Science
SciFri Book Club Has 'The Right Stuff'
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Sunday, December 02, 2012
Sunday Puzzle
Untangle An 'Act Of God'
December 2, 2012 Every answer is a familiar three-word phrase in the form "____ of ____." The letters in the first and last words of each phrase are rearranged. You give the phrases. For example, "Cat of Dog " becomes "Act of God."
Monkey See
The High And The Low In Holiday Movies
December 2, 2012 A discussion of highbrow holiday movies collides with admissions of gorging on cornball Christmas fare where Santa brings people love and magic happens.
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Author Interviews
'Cross Roads': A Writing Career Built On Faith
December 1, 2012 Paul Young wrote his first book, The Shack, as a story to share with family and friends about faith and redemption. He printed 15 copies at an Office Depot but has gone on to sell 18 million copies. Now he's written a new book, this time for the world, about faith and transformation.
Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
Jake Tapper Of ABC News Plays Not My Job
December 1, 2012 We've invited ABC's longtime chief White House correspondent to answer three questions about a real tapper: Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.
Author Interviews
A Compelling, Chutzpadik History Of 'Jews And Words'
December 1, 2012 "Ours is not a bloodline, but a text line," say father-daughter author team Amos Oz and Fania Oz-Salzberger. Their new book, Jews And Words, explores the significance of text in the Jewish tradition. "For thousands of years, we Jews had nothing but books," Oz says. "They became part of the family life."
Performing Arts
Hispanics Call For Kennedy Center Honors
December 1, 2012 After 35 years and 186 artists, only two honorees have been Hispanic — Placido Domingo in 2000 and Chita Rivera in 2002. "When you paint that picture and you leave the Latino artist community out of it, there's a huge hole," says Felix Sanchez, president of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Pop Culture
That's So Random: The Evolution Of An Odd Word
November 30, 2012 NPR's Neda Ulaby investigates the etymology of random, a word comedian Spencer Thompson calls "the most misused ... of our generation." It turns out that Thompson's frustration is a bit misplaced — random has been around since the 14th century, and its usage shows how life, like language, evolves.
You Must Read This
An Existential Guide For When You're Really 'Lost'
November 30, 2012 Astrophysicist Adam Frank doesn't usually read self-help books, but something about Walker Percy's existential optimism in Lost In The Cosmos actually changed his outlook on life. Do you have a favorite self-help book? Tell us in the comments below.
The Salt
Mark Rice-Ko: Where Food and Rothko Meet In Delicious Harmony
November 30, 2012 Troubled artist Mark Rothko famously hated the rich and glamorous. These were the same people who were expected to see his art in New York's Four Seasons restaurant in a project commissioned back in the 1950s; he never completed the work. Recently, two modern artists decided to interpret these Rothko works in colored rice for the rest of us.
Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers
NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of November 29, 2012
November 30, 2012 David Nasaw's The Patriarch offers insight into the life of Joseph P. Kennedy. It debuts at No. 12.
Deceptive Cadence
The Peony Pavilion: A Vivid Dream In A Garden
November 30, 2012 Peony Pavilion is one of China's most famous operas, but uncut performances of this romantic 16th century work can take more than 22 hours. An adapted version of the dream-like opera will take place at the Metropolitan Museum.
Television
The NFL's New Target Demographic: Kids
November 30, 2012 The National Football League could coast nicely on its colossal audience. But as NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports, execs have turned their attention to the nation's children, targeting them with NFL Rush Zone: Season of the Guardians, an animated TV show co-produced with Nickelodeon.
