Behavioral Pharmacology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Nevada Medical School, Reno Nevada. He recently founded the Free Clinic Cooperative, who mission is to reach out to and support free medical clinics nationwide.

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Jacob Needleman - Why Listen to Opinions You Disagree With?

2008-06-17T09:32:15Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Jacob Needleman, author and professor of philosophy at San Francisco State University, argues that the act of listening is a critical step in the development of a personal morality.

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Jacob Needleman discusses "Why Can't We Be Good?"

After nearly forty years of weighing humanity's deepest dilemmas - working in settings ranging from university and high school classrooms to corporate offices and hospitals - bestselling author, philosopher, and religious scholar Jacob Needleman presents the most urgent, deeply felt, and widely accessible work of his career.

In "Why Can't We Be Good?" Needleman identifies the core problem that therapists and social philosophers fail to see. He depicts the individual human as a being who knows what is good, yet who remains mysteriously helpless to innerly adopt the ethical, moral, and religious ideas that are bequeathed to him. - Cody's Books

Jacob Needleman is a professor of philosophy at San Francisco State University and the author of many books, including The American Soul, The Wisdom of Love, Time and the Soul, The Heart of Philosophy, Lost Christianity, and Money and the Meaning of Life.

In addition to his teaching and writing, he serves as a consultant in the fields of psychology, education, medical ethics, philanthropy, and business, and has been featured on Bill Moyers's acclaimed PBS series A World of Ideas.

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William Gibson - Excerpt from "Spook Country"

2008-06-17T09:37:29Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Bestselling science-fiction author William Gibson reads an excerpt from his novel, "Spook Country."

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William Gibson discusses "Spook Country."

William Gibson has long been recognized as a literary pioneer with an eye for technological and social change. From his 1984 debut novel "Neuromancer", in which he envisioned both the Internet and virtual reality before either existed, to his most recent novel, "Pattern Recognition", which probed cultural changes in the US since 9/11, Gibson has repeatedly demonstrated a unique ability to see the odd shapes, bulges, and empty spaces created by information as it leaks out, indicators of events of extreme weirdness and secrecy.

His exploration of our chaotic present continues in "Spook Country", a contemporary novel of political paranoia. - Cody's Books

William Ford Gibson is an American-born science fiction author who has been called the father of the cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction, partly due to coining the term "cyberspace" in 1982, and partly because of the success of his first novel, "Neuromancer," which has sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide since its publication in 1984.

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Madeleine Albright - On Women in American Politics

2008-06-17T09:38:43Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright discusses difficulties faced by women in positions of political power. This excerpt is taken from a roundtable discussion entitled "Women and American Politics," and was recorded at the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival.
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Women and American Politics: A Roundtable with discussants: Rep. Jane Harman, John Dickerson, Sec. Margaret Spellings, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sec. Madeleine Albright. and moderated by Andrea Mitchell.

In this, its third year, Aspen Ideas Festival once again gathers scientists, artists, politicians, historians, educators, activists, and other great thinkers around some of the most important and fascinating ideas of our time. As these thinkers present their provocative ideas, they engage a sophisticated and highly motivated audience.

Madeleine Korbel Albright (born May 15, 1937) served as the 64th United States Secretary of State. She currently serves as the Mortara Distinguished Professor of Diplomacy at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Madeleine Albright was nominated by President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, as Secretary of State. After being unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, she was sworn in as the 64th Secretary of State on January 23, 1997. Albright was the first female Secretary of State.

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Anthony Romero - Is the ACLU a Liberal Organization?

2008-06-17T15:31:40Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, challenges mainstream characterizations of the ACLU as a strictly liberal organization.

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"In Defense of America: Fighting A Different Kind of War, Without Becoming A Different Kind of Country" with Anthony Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

President Bush says the U.S. is fighting a "different kind of war," but does that mean it must become a different kind of country? Rather than justifying the usurpation of constitutional powers, this war demands that we stick to our core values more strongly than ever, says the ACLU. Romero shares examples from the legal war that he has been fighting at home.

Anthony D. Romero is the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, the nation's premier defender of liberty and individual freedom. He took the helm of the 87-year-old organization just four days before the September 11, 2001 attacks. Shortly afterward, the ACLU launched its national Safe and Free campaign to protect basic freedoms during a time of crisis. Under Romero's leadership, the ACLU gained court victories on the Patriot Act filed landmark litigation on the torture and abuse of detainees in U.S. custody, and filed the first successful legal challenge to the Bush administration's illegal NSA spying program.

Romero, an attorney with a history of public-interest activism, has presided over the most successful membership growth in the ACLU's history and more than doubled national staff and tripled the budget of the organization since he began his tenure. This unprecedented growth has allowed the ACLU to expand its nationwide litigation, lobbying and public education efforts, including new initiatives focused on racial justice, religious freedom, privacy, reproductive freedom and lesbian and gay rights.

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Anthony Romero - The ACLU's Record on Terrorism

2008-06-17T15:32:56Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, discusses the position of the ACLU in regards to terrorism and other wartime legislation.

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"In Defense of America: Fighting A Different Kind of War, Without Becoming A Different Kind of Country" with Anthony Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

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Curry and Wandzilak - Overcoming Drug and Alcohol Addiction

2008-06-17T15:34:56Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Co-authors Constance Curry and Kristina Wandzilak discuss the struggles with drug and alcohol addiction at the heart of their book, "The Lost Years: Surviving a Mother and Daughter's Worst Nightmare."

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Constance Curry and Kristina Wandzilak talk about "The Lost Years: Surviving a Mother and Daughter's Worst Nightmare."

This riveting memoir of survival and transformation reveals the true story of a daughter's decline into alcohol and drug addiction, prostitution and homelessness, and her mother's efforts to rescue her. - Book Passage

Kristina Wandzilak is the Executive director of Full Circle Intervention, a nationally recognized presenter and author. She has worked in the chemical dependency field since 1994. Kristina has been specializing in intervention since 1998 and opened the doors of Full Circle Intervention, with the vision of bringing respectful intervention to families who are in crisis with addiction.

Constance Curry has been in co-dependency recovery for many years. She has studied and tried to understand the disorder that took over her life and the lives of those she loved most. She has been on various educational speaker panels for practicing therapists and teachers talking on the intricate subject of addiction and family recovery.

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Francis Fukuyama - Radical Islam's Threat to Democracy

2008-07-09T16:25:44Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Francis Fukuyama, political scientist and author of "The End of History and the Last Man," argues that radical Islam does not pose as effective a long-term challenge to modernity and liberal democracy as many of its critics think.

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"The End Of History Revisited" with Francis Fukuyama speaking at a seminar hosted by The Long Now Foundation.

Frank Fukuyama's 1992 book "The End of History and the Last Man" had profound and lasting impact with its declaration that science and technology, the growing global economy, and liberal democracy are leading history in a quite different direction than Marx and Hegel imagined. In this revisit to those themes, Fukuyama examines conflict with and within Islam, the need for a diffuse form of global governance to deal with problems like climate change, and the deeper implications of biotechnology. - The Long Now Foundation

Professor Fukuyama has worked at several prominent think tanks and public policy organizations, he has served the U.S. Department of State in posts related to Middle East affairs, and is a 2002 appointee to the President's Council on Bioethics.

Francis Fukuyama is Bernard Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and Director of its International Development Program.

He is the author of "The End of History and the Last Man."

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Norman Mailer - Iraq and the American Right

2008-06-17T21:29:31Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Internationally acclaimed author and journalist Norman Mailer discusses his views on national pride, the Iraq war, and American Neoconservatives. This excerpt is taken from a program in which Norman Mailer talks with authors Gunter Grass and Andrew O'Hagan on the topic of "The 20th Century on Trial," and was recorded in collaboration with the New York Public Library.

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The New York Public Library presents "The 20th Century on Trial" with Norman Mailer and Gunter Grass.

Born in the 1920s, Gunter Grass and Norman Mailer went on to become grand men of letters. They witnessed the 20th century at close quarters. At the center of each writer's consciousness is the role of their respective countries in World War II and the legacy of violence and guilt that created the Cold War. Yet as stylists these two novelists appeared to internalize the great forces of their times: the appeal of totalitarianism and the cult of celebrity, the struggle for national definition and the psychology of sex.

Mailer and Grass set out to create revolutions in the consciousness of their times, and now might be the moment to ask how the 20th century itself emerges from their work. What was that century? What would they write for its epitaph? Nobel Prize-Winner Gunter Grass's memoir "Peeling the Onion" takes him back to his wartime childhood and adolescence - it is a searing book that provides evidence on behalf of the self-accusing. Norman Mailer's latest novel, "The Castle in the Forest," is his take on Hitler's own youth. These two great writers have come full circle, to the same place and time, and their creativity puts the 20th century itself on trial - The New York Public Library

Norman Mailer was born to a Jewish family in Long Branch, New Jersey. He was brought up in Brooklyn, New York, graduated from Boys' High School and when he was only sixteen was admitted to Harvard University in 1939, where he studied aeronautical engineering. At the university, he became interested in writing and published his first story when he was 18. Mailer was drafted into the Army in World War II and served in the South Pacific. In 1948, just before enrolling in the Sorbonne in Paris, he published a book that made him world-famous: The Naked and the Dead, based on his personal experiences during World War II. It was hailed by many as one of the best American novels to come out of the war years and named one of the "100 best novels in English language" by the Modern Library.

Other famous works include: The Presidential Papers (1963), An American Dream (1965), Why Are We in Vietnam? (1967), Armies of the Night (1968, awarded a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award), Miami and the Siege of Chicago (1968), Of a Fire on the Moon (1970), The Prisoner of Sex (1971), Marilyn (1973), The Fight (1975), The Executioner's Song (1979, awarded a Pulitzer Prize), Ancient Evenings (1983), Harlot's Ghost (1991), Oswald's Tale (1995), and The Castle in the Forest (2007).

In 1968 he received a George Polk Award for his reporting in Harper's Magazine.

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Dave Zirin - On Bonds, Tillman and the Poltics of Sports

2008-06-17T21:29:41Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Author and commentator Dave Zirin gives his thoughts on sports talk radio, and examines the frequently rocky relationship between sports and politics.

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Dave Zirin discusses "Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports."

Dave Zirin is at the crossroads of a sports culture that celebrates bling and the multi-million-dollar endorsements, and a political culture loathe to recognize, let alone help, the millions of Americans battling poverty and oppression.

This eagerly anticipated follow-up to Zirin's "What's My Name Fool?" grapples with this cultural contradiction. - Cody's Books

Dave Zirin is the author of "What's My Name, Fool?: Sports and Resistance in the United States." He is a sports commentator for Air America and XM Radio's 'On the Real' with Chuck D and Gia'na Garel.

Zirin's writing has appeared in THE SOURCE, Common Dreams, The College Sporting News, basketball.com, alternet, The Black Sports Network, Counterpunch, Dodgers Dugout, sports-central.org, The San Fransisco Bay View, Z-Net, The International Socialist Review, War-Times, Z-Magazine and The Afro-American.

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Karl Rove - Defending Bush's Immigration Policy

2008-06-17T21:30:11Z

Karl Rove - Defending Bush's Immigration Policy

Complete video at: fora.tv

White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Republican Party strategist Karl Rove defends the Bush Administration's policies on illegal immigration.

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Karl Rove in conversation with Walter Isaacson at the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival.

Karl Rove is Assistant to the President, Deputy Chief of Staff and a Senior Advisor.

Prior to his current appointment, Rove served as chief strategist for the Bush-Cheney 2000 Presidential campaign and as president of Karl Rove and Company, an Austin, Texas-based public affairs firm. He previously served as a member of the Board of International Broadcasting, which oversees operations of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, and served on the board of the McDonald Observatory. Karl also taught at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and in the Journalism Department at the University of Texas at Austin.

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John Perkins - America's Secret Empire

2008-06-17T21:30:48Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

"Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" author John Perkins argues that the United states has created a modern-day empire through the use of economic blackmail and the undermining of foreign governments.

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"The Secret History of the American Empire" with John Perkins, author of "Confessions of An Economic Hit Man."

Perkins zeroes in on hot spots around the world such as Venezuela, Tibet, Iraq, Israel, Vietnam and others and exposes the network of events in each of these countries that have contributed to the creation of the American Empire and international corruption in "The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and the Truth About Global Corruption" - Cody's Books

John Perkins spent three decades as an Economic Hit Man, business executive, author, and lecturer. He lived and worked in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and North America. Then he made a decision: he would use these experiences to make the planet a better place for his daughter's generation. Today he teaches about the importance of rising to higher levels of consciousness, to waking up - in both spiritual and physical realms - and is a champion for environmental and social causes. He has lectured at universities on four continents, including Harvard, Wharton, and Princeton.

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Joyce Carol Oates - On Writing Characters

2008-06-17T21:31:35Z

http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=1204

Critically acclaimed author Joyce Carol Oates discusses how a writer develops realistic characters, using examples from her novel "The Gravedigger's Daughter."

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Joyce Carol Oates talks about "The Gravedigger's Daughter."

A family desperate to escape Nazi Germany settles in upstate New York, where the father is demeaned by the only job he can get: gravedigger an cemetery caretaker. What follows is a tale of unspeakable tragedy, as the gravedigger's daughter begins her astonishing pilgrimage into America, an odyssey of ingenious self-invention and bittersweet triumph - Book Passage

Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 19wr38) is an American author and the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing at Princeton University, where she has taught since 1978.

She serves as associate editor for the Ontario Review, a literary magazine, and the Ontario Review Press, a literary book publisher, both of which are edited by her husband, Raymond J. Smith.

Oates has also written under the pseudonyms "Rosamond Smith" and "Lauren Kelly."

Her most recent book is "The Gravedigger's Daughter."

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Web 2.0 Panel Discussion - Does the "Wiki" Model Work?

2008-06-18T03:29:57Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

A panel of internet cultural critics debates the successes and failures of "Web 2.0," using Wikipedia and its popular "wiki" model as an example.

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"The Cult of the Amateur" with speakers Andrew Keen and Ori Brafman. Mary Hodder moderates.

Andrew Keen is the author of the book, "The Cult of the Amateur: How the Democratization of the Digital World is Assaulting Our Economy, Our Culture, and Our Values." He is the founder and former CEO of Audiocafe.com and is considered a leading contemporary critic of the internet. Andrew is currently the Founder and Chief Executive of afterTV LLC.

Mary Hodder is an information architect and interaction designer for several web service companies with social media sites. She works with companies in open source, photo sharing and blog aggregation, was at Technorati, and recently completed a survey of the current state of research and development in academia in the area of New Media for the American Press Institute. She is a blogger at Napsterization (napsterization.org/stories/) and an original author at bIPlog (the first UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism blog, on the topic of intellectual property, security and privacy).

Ori Brafman is the co-author of the book "The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations." Born in Israel and raised in Texas, Ori Brafman has been a lifelong entrepreneur. Ori holds a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

When he was still in college, he co-founded Vegan Action, which successfully launched a network with thirty-six national and international chapters. He brought vegan foods into numerous college dining halls. Ori co-founded Global Peace Networks, which catalyzed a network of CEOs working on conflict resolution and economic development in Africa and the Middle East.

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Web 2.0 Panel Discussion - What is Web 2.0?

2008-06-18T03:34:45Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Technology blogger Mary Hodder and internet cultural critic Andrew Keen define what is meant by the phrase "Web 2.0," and give examples of its influence on internet popular culture.

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"The Cult of the Amateur" with speakers Andrew Keen and Ori Brafman. Mary Hodder moderates.

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Mark Schmitt - "Cultural Sensitivity" on the Ground in Iraq

2008-06-18T03:36:09Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Eric Schmitt, Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent for the New York Times, describes a botched military raid he witnessed firsthand while embedded with American troops in Iraq in late 2003.

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"Iraq and Afghanistan: A Reporter's Perspective" with Eric Schmitt.

What's it like reporting from the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan? Schmitt has covered every war and major military operation involving American troops since the 1991 Gulf War. He discusses his nine trips to Iraq and four to Afghanistan, and his Pulitzer Prize-winning series exposing the sale of sensitive American technology to China. -- The Commonwealth Club

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Religion Panel - Do Athiests Lack "Spiritual Values?"

2008-06-18T09:31:22Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

A panel of religious experts debates the question of whether or not "spiritual values" can be said to be held by individuals who to not profess a belief in God.

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Many studies show that Americans are more religious than people in other Western countries, but battles still rage in the United States over the role of religion in everyday public life.

This panel of religious thinkers comment on the role of faith in transcending individualism and selfishness in a commercial society, on addressing the variety of faiths in our spiritually diverse society, and on religion's role in education. -- The Commonwealth Club

Michael Maudlin is Editorial Director at Harper One San Francisco.

Stephen Prothero is the Chair of the Department of Religion at Boston University and the author of numerous books, most recently Religious Literacy: What Americans Need to Know (HarperSanFrancisco, 2007) and American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003).

Rabbi Michael Lerner is a political activist and the editor of Tikkun, a prominent progressive Jewish and interfaith magazine based in Berkeley, California.

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FORA.tv Interview with Christopher Hitchens

2008-06-05T21:29:31Z

Original video at: fora.tv

Bestselling author and journalist Christopher Hitchens speaks with FORA.tv President and CEO Brian Gruber. This program was recorded prior to an event featuring Mr. Hitchens at City Arts & Lectures in San Francisco, CA, on May 23, 2007.

Christopher Hitchens is an author, journalist and literary critic. Now living in Washington, D.C., he has been a columnist at Vanity Fair, The Nation and Slate; additionally, he is an occasional contributor to many other publications. Hitchens is most recently the author of "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything."

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Courtney Martin - Perfect Girls, or Starving Daughters?

2008-06-05T21:30:13Z

Courtney E. Martin is a writer originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her book, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body, will be published on Simon and Schuster's Free Press in April and in the UK and Norway in May.

She writes for a range of national publications, including Newsweek, Newsday, Alternet, The Christian Science Monitor, The Village Voice, Time Out New York, Utne Reader, Women's eNews, Poets and Writers, Publisher's Weekly, BUST, Bitch, and ReadyMade, among others. Courtney is also a contributing blogger for Crucial Minutiae and Feministing.

Courtney's been honored with the ChoiceUSA Setting the Message Straight Award, the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics, and fellowships from the Puffin Foundation, the Clark Foundation, and the Oral History Association. In addition, she is a Woodhull fellow.

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Al Roker - From WNBC to the Today Show

2008-06-05T21:30:44Z

Complete video at: fora.tv

Today Show weather anchor Al Roker discusses his rise from a staffer at New York City's WNBC to his current status as America's most famous weatherman.

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A ten-time Emmy winner, Al Roker conducts interviews with celebrities and newsmakers around the world and does a wide variety of segments on every imaginable subject. He is the host of NBC annual network specials, such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Christmas Tree Lighting at Rockefeller Center, and The Rose Bowl Parade.

As a host of NBC’s Today Show, Al Roker has the undivided attention of the nation (over 32 million viewers per week) every weekday morning as America prepares for work. His daily encounters with visitors from across the country on the sidewalks outside Studio 1-A are a highlight of Today. - Oxonian Society

Al Roker has been the weather and feature reporter on NBC News’ Today since January 1996. Until January of 2000, Roker also served as the weekday weather forecaster for News Channel 4’s early evening newscast Live at 5 on WNBC-TV, NBC’s flagship owned and operated station in New York City.

New York magazine has twice named Roker Best Weatherman. He came to WNBC-TV as a weekend weathercaster in December 1983 from WKYC-TV, the NBC Television Station in Cleveland. Roker began his broadcasting career while still in college by landing a job as a weekend weatherman WTVH-TV in Syracuse, N.Y. in 1974. After graduation he moved on to weathercasting jobs in Washington, D.C. (1976-1978) and Cleveland, Ohio (1978-1983). He is a recipient of the American Meteorological Society’s prestigious Seal of Approval and has been a pioneer in the use of computer graphics for weathercasting.

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Floyd Landis - What can Cycling do to Prevent Cheating?

2008-06-06T03:29:29Z

Complete program at: fora.tv

American cyclist Floyd Landis discusses the doping allegations surrounding his victory in the 2006 Tour de France, and gives his take on what steps professional cycling should take to discourage cheating.

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Floyd Landis talks about "Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France."

Landis, the American cyclist whose hard-earned 2006 Tour de France victory was stripped due to doping allegations, provides strong evidence to clear his name. He talks about the fascinating ups and downs of his life and his career. -- Book Passage

Floyd Landis is an American cyclist. He is a time-trial specialist as well as a climber. Landis turned professional in 1999 with the Mercury Cycling Team. He joined the US Postal Service team in 2002, and moved to the Phonak Hearing Systems team in 2005.

Landis is still officially the winner of the 2006 Tour de France, the third American to do so (after Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong), though he is not considered by Tour officials to be the champion and his status as champion may be subject to change.

Landis failed a drug test which indicated a ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone of 11 to 1 (the legal limit is 4 to 1) and the presence of synthetic testosterone during one stage of the race and he is expected to have to forfeit his title.

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Floyd Landis - Cycling Team Strategies

2008-06-06T03:30:07Z

Complete program at: fora.tv

2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis attempts to explain the various strategies employed among cycling teams during a race.

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Floyd Landis talks about "Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France."

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