Midday on WNYC

Henry Bushkin talks about his years working with the King of Late Night, Johnny Carson. In his biography Johnny Carson, Bushkin writes of being hired by Carson as his lawyer in 1970 and becoming Carson’s wingman, fixer, and closest confidant.

Howard Gardner talks about what it means to be “app-dependent” versus “app-enabled” and how life for the younger generation differs from life before the digital era. The App Generation: How Today’s Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy, and Imagination in a Digital World discusses the drawbacks of apps – that they may foreclose a sense of identity, encourage superficial relations with others, and stunt creative imagination – as well as their benefits – that they can promote a strong sense of identity, allow deep relationships, and stimulate creativity. 

Amy Grace Loyd  discusses her novel, The Affairs of Others, about a young woman, haunted by loss, who rediscovers passion and possibility when she’s drawn into the tangled lives of her neighbors.

Congresswoman and Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz talks about the challenges facing America and how they will affect future generations. For the Next Generation: A Wake-Up Call to Solving Our Nation’s Problems  discusses how important issues have been sidelined by gridlock in a Congress that is too concerned about the next election to worry about the future, and how the group of Americans who have the most to lose from this dysfunction are the ones least represented in government: America’s children. For the Next Generation is a call to action, one mother’s challenge to her congressional colleagues and to the rest of the nation, to adopt a parent’s perspective for doing right by kids.

James Franco talks about his acting and directing career, as well as his debut novel, Actors Anonymous. Loosely modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, the book is an intense, wild ride into the dark heart of celebrity. He'll also discuss his latest film based on Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying.

It's pumpkin-picking season. Melissa Clark shares her suggestions for what do with pumpkin—from soups to seed. She's New York Times Dining Section columnist and cookbook writer, and her most recent cookbook is Cook This Now: 120 Easy and Delectable Dishes You Can't Wait to Make.  

Producer and director Deborah Koons Garcia and scientists Dr. Ignacio Chapela and Dr. Michael Hansen talk about the documentary “Symphony of the Soil,” which explores the complexity and mystery of soil. Filmed on four continents and sharing the voices of some of the world’s most esteemed soil scientists, farmers and activists, it shows that soil is a complex living organism, the foundation of life on earth. "Symphony of the Soil" opens on October 11 at the Quad Cinema.

Since March, 278 people have gotten sick from Salmonella poisoning, and now some strains of the bacteria are proving resistant to antibiotics. On this week's Please Explain we discuss Salmonella and other food borne toxins with Dr. Urvashi Rangan, toxicologist and Executive Director of the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center and Dr. Stephen Morse, professor of Epidemiology at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health.  

In October 1993, the Food Network debuted to little notice. Twenty years later, it is in 100 million homes, approaches a billion dollars a year in revenue, and features stars who have become household names.  Allen Salkin discusses how the channel and shows featuring Emeril Lagasse, Rachel Ray, Julia Child, and Bobby Flay have influenced hwo Americans think about cooking and food. He goes behind the scenes in his book From Scratch: Inside the Food Network.

Lisa Miller, contributing editor for New York magazine, talks about ethical parenting, or how parents engage in behavior that is various degrees of corrupt on behalf of their kids.  Is it possible to be an ethical parent? Tell us below in the comments!

Adam Skolnick, author of the Salon article GMOs are Tearing a Tropical Paradise Apart, will talk about the legislative battles being waged over GMO seeds in Hawaii. With its fertile volcanic soil, Hawaii has become a hub for the development of genetically engineered crops like corn, and has more experimental GMO field trials than any other US state. While some claim that GMO seeds have saved local crops like papayas, and that the GMO industry is essential to Hawaii’s economy, others claim that the new crops are a health risk, exposing Hawaiians to dust and pesticides. 

Bonnie Burnham, president of the World Monument Fund, will talk about the organization's 2014 watch list of endangered cultural heritage sites. This year’s list includes 67 sites in 41 countries, and includes places both near (like the Hudson River Palisades) and far (like the city of Yangon, Myanmar).

Liz Neumark discusses founding Katchkie Farm and the Sylvia Center, where children learn firsthand where fresh food comes from—how to grow it, how to harvest it, and how to cook with it. Her new book Sylvia’s Table: Fresh, Seasonal Recipes from Our Farm to Your Table brings these lessons and recipes from the farm to home kitchens. It’s a cookbook for families, featuring recipes from friends like chefs like Michael Romano of Union Square Cafe and Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto; culinary experts including Food & Wine’s Dana Cowin; cookbook authors Giuliano Bugialli, Rozanne Gold, Deborah Madison, and Sara Moulton.

We’ve been pickling as part of Food Fridays! Marisa McClellan, the author of Food in Jars and the blog of the same name, shares her ideas about how to make some more unusual pickles, using everything from cauliflower to pattypan squash. Join our Pickle Project! Post a photo of your pickling creation on Instagram, and tag it #LopatePickles.

The Stop in Toronto that has revolutionized the way we combat hunger and poverty. Community worker Nick Saul became the executive director of The Stop in 1998, and he talks about transforming it from a cramped food bank to a thriving, internationally respected Community Food Centre with gardens, kitchens, a greenhouse, farmers' markets and a mission to revolutionize our food system. He’s the co-author of The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement.