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| <title>This American Life</title> | |
| <link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org</link> | |
| <description>Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most popular weekly podcast in the world, and winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago.</description> | |
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| <copyright>Copyright 1995-2025 This American Life</copyright> | |
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| <itunes:subtitle>Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most popular weekly podcast in the world, and winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago.</itunes:subtitle> | |
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| <item><title>870: My Other Self</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/870/my-other-self</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR9417124313.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What happens when people create alternate versions of themselves and release them into the wild?</itunes:subtitle><description>What happens when people create alternate versions of themselves and release them into the wild?<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks about a recent experience being interviewed and the realization that he was being asked about another version of himself.<br /><br />Act One: Me and My Shadow:<br />Reporter Evan Ratliff creates an AI version of himself and then sets it loose on the world.<br /><br />Act Two: Papa Was a Trolling Stone:<br />Emmanuel Dzotsi explores the phenomenon of people lying on first dates to project a better version of themselves.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 13:17:29 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>870</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>869: Harold</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/869/harold</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR8814052881.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of Harold Washington and the white backlash that ensued when he became Chicago's first Black mayor.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of Harold Washington and the white backlash that ensued when he became Chicago's first Black mayor.<br /><br />Prologue: As New York City’s Democratic establishment attempts to resist the candidacy of Zohran Mamdani, we look back at another mayoral candidate who upset the established political machine.<br /><br />Act One: Yesterday:<br />A history of the brief mayoral career of Harold Washington and its lessons for Black and white&nbsp;America, as told by people close to him.&nbsp;(39 minutes)Harold Washington died on November 25, 1987.&nbsp; This show was first broadcast ten years later, in 1997.<br /><br />Act Two: The Present and the Future:<br />Ira revisits interviews with Chicago voters from the 1997 and 2007 rebroadcasts of this episode. In 1997, ten years after Harold Washington’s death, not much had changed in Chicago.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 19:14:52 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>869</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>286: Mind Games</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/286/mind-games</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR6741917582.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who try simple mind games on others, and then find themselves way in over their heads.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who try simple mind games on others, and then find themselves way in over their heads.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass interviews Lori Gottlieb about the time she sent a letter to a writer in a magazine, a letter packed with white lies.<br /><br />Act One: Continued:<br />Lori Gottlieb's story continues. One complication led to another, and before long, the writer seemed to be lying to her.<br /><br />Act Two: The Spy Who Loved Everyone:<br />A group called Improv Everywhere decides that an unknown band, Ghosts of Pasha, playing their first ever tour in New York, ought to think they're a smash hit. So they study the band's music and then crowd the performance, pretending to be hard-core fans.<br /><br />Act Three: Invisible Girl:<br />Scott Carrier and his family live in the same Salt Lake City neighborhood as Elizabeth Smart, the fourteen-year-old whose 2002 kidnapping made international news. Though Smart's picture was plastered everywhere throughout Salt Lake City and thousands of volunteers searched for her, her captors brazenly brought her back to the very neighborhood from which she'd been taken.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>286</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>868: The Hand That Rocks The Gavel</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/868/the-hand-that-rocks-the-gavel</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR4129523400.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A group of immigration judges, who almost never speak to the press, describes the dismantling of our immigration court system from the inside.</itunes:subtitle><description>A group of immigration judges, who almost never speak to the press, describes the dismantling of our immigration court system from the inside.<br /><br />Prologue: Zoe Chace gives an eyewitness account of what has been happening at 26 Federal Plaza, an immigration courthouse in New York City.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />The judges walk us through how different their jobs have become in just the past few months, because of sweeping policy changes by Trump’s Department of Justice.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />It gets extremely personal for the judges. Also, the story of one person who got pushed through the new immigration court system this summer.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 11:27:18 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>868</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>870: My Other Self</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/870/my-other-self</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR9417124313.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What happens when people create alternate versions of themselves and release them into the wild?</itunes:subtitle><description>What happens when people create alternate versions of themselves and release them into the wild?<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks about a recent experience being interviewed and the realization that he was being asked about another version of himself.<br /><br />Act One: Me and My Shadow:<br />Reporter Evan Ratliff creates an AI version of himself and then sets it loose on the world.<br /><br />Act Two: Papa Was a Trolling Stone:<br />Emmanuel Dzotsi explores the phenomenon of people lying on first dates to project a better version of themselves.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 13:17:29 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>870</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>869: Harold</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/869/harold</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR8814052881.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of Harold Washington and the white backlash that ensued when he became Chicago's first Black mayor.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of Harold Washington and the white backlash that ensued when he became Chicago's first Black mayor.<br /><br />Prologue: As New York City’s Democratic establishment attempts to resist the candidacy of Zohran Mamdani, we look back at another mayoral candidate who upset the established political machine.<br /><br />Act One: Yesterday:<br />A history of the brief mayoral career of Harold Washington and its lessons for Black and white&nbsp;America, as told by people close to him.&nbsp;(39 minutes)Harold Washington died on November 25, 1987.&nbsp; This show was first broadcast ten years later, in 1997.<br /><br />Act Two: The Present and the Future:<br />Ira revisits interviews with Chicago voters from the 1997 and 2007 rebroadcasts of this episode. In 1997, ten years after Harold Washington’s death, not much had changed in Chicago.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 19:14:52 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>869</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>868: The Hand That Rocks The Gavel</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/868/the-hand-that-rocks-the-gavel</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR4129523400.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A group of immigration judges, who almost never speak to the press, describes the dismantling of our immigration court system from the inside.</itunes:subtitle><description>A group of immigration judges, who almost never speak to the press, describes the dismantling of our immigration court system from the inside.<br /><br />Prologue: Zoe Chace gives an eyewitness account of what has been happening at 26 Federal Plaza, an immigration courthouse in New York City.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />The judges walk us through how different their jobs have become in just the past few months, because of sweeping policy changes by Trump’s Department of Justice.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />It gets extremely personal for the judges. Also, the story of one person who got pushed through the new immigration court system this summer.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 11:27:18 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>868</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>867: College Disorientation</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/867/college-disorientation</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR2581159385.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Things are different on college campuses this year. We see inside the drama, with students and staff.</itunes:subtitle><description>Things are different on college campuses this year. We see inside the drama, with students and staff.<br /><br />Prologue: We go to orientation at Arizona State University and meet international students who are trying to make friends.&nbsp;(6 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: My Black President:<br />The president of the Black Student Union at the University of Utah&nbsp;fights to keep the B in BSU.&nbsp;(30 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: The Art of the Deal:<br />A definition of antisemitism, canceled classes, and angry professors at Columbia University.&nbsp;(16 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2025 10:42:54 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>867</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>866: Watch Out for That Tree</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/866/watch-out-for-that-tree</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR5310093493.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Small human plans that run into much larger obstacles.</itunes:subtitle><description>Small human plans that run into much larger obstacles.<br /><br />Prologue: Angela's dad, an accountant, made a spreadsheet to prepare for their family trip to a national park.<br /><br />Act One: Forces Outside Our Control:<br />A young couple, excited to start a new chapter in their lives, is suddenly put on a very different trajectory.&nbsp;(30 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: The Engineer:<br />A sixteen-year-old plans out a prank, and a complete stranger from Honduras ends up in a million-dollar deal. What could go wrong?&nbsp;(25 minutes)By Pablo Torre, adapted from his podcast <em>Pablo Torre Finds Out</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Aug 2025 09:00:55 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>866</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>865: The Other Territory</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/865/the-other-territory</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR3210182538.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Since October 7, Israel has intensified restrictions on West Bank Palestinians while global attention focused on Gaza. We travel to the West Bank to see these changes in person.</itunes:subtitle><description>Since October 7, Israel has intensified restrictions on West Bank Palestinians while global attention focused on Gaza. We travel to the West Bank to see these changes in person.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira joins Hamed on his Monday commute. He has to navigate a constantly changing series of checkpoints and roadblocks to get to work each day.<br /><br />Act One: Ali and the Duster:<br />Settler violence has worsened significantly in the West Bank since October 7, 2023.<br /><br />Act 2: Snapshots (podcast only):<br />Two quick snapshots of life in the West Bank since October 7th.&nbsp;(6 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: What Happened to Walid:<br />After October 7th, Israeli Minister of Security Itamar Ben-Gvir increased restrictions on Palestinian prisoners in Israeli security prisons. Prisoners started dying.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2025 12:28:20 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>865</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>864: Chicago Hope</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/864/chicago-hope</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR3974539898.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of the most commonly performed surgery, and what goes terribly wrong with it.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of the most commonly performed surgery, and what goes terribly wrong with it.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira Glass introduces the first episode of an inventive new podcast from longtime <em>This American Life</em> producer and editor Susan Burton.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Susan Burton introduces Mindy, a labor and delivery nurse at UI Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Another labor and delivery nurse at UI Health, Clara, gets ready to deliver twins at her own hospital and receives an epidural.&nbsp;(19 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Act Three:<br />Clara’s anesthesia is not working.<br /><br />Act Four: Act Four:<br />Heather, the head of obstetric anesthesia at UI Health, gets up onstage and asks a ballroom full of hundreds of anesthesiologists to wrestle with the question of why patients are feeling pain during C-sections, and what they can do to solve it.&nbsp;(8 minutes)Follow <em>The Retrievals: Season 2</em> wherever you get your podcasts to listen to the full season.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2025 11:55:50 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>864</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>863: Championship Window</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/863/championship-window</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR9271186174.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People on a mission to achieve their goals before their window of opportunity closes.</itunes:subtitle><description>People on a mission to achieve their goals before their window of opportunity closes.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Emmanuel Dzotsi goes to a packed sports bar in Brooklyn for his favorite soccer team’s biggest game in years.&nbsp;(6 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Pregnant, Pause:<br />Connie Wang tells the story of a championship window she didn't realize she was in — until it was too late.&nbsp;(14 minutes)Connie is the author of the book <em>Oh My Mother!</em> We got the idea to do this story from Aaron Reiss.<br /><br />Act Two: Cry Hard with a Vengeance:<br />Seth Lind, our Operations Director,&nbsp;isn’t a crier.<br /><br />Act Three: Benched Expectations:<br />Two college baseball teams with horrible losing streaks — a combined 141 games — are scheduled to play each other.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Jun 2025 11:52:32 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>863</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>862: Some Things We Don't Do Anymore</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/862/some-things-we-dont-do-anymore</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR9826036922.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Trump froze U.S. foreign aid and dismantled USAID. We examine the agency’s impact and hear from people trying to navigate this chaotic moment.</itunes:subtitle><description>Trump froze U.S. foreign aid and dismantled USAID. We examine the agency’s impact and hear from people trying to navigate this chaotic moment.<br /><br />Prologue: Just one box of a specially enriched peanut butter paste can save the life of a severely malnourished child.<br /><br />Act One: 63 Years, 7 Months, 26 Days:<br />USAID was founded in 1961. Since then, it has spent hundreds of billions of dollars all over the world.<br /><br />Act Two: Case Study:<br />Two Americans moved to Eswatini when that country was the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic. With support from USAID, they built a clinic and started serving HIV+ patients.<br /><br />Act Three: Two Daughters:<br />When USAID suddenly stopped all foreign assistance without warning or a transition plan, it sent people all over the world scrambling. Especially those relying on daily medicine provided by USAID.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Jun 2025 09:29:47 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>862</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>861: Group Chat</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/861/group-chat</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/chrt.fm/track/138C95/pdst.fm/e/prefix.up.audio/s/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR4038782354.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Conversations across a divide: People who are outside a war zone check in with family, friends, and strangers inside.</itunes:subtitle><description>Conversations across a divide: People who are outside a war zone check in with family, friends, and strangers inside.<br /><br />Prologue: The Hammash family’s group chat unfolds over texts, starting before the war.<br /><br />Act One: I’m Fine, Don’t Worry:<br />When Yousef Hammash left Gaza a year ago, his sisters decided to stay behind.<br /><br />Act Two: Week Eleven:<br />Mohammed Mhawish, a reporter who left Gaza a year ago with his family, talks to a young woman in Gaza about how she manages her hunger.&nbsp;Israel blockaded all food from Gaza for more than two months.&nbsp;(15 minutes)Mohammed Mhawish is a contributing writer for <em>The Nation</em>, which is where we first read about his experiences with hunger in&nbsp;"What It Feels Like to Starve."<br /><br />Coda: Banias:<br />Chana gives a short update about Banias, a 9-year-old girl in Gaza she's been speaking with for months.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2025 10:34:25 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>861</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>860: Suddenly: A Mirror!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/860/suddenly-a-mirror</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/860/CjUHwrfsvptLm92QnWEGKnvugrL9lw82MZa54Z1Tk3o/860.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A show about people who are suddenly confronted with who they are.</itunes:subtitle><description>A show about people who are suddenly confronted with who they are.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Aviva DeKornfeld tells Ira Glass about breaking into a community pool as a kid, and the split-second decision that has haunted her ever since.<br /><br />Act One: On Top of Spaghetti, All Covered in Shame:<br />Some people are great in a crisis. Others, not so much.<br /><br />Act Two: BWE: Big Wig Energy:<br />Aviva DeKornfeld has the story of Leisha Hailey, who was certain she had the next million-dollar idea.&nbsp;(11 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: There Will Be Questions:<br />Comedian Mike Birbiglia talks about the questions his daughter asks him&nbsp;and how trying to answer them showed him surprising reflections of himself. &nbsp;(15 minutes)&nbsp;This is an excerpt from Mike Birbiglia’s special, “The Good Life.”<br /><br />Act Four: Trouble Afoot:<br />David Kestenbaum tells the story of the suspicious disappearance of multiple shoes&nbsp;and a woman determined to explain it.&nbsp;(8 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 11:01:22 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>860</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>859: Chaos Graph</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/859/chaos-graph</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/859/A0LQCKi6hd0vJ1Tf_jzyhhE0_jNAq4WotPUUd6ZToDI/859.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People immersed in chaos try to solve for what it all adds up to.</itunes:subtitle><description>People immersed in chaos try to solve for what it all adds up to.<br /><br />Prologue: A scientist who is used to organizing data starts tracking scientific meetings that seem to exist only on paper—meetings that might decide the fate of years of research. The NIH website shows one reality; the empty conference rooms tell another story.<br /><br />Act One: Solving For Why:<br />American doctors returning from Gaza compare notes and start to see a pattern.&nbsp;(28 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Solving For Where:<br />A woman watches her partner get taken in handcuffs with no explanation. Days later, she spots him in the most unexpected place.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2025 10:50:10 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>859</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/858/how-to-tell-a-dumb-american-story</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/858/h0tAeDXf0WFLgH3EaNA0NClxeTy7OlQ4YON65D85o6A/858.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A couple devises a strategy to get their daughter's killer prosecuted and to get attention for other Native families.</itunes:subtitle><description>A couple devises a strategy to get their daughter's killer prosecuted and to get attention for other Native families.<br /><br />Prologue: Mika Westwolf was killed in a hit-and-run on a Montana highway. Her parents thought the driver might get away with it.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Mika’s parents, Carissa Heavy Runner and Kevin Howard, share recordings of their interactions with law enforcement.&nbsp;(8 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Carissa and Kevin take matters into their own hands.&nbsp;(20 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Act Three:<br />The county prosecutor explains why he let Mika’s killer out of jail.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:18:49 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>858</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>857: Museum of Now</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/857/museum-of-now</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/857/9MGp6qkBo_x6Hx2Cf7wX4Mli96qSsdUQFXPlQorQJ8g/857.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Artifacts and exhibits of this particular moment we are living through.</itunes:subtitle><description>Artifacts and exhibits of this particular moment we are living through.<br /><br />Exhibit One: Exhibit One:<br />Ira talks to producer Emmanuel Dzotsi, who brings the first exhibit into the studio with him: a chunk of concrete with some yellow paint on it.<br /><br />Exhibit Two: Exhibit Two:<br />Producer Aviva DeKornfeld talks to Ranjani Srinivasan, who tells the story of how her life was transformed over five days&nbsp;via a series of events that started out confusing and escalated to frightening.&nbsp;(25 minutes)<br /><br />Exhibit Three: Exhibit Three:<br />Producer Laura Starecheski takes us inside one dramatic court hearing on the Trump administration’s executive order and new policy banning transgender people from serving in the military.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Mar 2025 10:33:42 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>857</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>856: You’ve Come to the Right Person</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/856/youve-come-to-the-right-person</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/856/qFMJ6F0254_MqPVeil8IZj5wkaypiXk7j7b4DKzsD08/856.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Sometimes, life’s biggest mysteries require one very specific person to answer them.</itunes:subtitle><description>Sometimes, life’s biggest mysteries require one very specific person to answer them.<br /><br />Prologue: 7-year-old Miles has lots of questions. More specifically, he has questions about the famous car chase from “The Blues Brothers” movie.<br /><br />Act One: Ask Daniel:<br />Producer Aviva DeKornfeld looks into why comedian Daniel Sloss’s comedy special has been responsible for so many couples breaking up.&nbsp;(17 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Ask Kwaneta:<br />We hear from Kwaneta Harris, a former nurse incarcerated in Texas, who is constantly asked for medical advice by her neighbors.&nbsp;(17 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Ask Harriotte:<br />Producer Diane Wu talks to Juna, a young woman who is getting advice from someone uniquely equipped to guide her to the love life she wants.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2025 14:30:07 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>856</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>855: That’s a Weird Thing to Lie About</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/855/thats-a-weird-thing-to-lie-about</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/855/lBeKV06T9-IsJS-ck0mEybi82CB7pQEDnlf31joy6Pc/855.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Unnecessary and outrageous lies that make you wonder — why lie about that in the first place?</itunes:subtitle><description>Unnecessary and outrageous lies that make you wonder — why lie about that in the first place?<br /><br />Prologue: Kasey, a woman who prides herself on her truthfulness, tries to help host Ira Glass figure out how to stop lying about one specific thing.&nbsp;(10 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: The Real L Word:<br />Producer Dana Chivvis talks to reporter Liz Flock about a strange experience she had in 2011.&nbsp;(21 minutes)Liz Flock’s most recent book is <em>The Furies</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: Bully Pulpit:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with M. Gessen about a lie they've been seeing out in the world a lot recently — the “bully lie.”&nbsp;(15 minutes)M.<br /><br />Act Three: In Defense of Unnecessary Lies:<br />We find someone brave enough to stand up and make a case FOR lying.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Feb 2025 11:29:55 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>855</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>854: Ten Things I Don't Want to Hate About You</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/854/ten-things-i-dont-want-to-hate-about-you</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/854/CyyB56fGXdBY-DDzrYwhvC5Cv2H5XLUv8kY8XkUv5qw/854.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Zach Mack and his dad try to mend a rift between them in a very unusual way.</itunes:subtitle><description>Zach Mack and his dad try to mend a rift between them in a very unusual way.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira Glass introduces Zach Mack’s story. (1 minute)<br /><br />Part One: Part One:<br />Zach and his father enter into an agreement that could change their entire relationship.&nbsp;(9 minutes)<br /><br />Part Two: Part Two:<br />Zach’s mother and sister weigh in on the agreement.&nbsp;(28 minutes)<br /><br />Part Three: Part Three:<br />With the year coming to an end, someone is going to have to say, “You were right, and I was wrong.” Will it change anything?&nbsp;(16 minutes)This story is a collaboration with NPR's Embedded podcast, which released a three-part series about Zach and his father.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Feb 2025 11:29:11 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>854</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>853: Groundhog Day</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/853/groundhog-day</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/853/vj-773LU7sVbnMJn3t-6E5Ck7umfWzuOk_odpG4gFDE/853.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People stuck in a loop, trying to find their way out.</itunes:subtitle><description>People stuck in a loop, trying to find their way out.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to B.A. Parker about her birthday tradition.<br /><br />Act One: Will You Still Slug Me Tomorrow?:<br />Producer Aviva DeKornfeld speaks with a father and daughter who have been playing the same game for 25 years.<br /><br />Act Two: I’ll Repeat the Question:<br />Talia Augustidis asks a single question over and over.&nbsp;(5 minutes)A version of this story originally aired on Short Cuts, a Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.<br /><br />Act Three: Raiders of the Lost Chard:<br />Editor David Kestenbaum speaks with Jeff Permar, who is trapped in a Groundhog Day situation — with an actual groundhog!&nbsp;(9 minutes)See more videos of the groundhog Chunk on Jeff’s YouTube channel.<br /><br />Act Four: Heart of Parkness:<br />Parking in a big city can be a real pain.&nbsp;Producer Valerie Kipnis speaks with a man who has taken it upon himself to try to mitigate the weekly hassle.<br /><br />Act Five: It's Been a Hard Year's Night, and I've Been Working Like a Hog:<br />Short fiction from Bess Kalb about a groundhog named Susan, who has her own opinions about the holiday named after her species.&nbsp;(7 minutes)You can find more work from Bess at The Grudge Report on Substack.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jan 2025 10:57:32 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>853</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>852: Pivot Point</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/852/pivot-point</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/852/ceu-1nURiuG18yaDvZvNyc9nglDvG31XAA0CqJbSjls/852.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People living in that in-between moment before everything changes.</itunes:subtitle><description>People living in that in-between moment before everything changes.<br /><br />Prologue: Kirk Johnson tells Ira about a strange choice he made during his family’s evacuation from the Sunset Fire in Los Angeles.&nbsp;(5 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Who’s Laughing Now?:<br />Editor Nancy Updike tries to make sense of this current moment by talking to a master of dark comedy, Armando Ianucci.&nbsp;(19 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: The View From the Dugout:<br />As President Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office, producer Valerie Kipnis talks to Ukrainian soldiers on the front line&nbsp;who wonder about what his administration could mean for them.&nbsp;(14 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Period Piece:<br />Editor Susan Burton reflects on the ramp-up to an era that comes for so many of us.&nbsp;(9 minutes)<br /><br />Act Four: Since You’ve Been Gone:<br />In the wake of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, producer Miki Meek talks to a woman on a very particular mission.&nbsp;(6 minutes)We first heard about Vanessa's story in the Associated Press.&nbsp;</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jan 2025 11:47:17 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>852</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>851: Try a Little Tenderness</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/851/try-a-little-tenderness</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/851/IJgReGTNzRi_o-skNRwZZee4vWzmx9SXXH3Rg5msDNs/851.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People try a radical approach to solving their problems.</itunes:subtitle><description>People try a radical approach to solving their problems.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira meets two sisters who got into a fight, and then learned a lesson in turning the other cheek.&nbsp;(8 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: The Big Nap:<br />A hardened PI works the toughest case of his very young life.&nbsp;(18 minutes)ALL IN: COMEDY ABOUT LOVE is written by Simon Rich and stars John Mulaney, Richard Kind, Fred Armisen, and Chloe Fineman.<br /><br />Act Two: The Gladiator Starring Ruffled Crow:<br />Producer Aviva DeKornfeld talks to a man who finds himself the target of vengeful crows.<br /><br />Act Three: You’ll Spank Me Later For This:<br />Comedian Josh Johnson wonders if some people should’ve been spanked as kids.<br /><br />Act Four: The Feels on the Bus:<br />Writer Etgar Keret reads his story about a bus driver who refuses to open the doors for late passengers.&nbsp;(9 minutes)This story is from Etgar's&nbsp;book, <em>The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God &amp; Other Stories</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jan 2025 10:33:26 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>851</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>850: If You Want to Destroy My Sweater, Hold This Thread as I Walk Away</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/850/my-sweater</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/850/o5W8JS2v505sU7YDsh_fxzu9JW9mCXfOGsS2fA1-3aw/850.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The tiny thing that unravels your world.</itunes:subtitle><description>The tiny thing that unravels your world.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks to Chris Benderev, whose high school years were completely upended by an impromptu thing his teacher said.&nbsp;(8 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: The World Has Turned and Left Me Here:<br />For Producer Lilly Sullivan, there’s one story about her parents that defines how she sees them, their family, and their history.<br /><br />Act Two: What’s With These Homies Dissing My Girl?:<br />For years, Mike Comite has replayed in his head the moment when he and his bandmate blew their shot of making it as musicians.<br /><br />Act Three: And If You See Her, Tell Her It’s Over Now:<br />Six million Syrians fled the country after the start of its civil war.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Dec 2024 11:07:48 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>850</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>849: The Narrator</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/849/the-narrator</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/849/ABhEfcY8BfdI4lL_lvyzqC-P2v25Zlt1TiMsKNwkLWk/849.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Banias is an 8-year-old kid living in Gaza. And she has a story to tell — many stories, in fact.</itunes:subtitle><description>Banias is an 8-year-old kid living in Gaza. And she has a story to tell — many stories, in fact.<br /><br />Prologue: While on the phone with reporter Maram Hamaid in Gaza, producer Chana Joffe-Walt gets interrupted by Maram’s daughter––Banias, eight, who grabs the phone from her mother and starts telling us about her life.&nbsp;The narrator arrives.&nbsp;(8 minutes)<br /><br />Part One: Part One:<br />Banias, an 8-year-old in Gaza, tells us about her life––her friends, the games she plays, the things she cares about.<br /><br />Part Two: Part Two:<br />Banias talks about the war.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:48:37 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>849</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>848: The Official Unofficial Record</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/848/the-official-unofficial-record</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/848/vsZXjD6t7LeEhQF8BU4jGTEV-QzXomundcHNRfEhdfI/848.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>How do you count almost 12 million votes if you’re not the government?</itunes:subtitle><description>How do you count almost 12 million votes if you’re not the government?<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass sets us up for Nancy Updike’s insider account of the&nbsp;recent presidential election in Venezuela. The story is an incredible national drama that plays out in thousands of polling stations across the country, with regular people trying to ensure a fair vote count that everyone can agree on.<br /><br />Act One: Best Acta in a Dramatic Role:<br />Producer Nancy Updike tells the story of the people of Venezuela trying to prove who won their recent presidential election beyond a shadow of a doubt.&nbsp;(22 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Meanwhile, In America:<br />Host Ira Glass spent America’s presidential election in the swing state of Michigan, where he found very little dispute over the ballot count from Republican poll challengers in Detroit&nbsp;now that they are doing the counting themselves.&nbsp;(8 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Oh What a Hangled Web We Weave:<br />This story is about a creepy and dangerous creature that does all kinds of terrible things.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Nov 2024 13:32:32 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>848</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>847: The Truly Incredible Story of Keiko the Killer Whale</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/847/the-truly-incredible-story-of-keiko-the-killer-whale</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/847/8cX9EreCWKDWEXovWnaVs1LUqr5XxdB3Yk5GP4PxcJ0/847.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A colossal effort to un-tame a whale and send him back to the ocean.</itunes:subtitle><description>A colossal effort to un-tame a whale and send him back to the ocean.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira introduces a new series from Serial Productions and The New York Times.&nbsp;"The Good Whale" is about the killer whale Keiko&nbsp;and is reported by Daniel Alarcón.<br /><br />Act One: Keiko:<br />Daniel Alarcón takes us back to the early 90’s when Keiko lived in an adventure park in Mexico City, swimming with human friends.&nbsp;(43 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: America’s Next Top Gobble:<br />Producer Diane Wu travels to Minnesota, where the turkey set to&nbsp;be pardoned by The President of the United States later this month is having the turkiness trained out of him.&nbsp;(10 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:18:15 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>847</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>846: This Is the Cake We Baked</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/846/this-is-the-cake-we-baked</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/846/oflQq6iNLyjYDTsFOcYS-hX6WUOZD1hTCzyID_EN_wM/846.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We talk to people who helped make Trump's victory happen and some who are looking to what’s next.</itunes:subtitle><description>We talk to people who helped make Trump's victory happen and some who are looking to what’s next.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks with Zoe Chace about watching Trump’s victory from an ecstatic room in Michigan. Then he checks in with&nbsp;a DC cop who was injured at the Capitol on January 6.<br /><br />Act One: The Largest Deportation Operation in American History:<br />Trump has claimed that he will be able to deport between 15 and 20 million people. But neither he nor&nbsp;his team have spelled out exactly how they’d do it.<br /><br />Act Two: Nobody Loves Our Latino Community and our Puerto Rican Community More Than I Do:<br />Trump won record numbers of Latino voters this year.<br /><br />Act Three: Sometimes Revenge Can Be Justified:<br />Ira talks with two of Trump’s “political enemies” about their post-election plans.&nbsp;(8 minutes)<br /><br />Act Four: I’ve Done an Unbelievable Job on the Abortion Question:<br />Ten different states had abortion rights measures on their ballots this election.</description><pubDate>Thu, 31 Oct 2024 14:09:57 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>846</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>845: A Small Thing That Gives Me a Tiny Shred of Hope </title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/845/a-small-thing</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/845/4DheE_C0SgAAid_zuPVelBcqQpTsE8mz3GqSYL1do8U/845.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A wee flame, flickering in the dark.</itunes:subtitle><description>A wee flame, flickering in the dark.<br /><br />Prologue: Who’s trying to bridge the gap between Blue America and Red America? Ira gets a glimpse of one guy who might be able to do just that.<br /><br />Act One: A Tiny Thing That Gives Me Hope:<br />A politically divided couple searches for a news source they both can trust.&nbsp;(26 minutes)The original version of this story first appeared on&nbsp;Question Everything,&nbsp;a co-production of&nbsp;KCRW&nbsp;and&nbsp;Placement Theory.<br /><br />Act Two: Till Death Do Us Partisan:<br />"June" is making a tactical decision about her vote this election.<br /><br />Act Three: Let Me Be Frank:<br />Frank Filocomo thinks people care too much about politics when it comes to dating.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Oct 2024 10:02:33 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>845</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>844: This Is the Case of Henry Dee</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/844/this-is-the-case-of-henry-dee</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/844/X55_q3XsjiVyGMvBYB-JHSvtZo7fQs3KnINMf3rGsxI/844.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Thirteen parole board members decide whether or not one man should be released from prison.</itunes:subtitle><description>Thirteen parole board members decide whether or not one man should be released from prison.<br /><br />Prologue: Henry Dee has been locked up for most of his life, nearly 50 years. Now, he’s up for parole.<br /><br />Part 1: Part 1:<br />The parole board members puzzle through the pros and cons of releasing Henry Dee from prison&nbsp;and cast their votes.&nbsp;(26 minutes)<br /><br />Part 2: Part 2:<br />Reporter Ben Austen continues the story.</description><pubDate>Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:00:41 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>844</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>843: A Little Bit of Power</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/843/a-little-bit-of-power</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/843/IU4Zk3rxHjBgDdsBvXcfYUKtw8S5mf6rFra4FJTpe4o/843.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Abbas Alawieh, a leader in the Uncommitted movement, grapples with how to get his voters the thing they want.</itunes:subtitle><description>Abbas Alawieh, a leader in the Uncommitted movement, grapples with how to get his voters the thing they want.<br /><br />Prologue: When you have some power, but not a lot, how do you wield it when you’re suddenly cast into the spotlight?&nbsp;(4 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: The Convention:<br />Zoe Chace and Ben Terris follow Abbas Alawieh as he fights to broker a deal at the DNC – a way to potentially satisfy the people who voted “Uncommitted” in the primaries as a protest vote against Biden’s handling of the war in Israel and Gaza.<br /><br />Act Two: Back Home in Michigan:<br />Three weeks after the Democratic National Convention, Abbas speaks at a tense community meeting in Michigan about the Uncommitted organizers’ general election recommendation and hears back from voters on how they feel about the Democratic nominee at this point.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2024 09:27:10 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>843</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>842: 51 Days</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/842/51-days</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/842/OjBP9MAE4QRwCDZTRic5kMUeSQHtv2NXyrfBNYTxDPM/842.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Chen Almog-Goldstein tells the story of life as a hostage in Gaza.</itunes:subtitle><description>Chen Almog-Goldstein tells the story of life as a hostage in Gaza.<br /><br />Prologue: The 251 hostages taken by Hamas a year ago have become a divisive symbol in Israel.<br /><br />Part One: The Abduction:<br />On this week’s show, we’re airing excerpts of interviews with former hostages produced by an Israeli podcast, Echad Bayom. In these interviews they describe, in a remarkably detailed and complicated way, what happened to them a year ago.&nbsp;We start with Chen Almog-Goldstein.<br /><br />Part Two: Daily Life in Captivity:<br />Chen’s story continues, with a description of what it was like to be hidden in a small apartment with her children and their captors.<br /><br />Part Three: The Guards:<br />Chen talks about the complicated relationship between her family and the people holding them hostage.&nbsp;(6 minutes)<br /><br />Part Four: News from Home:<br />Chen describes hearing the Israeli news while in captivity, including one night when her own father was interviewed.<br /><br />Part Five: Moving Around:<br />Chen talks about what it was like to walk around the streets of Gaza in disguise and their eventual release, 51 days after they were taken from their home.&nbsp;(13 minutes)Excerpts from interviews conducted by Lee Naim and produced by Echad Bayom.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Sep 2024 15:49:29 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>842</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>841: My Senior Year</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/841/my-senior-year</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/841/jR4a6c5E4vgDWxrwf3AIEROmPQcc7tXm19AGWks40zA/841.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>One kid comes to America as an exchange student and commits herself to the senior year experience.</itunes:subtitle><description>One kid comes to America as an exchange student and commits herself to the senior year experience.<br /><br />Prologue: We talk to high school seniors in Salt Lake City who are trying to have the perfect year.<br /><br />Act One: Yes 2024 :<br />Every year, thousands of teenagers come from all over the world to experience American high school. Last year, thirteen students from Palestine came to the US on a program sponsored by the US State Department.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Sep 2024 11:03:31 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>841</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>840: How Are You Not Seeing This?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/840/how-are-you-not-seeing-this</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/840/kXHkOxGN0LVbuXgUXfnB1u1CiaOcLm_BEXe9mwhqXb0/840.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People trying and struggling to see what another person sees.</itunes:subtitle><description>People trying and struggling to see what another person sees.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest-host Tobin Low talks to comedian Tig Notaro about a jarring ride to school with her son.&nbsp;(6 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: There Will Be Blood:<br />Producer Aviva DeKornfeld heads to the Calgary Stampede&nbsp;to watch as men try out a machine designed to simulate menstrual cramps.&nbsp;(15 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Face Your Demons:<br />A man can’t seem to see anyone in his life for who they really are, plunging his life into chaos.&nbsp;(18 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Pump It Up:<br />Senior Editor David Kestenbaum hears about a way to save some money and help save the world.<br /><br />Act Four: I’m Great, Thanks For NOT Asking:<br />Marie Phillips reads a short story involving an aloof friend, a goose, and some extreme gardening.&nbsp;(7 minutes)</description><pubDate>Thu, 05 Sep 2024 12:29:54 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>840</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>839: Meet Me at the Fair</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/839/meet-me-at-the-fair</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/839/pgUUOP9VP3sWGe67pju8PjBVqJj0RNLIuEOU9F_8fvw/839.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We spend a few days at the Iowa State Fair.</itunes:subtitle><description>We spend a few days at the Iowa State Fair.<br /><br />Prologue: A big bull, a giant slide, and cowboys on horseback shooting balloons are just a few sights you can take in at the Iowa State Fair.<br /><br />Act One: Carny Confidential:<br />Bailey Leavitt comes from a family of carnies. For her, one of the most thrilling things she looks for at the fair is someone who is really good at luring people into spending money at their stand.<br /><br />Act 2: Grandstand Chicken (Podcast Only):<br />Motley Crue pledged never to play the fairgrounds. Then they did.<br /><br />Act Two: How Bad is Your Bunny? :<br />What life lessons can kids learn at the 4-H rabbit competition? A lot.&nbsp;(11 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Limp Biscuit:<br />The Iowa State Fair awarded coveted slots to just nine new food vendors this year. All of them are run by people who already own restaurants or who’ve done other big fairs.<br /><br />Act Four: Last Stand (Podcast Only):<br />As the ferris wheel goes dark and the fair is closing down, one game is racing to meet their quota.</description><pubDate>Thu, 22 Aug 2024 15:23:09 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>839</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>838: Letters! Actual Letters!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/838/letters-actual-letters</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/838/uXDayPDmlUvl0VIim28QsiXULAR9nzgfUzQOXwW30U0/838.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>When the best—and perhaps only—way to say something is to write it down.</itunes:subtitle><description>When the best—and perhaps only—way to say something is to write it down.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira goes out with a letter carrier, ‘Grace,’ as she delivers mail on her route.<br /><br />Act One: Dear Alice:<br />Writing a letter decades after an event that shaped her life was the only way that Nicole Piasecki could make some sense of it.<br /><br />Act Two: Dear Miss:<br />Yorkshire, 1866. A farmer overcomes his timidity and writes a very important letter to a local beauty.<br /><br />Act Three: Dear Dr. Kestenbaum:<br />When senior editor David Kestenbaum was still a rookie reporter, he wrote an email to a legend.<br /><br />Act Four: Dear US Army:<br />A woman writes an unusual letter on behalf of her husband.<br /><br />Act Five: Dear Zoe:<br />Producer Zoe Chace compares the letters a person gets and the letters they wish they got.</description><pubDate>Thu, 08 Aug 2024 17:41:57 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>838</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>837: Swim Towards the Shark</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/837/swim-towards-the-shark</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/837/jdKbzzJbbDipcAS1RwybwintS5LoCGyAgyfCP043GcE/837.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>In a crisis, when all logic suggests that you get away from the dangerous thing, how will you respond?</itunes:subtitle><description>In a crisis, when all logic suggests that you get away from the dangerous thing, how will you respond?<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks to two members of a recreational swimming club who intentionally swam straight toward a shark that had just bitten their friend.&nbsp;(10&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act One: If I Only Had My Brain:<br />Sarah Polley has always been reluctant to jump into challenging situations.<br /><br />Act Two: Am I Doing It Alt-Right, You Guys?:<br />Comedian Josh Johnson tells the story of a “trad wife” who stepped into an incendiary situation.<br /><br />Act Three: Mom Thinks He Doth Protest Too Much:<br />This summer, thousands of young people have taken to the streets in Nairobi to protest the Kenyan government. But behind those protestors are thousands of worried parents.</description><pubDate>Wed, 24 Jul 2024 15:40:20 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>837</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>836: The Big Rethink</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/836/the-big-rethink</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/836/bQlEqdOtdkXdJJDZNhZM-NDOfjQXy_CfpmxeIxGdkiw/836.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People rethinking some of the most important relationships in their lives.</itunes:subtitle><description>People rethinking some of the most important relationships in their lives.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira observes that we are in a moment of national reconsideration.<br /><br />Act One: Fate of the Union:<br />Zoe Chace reports on a surprising guest at the Republican National Convention: Teamsters president Sean O’Brien.&nbsp;(18 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Out on a Limb:<br />Ira talks to Representative Seth Moulton about what it was like to be among the first members of Congress to call for President Joe Biden to step aside.&nbsp;(18 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Anything You Can Do I Can Do Backwards:<br />Two adult sisters revisit old rivalries when they compete for a world record in typing with their pinkies.&nbsp;(16 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jul 2024 10:51:18 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>836</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>835: Children of Dave</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/835/children-of-dave</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/835/gcafuJZTCgPpj_C_RkjoVWkih_MVSEbXDHkyB6viMfw/835.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Boen Wang goes back to a day that changed the course of his family's story.</itunes:subtitle><description>Boen Wang goes back to a day that changed the course of his family's story.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks about what it’s like to go back to 1119 Bayard Street in Baltimore.&nbsp;(6 minutes)<br /><br />Part One: Part One:<br />Boen visits Norman, Oklahoma, where he was born, to meet the man he thinks changed his parents’ lives—and his life, too.&nbsp;(31 minutes)<br /><br />Part Two: Part Two:<br />Boen’s friend, Andrew, and his parents take what he learned in Part One, throw it into a blender, and push puree.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Jun 2024 13:51:17 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>835</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>834: Yousef and the Fourth Move</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/834/yousef-and-the-fourth-move</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/834/UsdYTu4b9F3SzU5sACfBFwR9RiJhvtDwW0tLUtkRvCA/834.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>In Rafah, Yousef is out of options and faces his toughest move yet.</itunes:subtitle><description>In Rafah, Yousef is out of options and faces his toughest move yet.<br /><br />Prologue: Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Yousef Hammash has decided where to go next and when. In Rafah, he is out of options and faces his toughest move yet.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Yousef does not even want to think about leaving Gaza.&nbsp;(18&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />The actual price — in cash — of getting out of Gaza.&nbsp;(31 minutes)Reporter Chana Joffe-Walt talks&nbsp;to reporters from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project&nbsp;and Mada Masr.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jun 2024 09:18:06 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>834</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>833: Come Retribution</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/833/come-retribution</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/833/gGJgT-niB6NCU026SaJeCiknL4IHwn-g4AQwAlKa7uY/833.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Trump has a plan for his second term: retribution. We check in with the people who’ve crossed him.</itunes:subtitle><description>Trump has a plan for his second term: retribution. We check in with the people who’ve crossed him.<br /><br />Prologue: Donald Trump has talked about taking revenge on his enemies since the early days of his 2024 presidential campaign.<br /><br />Act One: Republicans Who Crossed Trump:<br />Reporter Alix Spiegel talks to two people with good reason to fear a second Trump administration. Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham spent six years with the Trumps but resigned after January 6th and wrote a scathing tell-all book about her experience.<br /><br />Act Two: The Deep Stater:<br />Alex Vindman became the face of the first Trump impeachment after he reported to his superiors that Trump had asked the President of Ukraine to investigate Hunter Biden, the son of his political opponent. At the time, Vindman believed that his Congressional testimony would not jeopardize him; now, he and his wife Rachel are having second thoughts.<br /><br />Act Three: Four More Years:<br />After hearing from people who dread a possible second Trump term, we hear from those who are excited about it.</description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Jun 2024 15:31:56 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>833</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>832: That Other Guy</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/832/that-other-guy</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/832/ZBwJEPiWado26xR9udiz72Z_k47OD7qBG6KoqD7mMy0/832.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People tethered to one particular other person, whether they want to be or not.</itunes:subtitle><description>People tethered to one particular other person, whether they want to be or not.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Emmanuel Dzotsi talks to Leroy Smith about how one high school basketball tryout&nbsp;forever changed Leroy’s relationship to a childhood friend.&nbsp;(7 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: I Would Run 500 Miles:<br />A man finds himself sucked into an intense head-to-head running competition against a perfect rival – all for free burritos from Chipotle.&nbsp;(18 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: I Wish I Knew How to Force Quit You:<br />Writer Simon Rich grapples with an A.I. chatbot that threatens to make him obsolete.&nbsp;(21 minutes)<em>Excerpts from the audiobook edition of I am Code, written by code-davinci-002, edited by Brent Katz, Josh Morgenthau, and Simon Rich; read by Werner Herzog, Brent Katz, Josh Morgenthau, and Simon Rich, used with permission from Hachette Audio.</em><em>I am Code © 2023 by Brent Katz, Josh Morgenthau, and Simon Rich; ℗ 2023 by Hachette Audio.<br /><br />Act Three: You, Me and Her:<br />For writer Marie Phillips, moving in with her partner meant finding herself deeply connected to the woman who came before her.&nbsp;(12 minutes)Marie Phillips is the author of&nbsp;Gods&nbsp;Behaving&nbsp;Badly.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2024 09:55:14 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>832</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>831: Lists!!!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/831/lists</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/831/7Ggf1s7uRNLlVJwFoIIXtsWJKD06j3TM0XbRyOifBR0/831.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>How they organize the chaos of the world, for good and for bad.</itunes:subtitle><description>How they organize the chaos of the world, for good and for bad.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira interviews David Wallechinsky, who wrote a wildly popular book in the 1970s called <em>The Book of Lists</em>, full of trivia and research, gathered into lists like "18 Brains" and "What They Weighed." The book sold millions of copies and had four sequels and a brief spin-off TV show. The list books were like the internet, before the internet.<br /><br />Act One: List for Life:<br />John Fecile talks to his brother, Pat, about a list their other brother made before he died.<br /><br />Act 2: Throw Me a Bone Here:<br />A brief visit with Bobby, who keeps a list in his phone of all the dogs in his neighborhood and their names&nbsp;to save him from the awkwardness of not knowing the name of someone’s dog – because people get upset if you don’t remember their dog’s name.<br /><br />Act Two: Target List:<br />Reporter M. Gessen talks to Russians living in America and elsewhere about the lists the Russian government has put them on in the last few years.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 10:32:15 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>831</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>830: The Forever Trial</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/830/the-forever-trial</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/830/d8s8L1MifKztLq555ErNgo0VGAsJgp8YIkzHHNhGYvg/830.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The trial for the men accused of orchestrating the September 11 terrorist attacks still hasn’t started yet.</itunes:subtitle><description>The trial for the men accused of orchestrating the September 11 terrorist attacks still hasn’t started yet.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass introduces the new series that Serial is doing about Guantánamo Bay. This is the second of two episodes of theirs that we’re airing.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />We meet Colleen Kelly, a member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, and learn just how upside down and messed up the trial for the 9/11 accused has been over the past decade.&nbsp;(28 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Sarah Koenig explains what’s probably the best possible outcome that everyone can hope for at this point. And why,&nbsp;when it hits the news someday — if it ever happens — it’s sure to be deeply misunderstood by lots of people.</description><pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2024 14:49:05 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>830</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>829: Two Ledgers</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/829/two-ledgers</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/829/rqLh0ifeR_oat5haULj4aORSOrvd3pLZY1otQG-00x0/829.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Majid believed that if he could testify in court about what happened to him at a CIA black site, he would be given a break. Was he right?</itunes:subtitle><description>Majid believed that if he could testify in court about what happened to him at a CIA black site, he would be given a break. Was he right?<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks about the exciting new series that <em>Serial</em> is doing about Guantánamo Bay.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Majid Khan struggled with his identity when he was young. And then he realized exactly who he wanted to be – a member of Al Qaeda, carrying out orders for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Majid finally gets his day in court.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 11:17:27 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>829</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>828: Minor Crimes Division</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/828/minor-crimes-division</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/828/5V5Q8OGdPMkevQjQgK_g_7sE7GZg9RmYsdMAJR-ji_s/828.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People taking it upon themselves to solve the tiny, overlooked crimes of the world.</itunes:subtitle><description>People taking it upon themselves to solve the tiny, overlooked crimes of the world.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass bikes around Manhattan with Gersh Kuntzman, in search of illegal license plates.<br /><br />Act One: Harriot Vs Harriot:<br />Writer Michael Harriot reexamines the DIY criminal justice system his mom invented to deal with his bad behavior as a child.&nbsp;(20 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Alternate Side:<br />Producer Aviva DeKornfeld talks to Caveh Zahedi about a crime he may or may not have committed, depending on who you ask.&nbsp;(7 minutes)Caveh Zahedi first told this story on his podcast, 365 Stories I Want to Tell You Before We Both Die.&nbsp;<br /><br />Act Three: Jewel Intentions:<br />Micaela Blei accidentally solves a crime that had been going on for a long time, right under her nose, and has to decide what to do next. She told this story onstage at The Moth.<br /><br />Act Four: Occam’s Toilet:<br />Editor Bethel Habte examines video evidence of two parents trying to get to the bottom of a minor crime committed in their own home.&nbsp;(7 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 07:58:26 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>828</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>827: All the King's Horses</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/827/all-the-kings-horses</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/827/8ufKQuat_Eaif8xAXUm17ip_y1xCjgbfwbC3GDrXTvo/827.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The things we break and the ones we can't fix.</itunes:subtitle><description>The things we break and the ones we can't fix.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira tells the stories of three things that broke–two of them in his own family.&nbsp;(8 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Toy R Us:<br />A teenage whiz kid invents a new toy for Milton Bradley. Then the trouble starts.<br /><br />Act Two: The 95:<br />Reporter Dana Ballout sifts through a very long list—the list of journalists killed in the Israel-Hamas War—and comes back with five small fragments of the lives of the people on it.&nbsp;(10 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: A Great Fall:<br />A skateboarding legend makes a final attempt at a high-flying trick.&nbsp;(6 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2024 10:41:33 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>827</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>826: Unprepared for What Has Already Happened</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/826/unprepared-for-what-has-already-happened</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/826/FKdC7Hxiy-7T45_Zc38pAeNTWiX0FwiO5mgq2FrR7Ho/826.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People waking up to the fact that the world has suddenly changed.</itunes:subtitle><description>People waking up to the fact that the world has suddenly changed.<br /><br />Prologue: Jackson Landers tells the story of a very strange decision he made one summer day.&nbsp;(6 minutes)The name of today’s show is from a quote by climate futurist Alex Steffen, in an article about wildfires by Elizabeth Weil.<br /><br />Act One: It’s Probably Nothing :<br />Elena Kostyuchenko tells the story of how she was probably poisoned after reporting on Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, and how she kept not believing it was happening. Bela Shayevich translated this story from Russian and reads it for us.&nbsp;(21 minutes)We adapted this from an article in n+1 magazine.<br /><br />Act Two: We At The Hotel, Motel, Very Locked In:<br />A recording of comedian Tig Notaro in the process of trying to catch up to the present and absolutely not being able to.&nbsp;(8 minutes)Tig’s new stand-up special, <em>Hello Again</em>, comes out in two weeks on Amazon.<br /><br />Act Three: That’s My Story and I’m Absolutely Not Sticking to It:<br />Producer Zoe Chace with a political fable that she noticed playing out last week in North Carolina.&nbsp;(11 minutes)Zoe covered Mark Harris’ election fraud case in the podcast <em>The Improvement Association</em>&nbsp;by Serial Productions and The New York Times.<br /><br />Act Four: What’d I Miss?:<br />Producer Tobin Low finds a group of people with a special relationship with the idea of catching up.&nbsp;(10 minutes)Visit KLS Foundation&nbsp;for more on Klein-Levine Syndrome.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Mar 2024 12:30:31 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>826</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>825: Yousef’s Week</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/825/yousef</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/825/b7TFyE3Z52phRm3UICpZS4goMGV9NDRIqEYLOrGx_9Y/825.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A series of phone calls to a man in Gaza about what he and his family are experiencing.</itunes:subtitle><description>A series of phone calls to a man in Gaza about what he and his family are experiencing.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Over the course of one week in December, Yousef tries to get his sisters to safety, in Rafah.&nbsp;(29 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Yousef is managing a camp of 60 people in Rafah, including his youngest sister, who is 8 months pregnant.&nbsp;Every day there’s talk that Israel will launch a ground assault in Rafah.&nbsp;Yousef and his sister make a plan for her to give birth safely, but it doesn’t go according to plan. And all 60 people in the family are looking to Yousef to tell them where they should go next and how to stay safe.</description><pubDate>Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:10:09 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>825</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>824: Family Meeting</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/824/family-meeting</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/824/tgucbMVKDrwcKDR3fmDD7YWsOnYv1hnH7CKkQVNrKdU/824.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Your mother and I have something we want to talk with you about.</itunes:subtitle><description>Your mother and I have something we want to talk with you about.<br /><br />Prologue: A family sits down to discuss one thing.<br /><br />Act One: A Slow Decision Process That’s Mostly But Maybe Not Completely Over:<br />For one kibbutz-dwelling family in Israel, the decision of where to land after the October 7th attacks goes back and forth… and back… and forth.<br /><br />Act Two: Sealed With A Diss:<br />An excerpt from “Belles Lettres,"&nbsp;a short story by Nafissa Thompson-Spires&nbsp;from her book <em>Heads of the Colored People,&nbsp;</em>performed by actors Erika Alexander and Eisa Davis&nbsp;with a cameo from our colleague Alvin Melathe.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Feb 2024 14:51:42 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>824</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>823: The Question Trap</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/823/the-question-trap</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/823/TQkq7YsPYCjgUA_TkZNsfuYmDaepZT2r8DSlTTNf0u0/823.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An investigation of when and why people ask loaded questions that are a proxy for something else.</itunes:subtitle><description>An investigation of when and why people ask loaded questions that are a proxy for something else.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks with producer Tobin Low about the question he got asked after he and his husband moved in together, and what he thinks people were really asking.&nbsp;(4&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Question: Tell Me What You Think About This:<br />“What do you think about Beyoncé?” and other questions raised by people on first dates.<br /><br />Act Two: How Old Are Your Kids?:<br />When a common, seemingly innocuous question goes wildly off the rails.&nbsp;(13 minutes)Here's the video this story is about, featuring comedian&nbsp;Adam Ray.&nbsp;<br /><br />Act Three: How’s Your Mom?:<br />Why are people asking me if my mother recognizes me, when it’s totally beside the point?&nbsp;(14 minutes)Janelle Taylor originally wrote about her mother in&nbsp;an academic paper for <em>Medical Anthropology Quarterly</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: Can I Help You?:<br />Schools ask their students the strangest essay questions sometimes.</description><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jan 2024 14:50:06 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>823</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>822: The Words to Say It</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/822/the-words-to-say-it</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/822/KK8hozWKStRe5YYF712MN-7lO_lt7t_c3WZLoOHplgY/822.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What it means to have words—and to lose them.</itunes:subtitle><description>What it means to have words—and to lose them.<br /><br />Prologue: Sometimes we don’t want to say what’s going on because putting it into words would make it real. At other times, words don’t seem to capture the weight of what we want to say.<br /><br />Act One: The Speaking Part:<br />The story of a woman from Gaza City who ran out of words.<br /><br />Act Two: Toska:<br />For years there was a word that Val’s mother did not want to use.</description><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jan 2024 14:21:07 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>822</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>821: Embrace the Suck</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/821/embrace-the-suck</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/821/QqPif4FItuIJBF-98XXNPRQQajTl6E4N1o2EgCTV2I8/821.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People finding themselves in situations that are worse than they thought and deciding to really go with it.</itunes:subtitle><description>People finding themselves in situations that are worse than they thought and deciding to really go with it.<br /><br />Prologue: A Boston woman takes her dog for a walk and suddenly finds herself in a terrible situation she never anticipated.<br /><br />Act One: Haley Mary Pass:<br />Two college friends try to stop Donald Trump’s primary season momentum by convincing New Hampshire voters to vote against everything they care about. Producer Zoe Chace follows along.<br /><br />Act Two: The Dream Police:<br />When producer Ike Sriskandarajah tries to sleep-train his baby, a neighbor decides to call the police.<br /><br />Act Three: Notes on Cycling:<br />A story by producer Boen Wang about how to get through a summer of bad days.&nbsp;(9 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jan 2024 15:58:29 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>821</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>820: It Wouldn’t Be Make-Believe If You’d Believe In Me</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/820/believe-in-me</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/820/wAyNXRIrVlxNFA9l4a-M9HqOBpvHoUeQ1HGs7Vx2_rs/820.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A political party in a major swing state bets on a total outsider.</itunes:subtitle><description>A political party in a major swing state bets on a total outsider.<br /><br />Prologue: In 2022, Michigan Republicans ran anti-establishment candidates who claimed the last presidential election was stolen. And they lost big.<br /><br />Act One: The Lonely Island:<br />The Michigan GOP’s newly elected leader, Kristina Karamo, faces her first big test: Can she organize and pull off the state party’s fabled, expensive Mackinac Island conference as a political outsider – with no fundraising experience or establishment connections? (9 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Another Purity Test:<br />Two young Michigan GOP vice chairs are totally on board with Kristina Karamo’s take on politics and hate the establishment like her.<br /><br />Act Three: The Insurrectionists Insurrect Again:<br />At the start of the year, Warren Carpenter was a Kristina Karamo supporter; helped her get elected.<br /><br />Act Four: Karamo Fights Back:<br />Kristina Karamo and her camp defend themselves against Warren’s attacks that they’re bad at fundraising and bad at leading the party.&nbsp;(13 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Dec 2023 15:08:22 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>820</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>819: Yousef’s Week</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/819/yousefs-week</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/819/PTgaE8n2GQWfB7w8lFYcnlUOrKovVnM3GCq36yWPV3Y/819.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A series of conversations with a man in Gaza over the course of one week.</itunes:subtitle><description>A series of conversations with a man in Gaza over the course of one week.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />One of our producers, Chana Joffe-Walt, had a series of conversations with a man in Gaza over the course of one week.</description><pubDate>Mon, 18 Dec 2023 10:38:27 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>819</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>818: Stand Clear of the Closing Doors</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/818/stand-clear-of-the-closing-doors</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/818/mMyisTIXtHznQrZQ96ZzU2-V2cfxsVsZF7R0svK_nBE/818.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>New York City has scrambled to try and provide shelter and services to over 150,000 migrants. We take a look at how that’s going.</itunes:subtitle><description>New York City has scrambled to try and provide shelter and services to over 150,000 migrants. We take a look at how that’s going.<br /><br />Prologue: In the middle of the night, host Ira Glass meets a woman on a mission at Port Authority bus station.&nbsp;(13 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn:<br />Producer Valerie Kipnis follows a group of people who’ve just arrived at their new home, a tent shelter in the middle of nowhere.&nbsp;(11 minutes)Reporting help from Jika Gonzalez.<br /><br />Act Two: 150 Days of Bummer:<br />Producer Diane Wu talks to an asylum seeker trying to hustle his way through bureaucratic limbo.&nbsp;(11 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Lullaby of Broadway:<br />Host Ira Glass meets some of the city’s newest arrivals in every New Yorker’s least favorite place.&nbsp;(9 minutes)<br /><br />Act Four: The New Kids:<br />Three girls, whose families traveled thousands of miles to get to New York, navigate their latest challenge: American middle school.&nbsp;(11 minutes)<br /><br />Act 5: Harlem Shuffle (podcast only):<br />One woman needs to find shelter for 27 young men in a matter of hours.&nbsp;(15 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Dec 2023 10:28:22 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>818</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>817: The Cavalry Is Not Coming</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/817/the-cavalry-is-not-coming</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/817/M8_Y7B9lX0IF1PvLbF2ZMmzCexd-EDrjy8c61V1tmVE/817.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>When you realize that help is not on the way, what do you do next?</itunes:subtitle><description>When you realize that help is not on the way, what do you do next?<br /><br />Prologue: Saddam Sayyaleh’s job right now is trying to get trucks filled with aid into Gaza and he knows it’s nowhere close to what’s actually needed.<br /><br />Act One: Serious as a Heart Attack:<br />Tim Reeves runs a hospital in rural Pennsylvania, and he’s trying to do something that is so hard to do and that he knows is completely up to him.<br /><br />Act Two: Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses...Or Don't:<br />One of our producers, Nadia Reiman, talked to officials who work in the asylum and refugee branches at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.</description><pubDate>Wed, 22 Nov 2023 12:56:23 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>817</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>816: Poultry Slam</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/816/poultry-slam</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/816/1FxPlvN4fzd537cBRw2RChcYIr6mTAUJca4ZCeJvuWo/816.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, fowl of all kinds—real and imagined—and their mysterious hold over us.</itunes:subtitle><description>Turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, fowl of all kinds—real and imagined—and their mysterious hold over us.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira Glass talks with Scharlette Holdman, who works with defense teams on high profile death row cases, and who has not talked to a reporter in more than 25 years. Why did she suddenly end the moratorium on press? Because her story is about something important: namely, a beautiful chicken.<br /><br />Act One: Witness for the Barbecue-tion:<br />Scharlette Holdman's story continues, in which she and the rest of a legal defense team try to save a man on death row by finding a star witness — a chicken with a specific skill.<br /><br />Act Two: Chicken Diva:<br />Yet another testimony to the power chickens have over our hearts and minds.&nbsp; Jack Hitt reports on an opera about Chicken Little.&nbsp; It's performed with dressed-up styrofoam balls, it's sung in Italian and, no kidding, able to make grown men cry.&nbsp;(14 minutes)The official website for the opera "Love's Fowl" by Susan Vitucci and Henry Krieger is&nbsp;pulcina.org.<br /><br />Act Three: Trying To Respect The Chicken:<br />Ira accompanies photographer Tamara Staples as she attempts to photograph chickens in the style of high fashion photography.&nbsp;The chickens are not very cooperative.&nbsp;(15 minutes)Tamara's photos have been collected in a book,&nbsp;<em>The Magnificent Chicken: Portraits of the Fairest Fowl</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: Winged Migration:<br />Kathie Russo's husband was Spalding Gray,&nbsp; who was best known for delivering monologues onstage—like "Monster in a Box," and "Swimming to Cambodia." On January 10, 2004, he went missing. Witnesses said they saw him on the Staten Island Ferry that night.</description><pubDate>Tue, 21 Nov 2023 10:11:01 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>816</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>815: How I Learned to Shave</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/815/how-i-learned-to-shave</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/815/hXzlb30wubHtvoZRJQFg20J1OPm9gpY99iW3oUuWQxQ/815.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Things our dads taught us, whether they intended to or not.</itunes:subtitle><description>Things our dads taught us, whether they intended to or not.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks about the time his dad taught him to shave, and how unusual that was.<br /><br />Act One: Am I My Father's Trapper Keeper Keeper?:<br />When Jackie read the obits for the man who had invented the famous Trapper Keeper notebook, she was very surprised. As far as she knew, the inventor was very much alive.<br /><br />Act Two: Raised By Wolf:<br />A father and son find themselves in a very traditional relationship. Until the end.&nbsp;(21 minutes)Rick McIntyre told this story in his book <em>The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone's Underdog</em>.<br /><br />Act Three: Storycorps, the Post-Apocalypse Edition:<br />Simon Rich reads his short story "History Report,"&nbsp;in which a father explains the sex robots of the future.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Nov 2023 09:34:55 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>815</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>814: Parents Are People</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/814/parents-are-people</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/814/8uAA9s6tkoY5B8YB5lPx1DuYTu7Sw4qZLwUmRb-bEKY/814.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What happens when you realize the people in charge don’t have the answers.</itunes:subtitle><description>What happens when you realize the people in charge don’t have the answers.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest Host Chana Joffe-Walt asks her kids when they first encountered adult fallibility.<br /><br />Act One: See Something, Slay Something:<br />A middle schooler really wants to trust the adults have her best interests in mind. But some of the most powerful people at her school begin to make that very difficult.<br /><br />Postscript: Postscript:<br />In Israel and Gaza, children are directly facing the fact that the adults around them cannot protect them.&nbsp;(4 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Dad’s Big Idea:<br />Comedian Gary Gulman on a choice his dad made for him when he was seven years old.<br /><br />Act Three: Ride or Die:<br />There are many kids who do not gradually discover that grown ups don’t have a handle on everything. &nbsp;These kids already know. Miriam Toews’s novel, “Fight Night,” is about a nine-year-old named Swiv who takes care of her grandma and manages her mom’s mental health struggles.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:02:26 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>814</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>813: Is That What I Look Like?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/813/is-that-what-i-look-like</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/813/oA5nhp9u-V_34aOEbzuJP-CT0xSbkoHTnYcE1NeKBfc/813.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Why does it often take an outsider to see things about you that are obvious?</itunes:subtitle><description>Why does it often take an outsider to see things about you that are obvious?<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Nancy Updike talks about learning something new, and unpleasant, about herself in, where else, a makeup store. She also talks with other people about moments where someone made an observation about them that was shocking.<br /><br />Act One: Blunt Force:<br />Writer Domingo Martinez tells a story from his memoir, "The Boy Kings of Texas," about when he was forced to face how he might look in 20 years if he kept doing what he was doing.&nbsp;(12 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Not My First Time at the Rodeo:<br />A man has a very clear vision of how he always stood up to his father, protected his mother and fought hard for the truth. Until one day he discovers actual raw data — secretly recorded conversations — that threaten to change his picture of everything.<br /><br />Act Three: The Blunder Years:<br />Ira Glass interviews actress Molly Ringwald about what happened when she watched one of her own movies, "The Breakfast Club" with her daughter. Ringwald talks about how for the first time, she saw the movie from the parents' point of view, not the kids'.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2023 11:03:18 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>813</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>812: The Bear at the End of the Tunnel</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/812/the-bear-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/812/OGCslt_hTjrPWYjrsqsg6n1tb6ESdOrTcsnGuMo6ep0/812.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People who have a good, long time to think about what they’re doing, look hard at what’s ahead of them, and decide to keep moving forward anyway.</itunes:subtitle><description>People who have a good, long time to think about what they’re doing, look hard at what’s ahead of them, and decide to keep moving forward anyway.<br /><br />Prologue: Brothers Wes and Jeff spent a winter tagging black bears in Bryce Canyon National Park. One of the bears they needed to tag decided to hibernate at the end of an usually long tunnel.<br /><br />Act One: Everybody Knows, You're Not Supposed to Poke a Sleeping Bear:<br />The story of Wes and Jeff venturing into the bear den continues.&nbsp;(11 minutes)&nbsp;<br /><br />Act 2: The Devil Is in the Details. And There Are So Many Details.:<br />Miki Meek reports on the situation for pregnant women in Idaho under the state’s new, post-Roe abortion laws, which are some of the most restrictive in the country. OB-GYNs say the state is in a crisis.</description><pubDate>Wed, 11 Oct 2023 11:23:38 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>812</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>811: The One Place I Can’t Go</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/811/the-one-place-i-cant-go</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/811/3BRTf1jJvPogRvtO6nw0lQMvMxI0qnl99naFE-H_wBM/811.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Spots we’re avoiding in our private maps of the world.</itunes:subtitle><description>Spots we’re avoiding in our private maps of the world.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Bim Adewunmi talks to her cousin Kamyl about a funny thing Kamyl did when she was small, regarding a dog named Foxy.&nbsp;(4 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: I Coulda Grown Big in Japan:<br />Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka moved suddenly from Japan to the U.S. when she was eight years old, and has long joked that it was because her grandmother kidnapped her from her dad. But she'd never talked to anyone in her family about what had actually happened.&nbsp;(31 minutes)&nbsp;Tickets for Atsuko’s comedy tour at&nbsp;atsukocomedy.com.<br /><br />Act Two: Killing Me Softly:<br />Producer Emmanuel Dzotsi has a tale about something he avoids at all costs, even though it seems to follow him everywhere he goes.&nbsp;(8 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Lost In Space:<br />Writer Tamsyn Muir spent her childhood craving a world that she could not find on earth. So as an adult, she just created it.</description><pubDate>Thu, 21 Sep 2023 12:49:48 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>811</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>810: Say It to My Face</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/810/say-it-to-my-face</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/810/OobA0vUYcJlwuBh9yBDa8DeLFrLimpd9B3Hao6lYbsQ/810.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Friends and ex-friends finally talk about the one thing between them they've been avoiding.</itunes:subtitle><description>Friends and ex-friends finally talk about the one thing between them they've been avoiding.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass tells a story he’s never told anyone before, about something someone said to him.&nbsp;(4 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: What Are Friends For? No Seriously. What Are They For?:<br />Gabe Mollica had something important he needed to discuss with his friend&nbsp; — stewed about it for eight years. But rather than go to that friend, he talked about it with everyone other than that one person.&nbsp;(28 minutes)Gabe Mollica’s “Solo: a show about friendship” re-opens in October for runs in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago.<br /><br />Act Two: Pinky Swear:<br />Jasmine and Gabbie are best friends. BFFs! But there’s something major that they’ve never been able to talk about.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Sep 2023 11:00:33 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>810</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>809: The Call</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/809/the-call</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/809/lwNFKQvvbjGzQbiAJ8swSkbgRAYCcNOpaKDnHb-85E0/809.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>One call to a very unusual hotline and everything that followed.</itunes:subtitle><description>One call to a very unusual hotline and everything that followed.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks about a priest who set up what may have been the first hotline in the United States. It was just him, answering a phone, trying to help strangers who called.<br /><br />Act One: Jessie:<br />The Never Use Alone hotline was set up so that drug users can call if they are say, using heroin by themselves. Someone will stay on the line with them in case they overdose.<br /><br />Act Two: Stephen:<br />An EMT learns he was connected to the call, in more ways than he realized.<br /><br />Act Three: Jessie:<br />Jessie, who took the call, explains how she discovered the hotline. She keeps in touch with Kimber.<br /><br />Act Four: Kimber:<br />We learn what happened to Kimber after she called the line.</description><pubDate>Wed, 30 Aug 2023 09:09:23 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>809</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>808: The Rest of the Story</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/808/the-rest-of-the-story</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/808/6iMlXcHhfyf4lQvUijjs-J_X9F-K19VG1f3xFkfy1kA/808.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People who—whether they want to or not—find themselves face-to-face with the rest of their stories.</itunes:subtitle><description>People who—whether they want to or not—find themselves face-to-face with the rest of their stories.<br /><br />Prologue: Legendary broadcaster Paul Harvey had one of the most popular radio shows of all time.<br /><br />Act One: Burning Down The Couch:<br />Psychiatry used to be all talk. Then came a patient named Ray Osheroff.<br /><br />Act Two: Oh Mother Where Art Thou?:<br />Contributor Samuel James thought he knew what happened to his mother. But he was wrong.<br /><br />Act Three: Righteous Gemstone:<br />A new resident in Berlin is greeted like a minor celebrity wherever she goes.</description><pubDate>Thu, 10 Aug 2023 16:15:54 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>808</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>807: Eight Fights</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/807/eight-fights</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/807/p-OsYaVbZpqFpEDq__cNiFZbZXbKDo3bMWHEsK5HXVA/807.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Nadia's family is split between Russia and Ukraine, and when Russia invaded Ukraine, it sparked family conflict, too.</itunes:subtitle><description>Nadia's family is split between Russia and Ukraine, and when Russia invaded Ukraine, it sparked family conflict, too.<br /><br />Prologue: An extended family, and eight fights.<br /><br />Fight #1: Where Does Luka Go?:<br />Luka’s parents – Nadia and Karen – try to figure out where to take him&nbsp;once war breaks out.&nbsp;(6 minutes)<br /><br />Fight #2: Who Is Russian? And Who Is Ukrainian?:<br />Nadia and Karen have been arguing over Russian-ness since they needed to pick a school for Luka.<br /><br />Fights #3 and #4: Crimea and the Globe:<br />Nadia remembers the times that Luka’s father would suggest going to Crimea for vacation, as if it wasn’t Ukrainian land occupied by Russia.<br /><br />Fight #5: Bucha:<br />Nadia tells the story of her father, Alex, who lives near Bucha, and how differently he and she view the Russian atrocities&nbsp;there.&nbsp;(10&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Fight #6: About Giving Money to the Russian Government :<br />Nadia tells the story of her mother, who lives in Russia, and how she won’t do the one thing Nadia keeps asking her to&nbsp;do.&nbsp;(2&nbsp;minutes)&nbsp;<br /><br />Fight #7: The Nice Showdown:<br />Karen sends Nadia a photo which drives them to a final showdown.&nbsp;(12 minutes)<br /><br />Fight #8: The Fight That Wasn’t:<br />Nadia’s step-father works for the Russian government.&nbsp;How to manage <em>that</em>?&nbsp;(4 minutes)<br /><br />Epilogue: Epilogue:<br />Nadia and Karen’s son, Luka, who most of these fights are about, gets the last word.&nbsp;(3 minutes)</description><pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 2023 11:35:27 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>807</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>806: I Can't Quit You, Baby</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/806/i-cant-quit-you-baby</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/806/7Ar9aNf9MOXDnzYDFUQ7Ug-YAitbVtDoMYedVRqXcME/806.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People on the verge of a big change, not wanting to let go. And the people who give them the final push.</itunes:subtitle><description>People on the verge of a big change, not wanting to let go. And the people who give them the final push.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest Host Sean Cole gets some scary news about his health, and decides to quit smoking.&nbsp;(5 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: The Straw That Broke Joe Camel's Back. / Can I Still Be a Joker and a Midnight Toker? / The Unbearable Lighterlessness of Being.:<br />Sean Cole attempts to kick his 35 year-long smoking habit, using a book that’s said to have helped millions of people&nbsp;to&nbsp;quit.&nbsp;(33 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: A Spoonful of Sugar:<br />Someone writes into the advice column Dear Sugar to ask whether or not they should quit a relationship, and gets a strange but very persuasive response.&nbsp;(9 minutes)An adaptation of some of Cheryl Strayed’s columns is now streaming on Hulu.<br /><br />Act Three: Tender Resignation:<br />Even people who vehemently disagreed with Heider Garcia wanted him to stay in his job. But then something happened that made staying impossible.</description><pubDate>Wed, 19 Jul 2023 11:09:57 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>806</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>805: The Florida Experiment</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/805/the-florida-experiment</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/805/SZHQ8_I8X6COl-wmqMtnqH5kJ5DbbqyaC9rdsHtuQMU/805.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Ron DeSantis says he'll do for America what he's done for Florida. So what's it like in Florida?</itunes:subtitle><description>Ron DeSantis says he'll do for America what he's done for Florida. So what's it like in Florida?<br /><br />Prologue: Florida is now the fastest growing state, and DeSantis says people are moving there from all over because of him.<br /><br />Act One: Prescription for Freedom:<br />Among the big items in DeSantis's run for president is medical freedom. Producer Zoe Chace wanted to understand its appeal and its growing popularity.<br /><br />Act Two: Their Eyes Were Watching Tallahassee:<br />DeSantis has passed law after law about what can and can’t be taught in Florida classrooms. Reporter Emmanuel Dzotsi followed how things unfolded at Florida State.<br /><br />Act Three: Goodbye Sunshine (podcast only):<br />Among the legislation introduced by DeSantis that has passed is a ban on minors receiving transition care. The bill passed into law a few months ago.</description><pubDate>Wed, 05 Jul 2023 15:53:01 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>805</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>804: The Retrievals</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/804/the-retrievals</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/804/Yax4KIrEOpemKhJ72IiDw57DgY73GFCbf71fS09OFSg/804.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Patients at a fertility clinic experience excruciating, unexpected pain. For months the reason for that pain remains hidden. Then they get a letter from the clinic.</itunes:subtitle><description>Patients at a fertility clinic experience excruciating, unexpected pain. For months the reason for that pain remains hidden. Then they get a letter from the clinic.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira Glass introduces the first episode of a new podcast from longtime <em>This American Life</em> producer and editor Susan&nbsp;Burton.&nbsp;(1&nbsp;minute)<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Susan Burton introduces some of the many women who went to a Yale fertility clinic for IVF treatment, and charts their experience from hopeful beginning to excruciatingly painful egg retrieval.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Often bypassing logic, the women go to great lengths to construct elaborate stories to make sense of their inexplicable pain. And then, a letter arrives.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2023 12:15:09 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>804</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>803: Greetings, People Of Earth</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/803/greetings-people-of-earth</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/803/CM4LlQX6APVwGlLEGpz-d_b1gK3-FgL5ZEvh30cVZI0/803.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Humans encounter non-human intelligences of various kinds and try to make sense of them.</itunes:subtitle><description>Humans encounter non-human intelligences of various kinds and try to make sense of them.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira has some thoughts about our country’s long history of alien invasion movies.<br /><br />Act One: First Contact:<br />We’ve witnessed a revolution in A.I. since the public rollout of ChatGPT.&nbsp; Our Senior Editor David Kestenbaum thinks that even though there’s been a ton of coverage, there’s one thing people haven’t talked much about: have these machines gotten to the point that they’re starting to have something like human intelligence? Where they actually understand language and concepts, and can reason?&nbsp;He talks with scientists at Microsoft who’ve been trying to figure that out.<br /><br />Act Two: Meat Cute:<br />A short piece of fiction from the perspective of aliens who’ve been scouting Earth, from writer Terry Bisson. It’s called “They're Made Out of Meat.” It’s performed by actors Maeve Higgins and H Jon Benjamin.&nbsp;(5 minutes)More information about Terry Bisson on his website.<br /><br />Act Three: Yacht Rocked:<br />A species of massive, mysterious, highly intelligent beings have recently been making contact with humanity. Or our boats, anyway.<br /><br />Act Four: Jorts and All:<br />Many of us, especially when we’re young, feel like we’re the alien, trying to understand and fit in with the humans on this planet. Producer Diane Wu spent some time recently with a teenage humanoid who feels that way.</description><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 16:11:23 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>803</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>802: Father's Day</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/802/fathers-day</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/802/if-EtHXYF4-QWylglOBAnz_V2sVX7D_5zvEspAfwCSQ/802.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Ira's own father, Barry Glass, co-hosts this special Father's Day show.</itunes:subtitle><description>Ira's own father, Barry Glass, co-hosts this special Father's Day show.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks with his father and co-host for this show, Barry Glass, about his own early days working in radio.<br /><br />Act One: How the World Sees Your Father:<br />LA writer/performer Sandra Tsing Loh discovers that a local rock band has recorded a song about her own father, wildly misinterpreting who he is. They think he’s a free spirit; she believes he’s a worried, miserly grump.<br /><br />Act Two: And If That Diamond Ring Don’t Shine:<br />Ian Brown explains the lengths a normal dad will go to give his daughter a memorable birthday party, including a birthday stunt so crass that he and his wife shocked all of their friends.<br /><br />Act Three: The Moment Dad Left:<br />Audio artist Jay Allison and writer Dan Robb present an audio montage on the moment Robb’s parents divorced.<br /><br />Act Four: Reconciling With Dad:<br />Chicago playwright Beau O’Reilly talks about how he reconciled with his estranged father years ago by becoming an alcoholic just like him.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jun 2023 11:10:08 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>802</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>801: Must Be Rats on the Brain</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/801/must-be-rats-on-the-brain</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/801/CE6igqsXaA7O_I3oBbBJot_UPCkSbARGWdwkLp5BWUA/801.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The one animal we can’t seem to live without, even when we really, really want to.</itunes:subtitle><description>The one animal we can’t seem to live without, even when we really, really want to.<br /><br />Prologue: At the&nbsp;announcement of New York City’s inaugural rat czar, we meet Darneice Foster, who despises the rats outside her apartment.<br /><br />Act One: Fifty First Rats:<br />Producer Elna Baker meets Todd Sklar, a man who can’t quit rats.&nbsp;(22 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: The Big Bag Theory:<br />Fifty years ago, New York City started to put garbage out in plastic bags. This has become the number one food source for rats.<br /><br />Act Three: Alberta? More Like I’ll-Murdah…A-Lotta Rats:<br />How did Alberta, Canada pull off a feat that has eluded the rest of human civilization? Ira visits the largest rat-less land in the world.&nbsp;(15 minutes)<br /><br />Act Four: Put That Down, You Can’t Eat That:<br />We drop a hot mic into a hot mess of a rats’ nest. You’ll never believe what happens next.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jun 2023 20:43:33 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>801</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>800: Jane Doe</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/800/jane-doe</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/800/q3f3BNr1q8AV_4H-zkpiIzxxf0Le-_ak9qf8hSryaEE/800.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Five years after the #MeToo explosion, what’s happened in the lives of the women who went public with their stories?</itunes:subtitle><description>Five years after the #MeToo explosion, what’s happened in the lives of the women who went public with their stories?<br /><br />Prologue: Some powerful and well known men lost their jobs after #MeToo. But what about the women at the center of all this who’ve been way less visible after they told what happened to them? We hear about big and small ways the aftermath of coming forward continues to pop up in their daily lives.<br /><br />Act One: The Intern:<br />Back in 2021, a 19-year-old intern at the Idaho state legislature reported that a state Representative named Aaron von Ehlinger raped her. She went by the name Jane Doe.<br /><br />Act Two: The Witness:<br />Jane Doe walks into a public ethics hearing at the Idaho state capitol and navigates the aftermath.&nbsp;(23 minutes)Song: “Here We Have Idaho”&nbsp; Fiona Apple (vocals) Amy Wood (drums and percussion) David Garza (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, vocals) Sabastian Steinberg (bass, electric autoharp, vocals) John Would (tremolo guitar) Engineered by John Would, Amy Wood, Fiona Apple Mixed and mastered by John Would<br /><br />Act Three: Doe Meets Doe (podcast only):<br />Jane Doe sent some questions for us to ask Chanel Miller. For years, Chanel was known as Emily Doe.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 May 2023 19:12:24 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>800</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>799: The Lives of Others</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/799/the-lives-of-others</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/799/yrfk0h8_ll-EP0rWIopFqBtykToc016sefqRpPUO6VI/799.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Looping thoughts about people you barely know, or don't know at all.</itunes:subtitle><description>Looping thoughts about people you barely know, or don't know at all.<br /><br />Prologue: We get a tip that an entire town is consumed by a huge, elementary-school-style crush on a local veterinarian.<br /><br />Act One: So…I Hear You’re Hot:<br />We do the thing the people in town would rather die than do – spill the crush to the legendary Dr. Artz himself.<br /><br />Act Two: Who Is Sarah Blust?:<br />Producer Alix Spiegel talks to one of her closest friends, Sarah Blust, about the time Sarah met a stranger who, unbeknownst to her, had already spent years thinking about her.&nbsp;(29 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: If These Dogs Could Talk:<br />There are certain jobs where thinking about someone else’s life is just built into it. Aviva DeKornfeld has a theory that petsitting is a job like that.</description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:15:41 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>799</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>798: Leaving the Fold</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/798/leaving-the-fold</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/798/E0nJAxghpb8BI6eq_7MqH9tnKBmVriRgVDS8VInBv9o/798.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People trying to leave some moment in their life behind, which can be hard.</itunes:subtitle><description>People trying to leave some moment in their life behind, which can be hard.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira explains the premise of this week’s show, where most of the stories were first broadcast in 2004.<br /><br />Act One: He Contains Multitudes:<br />Alex Blumberg tells the true story of Jerry Springer's life before he was a talk show host.<br /><br />Act Two: God and Hockey:<br />Ira talks with Shalom Auslander, who was raised as an Orthodox Jew and who made a pivotal break with his faith at a Rangers game.<br /><br />Act Three: Would You Like to Come Up to First Class?:<br />The journalist E. Jean Carroll is in court this week with her rape case against Donald Trump.</description><pubDate>Wed, 03 May 2023 11:42:43 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>798</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>797: What I Was Thinking As We Were Sinking</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/797/what-i-was-thinking-as-we-were-sinking</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/797/XuR6CYbF5_rMVEaKMVJPFqpM8A6Cno3n_wwZNf_QH-Y/797.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>It's funny the things that go through your head during a disaster.</itunes:subtitle><description>It's funny the things that go through your head during a disaster.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass has fallen off his bike a number of times at this point. He reflects on what goes through his head as he’s going down.<br /><br />Act One: Pirates of the Cari-BEAN-TOWN:<br />Producer Ike Sriskandarajah&nbsp;revisits a maritime disaster that left an impact on a group of friends from his youth. What he learns forever changes their impressions of that day.<br /><br />Act Two: Going Down With the Censorships:<br />When to leave Twitter is a question lots of executives faced when Elon Musk took over the company — those who weren't immediately fired, anyway. We hear an insider’s account from the man who ran Trust &amp; Safety at the company, until he couldn’t stand it anymore.</description><pubDate>Tue, 11 Apr 2023 10:59:16 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>797</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>796: What Lies Beneath</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/796/what-lies-beneath</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/796/l3vqRsDo7wJ6TYLNfYG0EplmFIhsUyJhmtvzTi94QYc/796.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Summoning up stuff that’s usually hidden down deep.</itunes:subtitle><description>Summoning up stuff that’s usually hidden down deep.<br /><br />Prologue: A beloved drawing goes missing from Mr. Ablao’s third grade classroom.<br /><br />Act One: Music of the Night after Night after Night:<br />The musicians in the orchestra for Phantom of the Opera tell reporter Jay Caspian Kang about what it’s like to play the exact same music every single night—for decades.<br /><br />Act Two: How I Met My Mother:<br />Producer Elna Baker’s mom doles out some very harsh feedback for her daughter, which goes unnoticed for ten years.&nbsp;(15 minutes)</description><pubDate>Tue, 11 Apr 2023 10:34:41 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>796</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>795: Nine Months Later</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/795/nine-months-later</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/795/Xq-Z0SxdKS9FyJULMAexgavWUk5ahQj_Q9e-oxsu5Z8/795.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We talk to people who wanted abortions right when the laws were changing in their states.</itunes:subtitle><description>We talk to people who wanted abortions right when the laws were changing in their states.<br /><br />Prologue: Nine months ago, these people wanted abortions.&nbsp;But then, the laws changed. They had to wait to get an appointment, figure out how to get out of state or order abortion pills.&nbsp; In that waiting, other things happened.&nbsp;(5 minutes)Today’s show was inspired by the excellent reporting of Caroline Kitchener.<br /><br />Act One: First Trimester:<br />In the months following the court’s decision, two women are stalled getting abortions. Reporter Caroline Kitchener follows Kae and Taylor in those early months, as they try to figure out what to do.<br /><br />Act Two: Second Trimester:<br />Doctors say one effect of the new bans is people seeking abortions much later into their second trimesters.&nbsp;Caroline got interested in a girl like that in Oklahoma.<br /><br />Act Three: Third Trimester:<br />It’s been nine months since the first group of people who wanted abortions couldn’t get them in their states.&nbsp;How have their lives changed, or not.</description><pubDate>Wed, 29 Mar 2023 11:13:11 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>795</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>794: So Close and Yet So Far</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/794/so-close-and-yet-so-far</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/794/YTdx3YBtJcHIWeFiOPFOoKtuxOyHORo1WSavCo8X8_0/794.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People so close to each other, in extremely intimate situations, who are also a million miles apart.</itunes:subtitle><description>People so close to each other, in extremely intimate situations, who are also a million miles apart.<br /><br />Prologue: Valerie Kipnis tells Ira about riding the subway, shoulder-to-shoulder with someone she knows quite well, pretending she doesn’t see him.<br /><br />Act One: Love and Other Exports:<br />How much can you trust whether somebody who you think is close to you really is close to you? Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr.’s been thinking about that question since a recent visit with some of his childhood friends in Sierra Leone.&nbsp;(37 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Fire Sale:<br />Comedian Tig Notaro has the story of someone as close as her actual bedside yet who, in another way, is impossibly far away.&nbsp;(9&nbsp;minutes)To read more about the kids stuck in the sewer, check out Jake Offenhartz’s story in&nbsp;Gothamist.</description><pubDate>Sun, 19 Mar 2023 14:28:11 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>794</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>793: The Problem with Ghosts</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/793/the-problem-with-ghosts</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/793/o1Ofp9rlsUV4h6zLEwXFA5qp1F2QyzqIs8J0SFRUQ4A/793.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The ghosts that visit us, the ghosts that never do, and the ghosts that walk among us.</itunes:subtitle><description>The ghosts that visit us, the ghosts that never do, and the ghosts that walk among us.<br /><br />Prologue: Chaunte Vaughn’s mother recently died of Parkinsons. Even though Chaunte doesn't believe in ghosts, she is visited by her mom's ghost multiple times.<br /><br />Act One: Ghost Industrial Complex:<br />Reporter Chenjerai Kumanyika visits Savannah, Georgia to learn about the city’s popular ghost tours. He’s heard the tourist attractions actually include the brutal reality of slavery.<br /><br />Act Two: Wedding Crasher:<br />Abby Stein’s youngest sister got married last month, the last of 13 kids in their family.<br /><br />Act Three: Seance Fiction:<br />In the 1920s, at the height of the Spiritualism movement, a friendship blossomed between two men with opposing views on the topic: Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Houdini was a skeptic.</description><pubDate>Thu, 02 Mar 2023 12:32:53 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>793</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>792: When to Leave</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/792/when-to-leave</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/792/ymjnRonM3plqlCCZkLCH0RoaZqXta4oXQtuW-gvyyII/792.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People staring down that hardest of questions: Is now the time? To leave?</itunes:subtitle><description>People staring down that hardest of questions: Is now the time? To leave?<br /><br />Prologue: Russian forces have besieged the town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Shelling is constant.<br /><br />Act One: First, Do No Harm:<br />Dr. Amelia Huntsberger loves everything about her rural town in northern Idaho.<br /><br />Act Two: The Leaving Expert:<br />Masha Gessen has fled their home country, Russia, twice. First as a teenager, then again as an adult.</description><pubDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2023 15:55:30 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>792</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>791: Math or Magic?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/791/math-or-magic</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/791/nFL67ExqtFaOBf-qTtuUTtxNlmr07XcuniWTrrt2-dU/791.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>When it comes to finding love, there seems to be two schools of thought on the best way to go about it.</itunes:subtitle><description>When it comes to finding love, there seems to be two schools of thought on the best way to go about it.<br /><br />Prologue: When guest host Tobin Low was looking for a husband, he got opposing advice from two of the most important people in his life,&nbsp;his mom and his best friend.<br /><br />Act One: 10 Things I Require About You :<br />Zarna Garg had a clear plan for how she was going to find a husband.<br /><br />Act Two: Crazy Stupid Love:<br />People who fall in love at first sight often describe it as a kind of magic. One of our producers, Aviva DeKornfeld,&nbsp;is skeptical of these sorts of claims.<br /><br />Act Three: He’s All That:<br />Calvin is an 11 year old who is learning what love is all about,&nbsp;the hard way.&nbsp;(7 minutes)<br /><br />Act Four: How To Leave a Guy in 10 Days:<br />Writer Marie Phillips&nbsp;believes that magic is not just reserved for the beginning of a relationship.<br /><br />Coda: Coda:<br />Tobin Low tells us which camp he falls in — math or magic.&nbsp;(2 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2023 12:41:58 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>791</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>790: You're It</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/790/youre-it</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/790/HW1YFTLrax5fduV0K_6kZoWcmyufWMLjMHPwtqIblbo/790.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Sometimes you raise your hand. Other times you’re just the only one left.</itunes:subtitle><description>Sometimes you raise your hand. Other times you’re just the only one left.<br /><br />Prologue: What happens when an emergency room nurse has an emergency? Kelsay Irby did something that landed her in the&nbsp;headlines.&nbsp;(9&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Every Day is Father's Day:<br />Megan Tan never felt close to her father. For years they’ve been distant.<br /><br />Act Two: Game of Phones:<br />Over the last few years, producer Chana Joffe-Walt has been checking in with someone who wears the mantle of being “it” well. She’s a school principal named Teresa Hill.</description><pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2023 11:14:31 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>790</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>789: The Runaround</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/789/the-runaround</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/789/9wO2LJyu1ko4h7r8hYKWa-TQJcG4EiKSNrtZCNX0UgQ/789.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People being dodged, delayed, and evaded—and what they do to put an end to it.</itunes:subtitle><description>People being dodged, delayed, and evaded—and what they do to put an end to it.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks to producer Sean Cole about a nightmarish runaround he’s been caught in. It all started when Sean thought: I'd like a new bed.<br /><br />Act One: Like The Show “48 Hours", Except A Lot More Hours:<br />Reporter Brenna Smith tells the story of Renee, a mom who is determined to get back nearly $3000 worth of food stamps stolen from her. She soon finds herself caught in a bureaucratic runaround.<br /><br />Act Two: Strange Loop:<br />Our senior editor David Kestenbaum introduces us to someone who is literally running around the block as a way to solve one of his problems. David tries to figure out why it works.<br /><br />Act Three: Americans Most Wanted:<br />American criminals who flee to Mexico to evade law enforcement discover it's not so simple as crossing the border.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Jan 2023 10:02:40 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>789</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>788: Half-Baked Stories About My Dead Mom</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/788/half-baked-stories-about-my-dead-mom</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/788/wsfdnRQYf5JV1x1_VKlAtKaOVMxjvLKzb6ZTDhF0Auc/788.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Writer Etgar Keret tries to come up with the stories that capture the different sides of his mother.</itunes:subtitle><description>Writer Etgar Keret tries to come up with the stories that capture the different sides of his mother.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to author Etgar Keret about his mom, and the stories she used to tell him when she put him to sleep.&nbsp; He explains why it's always been so hard to write about her.<br /><br />Story #1: Bedtime Story:<br />The story Etgar's mother told him, to explain what her father was like.<br /><br />Story #2: Razor:<br />Etgar asks his mother why she only ever strokes his face with the back of her hand.<br /><br />Act 3: Conversation:<br />Etgar tells Ira about his mother’s experience in the Holocaust and why she didn’t like people seeing her as a "survivor" or being defined by those terrible years.&nbsp;(5 minutes)<br /><br />Story #3: Fabric:<br />Etgar's mom invents a business for herself where other women look to her like a queen.<br /><br />Story #4: Rain Day:<br />It rains one morning before Etgar's son goes to school, and he and his wife don't agree on how to handle the situation.<br /><br />Story #5: Never Forget a Smell:<br />Etgar’s mother and a school bully.&nbsp;(10 minutes)&nbsp;<br /><br />Act 7: Conversation:<br />Ira asks Etgar if he has any memories where his mom is&nbsp;<em>not</em>&nbsp;the hero of the story.&nbsp; (3 minutes)<br /><br />Act 8: Conversation:<br />How Etgar's parents met.<br /><br />Story #6: The Stuff:<br />Etgar becomes a vegetarian and his mother jumps into action.<br /><br />Act 10: Conversation:<br />Etgar mom asks for a disturbing favor.<br /><br />Story #7: The First Angel You See:<br />A story Etgar's mom only told him one time, while very drunk.<br /><br />Story #8: Good Day:<br />Etgar remembers throwing a fit at a restaurant as a little boy, and what his mother said to him. (3 minutes)Most of these stories about&nbsp;Etgar's mom were written for an exhibition about her called "Inside Out" at the Jewish Museum in Berlin.</description><pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2022 12:27:43 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>788</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>787: Baby's First Christmas</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/787/babys-first-christmas</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/787/P80T5Zj7jX7nECkrRAaqDy7SNJSsEgr-oYKbyDLsoeU/787.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People experiencing Christmas in brand new ways, giving the holiday even more meaning.</itunes:subtitle><description>People experiencing Christmas in brand new ways, giving the holiday even more meaning.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira introduces us to Santa Allen. A man who is NOT the real Santa Claus but who will – for the first time ever – be sitting in a chair, dressed as Santa, asking little children what they want for Christmas this year.&nbsp; He’s nervous.<br /><br />Act One: Does Santa Believe in Himself?:<br />Producer Aviva DeKornfeld accompanies Santa Allen to his first “chair gig” to see whether all of his hopes, or all of his fears, or a little of both, will be realized.&nbsp;(16 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Jews for Jesus, for Just One Day :<br />Alex Edelman grew up in an Orthodox Jewish household in Boston. But one year, unexpectedly, his family decided to celebrate Christmas – for what he says are very Jewish reasons.<br /><br />Act Three: Buffalo Girls Can’tcha Come Out Tonight :<br />Our former colleague Neil Drumming has never seen “It’s a Wonderful Life” – which makes no sense given that he’s seen almost every other movie there is.<br /><br />Act Four: Single Bells :<br />Scaachi Koul is commemorating a Christmas first of her own – and ON her own – this year.</description><pubDate>Thu, 15 Dec 2022 11:42:14 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>787</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>786: It's a Game Show!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/786/its-a-game-show</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/786/ApENpf0Utqij6N5NnjaGCvZqRAncctzsi2RIB20D-xo/786.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Something we’ve never done before: true stories told in the form of a game show.</itunes:subtitle><description>Something we’ve never done before: true stories told in the form of a game show.<br /><br />Prologue: Jiayang Fan has this theory that because she's spent so much time thinking about her own accent when she speaks English, she believes that when she hears other Chinese-Americans speak, she can tell how old they were when they immigrated to the&nbsp;U.S.&nbsp;(7&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act One: With Great Power Comes Great Pronounceability:<br />We test Jiayang Fan’s self-proclaimed special skill by having her listen to three Chinese-Americans speak, and then guss when they came to the U.S.&nbsp;(20 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: You Bet Your Planet’s Life!:<br />Is it possible for the U.S. to reach the goals set by the Paris Agreement? What steps would we have to take to cut emissions by 50% by 2030? We challenge climate researcher Melissa Lott to get us to that number.&nbsp;(11 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: You Didn’t Hear It From Me. No, Really. You Didn’t.:<br />A game of telephone played on the podcast <em>Normal Gossip</em>&nbsp;reveals how gossip spreads, and why stories change from person to person.</description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 2022 10:57:41 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>786</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>785: Through the Looking Glass</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/785/through-the-looking-glass</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/785/Nzvp2Ypy-OucoO98KJBha26JNd1cGLM3xZ1JKQrK2t0/785.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People trying to coax each other across the line, from one side to the other.</itunes:subtitle><description>People trying to coax each other across the line, from one side to the other.<br /><br />Prologue: Valerie Kipnis tells Ira about how Russian soldiers in the war in Ukraine are making a huge decision in an unusual way: over a hotline.<br /><br />Act One: Flies, Meet Honey:<br />An elections administrator in Texas, Heider Garcia, uses a radical approach to try to win over election skeptics: tactical patience.<br /><br />Act Two: Who Is Ryan Long?:<br />A guy tries to coax himself from one reality into another, while on national television.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Nov 2022 11:17:24 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>785</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>784: Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me a Map</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/784/mapmaker</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/784/aupAbCUsVvpxIitH-_FBYT3lOFTcMxeOuHS8LKUz7tI/784.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>How Ohio Republicans drew electoral maps that violated their own constitutional amendment.</itunes:subtitle><description>How Ohio Republicans drew electoral maps that violated their own constitutional amendment.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira Glass brings us back to the moment of celebration when the anti-gerrymandering&nbsp;constitutional amendment was passed in Ohio.<br /><br />Act One: They made each other a pledge. Unheard of. Absurd.:<br />Anti-gerrymandering activists in Ohio worked for decades to pass a constitutional&nbsp;amendment to curb gerrymandering. Then Republican lawmaker Matt Huffman&nbsp;came along and finally made it happen.<br /><br />Act Two: Sunrise Sunset:<br />In 2021, Ohio got a chance to take its new constitutional amendments out for a spin for the first time, and draw non-gerrymandered maps. Ira Glass tells the story of what went wrong, including an eleventh-hour Hail Mary vote.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Oct 2022 11:12:47 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>784</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>783: Kids These Days</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/783/kids-these-days</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/783/NeWmoh-4W2fZrVBazfe-JaEl9oTjOhuPuo4ZOrOrPBA/783.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We hear from kids who are dealing with some of the country’s most contentious debates. Debates that are supposedly about them.</itunes:subtitle><description>We hear from kids who are dealing with some of the country’s most contentious debates. Debates that are supposedly about them.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Chana Joffe-Walt talks to students stuck in a fight between their parents and their principal.&nbsp;(9 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: This Is Not a Drill:<br />After every school shooting a political debate reemerges about guns. Meanwhile, kids keep going to school.<br /><br />Act Two: Finn Raises His Hand:<br />A super-heated adult debate about trans kids lands in the life of an Alabama teenager named Finn.<br /><br />Act 3: One More Thing:<br />Chana talks about a recent news story that unexpectedly connects the two stories in today’s show.&nbsp;(3 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2022 09:36:12 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>783</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>782: Family Dig</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/782/family-dig</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/782/y10lm3cYJADoP3ivDac_mlja7tpRG028PP4EdDaRcR4/782.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Two people go on excavations of their families’ pasts.</itunes:subtitle><description>Two people go on excavations of their families’ pasts.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira Glass introduces Nancy Updike, one of<em> This American Life</em>'s&nbsp;founding producers.<br /><br />Act One: The Black Box:<br />One evening last fall, Rachel McKibbens got a text from her younger brother, Peter. It read: “I’ve been too distraught to tell you, but Dad passed away today at 2:42 p.m.” She had no idea her father had even been sick, and no idea that her brother was also dying.<br /><br />Act Two: The Great Lie-Gration:<br />Jahmal Williams stumbles on a clue about his grandmother’s history that answers a question he’s always had.&nbsp;(11 minutes) <em>Video: The Williams family gets on the bus for their trip north in 1962.&nbsp;WJAR-TV Collection ©&nbsp;Rhode Island Historical Society. Archival audio in the story: WPRI-TV Collection ©1962&nbsp;WPRI-12, Nexstar Media Inc.&nbsp;Courtesy of the&nbsp;Rhode Island Historical Society.</em>More from Gabrielle Emanuel on the Reverse Freedom Rides: The Cruel Story Behind the Reverse Freedom Rides The Long Journey North</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Oct 2022 12:43:15 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>782</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>781: Watching the Watchers</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/781/watching-the-watchers</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/781/CSlCGQATHXNs8zru3jnd75_XT2jj0ANPJOgIif5e1b8/781.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People taking it upon themselves to keep an eye on those in charge.</itunes:subtitle><description>People taking it upon themselves to keep an eye on those in charge.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass looks into what’s going on behind the scenes of this year’s midterm election.<br /><br />Act One: Magazona:<br />Washington Post reporter, Isaac Arnsdorf, and producer, Zoe Chace, continue the story about the takeover of the Republican party. Together, they hit the road to document how the presence of the MAGA newbies are changing things on the ground in Arizona.&nbsp;Isaac is writing a book all about the MAGA plot to take over America.<br /><br />Act Two: I’ll Be Watching You:<br />A group of 6th grade boys are bothered by their teacher’s behavior. They complain, but no one listens.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 2022 10:54:12 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>781</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>780: Setting the Record Straight</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/780/setting-the-record-straight</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/780/D0kDZD-7kZ4Qn8epTqVFDnmEtY9wANujX4dtENYLQpE/780.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Getting to the facts can be difficult, but it’s always the right thing to do. Except when it isn’t.</itunes:subtitle><description>Getting to the facts can be difficult, but it’s always the right thing to do. Except when it isn’t.<br /><br />Prologue: Tobin Low tells Ira about Paul, who intended to have an anonymous, romantic rendezvous but instead wound up having to decide whether or not to clear up a big misunderstanding.<br /><br />Act One: Home Test:<br />Valerie Kipnis tells the story of 12-year-old Ilya, a Ukrainian refugee eager to figure out whether his hometown can still feel like home. He and his family return to Mariupol, a city badly damaged in the war, and now under Russian control.<br /><br />Act Two: Oh What A Hangled Web We Weave:<br />Lilly Sullivan talks with former science reporter, Kelsey Padget, who’s on a mission to disabuse the world of its incorrect assumptions about an allegedly murderous creature: the black widow spider.&nbsp;(10 minutes)Kelsey Padgett will be hosting an upcoming weekly podcast about big history rivalries and gossipy petty feuds. Dr.<br /><br />Act Three: U-F-No!:<br />David Kestenbaum desperately wants to set the record straight for everybody about whether aliens regularly visit earth. They don’t, he says.</description><pubDate>Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:11:57 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>780</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>779: Ends of the Earth</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/779/ends-of-the-earth</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/779/dPVgxgPCWMTOoqaruVrGPDHMtmR5JIvkjVvUoSrDymI/779.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An exploration of the very upper limits of what you do for someone you love.</itunes:subtitle><description>An exploration of the very upper limits of what you do for someone you love.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass explains what we’re doing on today’s show.&nbsp;(2 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Exit Strategy:<br />Amy Bloom tells the story of her husband, Brian, getting Alzheimer's and wanting assisted suicide. Her search to find a way to do that led her to Dignitas, in Switzerland.<br /><br />Act Two: Comedy Duo:<br />Comedian Zarna Garg tells jokes onstage about the extreme ways she tries to control her daughter Zoya’s life.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Sep 2022 12:43:08 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>779</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>778: Me Minus Me</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/778/me-minus-me</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/778/AfZwj_tTaV0rw3makfptQUaNN9Qu0txPKkxJsJ3vtPI/778.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>When a fundamental part of yourself changes dramatically, are you still who you thought you were?</itunes:subtitle><description>When a fundamental part of yourself changes dramatically, are you still who you thought you were?<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Bim Adewunmi talks to Mona Chalabi about why she sometimes feels like an imposter in her own home.<br /><br />Act One: Voice Over:<br />Sandy Allen tells the story of learning to play an instrument that suddenly sounds very different — his own voice.<br /><br />Act Two: Me Minus You:<br />Writer Marie Phillips has a short story about a strange man in a parking lot, offering to grant one wish.<br /><br />Act Three: One Pill Made Me Small:<br />When Karla Cornejo Villavicencio decided to make a change that had the potential to alter who she’s known herself to be for many years, she didn’t know who would emerge.&nbsp;(17&nbsp; minutes)</description><pubDate>Thu, 18 Aug 2022 12:08:23 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>778</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>777: Name. Age. Detail.</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/777/name-age-detail</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/777/XiwT8yJjDopOoFM4ucgmhn1wvrA5RBMa4BN6N6nH3vI/777.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Ten people were killed at a grocery store in Buffalo, NY. Their stories, as you’ve never heard them.</itunes:subtitle><description>Ten people were killed at a grocery store in Buffalo, NY. Their stories, as you’ve never heard them.<br /><br />Pearl Young and Aaron Salter Jr.:<br />A person cannot be summarized in a sentence.<br /><br />Act 1: Celestine Chaney:<br />Kayla Jones was extremely close with her grandmother, Celestine Chaney. <em>For Colored Nerds</em> host Brittany Luse talks with Kayla about her grandmother and their&nbsp;shared love of beauty.&nbsp;(7 minutes)<br /><br />Act 2: Andre Mackniel:<br />Bim Adewunmi finds a window into Andre Mackneil’s world through TikTok.&nbsp;(4 minutes)<br /><br />Act 3: Katherine Massey :<br />The fact that was repeated about Katherine Massey was that she had written an letter to the newspaper calling for gun control the year before she was murdered. Katherine Massey made things happen. Eve L.<br /><br />Act 4: Margus Morrison:<br />Margus Morrison was a school bus aide, father of six.<br /><br />Act 5: Geraldine Chapman Talley:<br />Writer Kiese Laymon wanted to talk through one fact in particular about Geraldine Chapman Talley’s life: her move from Alabama to Buffalo.<br /><br />Act 6: Ruth Whitfield:<br />Ruth Whitfield. 86 years old. There was a detail repeated often came to Ruth Whitfield, the oldest victim.<br /><br />Act 7: Roberta Drury:<br />She was the first person and the youngest person killed. She’s described in a lot of stories as vibrant, funny, joyful. Damon Young was struck by another particular detail.<br /><br />Act 8: Deacon Heyward Patterson:<br />Heyward Patterson was a deacon at the State Tabernacle Church of God in Christ. He was at Tops often where he worked as a jitney driver.</description><pubDate>Thu, 04 Aug 2022 11:53:21 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>777</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>776: I Work Better on Deadline</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/776/i-work-better-on-deadline</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/776/9FGM2d3Ay80RY_ULI266wQkX3VDWn1ThSwjNrvWP6Ik/776.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people racing against time to solve a problem. Will they make it?</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people racing against time to solve a problem. Will they make it?<br /><br />Prologue: Mike McFarland tells Ira about trying to get a message to someone under the most critical deadline imaginable—emphasis on the “imagine.” (8&nbsp; minutes)<br /><br />Act One: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Quorum:<br />Reporter Sarah Gibson tells the story of a huge political divide in the tiny town of Croydon, NH –&nbsp; population 800. She follows local activists as they try to rally everyone to their side in time for a crucial town meeting.<br /><br />Act Two: Snail in the Coffin:<br />Senior Editor David Kestenbaum talks with a different kind of advocacy group: animal scientists doing their best to save a particular species&nbsp;before it winks out of existence.&nbsp;(16 minutes)</description><pubDate>Thu, 21 Jul 2022 15:36:20 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>776</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>775: The Possum Experiment</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/775/the-possum-experiment</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/775/QXTHvllcC4gN9cRoU0g5OQM36rfXcGrDFBDoBzicuFU/775.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An investigation into a very basic question about people: Are most of us bad or good?</itunes:subtitle><description>An investigation into a very basic question about people: Are most of us bad or good?<br /><br />Prologue: As a joke, Jessica Williamson posts a fake “CAT FOUND” poster with pictures of a possum instead of a cat. To her surprise, she gets hundreds of phone calls that ultimately shift her view on humanity.<br /><br />Act One: Now You See Me:<br />Writer Kiese Laymon talks to comedian Darryl Lenox about how his trust in strangers dramatically shifted after he lost his sight.&nbsp;(17&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Spring Awakening:<br />Clay Elder grew up Mormon, with a fear of outsiders. That changed&nbsp;on a visit to New York City.<br /><br />Act Three: Never Hear the End of It:<br />Producer Sean Cole tells one of his favorite stories — about the ending of the book <em>A Clockwork Orange</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jun 2022 09:32:56 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>775</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>774: The Pink House at the Center of the World</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/774/the-pink-house-at-the-center-of-the-world</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/774/4oR8PjBYo-5xhDwLSaxcodBKoNSvShyCbQaL4Faq5L4/774.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories from the center of this moment of history, the day it happened.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories from the center of this moment of history, the day it happened.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass reminds us that, before they change the country, all major Supreme Court cases start with just a person, in a place.&nbsp;(3&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act One: The Pink House:<br />Documentarian Maisie Crow has been following the fight to stay open by the Jackson Women’s Health Clinic, for ten years. Now the Supreme Court decision is forcing their doors shut for good.<br /><br />Act Two: Welcome to Illinois—Abortion Oasis:<br />Our producer Zoe Chace goes to Fairview Heights, Illinois, where Planned Parenthood has opened a massive new abortion clinic just across the river from Missouri. Abortion is banned in Missouri and lots of the surrounding states now that Roe has been overturned.<br /><br />Act Three: The Abortion Desert Across the River:<br />Zoe Chace spends time with a lawmaker in Missouri on the day Roe fell who’d worked her whole life for this moment and can’t believe it’s really here.<br /><br />Act Four: Next:<br />Host Ira Glass walks through possible next steps with a pro-life activist who worked on the Texas SB8 bill, that set a precedent for enforcement of abortion bans throughout the country.<br /><br />Act Five: The Pill Smuggler:<br />Rebecca Grant introduces us to an abortion pill smuggler, who walks us through her undercover operation to mail pills to people who want medication abortions in places where it's hard to get them.<br /><br />Act Six: The Babies :<br />Emma Green spends time with Anja Baker, who’s working on preparing Mississippi for the influx of babies it will have to absorb now that abortion is illegal in that state.<br /><br />Act Seven: Back to Jackson:<br />Maisie Crow is back to take us inside the Jackson clinic once again, as they rally themselves to see all the patients they’d scheduled for the next month to come in in the next ten days, before the ban goes into effect.</description><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jun 2022 11:15:53 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>774</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>773: The Longest Distance Between Two Points</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/773/longest-distance</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/773/FhJId7x1aE3Awe9HB1yyxOarkHvj91jQRpRtbkyrHqg/773.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Getting from A to B via Z.</itunes:subtitle><description>Getting from A to B via Z.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks with Cassidy, a 10-year-old who has to take a very long route when he encounters an unfamiliar word in a book.<br /><br />Act One: Voter...Reformed:<br />A man in Mississippi tries to get his right to vote back. The state constitution provides a way to do that.<br /><br />Act Two: Ill Communication:<br />Yang Yi, in China, tells the story of a strange journey he took that started at home and ended at home.&nbsp; But somehow took a very long path. Yang Yi’s podcast is called Go LIVE.<br /><br />Act Three: The Roe Less Traveled:<br />For most of their history, salmon were born upstream and swam to the ocean before coming back as adults to spawn. But humans have disrupted the route the salmon take to the ocean.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jun 2022 09:03:22 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>773</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>772: The Kids' Table</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/772/the-kids-table</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/772/-KHSlrxOZ43FCpnm8OIAtZDmrf9cw64CK4Dhf9oAOTc/772.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Kids navigating hairy situations all on their own, with no help from grown-ups.</itunes:subtitle><description>Kids navigating hairy situations all on their own, with no help from grown-ups.<br /><br />Prologue: Elna Baker tells Ira about two detectives who solved a murder remarkably quickly, especially considering that they were still in middle school.<br /><br />Act One: Magically Malicious:<br />Lilly Sullivan tells the story of an elementary school “movie day” that went horribly wrong for many of the kids.&nbsp;(20&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Classified Dad:<br />Chris Benderev speaks with writer&nbsp;Georgie Codd, who went searching for someone to be the father she never had.<br /><br />Act Three: Stations of the Double Cross:<br />Michelle Navarro attended a Catholic youth group retreat when she was thirteen.</description><pubDate>Wed, 11 May 2022 11:03:51 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>772</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>771: The Parents Step In</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/771/the-parents-step-in</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/771/z8upEWwt97i9aQcSu05ucpNKiS9mX_mX3wp2vfgADl8/771.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The government isn’t doing much to prevent school shootings. So parents are jumping in — and getting results.</itunes:subtitle><description>The government isn’t doing much to prevent school shootings. So parents are jumping in — and getting results.<br /><br />Prologue: There's a whole infrastructure that springs into action when a mass shooting occurs. There's the police and SWAT teams, the Red Cross, the Billy Graham prayer truck, therapy dogs.<br /><br />Act One: Keep Breathing:<br />Sandy and Lonnie’s daughter, Jessi, died back in 2012, when a gunman opened fire in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. Since then, they’ve organized their whole lives to be able to reach out to other parents like themselves.<br /><br />Act Two: Down the Rabbit Hole:<br />Lenny Pozner’s son, Noah, was killed at Sandy Hook. In the years after his death, Lenny and his family were harassed by people who believed the shooting at Sandy Hook never happened – that it was all a conspiracy.</description><pubDate>Thu, 26 May 2022 12:38:39 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>771</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>770: My Lying Eyes</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/770/my-lying-eyes</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/770/3UaR0rbpHhiKUE3auJZkRNpcerXUOx0BUwN04yxlOfY/770.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People staring squarely at the truth, and still finding it hard to believe what they’re seeing.</itunes:subtitle><description>People staring squarely at the truth, and still finding it hard to believe what they’re seeing.<br /><br />Prologue: Two co-workers notice something off about the new guy at work.<br /><br />Act One: She Blinded Us With Science:<br />Producer Chana Joffe-Walt talks to researcher Mary Koss about how she came to see a thing that others couldn’t, and about what she did with that knowledge.&nbsp;(15 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: How the Other Side Leaves :<br />Reporter James Spring visits a refugee camp in Tijuana, Mexico filled with Ukranians fleeing the war.<br /><br />Act Three: We Did Start the Fire:<br />Sometimes even when you live through something, it can be hard to see it for what it is. Reporter Katie Worth has a story about a 7th-grader in that position.</description><pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2022 13:22:08 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>770</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>769: The Reluctant Explorer</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/769/the-reluctant-explorer</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/769/aAAQZfbRa3ugdUuBV4O-TXye-HWGWPPcXX6_OyC-eR0/769.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A man is thrust into a new world he didn’t ask to visit.</itunes:subtitle><description>A man is thrust into a new world he didn’t ask to visit.<br /><br />Prologue: Ken had created a website and abandoned it. Years later, a stranger reaches out to him and tells him he can make money off it.<br /><br />Act One: Planet of the Apes:<br />Ira Glass follows Ken as he tries to figure out whether or not the man who reached out to him actually scammed him. Ken learns about a mysterious bot that may have been involved and worries his life may be in danger.<br /><br />Act Two: In the Time of Chimpanzees I Was a Monkey:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to one of the suspects. Ken learns who is behind the bot and who isn’t.</description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2022 13:03:35 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>769</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>768: The Other Front Lines</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/768/the-other-front-lines</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/768/mNkNHTdsP7_bV5W6MN8W5xafxt3xssJjBug9RCV2gp0/768.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Four personal stories from the war in Ukraine.</itunes:subtitle><description>Four personal stories from the war in Ukraine.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass plays recordings of a woman named Katia in Kyiv, dealing with the quotidian challenges of life — like taking the dog out to pee — in the middle of the war.&nbsp;(7 minutes)We found out about Katia from the podcast <em>Vice News Reports</em>, a show with a lot of great reporting on the war in Ukraine, plus stories that are unfolding all over the world.<br /><br />Act One: Yevgenia and Her Neighbors:<br />As Kyiv empties out, Ukrainian photographer Yevgenia Belorusets documents her interactions with those who stayed behind.&nbsp;(15 minutes)Her diaries were published by&nbsp;ISOLARII.<br /><br />Act Two: Munachi and The Escape :<br />There’s a group chat for Nigerian students living in Ukraine that got totally upended by the war.<br /><br />Act Three: Alyona and Oleg:<br />Reporter Ashley Cleek talks to one Russian protestor in the middle of re-evaluating one of her oldest friendships.&nbsp;(15 minutes)</description><pubDate>Thu, 14 Apr 2022 10:28:51 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>768</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>767: Do Not Go Gentle</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/767/do-not-go-gentle</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/767/qntxGeyBGGtt6UKiFInT3voKvDPvxcOCJfkwlnbPIzc/767.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of resistance from Hungary and Russia.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of resistance from Hungary and Russia.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass zooms in on five surreal minutes of Hungary’s opposition campaign.&nbsp;(5 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: The Brothers Harangazo:<br />Producer Zoe Chace spends time with two brothers in Hungary, trying to win an election that’s basically impossible for them to win.<br /><br />Act Two: Putin’s On Our Side:<br />One of the last independent newspapers in Russia finds new ways to cover a war that the government doesn’t want them to cover.</description><pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2022 11:10:33 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>767</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>766: Well Someone Had to Do SOMETHING!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/766/well-someone-had-to-do-something</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/766/vaFSU7zjYIPAb7VZ6tWa9SJY3hFhGTd02iBrKmSoaDo/766.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People trying to jump in and solve other people's problems.</itunes:subtitle><description>People trying to jump in and solve other people's problems.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Sean Cole tells us the story of Seattle residents who’ve had their bikes stolen, only to get them back in a way they really are not expecting.<br /><br />Act One: Cold Call to Action:<br />Producer Alix Spiegel tells the story of a Lithuanian man who devises a plan to solve a problem related to the war in Ukraine.<br /><br />Act Two: Zoo Unto Others:<br />Sean Cole speaks to Washington Post reporter Siobhan O’Grady about her visit to the zoo in Kyiv.<br /><br />Act Three: One Last Thing After I Go:<br />Producer Aviva DeKornfeld tells the story of Bill Edgar, who accidentally ended up helping people have a say at a moment when most people don’t get to say anything at all.<br /><br />Act Four: A Funny Thing Happened When We Were Already AT the Theater:<br />Producer Chana Joffe-Walt tells the story of a woman who took it upon herself to do something in an effort to help, and was not well received.&nbsp;(8 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2022 10:31:38 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>766</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>765: Off Course</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/765/off-course</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/765/jYrb8WjpERjVwBq00D6JMaXqUX4V3MTUeiBaQ1tJ_0g/765.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People who know the path their lives will take until, suddenly, they don’t.</itunes:subtitle><description>People who know the path their lives will take until, suddenly, they don’t.<br /><br />Prologue: Like a lot of parents, Yibin Li’s dad dedicated himself to making sure his daughter stayed on a path that would lead her to a better life than his. But the obstacles her dad had to surmount to achieve this are unlike those any parent anywhere has faced.<br /><br />Act One: The Audition:<br />Ira’s story of Yibin Li continues.<br /><br />Act Two: The Synchronized Swimmers:<br />At the age of 17, competitive swimmer Lynne Cox had already accomplished a lot in the open ocean. She’d set two world records crossing the English Channel.<br /><br />Act Three: The Year of Manic-al Thinking:<br />Comedian Casey Wilson’s mom was a stabilizing force in her family. So after her unexpected death, both Casey and her father felt devastated and unmoored.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2022 10:02:05 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>765</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>764: School's Out Forever</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/764/schools-out-forever</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/764/Z71mwW70Deg3sv23dEWixHhEYhYOycc2GUaBR1xsWzs/764.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The pandemic broke school. Can we ever go back?</itunes:subtitle><description>The pandemic broke school. Can we ever go back?<br /><br />Prologue: Host Chana Joffe-Walt talks to teachers and principals about the unique challenges the pandemic has created in their daily working lives.&nbsp;(7&nbsp; minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Big Mother Is Watching:<br />When school closed and threw routines into disarray, one mom and daughter figured out a new way to make it work.<br /><br />Act Two: The Case of The Vanishing Sixth Grader:<br />The pandemic moved lots of families around, and many children simply vanished from school, in person, and online.</description><pubDate>Thu, 03 Mar 2022 15:47:22 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>764</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>763: The Other Mr. President</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/763/the-other-mr-president</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/763/h3J9kwey6wIdGDKEv690ZlLv8Dfx-x5qCLNbG9gQfM4/763.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about Vladimir Putin.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about Vladimir Putin.<br /><br />Prologue: Late at night on the evening Russia invaded Ukraine, Ira talks to two people who escaped to Lviv, near the Polish border: a woman we call Natalie, and the Ukraine Correspondent for The Economist, Richard Ensor. Natalie’s harrowing story about escaping Kyiv is <em>not</em> the sort of war story that makes you think, "I can't imagine what it'd be like to go through that.” In fact it’s just the opposite.<br /><br />Act One: Going In with a Bang:<br />Back in 1999 there was series of bombings of apartment buildings in Moscow and across Russia. 300 people died. It happened just as Vladimir Putin was coming to power.<br /><br />Act Two: Mr. Popular:<br />Vladmir Putin’s approval rating among Russians is always stunningly high. Ira talks to reporter Charles Maynes to find out if that number is real and how it could be that high.<br /><br />Act Three: Maybe Pay a Little Attention to the Man behind the Curtain:<br />Disinformation and propaganda works differently in Putin’s Russia than it did during the Soviet Union. Instead of tamping down the opposition, the Russian government works to control the opposition.<br /><br />Act Four: A Matter of Principal:<br />Protestors came out across Russia after the Ukraine invasion. In this act, that we first broadcast in 2017, we hear from young people who attended anti-government protests that swept through Russia.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Feb 2022 10:56:27 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>763</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>762: Apocalypse Creep</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/762/apocalypse-creep</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/762/tFmBYj63BZTiH44FqlEgYobjIpnDM44wUXFDiCm4y-o/762.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories from places that are slowly coming apart.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories from places that are slowly coming apart.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks with a radio announcer in Truckee, California, about the increasingly alarming content of his fishing reports.<br /><br />Act One: Apocalypse Now-ish:<br />Producer Alix Spiegel reports on the city of Pacifica, California. A huge fight erupted there after it was asked to start planning for sea level rise.<br /><br />Act Two: Resilience is Futile:<br />Miami writer Mario&nbsp;Alejandro Ariza on how his city is trying to beat back the impacts of climate change.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Feb 2022 10:47:11 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>762</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>761: The Trojan Horse Affair</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/761/the-trojan-horse-affair</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/761/D6YI4IRLIuedzgBoXVEnSdAUUZhHEq3BBnVw0Wssq-Y/761.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A mysterious letter shocked Britain. But who wrote it?</itunes:subtitle><description>A mysterious letter shocked Britain. But who wrote it?<br /><br />Prologue: Ira introduces the first part of the latest podcast from Brian Reed (<em>S-Town</em>)&nbsp;and Hamza Syed — which all started when Hamza was a student with a burning question.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Hamza and Brian visit Tahir Alam, the alleged mastermind of a plot to ‘Islamize’ Birmingham’s schools.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />As Tahir’s revamp of Park View School continues to grow and deliver stunning results, his reputation grows — as does resentment at his blunt, unvarnished style. And then came the letter, and hoax or no, the consequences of its contents began to unravel Tahir’s life’s work almost immediately.</description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Jan 2022 12:22:34 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>761</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>760: A City Walks Into an Investigation</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/760/a-city-walks-into-an-investigation</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/760/nNYOId1sn3zTXeRKes2t0xTW9w_aYQT0qdOBXCrnzuY/760.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Our story continues about the Michigan couple who walked into a police officer's house and made a disturbing discovery.</itunes:subtitle><description>Our story continues about the Michigan couple who walked into a police officer's house and made a disturbing discovery.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira summarizes part one of our story.<br /><br />Act One: Chief Lewis Adds It Up:<br />The police chief in Muskegon conducts his own personal investigation into Officer Anderson’s interactions with Black people on the job. He doesn’t like what he discovers.<br /><br />Act Two: The Way It Actually Happened:<br />Officer Anderson is fired based on the chief’s findings. But that’s not what’s said publicly.<br /><br />Act Three: How To Fire a Police Officer:<br />Muskegon’s chief of police explains why he decided he couldn’t mention any of the stuff he found troubling about Officer Anderson’s treatment of Black people on the job.<br /><br />Act Four: People Who Got the Short End of Anderson’s Deal:<br />Duke Stalling, whose mother’s birthday party was pepper sprayed by Officer Anderson when he showed up on a noise complaint, reacts to the city’s deal with Anderson.<br /><br />Act Five: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished:<br />Turns out, the couple who originally brought Officer Anderson into the spotlight with their Facebook post had encountered Anderson before in Muskegon. Specifically, at a traffic stop where things got ugly.<br /><br />Act Six: Was It Worth It?:<br />The Mathises consider if going public with what they found in Officer Anderson’s house was worth it, given what their personal lives have been like since.<br /><br />Coda: Coda:<br />Ira and Ben consider how officers could be flagged for bad policing in a more systematic way, rather than the freak occurrence of a couple walking into an officer’s home and finding a KKK application up on his wall.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Jan 2022 12:28:28 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>760</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>759: A Couple Walks Into a House</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/759/a-couple-walks-into-a-house</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/759/f6rxJ1l5qQzAmx7HVqpREmODn7kGMrFhHFxvIOyJWgE/759.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An unsettling discovery in the home of a local police officer rocks an entire city.</itunes:subtitle><description>An unsettling discovery in the home of a local police officer rocks an entire city.<br /><br />Prologue: Rob and Reyna Mathis go house hunting with their family in Muskegon, Michigan. What they find in a police officer’s home prompts an upsetting debate.<br /><br />Act One: The Decision:<br />Rob and Reyna weigh whether or not they should go public with what they’ve seen.<br /><br />Act Two: It Begins:<br />The response to Rob and Reyna’s Facebook post is loud and immediate. This officer&nbsp;has a past and people have thoughts about him in the town he works, Muskegon, Michigan.<br /><br />Act Three: The People in Charge:<br />Muskegon’s City Manager and Chief of Police have to figure out what to do about their employee who’s now in the spotlight.<br /><br />Act Four: We Know That Guy:<br />People in Muskegon show up at a community meeting to talk about their run-ins with this particular police officer. The reviews are not good.<br /><br />Act Five: Officer Anderson On the Job:<br />An example of how this officer could be on the job.<br /><br />Act Six: Things Get Ugly:<br />Rob and Reyna Mathis deal with the scary fallout of their choice to name the officer.<br /><br />Act Seven: The Investigation:<br />The official investigation by the city of Muskegon into the officer’s past gets underway– and we have a transcript of what went down! Finally we hear the officer – and his wife – explain themselves.</description><pubDate>Thu, 13 Jan 2022 10:22:38 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>759</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>758: Talking While Black</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/758/talking-while-black</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/758/bCR-JFFuLOam9Ezo6GtrYMVyCL-dQG_HK5mpL6eg3-c/758.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about Black people who found themselves caught in the middle of the country's shift away from diversity, equity, and inclusion.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about Black people who found themselves caught in the middle of the country's shift away from diversity, equity, and inclusion.<br /><br />Prologue: As a new high school principal, Dr. Whitfield felt moved by the national renouncement of racism he saw all around him in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.<br /><br />Act One: Incident:<br />During her sophomore year in high school, Nevaeh was targeted in a secret text message chain by a handful of her peers. She’d come to learn the text chat was a mock slave trade where her photo and photos of other Black classmates were uploaded, talked about as property, and bid on.<br /><br />Act Two: The Farce Awakens:<br />After the murder of George Floyd, sales of&nbsp;books by Black authors skyrocketed. Now, there are efforts to ban many of the same books.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Dec 2021 10:19:19 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>758</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>757: The Ghost in the Machine</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/757/the-ghost-in-the-machine</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/757/x5ElEQ7yS86IuRyEqUhWNLbaWX4C6BTG42dyGflVza4/757.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People use machines to find people they lost.</itunes:subtitle><description>People use machines to find people they lost.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira tells three stories about the ghosts captured whenever you record sound. (10 minutes)Michèle Dawson Haber wrote about hearing her father’s voice on tape as a Modern Love column "Hearing His Voice Changed Everything," in <em>The New York Times</em>.<br /><br />Act One: Ghostwriter:<br />Vauhini Vara lost her sister when she was in college. Even though Vauhini’s a writer now, she’d never really been able to write about her sister.<br /><br />Act Two: Father of Invention:<br />There’s a machine lots of us encounter as a big impersonal, mechanical apparatus, that has a ghost in it. But it’s a ghost that appears to&nbsp;just a small handful of people. Jean Hannah Edelstein tells the story to Ira.<br /><br />Act Three: This Must Be the Place:<br />For more than a decade, Boris Furman has meticulously tracked the whereabouts of his family members, averaging the latitude and longitudes to arrive at “The Family Average Location.” But nobody really knows why.</description><pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 11:35:38 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>757</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>756: But I Did Everything Right</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/756/but-i-did-everything-right</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/756/tCS4FT6dIuZrIYBY8lhCWdtW1tJp62ESKccEJN1DMEY/756.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People earnestly doing what they're told, and absolutely not getting what they were promised.</itunes:subtitle><description>People earnestly doing what they're told, and absolutely not getting what they were promised.<br /><br />Prologue: A teenage girl finds a wallet and has to decide whether to return it. That, and other stories of people trying to do the right thing, and it not working out the way they thought.<br /><br />Act One: Damned If You Don't:<br />Rebecca Shrader thought she knew what was right when it came to abortion. Then she got pregnant.<br /><br />Act Two: Brian and Peg:<br />Brian and Peg disagree over a very important thing. Host Ira Glass tries to figure out who’s right.<br /><br />Act Three: Bought the Farm:<br />Senior editor David Kestenbaum helps his kids set up an ant farm. They follow all the instructions, to the letter! But he ends up learning a lesson he’s pretty sure the manufacturer did not intend.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2021 11:41:43 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>756</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>755: The Convert</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/755/the-convert</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/755/xqtgls4IgQZOtTKJziiV89DTzCkPBHz_YM2ZV5gHPWI/755.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of an FBI undercover operation from 2006 that went terribly, and became the heart of a case heard at the Supreme Court.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of an FBI undercover operation from 2006 that went terribly, and became the heart of a case heard at the Supreme Court.<br /><br />Prologue: At a Muslim community center in New York, two lawyers teach a workshop on how to react when an FBI agent shows up at the door asking questions. The workshop is a project of CLEAR — Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility — at the City University of New York School of Law.<br /><br />Act One: Gym Rat:<br />In the summer of 2006, an FBI official visited a mosque in Orange County, California. His intention was to reassure the community that they weren't being spied on.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />The story of Craig Monteilh continues: What happens when you turn someone into the FBI who, it turns out, is working for the FBI? Trevor Aaronson, whom Sam Black interviewed for this story, has a book called <em>The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism</em>.</description><pubDate>Thu, 02 Dec 2021 15:27:12 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>755</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>754: Spark Bird</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/754/spark-bird</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/754/0vuEsdvOrrm21PMp2L8_4-TXYJ7bzQvrdVIG-_ue5Wg/754.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Birds—the hearts they sway, the havoc they wreak, the lives they change.</itunes:subtitle><description>Birds—the hearts they sway, the havoc they wreak, the lives they change.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira goes out birding with birder extraordinaire Noah Strycker, who tells the dramatic story of the bird that changed his life: the turkey vulture.<br /><br />Act One: Don’t Chicken Out:<br />Carmen Milito tells Ira the story of a date she went on as a teenager, and the bird her mom brought to the occasion.<br /><br />Act 2: More with Noah:<br />Ira tromps around the woods some more with Noah Strycker, who explains, among other things, his problem with the movie <em>Spencer</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: A Scrub Is a Bird That Can’t Get No Love From Me:<br />Producer Bim Adewunmi on a decades-long political battle in Florida — between the incumbent state bird and the challenger that threatens to knock it off its perch.<br /><br />Act Three: We Need to Talk About Birdly:<br />There are the birds who exist, and then there are the birds who may as well exist. Producer Sean Cole explains.</description><pubDate>Thu, 18 Nov 2021 15:44:55 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>754</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>753: What We’ve Got Here is Failure to Communicate</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/753/failure-to-communicate</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/753/ST7fuGiUjEAzHPx0urmCInaON7bf9tFujnkh5qgMKoI/753.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Getting the point across — or trying to, anyway.</itunes:subtitle><description>Getting the point across — or trying to, anyway.<br /><br />Prologue: At Sullivan High School in Chicago, being able to communicate is key.&nbsp;(5 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Until The Cows Come Home:<br />A state senator tries persuading his own constituents, from his own party, that the 2020 election was not stolen.&nbsp;(17 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: How I Met My Mother:<br />Producer Elna Baker’s mom doles out some very harsh feedback for her daughter, which goes unnoticed for ten years.&nbsp;(14 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Amelia Bedelia Works From Home:<br />Literally, Amelia Bedelia works from home.&nbsp;(4 minutes)<br /><br />Act Four: The Importance of Meeting Earnest :<br />For more than fifty years, Jeanne Darst’s dad neglected to tell his entire family about their entire family.&nbsp;(13 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Oct 2021 10:19:47 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>753</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>752: An Invitation to Tea</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/752/an-invitation-to-tea</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/752/j7JoKcz7dJL-MpO9eVpcJd_XVYjmFcUvIqI9jEnpMyA/752.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A man who was kept for 14 years in Guantanamo Bay gets out and issues an invitation to the people who kept him there.</itunes:subtitle><description>A man who was kept for 14 years in Guantanamo Bay gets out and issues an invitation to the people who kept him there.<br /><br />Prologue: Scott, who had worked as a guard at Guantanamo Bay, sees that the detainee he had been in charge of all those years ago, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, had finally been released. The two of them talk.<br /><br />Act One: Sydney:<br />Mohamedou talks with Sydney, who still thinks he was a major player in Al Qaeda. She was an intelligence analyst, who spent weeks at Guantanamo, questioning him.<br /><br />Act Two: Mr. X:<br />Mohamedou talks to a man he only knew as Mr. X and who still gives him nightmares.</description><pubDate>Wed, 20 Oct 2021 09:30:19 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>752</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>751: Audience of One</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/751/audience-of-one</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/751/6fdJKXSkGNPMViiXyTnYK6p9HKxiAgcxliOKSZYl2Io/751.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We bring the movies to you.</itunes:subtitle><description>We bring the movies to you.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass revisits the one movie he’s seen more than any other, about an ocean liner that gets hit by a tsunami and flips over.&nbsp;(9&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Many a Thing She Ought to Understand:<br />Our producer, Diane Wu, spent most of her life thinking she doesn’t have a unique and personal take on <em>The Sound of Music</em>. She is wrong.<br /><br />Act Two: Putting the Ease in Disease:<br />To cope with the COVID pandemic, producer Sean Cole finds himself turning to a movie about a pandemic. But the virus in this movie isn’t like any you’ve ever heard of.<br /><br />Act Three: Director’s Cut:<br />Comedian Will Weldon’s ex-wife made a movie loosely based on their marriage. Producer Elna Baker watches the film with Will as he revisits his break-up.<br /><br />Act Four: The Kid Namastays in the Picture:<br />Jaime Amor does yoga storytelling for kids at&nbsp;Cosmic Kids Yoga&nbsp;and on&nbsp;YouTube.&nbsp;We ask her to try taking on a film for grownups.</description><pubDate>Sat, 16 Oct 2021 08:25:46 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>751</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>750: The Ferryman</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/750/the-ferryman</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/750/GJ6TK3EPDYZFM1AINqnIXfQXQxo2pQeMOm61ot7ZkcM/750.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Getting from Point A to Point B—with expert assistance.</itunes:subtitle><description>Getting from Point A to Point B—with expert assistance.<br /><br />Prologue: Amy D'Addario had ferried her mother to the hospital dozens of times before.<br /><br />Act One: I Was A Teenage Smuggler:<br />Because the U.S. doesn’t usually prosecute anyone under 18 for the crime of smuggling people illegally across the border from Mexico, tons of teenagers do it, for money. Reporter Kevin Sieff spent months talking to some of them.<br /><br />Act Two: Last Ride:<br />What’s it like, being on that boat with the immortal ferryman, heading into the underworld? Writer Marie Phillips imagines one such trip. Actor Noma Dumezweni reads.<br /><br />Act Three: Better Call Dave:<br />When you need to retrieve all manner of treasures secured behind steel doors and complex locks, there’s one man you can count on: safecracker Dave McOmie.</description><pubDate>Thu, 07 Oct 2021 09:23:14 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>750</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>749: My Bad</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/749/my-bad</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/749/pm0qYamnMBNibU2jTlVIiSwR5FS4yQj9lVTFwPTT87c/749.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An hour devoted to embarrassing stories.</itunes:subtitle><description>An hour devoted to embarrassing stories.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Elna Baker hears of a story from Jane Marie, about an embarrassing moment that haunts her.&nbsp;(3 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: The Belle of the Gall:<br />Elna Baker picks up with Jane Marie’s story. Jane Marie is the host of the podcast <em>The Dream</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: Judgment Day:<br />Writer Kiese Laymon tells Elna Baker his most embarrassing story, involving one of the most important people in his life.&nbsp;Kiese Laymon is the author of <em>Heavy</em> and <em>Long Division</em>.<br /><br />Act Three: Traumarama:<br />We put out a call for embarrassing stories and got back more than 1000.<br /><br />Act Four: Putting the Bare Ass in Embarrassment:<br />Cariad Harmon tells Elna Baker about what it was like to live through a literal embarrassment nightmare.&nbsp;(15 minutes)</description><pubDate>Wed, 15 Sep 2021 08:27:31 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>749</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>748: The End of the World as We Know It</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/748/the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/748/0QYFhdKnLwPSFkevAQh3xdWaSUF3kg7WWWa8hD9Bq9U/748.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What happens when one family goes all in on fighting climate change.</itunes:subtitle><description>What happens when one family goes all in on fighting climate change.<br /><br />Prologue: So yes, climate change is real and most Americans believe that’s what we’re seeing around us right now. But there are people out there who look at the same evidence the rest of us do and take it to heart in a way most of us don’t.<br /><br />Act One: 1.5 Degrees of Separation:<br />Producer Aviva DeKornfeld was interested in the toll that having a wakeup-moment could have on a family, and she heard about someone who had a moment like that over a decade ago. He tried to pull his family into activism too, and what unfolded was the most extreme example of things going badly in a family that Aviva heard of.<br /><br />Act Two: Out of the Crying Pan and into the Fire:<br />Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi takes Ira to an annual tradition in his hometown of Santa Fe, where people have figured out a surprisingly effective way to deal with the problems of the world, large and small.</description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Sep 2021 14:14:05 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>748</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>747: Suitable for Children</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/747/suitable-for-children</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/747/qBhMBycWyKI6EHT6j_DplHaLZx0W--bh57Bz3NizdPU/747.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Who thought that would be good for a kid?</itunes:subtitle><description>Who thought that would be good for a kid?<br /><br />Prologue: Ira remembers the time when his older sister, Randi, asked his mother where babies come from.<br /><br />Act One: Stars & Bars & Bars:<br />Producer Neil Drumming talks with the rapper Breeze Brewin about a toy car they both loved playing with as kids: The General Lee from the hit TV show The Dukes of Hazzard. Breeze went on to record a song called “Generally” about The General Lee with his group the Juggaknots.<br /><br />Act Two: History is Not a Toy:<br />There’s a museum in Baltimore that was created to memorialize the Black experience in America. It’s called The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum.<br /><br />Act Three: Take Your Kid to Work Day:<br />A boy rides shotgun in a memorable car ride with his mother, and in the process learns how his father earns money for their family. This story appears in Domingo Martinez’s memoir, The Boy Kings of Texas, which was a finalist for the National Book Award.<br /><br />Act Four: Rocket Boy:<br />Paul Zimmer at 83 years old is still haunted by something he saw in his teens. Something very few Americans have ever seen: The explosion of an atomic bomb.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Sep 2021 07:58:20 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>747</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>746: This Is Just Some Songs</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/746/this-is-just-some-songs</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/746/rvr6lHUv0VyxIJmGe-2rzDhEkBYRV_za0EtliBKCz4I/746.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We made you a mixtape. Don't make a big deal out of it or anything.</itunes:subtitle><description>We made you a mixtape. Don't make a big deal out of it or anything.<br /><br />Prologue: Sean Cole guest hosts.<br /><br />Track One: Just Be Good to Me:<br />As a kid, Nichole Perkins always liked a very specific type of song.<br /><br />Track Two: Music is Easy:<br />Sean Cole plays a minute of a tune he’s had stuck in his head. Happily.<br /><br />Track Three: The End of the Road:<br />Producer Chana Joffe-Walt really loves the slideshows that schools display at end-of-the-year parent assemblies. A lot.<br /><br />Track Four: What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?:<br />A lot of music discovery happens when we are kids.<br /><br />Track Five: I Talk in Tunes:<br />We had a song made just for you.</description><pubDate>Wed, 18 Aug 2021 15:50:36 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>746</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>745: Getting Out</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/745/getting-out</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/745/0XKx0cDGLFr1Wnn8GCIAR2_788F2-iosizVOpETOVQU/745.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People trying to escape all kinds of seemingly impossible situations.</itunes:subtitle><description>People trying to escape all kinds of seemingly impossible situations.<br /><br />Prologue: We hear a phone call from this week between Kirk Johnson in California, and Ajmal, a man standing in a canal outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Nancy Updike tells the story of the phone call from the prologue.<br /><br />Act Two: You Can Check Out Anytime You Like, But You Can Never Leave:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to producer Elna Baker about the time she and her siblings found themselves trapped in a hotel room with an unexpected visitor.&nbsp;(13 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: You Can’t Go Your Own Way:<br />Carmen Maria Machado tells the story of being stuck in an abusive relationship as a “Choose Your Own Adventure” tale.<br /><br />Act Four: Blue Kid on the Block:<br />Leo’s family moved away from Rochester, NY, leaving behind all of Leo's friends and stranding him in a new — and in his opinion, much worse — middle school.&nbsp;(10 minutes)</description><pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2021 13:44:47 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>745</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>744: Essential</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/744/essential</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/744/7NtuwEuultcs0NvT8_Qy_jR7RXoDGLNHpzDOQaNBZ8A/744.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The pandemic forced jobs to change, but then the workers changed, too.</itunes:subtitle><description>The pandemic forced jobs to change, but then the workers changed, too.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Chana Joffe-Walt talks to a carpenter whose job output went from fixing doors to something more urgent in the last year.&nbsp;(9&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Three Bottles of Joy:<br />Station agent Moneta Lewis worked underground to shepherd disappearing commuters during the darkest days of the pandemic.<br /><br />Act Two: The $25 Tip:<br />The pandemic forced restaurant server Shelly Ortiz to put on her “Covid Goggles.” What she saw through them made her reevaluate her ideas of what’s important.<br /><br />Act Three: Teacher Number Four:<br />In Maine, early childhood educator Miss Jordyn Rossignol had several members of her workforce quit. But none hit her quite as hard as Shania.<br /><br />Act Four: 12 Million Thank You Meals:<br />What does “thank you” actually look like? And who gets one? For Flato Alexander and other essential workers, all sorts of symbols that hadn’t bothered them much before suddenly became unbearable.</description><pubDate>Thu, 05 Aug 2021 09:51:27 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>744</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>743: Don't You Be My Neighbor</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/743/dont-you-be-my-neighbor</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/743/RxDKVmLtPvkmqRj6VFiMS2sQUsFggD90MhwEZFFIfWY/743.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Bad neighbors. What can you do about them?</itunes:subtitle><description>Bad neighbors. What can you do about them?<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to Eyal Levin, who says his neighbor has been propagating a lie for years about one of the most contentious issues in New York: street parking.<br /><br />Act One: Home, Home Near the Range:<br />A stranger moves to Pawlet, Vermont. At first, his neighbors aren’t sure exactly what to make of him.<br /><br />Act Two: Fear Thy Neighbor:<br />Reporter Mike Giglio tries to answer the question: Just how much should the residents of Pawlet fear their new neighbor? (21 minutes)</description><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jul 2021 14:56:35 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>743</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>742: The Thing I'm Getting Over</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/742/the-thing-im-getting-over</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/742/S00W2PHPqZbdeKn-Fzcf_TxVbDwZ7y98TwwQHVKRG08/742.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What’s recovery mean, anyway?</itunes:subtitle><description>What’s recovery mean, anyway?<br /><br />Prologue: Chase Friedman was in an accident that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Ira Glass talks to him about the unusual goal he set for his recovery.<br /><br />Act 1: Naked Lunch:<br />Susan Burton is a couple years into recovery from the eating disorder she’s had for decades.<br /><br />Act 2: Shot Girl, Summer in the City:<br />Elna Baker investigates the “Shot Girl Summer” phenomenon.</description><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jul 2021 10:14:19 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>742</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>741: The Weight of Words</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/741/the-weight-of-words</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/741/q5mc_ar0nUo2pV8MOGEDymbpn8D7rc6cpgbQ6Bs8LYc/741.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Words mean things, but some words are especially meaningful.</itunes:subtitle><description>Words mean things, but some words are especially meaningful.<br /><br />Prologue: What does God get out of us praising him? Or is it actually for us? (7 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Go To The Mattresses:<br />Shamyla always loved books. Like lots of other eleven-year-olds back in 1989, she loved The Babysitters Club.<br /><br />Act Two: Daddy Lessons:<br />Parents try to shape who we are in their own image. Producer Neil Drumming spoke to Adam Mansbach, who tried to make his daughter fall in love with hip-hop.<br /><br />Act Three: The Rundown:<br />The story of one woman’s mission to bring people together everywhere by eliminating small talk forever. Starlee Kine has been going around lecturing audiences on the subject.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jul 2021 12:30:40 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>741</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>740: There. I Fixed It.</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/740/there-i-fixed-it</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/740/ZXV-db4mnS9j7wkGAOxA3bDqey_FzQWGP7ainHpyIb8/740.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Solving problems using very extreme measures.</itunes:subtitle><description>Solving problems using very extreme measures.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira Glass talks to Sam Ashner, whose debilitating fear of spiders was ruining his life. So he opted for an extraordinary treatment — the nuclear option — to deal with it.<br /><br />Act One: Catching Deer When You Wanted Lions:<br />When the United States Congress saw a problem — sex trafficking — it acted to eliminate it.<br /><br />Act Two: The Lonely Island:<br />For the last year, writer Karen Cheung has been watching her hometown of Hong Kong change in big and small ways under a new law, and wondering when and if leaving will be her last resort.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Jun 2021 17:02:56 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>740</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>739: Sisters</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/739/sisters</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/739/d7QFYxUcHJJF4L5MYTDZCgb68MBnUE8zvGceS0I_Fhk/739.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The bonds between sisters and how they get broken and fixed—or not.</itunes:subtitle><description>The bonds between sisters and how they get broken and fixed—or not.<br /><br />Prologue: In families with sisters, every sister has their role to play. And whatever your role is, it sort of becomes your identity: the sweet one, the diva, the rebel.<br /><br />Act One: Cindy and Dayana:<br />Cindy and Dayana Carcamo are close. But recently, they’ve been struggling with this thing that happened when they were very young.<br /><br />Act Two: Megan and Sybil:<br />The first act of our show was about someone who has spent decades trying to close the gap with her sister because they were apart until she was eight years old. This next story is the reverse.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Jun 2021 09:33:12 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>739</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>738: Good Grief!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/738/good-grief</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/738/luajU4wlKeEVoJF7pXpJjLjc_qV-dJexk9pyZE1v_PI/738.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People figuring out how to grieve, and doing a pretty good job of it.</itunes:subtitle><description>People figuring out how to grieve, and doing a pretty good job of it.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks with comedian Rob Delany, who suffered the worst kind of loss a parent can endure — the death of his two-year-old son, Henry. Rob describes what his grief has been like and what he’s learned from it.<br /><br />Act One: Goodbye Mr. Facey:<br />Producer Chana Joffe-Walt wondered what it was like for surviving MTA employees coping with the loss of their co-workers due to Covid-19. She met one in particular who’s had a hard time saying goodbye.<br /><br />Act Two: When It Rains:<br />Producer Sean Cole has, unfortunately, experienced something known as “cumulative grief” this year. He writes about the multiple upheavals he’s been dealing&nbsp; with.<br /><br />Act Three: The Caretaker:<br />Producer Bim Adewunmi travels to the site in Minneapolis where George Floyd was murdered by a police officer. It’s become a huge, make-shift memorial, big enough to absorb the grief of all-comers who wish to pay homage.<br /><br />Act Four: All My Love:<br />One of the 590,000 casualties of U.S. Covid-19 this year was Leiah Danielle Jones.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 May 2021 13:39:20 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>738</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>737: The Daily</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/737/the-daily</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/737/ilsf41CRGTB2rowx9ABfmPP037aIN52FUsUGen-RNqs/737.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An ode to life's daily practices, and what you learn from doing a thing every single day.</itunes:subtitle><description>An ode to life's daily practices, and what you learn from doing a thing every single day.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass goes to a block in New York City where, over a year into the pandemic, neighbors are still clapping for health care workers every night at 7 p.m.&nbsp;(7 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall?:<br />Producer Ben Calhoun investigates a daily mystery—a daily musical mystery.&nbsp;(15 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: So Nice to Hear Your Voice:<br />Dee Brown’s routine is thrown totally out of whack when Covid hits.<br /><br />Act Three: It Had to Be YouTube:<br />For the last five years or so, Johnny Dark has kept up a very specific, unusual, and labor intensive daily practice.<br /><br />Act Four: Here’s What Else You Need To Know Today:<br />Host Ira Glass with the last piece in today’s show, inspired by the New York Times&nbsp;podcast,&nbsp;The Daily.&nbsp;(3 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 May 2021 08:53:23 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>737</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>736: The Herd</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/736/the-herd</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/736/HCVNHvdHL58jpMMjiAdr84yObxzpI-jquyXinzIsRYg/736.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What happens when your own community suddenly turns on you?</itunes:subtitle><description>What happens when your own community suddenly turns on you?<br /><br />Prologue: You can’t get herd immunity until you deal with the herd, and get enough of them moving together in the same direction. That’s been difficult this past year, in a way it’s never been during any other epidemic in our history.<br /><br />Act One: Hazardous to Your Health Official:<br />Reporter Anna Maria Barry-Jester tells the story of two public health officials in Santa Cruz County, California, whose lives have been completely upended by threats and harassment over the past year.&nbsp;(20 minutes)This story is a collaboration with Kaiser Health News. You can read their version here.<br /><br />Act Two: The Elephant in the Zoom:<br />David Kestenbaum follows one person as they try to find something—a set of words, some facts, a story—to convince Trump Republicans to get themselves vaccinated.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Apr 2021 13:05:26 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>736</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>735: Bloody Feelings</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/735/bloody-feelings</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/735/sGqbgzTi6mioFCixhd864Q7qKQAA_H7QFv1UCI2pUuA/735.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about the power of blood.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about the power of blood.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to writer Mitchell S.<br /><br />Act One: Started From Phle-Bottom, Now We’re Here:<br />When Adele wrote into our show last summer, she described herself as “the worst phlebotomist in the whole hospital.” Producer Diane Wu couldn’t resist calling her up to find out exactly what she meant by that.<br /><br />Act Two: Blood Ties:<br />The discovery of 30 century-old postcards written in old Yiddish by a distant family member challenges David Kestenbaum’s ideas about the unimportance of blood ties.<br /><br />Act Three: Stage Fright:<br />Fifteen years after a bloody Shakespeare production that, at its height, had people fainting night after night, producer Bim Adewunmi talks to its director, Lucy Bailey.<br /><br />Act Four: There’s No ‘Us’ in Uterus. Oh, Wait...:<br />When Neena Pathak found out she had a fibroid, it didn’t seem so bad. But then it got bigger, more uncomfortable, bloodier… and she had to decide if she was going to have to get surgery to get it removed.<br /><br />Act Five: Un-Break My Heart :<br />Producer Sean Cole scrubs in to observe heart surgeon Dr. John Elefteriades, or Dr.</description><pubDate>Wed, 31 Mar 2021 10:38:58 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>735</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>734: The Campus Tour Has Been Cancelled</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/734/the-campus-tour-has-been-cancelled</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/734/BcOMgt2k77gI5ulH0RI5TsCuK9zmD9x2HAI3aBFzM54/734.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>How the pandemic has thrown college admissions process into a kind of slow-motion chaos.</itunes:subtitle><description>How the pandemic has thrown college admissions process into a kind of slow-motion chaos.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass takes us on a tour of the various ways the pandemic has affected going to college this year.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Reporter Paul Tough and Host Ira Glass look at the biggest change in admissions this year: colleges no longer requiring the SATs. Paul speaks to a student whose SAT score determined her future.<br /><br />Act Two: A World Without The Need For Number Two Pencils :<br />Paul Tough turns to UT Austin to see what happens if you admit students with great grades, who didn’t perform well on the SAT, into your college.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Mar 2021 11:12:31 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>734</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>733: Warriors in the Garden</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/733/warriors-in-the-garden</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/733/_ZPnejDSwS8yR1KYUKGfd2BaJGkI4TaMtNwuDMxKn0Y/733.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Three friends come together to protest the murder of George Floyd. Over time, they end up in very different places.</itunes:subtitle><description>Three friends come together to protest the murder of George Floyd. Over time, they end up in very different places.<br /><br />Prologue: When Executive Editor Emanuele Berry’s friend pitched her a show about Black Lives Matter activists, she was not sure.&nbsp;He made it anyway and it’s really good.&nbsp;Today we are featuring some of Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr.’s reporting from the podcast Resistance.&nbsp;He’s captured a story about Black Lives Matter that has always been there but nobody ever tells.&nbsp;(4 minutes)You can hear Resistance from Gimlet, a Spotify company.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />When Saidu’s friend Marcus-David Peters was killed by police, he wanted to figure out what to do with the weight of that loss.&nbsp;He began following three men who began protesting after the murder of George Floyd.&nbsp;They seemed to know what to do when faced with police violence.&nbsp;Saidu tells the story of their lives after they began protesting with the Warriors in the Garden.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />We continue our story about three members of Warriors in the Garden.&nbsp;After a summer of protest, the Warriors have to figure out what to do when their activism draws the attention of the police.&nbsp;(25&nbsp;minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Feb 2021 13:01:59 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>733</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>732: Secrets</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/732/secrets</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/732/pjDJYeZuL-KRqA1PnIKOaAw4oEFMCmlShPQN7F7q1WM/732.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Why we tell them, and what happens after we do.</itunes:subtitle><description>Why we tell them, and what happens after we do.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Susan Burton watches videos of female legislators sharing very private stories.<br /><br />Act One: My Own Very Serious Comedy About Women and Food:<br />Susan Burton talks to women about why it’s so hard to talk about eating disorders.<br /><br />Act Two: Mommy’s Busy Right Now:<br />Lana has a problem lots of mothers have right now during the pandemic—but a more extreme version of it.<br /><br />Act Three: Bad Cell Service:<br />Pavan Bivigou writes about having sickle-cell anemia.</description><pubDate>Wed, 10 Feb 2021 11:47:51 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>732</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>731: What Lies Beneath (2021)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/731/what-lies-beneath-2021</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/731/2zK_tiiH_Vd8Abayq0yw2NA8AohlcA2jqCjzo_4UfL0/731.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Summoning up stuff that’s usually hidden down deep.</itunes:subtitle><description>Summoning up stuff that’s usually hidden down deep.<br /><br />Prologue: A beloved drawing goes missing from Mr. Ablao’s third grade classroom.<br /><br />Act One: Through The Eye Of A Needle:<br />Fewer than 40 million Americans have gotten the vaccine so far, which leaves a lot of people jealous and wondering what happens inside those little rooms.<br /><br />Act Two: Penny for Your Non-Thoughts?:<br />For years, producer Lilly Sullivan has wondered what goes on beneath the surface in the mind of one of her good friends and co-workers, Diane. This week, she tries to get to the bottom of it.&nbsp;(11 minutes)This was the story director Greta Gerwig gave to Margot Robbie, while Robbie was trying to figure out how to play Barbie.<br /><br />Act Three: One if By Land, Three if By Sea:<br />Firefighter and paramedic Sam Gebler gets a glimpse of what lurks beneath the surface of a sunny California afternoon.<br /><br />Act Four: Boiling Under:<br />Lots of things go unspoken between family members, sometimes for years. We searched for a parent who had a question for their kid that they’d never been able to ask before.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Feb 2021 21:19:06 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>731</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>730: The Empty Chair</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/730/the-empty-chair</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/730/WQJx6rf1pNIhCuXqiob9_fMBIhiHTHoO4D8It8q8-6Q/730.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Things lost in the past year that we haven’t talked about much.</itunes:subtitle><description>Things lost in the past year that we haven’t talked about much.<br /><br />Prologue: A woman’s dog has an unexpected reaction to the pandemic, and a mother has to re-think how to teach her son to drive.<br /><br />Act One: Cops and Mobbers:<br />Reporter Emmanuel Felton called up several Black Capitol Police officers in the days after the attack on the Capitol on January 6th to find out what it was like for them to face off with this mostly white mob.&nbsp;(13 minutes)You can find more of Emmanuel's reporting on race and inequality at BuzzFeed.&nbsp;The video of Eugene Goodman was filmed by Igor Bobic of HuffPost.<br /><br />Act Two: 50 Shades of Shade:<br />Producer Lilly Sullivan talks trash with writer Rachel Connolly about people neither of them know.<br /><br />Act Three: There’s a German Word for That:<br />Ira Glass talks to journalist Jochen Bittner about a political lie from 1920s Germany and the lessons it holds for 2020s America. His op-ed&nbsp;about this ran in the <em>New York Times</em>. Bittner’s one of the people who runs the Opinion section of the German newspaper <em>Die Zeit</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: Quarantweening:<br />Producer Chana Joffe-Walt talks to a seventh grader who doesn’t have a seventh grade, or an eighth grade.&nbsp;(11&nbsp;minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2021 11:39:50 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>730</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>729: Making the Cut</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/729/making-the-cut</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/729/I5GLmKze7yxEGcslcD2038EW3n8WL6ppCPunMG6cFWE/729.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>There's always someone whose job it is to decide if you measure up.</itunes:subtitle><description>There's always someone whose job it is to decide if you measure up.<br /><br />Prologue: Dr.<br /><br />Act One: God Committee:<br />People given the difficult task of deciding who lives&nbsp;and who dies.<br /><br />Act Two: Winter’s Bone:<br />Elna Baker notices a change in how people in New York City are dating during the pandemic.&nbsp;(12 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Reluctant Bureaucrats:<br />Reporter Katie Mingle&nbsp;wonders why the 211 hotline in the San Francisco Bay Area for people experiencing homelessness so often turns out to be a dead end for them.</description><pubDate>Mon, 04 Jan 2021 11:02:40 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>729</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>728: Lights, Camera, Christmas!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/728/lights-camera-christmas</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/728/s6OKmVQEQVZtC9RwJR28lEvUSTli3y7cCEKSJUFypus/728.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People going to great lengths to throw a special Christmas for their families.</itunes:subtitle><description>People going to great lengths to throw a special Christmas for their families.<br /><br />Prologue: Linda Lutton&nbsp;and her eleven year old daughter Pirecua explain what happened the year Pirecua begged for a gift that she turned out to be allergic to. Linda is a reporter at our home station, WBEZ Chicago.<br /><br />Act One: Christmas in 3-D:<br />Maya Gurantz tells the story of Glenn and Laurie Mutchler, who go further than most parents to create a magical Christmas for their kids, Colin, Erica and Adam. Theirs included a family mythology of Santas that had its own logic, with many Santas and a family elf named Jeko, who were never jolly and often thrillingly scary.<br /><br />Act Two: Deer in the Footlights:<br />Ira talks with Connie Rex about the deer she and her sisters kidnapped and ended up putting into their school’s Christmas pageant in Woodruff, Utah, in a starring role.<br /><br />Act Three: Replacement Claus:<br />Jonathan Goldstein tells the story of Santa Claus, who, after losing his wife, Martha Claus, sets out&nbsp;to find love once again.&nbsp; Jonathan is the host of the podcast, Heavyweight.</description><pubDate>Mon, 21 Dec 2020 11:15:46 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>728</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>727: Boulder v. Hill</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/727/boulder-v-hill</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/727/gdJBk7ujdz5RiqM2FOJmx5obrB5oX3UVBsXVvGGI8lA/727.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What the day-to-day business of saving the world looks like.</itunes:subtitle><description>What the day-to-day business of saving the world looks like.<br /><br />Prologue: To fight those massive fires out west, there are these camps hidden from view. If you were driving by, you might not even know they’re there.<br /><br />Act One: The Extinguishers:<br />We heard about these fire camps from Lizzie Johnson. She’s a reporter at The San Francisco Chronicle and spends most of the year chasing fires around California.<br /><br />Act Two: The Other Extinguishers:<br />For years one group of people has been trying to push a giant boulder to the top of a hill, like Sisyphus. But in this case, it looks like they’ve actually succeeded! David Kestenbaum spoke with four scientists who have been working on a coronavirus vaccine, one that was just shown to work.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Dec 2020 19:29:59 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>727</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>726: Twenty-Five</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/726/twenty-five</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/726/CgwjuFxsdPxA0lWrN0B3JBO7zoiDl3OVhFhVbgPSGWs/726.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about people who were born the year our show first aired.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about people who were born the year our show first aired.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass plays a recording of a rookie, try-hard, 25-year-old radio reporter.<br /><br />Act One: 25 vs. 19:<br />We send one of the youngest people on our staff, 26-year-old Noor Gill, to report on a 25-year-old whose job took over her life earlier this year.<br /><br />Act Two: Buy Like a Butterfly:<br />An incredibly accomplished 25-year-old, two-time Olympic boxing gold medalist Claressa Shields, achieved a big dream of hers this year. A dream that had nothing to do with her sport.<br /><br />Act Three: The Rest of His Life:<br />Mitchell S&nbsp;Jackson profiles Ahmaud Arbery, who was 25 years old when he was shot to death by three white men in Georgia earlier this year.<br /><br />Act Four: Bachelorette in Arlington:<br />Turning 25 has always been a very specific deadline for Linah Mohammad: a&nbsp;deadline to get married.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2020 15:41:48 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>726</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>725: Turkey in a Face Mask</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/725/turkey-in-a-face-mask</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/725/3sZBxr_gbiDDZ9SJu0E19DXwCAXfVMPwp9PTmeID7gE/725.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about food and people who set out on very particular missions with food.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about food and people who set out on very particular missions with food.<br /><br />Prologue: Vertamae Grosvenor, shows Ira how to tell a chicken is done simply by listening to the sound of the grease.<br /><br />Act One: Dead Ringer:<br />A while ago, a farmer walked through a pork processing plant in Oklahoma with a friend who managed it. He came across boxes stacked on the floor with labels that said "artificial calamari." Ben investigates the physical resemblance between two very different types of food.<br /><br />Act Two: Still Life With Chicken:<br />Food writer Jonathan Gold tells what it's like to pan-fry a chicken—with a live chicken watching you the entire time.<br /><br />Act Three: Lunchtime With The King Of Ketchup:<br />Jonathan Goldstein talks about his friend Howard who gets amazing treatment from people in the service industry.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2020 16:22:13 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>725</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>724: Personal Recount</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/724/personal-recount</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/724/dXgeKF1wbWxHdBD4ZugXXyXlYMexxdZQsYiMvvA5NYY/724.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people changing their minds.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people changing their minds.<br /><br />Prologue: There is a lot of disinformation surrounding the 2020 presidential election. A few conspiracy theories in particular have gained traction.<br /><br />Act One: The Signs, They are a Changin’:<br />Reporter Lizzie Johnson calls her grandpa after he unexpectedly changes his mind about something.&nbsp;(9 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Puppy Love Triangle:<br />Writer Emily Flake’s young daughter tries to make up her mind about whether or not she has a crush on a boy in her class.<br /><br />Act Three: The All-Too-Real Housewives of Argentina:<br />Reporter Jasmine Garsd grew up in Argentina watching talk shows which were kind of extreme even for Latin American television. The women on screen were pumped with silicone and Botox, and sometimes showed up wearing almost nothing.</description><pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2020 16:18:09 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>724</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>723: Squeaker</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/723/squeaker</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/723/tY-IieIUnuWPvGrO4SSWR_biolScGzh6qAZxRN0W7_s/723.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People grappling with an endless presidential election.</itunes:subtitle><description>People grappling with an endless presidential election.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks with Georgia Democrats who went out to “cure” ballots in a state with some of the closest results in the country.<br /><br />Act One: Virginia:<br />Reporter Mike Giglio follows a group of militia members as they prepare to heed President Trump’s call and watch polling locations for signs of trouble on Election Day.<br /><br />Act Two: New York and Germany:<br />Stephanie Foo talks with two Army officers with very different political views about the week’s results.<br /><br />Act Three: Louisiana:<br />Ben Calhoun talks to a man in ICE detention in Louisiana about how he and people around him are following the election. But right as the results are coming in, the man’s case takes a serious turn.<br /><br />Act Four: Detroit:<br />Emanuele Berry talks to Khalilah, who got involved as a poll watcher this year and ended up inside a national news&nbsp;story.&nbsp;(7&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act Five: Miami:<br />Nadia Reiman talks to Ninotchka and Marco in Florida. The mother and son immigrated from Venezuela, and while they live and work together, they feel very differently about American politics.<br /><br />Act Six: Massachusetts:<br />During an election in which it feels like the very existence of our democracy hangs in the balance, producer Sean Cole and someone very close to him have been dealing with their own immediate existential questions.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2020 17:41:10 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>723</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>722: The Unreality of Now</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/722/the-unreality-of-now</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/722/9nasuVW3y_OkNCzNlv-hngSnmTW9NFMVzP-CvmrKytk/722.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Ahead of the election, we have stories about people trying to live in the unreality that defines this moment.</itunes:subtitle><description>Ahead of the election, we have stories about people trying to live in the unreality that defines this moment.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira gives us a recent shortlist of things that feel almost too unreal to believe as we head into the national election.<br /><br />Act One: Would You Like to Come Up to First Class?:<br />The journalist E. Jean Carroll is one of dozens of women who’ve accused the president of sexual assault or harassment.<br /><br />Act Two: The Gun Reality of Now:<br />The statistics on first time gun ownership are higher than ever in America.<br /><br />Act Three: Second Time’s the Charm:<br />Reporter Johnny Kauffman embeds with the election staff in Georgia’s most populated county to find out if the staff—who had a horrible go of it during the primary election—can possibly do better this time.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2020 20:06:17 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>722</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>721: The Walls Close In</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/721/the-walls-close-in</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/721/nInwz4XIY-vsVaK8sl9sU3QtM0BH19d9aRIm4Sp74kA/721.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People finding themselves stuck in small spaces, trying to make sense of their new surroundings.</itunes:subtitle><description>People finding themselves stuck in small spaces, trying to make sense of their new surroundings.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to Jay Van Bavel, who recently found himself trapped in an elevator (in a very 2020 predicament).<br /><br />Act One: The People Up the Stairs:<br />A few weeks ago, Jessica and Moisés found themselves hiding in an attic. Reporter Kevin Sieff talks to them about how they got there.<br /><br />Act Two: Music of the Night after Night after Night:<br />The musicians in the orchestra for Phantom of the Opera tell reporter Jay Caspian Kang about what it’s like to play the exact same music every single night—for decades—and how they’ve learned to make their peace with it.&nbsp;(22 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2020 11:03:23 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>721</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>720: The Moment After This Moment</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/720/the-moment-after-this-moment</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/720/qABk_IBegVCPa39OMKpuJ47bpOjYpZnb8cvrY6wnzQ4/720.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People who are worried — or not worried enough! — about what's hurtling unstoppably towards them.</itunes:subtitle><description>People who are worried — or not worried enough! — about what's hurtling unstoppably towards them.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass speaks to Kevin Sheekey, the man tasked with spending $100m of Mike Bloomberg’s billions on securing a Democrat win in the constant battleground state of Florida. He also speaks to producer Lina Misitzis about what’s going on down on the ground with Democrats in the state.<br /><br />Act One: School of Hard Knocks:<br />Broward County is&nbsp; one of the bluest counties in Florida, and some of the Democrats who live and vote there are worried their party isn’t doing enough to keep it that way. Lina Misitzis spent some time talking to them about their fears.<br /><br />Act Two: Words Vs Fear:<br />Michael Bernard Loggins tried to battle his fears by listing them — at last count he had a list of 138 fears. Actor Tom Wright reads excerpts.<br /><br />Act Three: Best Laid Plans:<br />Kurt Braunohler and his girlfriend had been together for thirteen years, and they were still only 30. They wondered why they had never considered marriage, and realized that they needed to sleep with other people before they tied the knot.<br /><br />Act Four: Potus Operandi:<br />Ten years ago Jonathan Menjivar was on the cusp of something big: the birth of his daughter.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2020 11:02:57 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>720</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>719: Trust Me I’m a Doctor</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/719/trust-me-im-a-doctor</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/719/ndgS4j_7hLhuSS9HbnyalsLRpbSHFEsDag8Vn7j0I_g/719.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The not-often-talked-about realm of licensing boards, and the disturbing decisions they sometimes make.</itunes:subtitle><description>The not-often-talked-about realm of licensing boards, and the disturbing decisions they sometimes make.<br /><br />Prologue: For the past couple-two-three weeks, producer Ben Calhoun has been calling around to small town municipal clerks in his home state of Wisconsin, asking them how mail-in balloting really works. It can be chaotic, they say, but not in the way the president would have you believe.<br /><br />Act One: Clinical Trial:<br />Law professor Rebecca Allensworth has been studying another realm of civic-minded individuals charged with helping society function: medical licensing boards. They’re mostly doctors deciding whether other doctors should be allowed to keep practicing medicine.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Dana Chivvis’s story on the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners continues with Dr. Michael LaPaglia’s contested case hearing.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2020 14:43:17 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>719</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>718: Same Bed, Different Dreams (2020)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/718/same-bed-different-dreams-2020</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/718/nbiN7iGH-GJAqPTPZM0dss5TGW5j1QS6XTBJStHnNdM/718.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who are tied together, but imagine radically different futures.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who are tied together, but imagine radically different futures.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass discusses what it means to peacefully transfer power from one president to the next.&nbsp;He points out one of the weirdest things about it, that the new president has to go and sleep in the same bedroom as the previous president.<br /><br />Act One: Dream Weevil:<br />Kim Jong-Il loved movies, but hated all the movies made in North Korea.&nbsp;So he kidnapped a famous South Korean director and his ex-wife—a South Korean film star—locked them up in a villa in North Korea, and forced them to make movies for him.&nbsp;Nancy Updike tells the story.<br /><br />Act Two: Smell You Later:<br />Lots of people in America share actual beds, but almost never see each other; flight attendants have crash pads near airports, oil rig workers carry their own sheets and sleep in shifts in an RV. Producer Stephanie Foo has a profile of Mexican immigrants who share a few beds in a tiny trailer in upstate New York.<br /><br />Act Three: The Haunter Becomes the Haunted:<br />When someone stole Jessamyn Lovell’s ID, she became obsessed with the thief.&nbsp;Miki Meek tells what happened.<br /><br />Act Four: Overnight Flight:<br />Several people who just woke up on red-eye flights talk about their dreams.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2020 11:22:43 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>718</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>717: Audience of One (2020)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/717/audience-of-one-2020</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/717/ZknZrWh7vkuKdWluLDmeQEBkGujSq-ddv2HiSy1aGHU/717.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>At a time when going to the movies is mostly out of the question, we bring the movies to you.</itunes:subtitle><description>At a time when going to the movies is mostly out of the question, we bring the movies to you.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass revisits the one movie he’s seen more than any other, about an ocean liner that gets hit by a tsunami and flips over.&nbsp;(9 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Putting the Ease in Disease:<br />To cope with this pandemic, producer Sean Cole finds himself turning to a movie about a pandemic, <em>What's So Bad About Feeling Good?</em>&nbsp;But the virus in this movie isn’t like any you’ve ever heard of.&nbsp;(20 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Late Registration:<br />Political documentaries aren’t for everyone. Especially when they’re over five hours long.<br /><br />Act Three: Many a Thing She Ought to Understand:<br />Our producer Diane Wu spent most of her life thinking she doesn’t have a unique and personal take on <em>The Sound of Music</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: The Kid Namastays in the Picture:<br />Jaime Amor does yoga storytelling for kids. We ask her to try taking on a film for grownups.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2020 11:03:41 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>717</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>716: Trail of Tears</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/716/trail-of-tears</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/716/6PlGqX_WKQqgusBxh2AiIpHnHeAtcc_ucS2FXhzZ88g/716.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Writer Sarah Vowell and her twin sister retrace the Trail of Tears, the route their Cherokee ancestors took when expelled from their own land.</itunes:subtitle><description>Writer Sarah Vowell and her twin sister retrace the Trail of Tears, the route their Cherokee ancestors took when expelled from their own land.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to a direct descendent of Thomas Jefferson about treating Monticello as his personal playground and about whether monuments to Jefferson should come down.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Sarah Vowell and her twin sister, Amy, retrace the Trail of Tears.&nbsp;They visit the town in Georgia that was the capital of the Cherokee Nation before the Cherokee were expelled.&nbsp;They enjoy a tourist trap hotel in Chattanooga.&nbsp;They go to Ross's Landing, the embarkment point for the water route of the Trail of Tears.&nbsp;(27 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Sarah Vowell's story continues.&nbsp;She and Amy visit the home of President Andrew Jackson, the villain in the Trail of Tears drama.&nbsp;They drive west to Cherokee graves in Kentucky and a commemorative marker that's been placed, oddly, at an Arkansas high school.&nbsp;They head into Oklahoma, where the Cherokee settled and where they were born.&nbsp;Sarah talks with her oldest living&nbsp;relative about the Trail.&nbsp;And she and Amy end their trip at the place where they first heard about the Trail of Tears: an amphitheater where every summer, they saw a dramatic two hour recreation of the Trail.&nbsp;(23 minutes)</description><pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2020 11:48:30 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>716</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>715: Long-Awaited Asteroid Finally Hits Earth</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/715/long-awaited-asteroid-finally-hits-earth</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/715/qjO2m2v0FhFffudUd99eoAJ62FUz8PscCWkjrcOeuwE/715.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Teachers, students and parents have been bracing themselves for the start of this unprecedented school year. Now it's here.</itunes:subtitle><description>Teachers, students and parents have been bracing themselves for the start of this unprecedented school year. Now it's here.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira talks with a teacher in South Carolina who is just trying to figure out what the first day of school will look like.<br /><br />Act One: Masked Crusaders:<br />Two teachers find themselves thrown into a heated and ugly fight with parents right before school opens back up. Producer Miki Meek has this story from Utah.<br /><br />Act Two: Screen Times at Ridgemont High:<br />Aviva DeKornfeld talks with a high schooler about how he’s prepped for remote learning with a bunch of kids he doesn’t know.&nbsp;(4&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Future Imperfect:<br />David Kestenbaum talks to one teacher there who’s already gone through a month of in-person learning to see what the&nbsp; future might hold for other schools.<br /><br />Act Four: The Case of the Well-Prepared Elementary School:<br />A school that has&nbsp;prepared for every Covid scenario faces a problem they never saw coming. Stephanie Wang tells the story of one Indiana school's first day in person.<br /><br />Act Five: The Leftovers:<br />A week after starting classes, a Covid outbreak forces a university to send students back home. Producer Robyn Semien takes a tour of the emptying campus.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2020 10:40:43 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>715</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>714: Day at the Beach</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/714/day-at-the-beach</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/714/wFOrfu97v68fwyKpiO5p_A9JyGUcgEwvMOGOYBmLF-8/714.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>It’s the last few weeks of summer, so we’re going to the beach! This week, stories from the surf and sand.</itunes:subtitle><description>It’s the last few weeks of summer, so we’re going to the beach! This week, stories from the surf and sand.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass reflects on his feelings about going to the beach.<br /><br />Act One: Grapes of Wrath:<br />Producer Dana Chivvis explores the case of a 66-year-old working lifeguard who is suing New York State for age discrimination after refusing to wear a Speedo on the job.<br /><br />Act Two: Beach Doctor:<br />Alex Blumberg talks to Shane Dubow about a time decades ago, when Shane went sea kayaking and camping with his friends on the beach in Baja California, Mexico. When Shane’s neck stiffens up on him, he finds himself looking for an unlikely chiropractor, in the middle of nowhere.<br /><br />Act Three: The Beachcomber:<br />This clip is from what Ira calls “the beachiest show” public radio ever made.<br /><br />Act Four: Now We Are Five:<br />David Sedaris comes from a big family, who for many years growing up, took annual vacations to the same beach house. In this story, David tells us about losing a sister, and how her death prompted a family reunion back at the beach.</description><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2020 12:40:41 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>714</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>713: Made to Be Broken</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/713/made-to-be-broken</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/713/Hpb6MSVMeVx9ClnE_SA_RF8Sajb34Wa52b6hkO_3xlE/713.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>In a pitched moment of rule-questioning, a show about rules and the people who break them.</itunes:subtitle><description>In a pitched moment of rule-questioning, a show about rules and the people who break them.<br /><br />Prologue: Benjamen Walker of the podcast <em>Theory of Everything</em> tells guest host Sean Cole about an Uber drivers strike he came across in Kenya. The guys who didn’t join the strike and kept driving for Uber made extra money since there were fewer cars on the road.<br /><br />Act One: Time Bandit:<br />Jerome Ellis is a composer and musician. But this year, at an annual New Year's Day performance event, he got on stage with no instrument, or anything else, and broke a small rule in a monumental way.<br /><br />Act Two: It’s All About the Jeffersons:<br />As a kid, comedian Tone Bell was a rule follower.&nbsp;But there was one time he got into big trouble when he broke the rules in a serious way.&nbsp;There’s a Polaroid commemorating the event that’s become part of family lore.&nbsp;Tone tells producer Elna Baker what happened.</description><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2020 11:38:46 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>713</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>712: Nice White Parents</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/712/nice-white-parents</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/712/zRiAPY5E6h0wBU0pmqfvpv_ByQsXvMEKcDbFKFKcB-o/712.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Producer Chana Joffe-Walt investigates the inordinate power of white parents at one ordinary public school.</itunes:subtitle><description>Producer Chana Joffe-Walt investigates the inordinate power of white parents at one ordinary public school.<br /><br />Prologue: When the trailer was released for Chana Joffe-Walt’s new show, it prompted a kind of online war. Within a week, people left thousands of ratings and comments: some saying it was divisive and racist; others saying the opposite.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />In just one year, everything in one ordinary public middle school changed. It went from an incoming class of thirty sixth graders—most of them Black, Latino, and Middle Eastern—to a class of 103 sixth graders.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />As the school year moved forward, the fundraising committee planned a gala at the French Embassy. And the PTA planned a separate, Spring Carnival.</description><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2020 13:43:23 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>712</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>711: How to Be Alone</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/711/how-to-be-alone</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/711/Yq0i4n1pTSqiWb2oXVINoUoj8riyGQBxhp2sylT85QM/711.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>In space, in the ocean, by ourselves, or with others—we’re all just figuring out how to be apart.</itunes:subtitle><description>In space, in the ocean, by ourselves, or with others—we’re all just figuring out how to be apart.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Bim Adewunmi sits in for Ira Glass and talks to retired NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao about how a space mission compares with living alone in a one-bed apartment on earth.<br /><br />Act One: The Unbearable Part:<br />Writer Danielle Evans has been almost completely alone all quarantine — and she’s had time to think about grief, and loneliness and what might come after this pandemic is over.&nbsp;(17 minutes)A version of this essay first appeared in the Corona Correspondences series at The Sewanee Review.<br /><br />Act Two: A Notion Apart:<br />Producer Lilly Sullivan used to feel such a strong kinship with “the loneliest creature on earth” that one of her first radio pieces seven years ago was about him.&nbsp;(9 minutes)&nbsp;You can read Lilly's 2013 report about this whale.<br /><br />Act Three: The Parent Trap:<br />Producer Nadia Reiman tells the story of one mom and her son stuck someplace with no choice.<br /><br />Act Four: Applied Bob Studies:<br />When Sandy Allen fled the people-heavy city back in 2017, they were looking for green space and a chance to learn how to cope with being alone. They had a sort of guide book, though — their Uncle Bob, who’d made a radical decision decades before.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2020 20:41:53 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>711</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>710: Umbrellas Down</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/710/umbrellas-down</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/710/X2Lkh16h7xbxFyH1IkMXCudoyE5JvyumGG9DKUJ0DDo/710.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>As China's new national security law tightens its control over Hong Kong, we return to our episode about last fall's anti-government protests and check in to see how people are responding.</itunes:subtitle><description>As China's new national security law tightens its control over Hong Kong, we return to our episode about last fall's anti-government protests and check in to see how people are responding.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass explains how things have changed in Hong Kong this month, and wonders how things are going for a protester we’re calling Jennifer, who he went to protests with back in the fall.<br /><br />Act One: Cursed Generation:<br />A bunch of 22-year-olds from Hong Kong explain why they are cursed and what that means for their&nbsp;and Hong Kong’s future.&nbsp;(17&nbsp;minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: The Fight:<br />Jennifer, Ira, and producer Emanuele Berry go to a protest and get tear gassed in front of a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.&nbsp;(6 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Good Cop, Dad Cop :<br />A protestor who thinks the Hong Kong police are terrible has a chat with his dad — a police officer.<br /><br />Act Four: A Slow Boat to China:<br />Producer Diane Wu goes to a party. A Chinese flag party.<br /><br />Act Five: Nine Months Later:<br />Host Ira Glass calls Jennifer to talk about the new security law.&nbsp;(12 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2020 15:58:35 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>710</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>709: The Reprieve</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/709/the-reprieve</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/709/dOAau6CiD8C178gn7vLX6Jyn_VjbXrcGHjvNa9KNjBk/709.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>How Covid-19 has changed the nurses and doctors at one hospital in Detroit, and their city.</itunes:subtitle><description>How Covid-19 has changed the nurses and doctors at one hospital in Detroit, and their city.<br /><br />Prologue: We meet the doctors. Rana Awdish spends hours of each day walking the floors of the ICU checking in on her co-workers, which means that maybe more than any single person in the hospital she knows best what the staff has been going through at each stage of this pandemic. One doctor that has deep ties to Detroit is Geneva Tatem.<br /><br />Act One: Pod Bless America:<br />When it comes to caring for Covid-19 patients, it’s the nurses who are carrying&nbsp;the heaviest burden. Ben Calhoun spent weeks talking to the nurses in the first Covid-19 unit to open in the ICU – Pod 4.<br /><br />Act Two: Stan’s Good Day:<br />We found out about a patient from a recording made by young doctor named Stan Linder. Producer Emanuele Berry put this together.<br /><br />Act Three: Granger in a Strange Land:<br />Robert Granger was a patient in Pod 4 for several weeks. During that time, his daughter learns something about him she'd never realized before.<br /><br />Act Four: Mr. Eastside:<br />Some of the first Covid-19 patients to arrive at Henry Ford Hospital were police and others who’d attended a community breakfast in early March called "Police and Pancakes."&nbsp;Aaron K. Foley has this story of this breakfast and of one man — Marlowe Stoudamire — who ended up at Henry Ford.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2020 13:46:35 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>709</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>708: Here, Again</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/708/here-again</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/708/bdoJ2-4y2R-RrFIyKBmkjXmSWuQ61gmJiUeb75o1Opw/708.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We hear what different people said and did one weekend in reaction to the killing of George Floyd.</itunes:subtitle><description>We hear what different people said and did one weekend in reaction to the killing of George Floyd.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass introduces the show and goes straight to Act One.<br /><br />Act One: Letter From America:<br />Bim Adewunmi talks about the feeling of now.<br /><br />Act Two: Before Sunrise:<br />Producers Diane Wu and Lina Misitzis spend the night at a corner grocery store in Brooklyn, New York and talk to some of the people that pass by.&nbsp;(25 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Grand Army:<br />Ira watches videos of police behavior at protests. The videos were pulled from a Twitter thread (and corresponding&nbsp;spreadsheet) created by T.<br /><br />Act Four: Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200:<br />Writer Kimberly Jones provides context with a brief history of the American economy, told through a popular board game.</description><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2020 09:21:50 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>708</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>707: We Are in the Future</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/707/we-are-in-the-future</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/707/OC5BWnw8ZyRotkw8Q-Y99qDqXi2276G7btD9RnBOciU/707.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>In this moment of sorrow, protest, and rage, we offer this as a break from the dreadful present: our show about Afrofuturism.</itunes:subtitle><description>In this moment of sorrow, protest, and rage, we offer this as a break from the dreadful present: our show about Afrofuturism.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira and producer Neil Drumming visit a comic book store in Philadelphia to try and help Ira understand Afrofuturism.<br /><br />Act One: Metropolis Now:<br />Producer Neil Drumming spends a couple days exploring Detroit, first with&nbsp;a quirky mayoral candidate&nbsp;running an Afrofuturist campaign, and then with a couple of locals.<br /><br />Act Two: Past Imperfect:<br />Comedian and actor&nbsp;Azie Dungey&nbsp;recounts her time playing a slave for visiting tourists at George Washington’s estate in Mount Vernon.<br /><br />Act Three: The Black Sea:<br /><em>This American Life</em> commissioned an original song, “The Deep,” from the hip-hop group clppng., featuring actor and Hamilton performer Daveed Diggs. The song is based on the underwater mythology of the 90s Detroit electro band Drexciya.<br /><br />Act Four: Childhood’s End:<br />Producer Neil Drumming looks into two videos he found on YouTube—one that takes place in&nbsp;Atlantic City, another in&nbsp;Brooklyn—that deal with the trouble kids face walking home from school.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2020 14:37:42 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>707</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>706: A Mess to Be Reckoned With</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/706/a-mess-to-be-reckoned-with</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/706/RstFuP0dSqiBBAsg7RKKMPeHiUGI6goH6uPyhDP5hs0/706.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Lissa Yellow Bird searches for missing people. She's great at it. But then, her niece goes missing.</itunes:subtitle><description>Lissa Yellow Bird searches for missing people. She's great at it. But then, her niece goes missing.<br /><br />Prologue: Lissa Yellow Bird started searching for missing people after an oil worker disappeared from the reservation Lissa’s from. Since then, many Native American families have asked for Lissa’s help looking for their loved ones, too.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />When Lissa’s niece, Carla Yellow Bird, went missing in 2016, Lissa threw everything she had into figuring out what happened to her—including talking for hours on the phone with someone she suspected was involved.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Lissa knows how to read people, how to pull information out of them that others can’t. Because of this, she’s able to find out what happened to her niece in just five days.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2020 13:34:37 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>706</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>705: Time Out</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/705/time-out</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/705/EhnSRMyk92j99euQzb18Q50u_5OYI4xHfvxinJ4adoI/705.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Our favorite stories from the football fields, boxing rings, and basketball courts of days past.</itunes:subtitle><description>Our favorite stories from the football fields, boxing rings, and basketball courts of days past.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to sportswriters Jason Kirk and Spencer Hall about life in a sportsless world. Read Jason and Spencer’s essay about this.<br /><br />Act One: Friday Night Floodlights:<br />Lisa Pollak tells the story of a high school football team in Mississippi getting ready to play its first game just a month after Hurricane Katrina upended everything.<br /><br />Act Two: Dunk and Go Nuts:<br />Producer Nancy Updike talks to her friend Mary Conway about the strangest-looking trophy she got in her years playing basketball.<br /><br />Act Three: Those Who Can’t Play:<br />Daniel Alarcón’s dad was obsessed with soccer when he was growing up, but he was only average at soccer. But those who can’t do...find something else to do.<br /><br />Act Four: The Girl With the Golden Gloves:<br />A story about someone with a complicated relationship with the sport she loves, from Meema Spadola.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2020 21:40:43 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>705</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>704: Our Pulitzer-Winning Episode</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/704/our-pulitzer-winning-episode</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/704/hChYOxyp9L1n1ph-EneqMD2SZtz569p_Qj5ie2dHPRo/704.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What the Trump administration’s "Remain in Mexico" policy really means, on the ground, at the Mexican border.</itunes:subtitle><description>What the Trump administration’s "Remain in Mexico" policy really means, on the ground, at the Mexican border.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass visits refugee camps we don’t call refugee camps—right on our country’s doorstep.&nbsp;(14 minutes) &nbsp;<br /><br />Act One: Goodbye, Stranger:<br />Los Angeles Times reporter Molly O’Toole talks to U.S. asylum officers—the people who end up sending migrants back to Mexico.<br /><br />Act Two: Take the Long Way Home:<br />Reporter Emily Green happens to meet a man being sent back to Mexico who tells her he’s afraid of being kidnapped—and then, he gets kidnapped.&nbsp;(18 minutes)</description><pubDate>Wed, 13 May 2020 09:59:57 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>704</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>703: Stuck!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/703/stuck</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/703/09Z-Oyssp4OWYFVQGkpa2KEwBCl6FYMF33SfFF0tzT0/703.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>During a time when a lot of us feel like we are living in a holding pattern, stories of people feeling stuck.</itunes:subtitle><description>During a time when a lot of us feel like we are living in a holding pattern, stories of people feeling stuck.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to an Oregon ICU doctor about his desire to help fight COVID in the country’s biggest hot spots, and his frustration over the surprising reason why he can’t.<br /><br />Act One: You Can Check Out Any Time You Like, But You Can Never Leave:<br />Ira talks to producer Elna Baker about the time she and her siblings found themselves trapped in a hotel room with an unexpected visitor.<br /><br />Act Two: You Can’t Go Your Own Way:<br />Carmen Maria Machado tells the story of being stuck in an abusive relationship as a “Choose Your Own Adventure” tale. This chapter of Carmen’s memoir, “In The Dream House,”&nbsp;was read for us by actor Zoë Winters.<br /><br />Act Three: Cold Case:<br />Nadia’s family has been isolating and disinfecting everything for weeks, and yet a cold still managed to creep in. How?<br /><br />Act Four: Unhappy Accident:<br />The story of someone stuck in a difficult situation, from Etgar Keret. (8 minutes)This was read for us in English translation by actor Michael Chernus.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2020 14:24:30 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>703</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>702: One Last Thing Before I Go</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/702/one-last-thing-before-i-go</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/702/kEwakzJ0JHvdBBDHri0fpk3XVVlmdZfPC5XnyHYSE1w/702.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Ordinary people make last ditch efforts to get through to their loved ones.</itunes:subtitle><description>Ordinary people make last ditch efforts to get through to their loved ones.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to a New York City ICU doctor about the little observations nurses are recording about their COVID patients to save for their families.<br /><br />Act One: Really Long Distance:<br />Producer Miki Meek tells the story of a phone booth in Japan that attracts thousands of people who lost loved ones in the 2011 tsunami and earthquake.<br /><br />Act Two: Uncle's Keeper:<br />Jonathan Goldstein tries to convince his uncle and his father to get into the same room and have a conversation for the first time in decades, before it’s too late and one of them dies.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2020 12:03:49 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>702</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>701: Black Box</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/701/black-box</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/701/CwGu2z8qvU5kwaBKJqAhTkdvcTYS-75InRA2JpgBfCk/701.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Desperate to know what happened to his family, a man obsessively decodes the only information about them he can get.</itunes:subtitle><description>Desperate to know what happened to his family, a man obsessively decodes the only information about them he can get.<br /><br />Prologue: Couples therapist Esther Perel talks to Ira about the very particular ways she’s seeing lockdown impact couples around the world.&nbsp; Listen to season three of her podcast, “Where Should We Begin: Couples Under Lockdown.”&nbsp;(13 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: A Phone Flickers in the Dark:<br />Abdurahman Tohti left his home country, China, behind 7 years ago to move to Turkey, safe from the Chinese regime that discriminates and arbitrarily detains Uyghurs, specifically, which Abdurahman is. Reporter Durrie Bouscaren talks to him about what happened to his wife and children and extended family in China, and the endless challenges he faces trying to be sure they are safe.<br /><br />Act Two: State of Emergency:<br />Producer Miki Meek talks to two emergency medical&nbsp;service&nbsp;workers in New York about the sheer number of&nbsp;911&nbsp;calls they are responding to, and how they are coping under the stress of being on constant high alert.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:54:35 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>701</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>700: Embiggening</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/700/embiggening</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/700/D0eZPxbeeYuY3Ez9qWsS2EbQJXr-Y5AoWu-YSEZIC4g/700.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Sometimes a sketch of a thing needs filling in for its true significance to be known.</itunes:subtitle><description>Sometimes a sketch of a thing needs filling in for its true significance to be known.<br /><br />Prologue: A nurse giving instructions to her partner in case she dies from COVID-19; a brother and sister talking every day, all of a&nbsp;sudden.&nbsp;(9&nbsp;minutes)We first heard about nurse Elise Barrett in a story by Eric Boodman for STAT.<br /><br />Act One: I Can’t Be Your Hero, Baby:<br />The stories of undocumented people so often sound cliche. Writer Karla Cornejo Villavicencio has heard all of them, and thought she could do better.<br /><br />Act Two: Popular Vote:<br />The discovery of new information casts a new light on a high school competition. Producer Sean Cole talks to some of the people involved, more than a decade later.<br /><br />Act Three: Tunnel Vision:<br />A mysterious tunnel in Toronto leads to wild public speculation. Nick Kohler tells Ira the story behind the tunnel, which he wrote about for MacLean’s.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2020 22:37:24 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>700</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>699: Fiasco!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/699/fiasco</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/699/1n25EmbbKLbgmvYcZivLK2V9kolIMgsa-jymWNs-yIg/699.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We leave the normal realm of human error and enter the territory of huge breakdowns.</itunes:subtitle><description>We leave the normal realm of human error and enter the territory of huge breakdowns.<br /><br />Prologue: Jack Hitt tells the story of a small-town production of Peter Pan in which all the usual boundaries between the audience and actors dissolve entirely.<br /><br />Act One: Opening Night:<br />Jack Hitt's Peter Pan story continues.&nbsp;(18 minutes)Jack is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and Harper’s.<br /><br />Act Two: Squirrel Cop:<br />The first day on the job inevitably means mistakes, mishaps, and sometimes, fiascos. A true story, told by a former rookie cop.<br /><br />Act Three: Tragedy Minus Comedy Equals Time:<br />Comedian Mike Birbiglia talks about the time he ruined a cancer charity event&nbsp;by giving the worst performance of his life. Here's a hint: He improvised.<br /><br />Act Four: Fiascos as a Force for Good:<br />Journalist Margy Rochlin on her first big assignment to do a celebrity interview: Moon Unit Zappa in 1982.&nbsp;Midway through the interview: fiasco!&nbsp;(7 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2020 09:15:58 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>699</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>698: The Test</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/698/the-test</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/698/Tu_k52xK4JTxtPNrcahva3ex7BALIbkiVmoZQm4yHKs/698.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people trying to rise to the challenge presented by coronavirus, in some pretty extreme situations.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people trying to rise to the challenge presented by coronavirus, in some pretty extreme situations.<br /><br />Prologue: People want to do the right thing, but it’s not always possible.<br /><br />Act One: The Inside Game:<br />What it’s like inside a small New York apartment with a toddler and two parents who are very sick with COVID-19. Producer Ben Calhoun talks to his brother-in-law, Elia Einhorn.<br /><br />Act Two: A View from the Park:<br />Producer Emanuele Berry talks to Jiayang Fan about how Jiayang’s trying to protect her mother, who she worries about as the virus spreads across New York City.<br /><br />Act Three: Outbreak Breakout:<br />Across the country this week, thousands of incarcerated people have been ordered released early from prisons and jails to try to protect them from the coronavirus. Producer Sean Cole talks to Terry Smith, who got out of the San Francisco County jail last week.<br /><br />Act Four: Hello From the Other Side:<br />Producer Emanuele Berry gets a text message from the other side of the crisis.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2020 17:26:05 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>698</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>697: Alone Together</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/697/alone-together</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/697/JZzI1cWE4lDuZVUNZYR7_9g_Fae380e7-S4hq0oSR98/697.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>In this moment when everyone’s reaching out to the people they love, we put together a collection of family stories.</itunes:subtitle><description>In this moment when everyone’s reaching out to the people they love, we put together a collection of family stories.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass gives an update on his health status after going into quarantine last week, and David Kestenbaum interviews a 71 year old trying to avoid the virus.<br /><br />Act One: Hey Dad. Dad!:<br />Stephanie Foo talks to a father trying to go about his day while his daughter comes to him over and over, with some things on her mind.<br /><br />Act Two: Call Me Maybe:<br />A mom checking in on her son. A son figuring out who he can talk to about his mom.<br /><br />Act Three: Mom:<br />Ira calls up his mother Shirley Glass after unexpectedly finding her quoted as a “sexpert” in Marie Claire magazine, back in 1996. One of the first stories we did on our show.<br /><br />Act Four: It Takes a Villa:<br />Producer Neil Drumming tells the story of his dad and his family’s timeshare in Orlando, Florida.<br /><br />Act Five: Let’s Talk Radio:<br />Ira talks to his dad about a job he had before Ira was born.</description><pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2020 11:44:36 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>697</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>696: Low Hum of Menace</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/696/low-hum-of-menace</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/696/9LoIvHi0DhLVUFeleKD_GGFjql2WODmFuIkcDzZLI8s/696.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Things do not seem fine at all, but it’s hard to say why.</itunes:subtitle><description>Things do not seem fine at all, but it’s hard to say why.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to people as they prepare for the coronavirus but don’t know exactly what to expect yet.<br /><br />Act One: Do You Hear What I Hear?:<br />Khristen, a single mom, decides to secretly record her home inspector to catch him sexually harassing her. Eight years later, reporter Jessica Lussenhop checks in with Khristen to talk about what the recording meant back then versus now.<br /><br />Act Two: Reality Show:<br />FBI agents question NSA contractor Reality Winner, who was later charged with leaking evidence of Russian interference in U.S. elections.&nbsp;Even the most casual small talk takes on an air of menace. (18 minutes)This is an excerpt from <em>Is This A Room</em>, a play based on the real FBI interrogation transcript.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2020 15:12:49 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>696</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>695: Everyone's a Critic</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/695/everyones-a-critic</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/695/0tSaWZG7XbOx3idLxelFLl2jC6YV4OCb3JgLgS5agHA/695.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People squirming in a world where everything is rated and reviewed.</itunes:subtitle><description>People squirming in a world where everything is rated and reviewed.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks with writer Michael Schulman about a book he wrote.<br /><br />Act One: Their Eyes Weren’t Watching God:<br />On a friend’s recommendation, B.A. Parker decides to try attending First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem.<br /><br />Act Two: Mr. Chen Goes to Wuhan:<br />An average Chinese citizen decides to go to Wuhan, the heart of the coronavirus epidemic, to see for himself what’s happening there.<br /><br />Act Three: Must Love Cats:<br />Lina Misitzis talks to the one person in America who loves the movie everyone else in America loves to hate.&nbsp;(11 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Feb 2020 16:41:44 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>695</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>694: Get Back to Where You Once Belonged</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/694/get-back-to-where-you-once-belonged</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/694/rQanWsTQnQpLXVQgml7HnnAcQicljDJoEA8l9vOaVWw/694.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People looking everywhere to find a place—any place—where, for once, they don't have to be the odd man out.</itunes:subtitle><description>People looking everywhere to find a place—any place—where, for once, they don't have to be the odd man out.<br /><br />Prologue: Emanuele Berry and Ira Glass watch a Soviet film from 1936. A bizarre cameo of an African American baby in an all-white crowd makes Emanuele wonder about what it’s like to be Black in a country with so few Black people.<br /><br />Act One: Black in the USSR:<br />Yelena Khanga grew up in Russia knowing almost no other Black people. Emanuele Berry asks Yelena what that was like.<br /><br />Act Two: Nowhere Man:<br />Raul felt like he had found his spot in the world: a job he was good at, a group of people he liked and admired. And then he got kicked out.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Feb 2020 17:35:26 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>694</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>693: Abdi the American</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/693/abdi-the-american</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/693/wvUhgd6HUGP2vR1NWqm2wMiRF41YE_sYkfa2ekkOckM/693.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We return to our story about Abdi Nor from 2015, with some news about his life today.</itunes:subtitle><description>We return to our story about Abdi Nor from 2015, with some news about his life today.<br /><br />Prologue: Three weeks ago, Abdi Nor became a U.S. citizen, in a ceremony in Maine.&nbsp;We go to the ceremony, and then head back in time to 2013, when he won a visa under the Diversity Visa Lottery.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />It turns out winning the lottery is only the first step in trying to come to America. More than half of the people who win each year never make it.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Leo Hornak's story about Abdi continues. Abdi encounters one obstacle after another on the streets of Nairobi.</description><pubDate>Sat, 01 Feb 2020 08:23:44 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>693</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>692: The Show of Delights</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/692/the-show-of-delights</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/692/nPCogbGpGZFA8gnAzQRNFkjlANgeRAgGcxfrQe_QuwI/692.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>In these dark times, we attempt some radical counterprogramming: a show made up entirely of stories about delight.</itunes:subtitle><description>In these dark times, we attempt some radical counterprogramming: a show made up entirely of stories about delight.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira Glass talks to Bim Adewunmi about her understanding of delight through American pop culture and the summer she spent in the US as a 19-year-old.<br /><br />Act One: The Job Of Delight:<br />Bim talks to poet Ross Gay, whose book inspired today’s show, about the discipline and rigor of seeking and holding onto delight.<br /><br />Act Two: The Squeals On The Bus:<br />Producer Robyn Semien captures a special morning for her five-year-old son, Cole, who is doing something delightful for the very first time: he’s getting to ride the school bus.<br /><br />Act Three: Mrs. Meek Shall Inherit The Earth:<br />Producer Miki Meek speaks to Noriko Meek, her 72-year-old mother, about discovering delight late in life.<br /><br />Act Four: The Elephant In The Bedroom:<br />Producer Dana Chivvis follows the night zookeeper at the Denver Zoo as she doles out snacks and tucks the animals in.<br /><br />Act Five: Delight At The End Of The Tunnel:<br />What happens when a dealer of delight gets depressed? Podcast host Tracy Clayton talks to Bim Adewunmi about the road back.&nbsp;(17&nbsp;minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jan 2020 19:51:08 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>692</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>691: Gardens of Branching Paths</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/691/gardens-of-branching-paths</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/691/T61twRL1TqkJcabIfH1qKLmiisOEJDLTHqsoQTaZbaE/691.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Other universes that are just like our own, but with one small difference.</itunes:subtitle><description>Other universes that are just like our own, but with one small difference.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks with David Kestenbaum about a phone app that can create alternate universes with the press of a button.<br /><br />Act One: Dreams From My Father:<br />Writer Etgar Keret tells a story about his father, who was constantly imagining parallel universes. In a way, they saved him.<br /><br />Act Two: Sorry/Not Sorry:<br />David Kestenbaum finds out about a speech that, in another world, President Clinton gave on August 17, 1998.<br /><br />Act Three: Sklar-Crossed Brothers:<br />Being an identical twin is kind of like having a parallel world right on top of ours, one in which there is another version of you running around. Dana Chivvis has the story of the Sklar twins, and a 48-year-old mystery.<br /><br />Act Four: If I Lived Here, I’d Be Home Now:<br />Diane Wu has the story of a woman who goes to South Korea to meet her birth mother,&nbsp;a trip that lets her visit one of the other worlds in which she almost lived.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jan 2020 12:48:47 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>691</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>690: Too Close to Home</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/690/too-close-to-home</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/690/0k4qo8kLO6CsoqNemwF6TP5gPLY6ZnAr8Hq79lKhUxY/690.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>For the holidays, stories of families finally addressing the thorny thing they’ve never really talked about.</itunes:subtitle><description>For the holidays, stories of families finally addressing the thorny thing they’ve never really talked about.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira remembers the contentious family gatherings of holidays past - and how things have changed.<br /><br />Act One: How Do I Say This?:<br />Scaachi Koul is trying to learn a language native to her parents, and heads back to Calgary to ask why they never taught it to her in the first place.&nbsp;&nbsp;(21 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: You Probably Think This Song is About You:<br />Singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III asked his ex-partner Suzzy Roche and their daughter Lucy to perform at his wedding party.<br /><br />Act Three: Pigeons on a Plane:<br />Reporter Kevin Sieff travels from Mexico to Chicago with a group of seniors reuiniting with their undocumented kids in the U.S., some for the first time in decades.&nbsp;(18 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Dec 2019 12:56:17 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>690</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>689: Digging Up the Bones</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/689/digging-up-the-bones</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/689/JIx9CMKt3KOVj6p8MiEXDA0wKtQ3_yJcsJiYpl8JVDo/689.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>There's a lot that can be gained from unearthing the past. But it doesn't always go how you'd expect.</itunes:subtitle><description>There's a lot that can be gained from unearthing the past. But it doesn't always go how you'd expect.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira talks with producer Emanuele Berry about the man who tried to find one of history’s — and literature’s — most storied cities.<br /><br />Act One: Family Plot:<br />Producer Lina Misitzis travels to Greece with her family to exhume the bones of her dead grandmother.&nbsp;(20 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Next of Kindle:<br />After his mother passes, a man unearths her book collection… and is surprised.&nbsp;(6 1/2 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: A Curious Bone:<br />David Kestenbaum tells the story of a man on the verge of one of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time … right on the verge.&nbsp;(4 minutes)&nbsp;<br /><br />Act Four: Revision Quest:<br />In her forties, Jill Ciment wrote about the love of her life.</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Nov 2019 18:57:54 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>689</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>688: The Out Crowd</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/688/the-out-crowd</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/688/Yi-bzM5ENnis_CUYKFqA3sLL-Z4s_0Jr-_5SVjf8mPQ/688.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Reports from the frontlines of the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" asylum policy. This episode won the first ever Pulitzer Prize given for audio journalism.</itunes:subtitle><description>Reports from the frontlines of the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" asylum policy. This episode won the first ever Pulitzer Prize given for audio journalism.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass and&nbsp;Aviva DeKornfeld visits refugee camps we don’t call refugee camps—right on our country’s doorstep.<br /><br />Act One: Goodbye, Stranger:<br /><em>Los Angeles Times</em> reporter Molly O’Toole talks to U.S. asylum officers—the people who end up sending migrants back to Mexico. And they don’t feel good about it.<br /><br />Act Two: Take the Long Way Home:<br />Reporter Emily Green happens to meet a man being sent back to Mexico who tells her he’s afraid of being kidnapped—and then, he gets kidnapped.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Nov 2019 18:54:57 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>688</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>687: Small Things Considered</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/687/small-things-considered</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/687/4C7ojvL08zQDDRyXLfiqPrB1eSgPXYyNkBdLnwj8g9o/687.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Tiny letters, a very small number, and a medication that's supposed to cure shortness.</itunes:subtitle><description>Tiny letters, a very small number, and a medication that's supposed to cure shortness.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks about our fascination with small things.<br /><br />Act One: Coming Up Short:<br />An endocrinologist wrote the show about a wave of parents coming to her to treat their short (but otherwise healthy) children with human growth hormone. Contributor Scott Brown investigates.<br /><br />Act Two: Let’s Give ‘Em Nothing to Talk About:<br />David Kestenbaum talks about his love of the number zero and its power to destroy. Among zero's victims: one of the most controversial laws in recent memory.<br /><br />Act Three: What the Eye Can’t See:<br />Lilly Sullivan tells the story of the writer Robert Walser, who moved into a mental hospital and then seemed to disappear from the world. Until people looked more closely.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Nov 2019 16:34:19 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>687</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>686: Umbrellas Up</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/686/umbrellas-up</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/686/agbt-tfm-ZudWW1XrVhT_6bRjA-hkQ7TDOFBnRpa2fg/686.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>For over 100 days now, protestors in Hong Kong have taken to the streets every weekend. What it’s like to live through that.</itunes:subtitle><description>For over 100 days now, protestors in Hong Kong have taken to the streets every weekend. What it’s like to live through that.<br /><br />Prologue: A 22-year-old woman has been going to protest in Hong Kong for more than&nbsp;four months. She’s got packing her bag for&nbsp;a protest down to a science.<br /><br />Act One: The Cursed Generation:<br />A bunch of 22-year-olds from Hong Kong explain why they are cursed and what that means for their&nbsp;and Hong Kong’s future.&nbsp;(17 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: The Fight:<br />Ira and Emanuele go to a protest and get tear gassed in front of a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.&nbsp;(6 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Uncivil Disobedience:<br />Producer Emanuele Berry has a day at the mall unlike any other.&nbsp;(7 minutes)<br /><br />Act Four: Good Cop, Dad Cop :<br />A protestor who thinks the Hong Kong police are terrible has a chat with his dad — a police officer.&nbsp;&nbsp;Alan Yu reports.&nbsp;(12 minutes)<br /><br />Act Five: A Slow Boat to China:<br />Producer Diane Wu goes to a party.<br /><br />Act Six: Two Weeks Later:<br />The 22-year-old woman from the beginning of the show catches up with producer Diane Wu. Things are different.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Oct 2019 19:10:54 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>686</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>685: We Come From Small Places</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/685/we-come-from-small-places</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/685/eKjg51DBCa9uNoxRoyiskpBppYPbyOYQJyDQwbWdf_k/685.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We go to one of the biggest parties in NYC, the West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn.</itunes:subtitle><description>We go to one of the biggest parties in NYC, the West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn.<br /><br />Prologue: Guest host Neil Drumming wonders what it would be like to know exactly where he’s from.<br /><br />Act 1: Act One:<br />Writer and poet Imani Brown takes us through her experience at the parade that takes place in the early hours before the parade.<br /><br />Act 2: Act Two:<br />Producers Marlon Bishop and Nadia Reiman go inside a heated steel pan competition and meet a mother and daughter who could be competing together for the last time.<br /><br />Act 3: Act Three:<br />Our regular host Ira Glass talks to some Hasidic Jews who also live in the neighborhood to get a different take on the parade.&nbsp; (10 minutes)<br /><br />Act 4: Act Four:<br />One of New York’s biggest and most successful masquerade bands goes down the parade route for the last time.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2019 17:41:58 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>685</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>684: Burn It Down</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/684/burn-it-down</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/684/mcGwWbxOtIOs4y-xdGeUREaCKjpzswkyj3uCGaQqp74/684.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who decide the only way forward — for real change — is to burn everything to the ground.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who decide the only way forward — for real change — is to burn everything to the ground.<br /><br />Prologue: The Amsterdam Fire Department has a very surprising sensitivity training video called “The Incident with the Helmet." (5 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: A Policeman Burns Down the Firehouse:<br />A strongman gets hired to take over the Amsterdam Fire Department. He’s a career police officer named Leen Schaap who has zero firefighting experience.<br /><br />Act Two: Mom. Hey Mom. MOM. Hey Mom. Mom. Mom:<br />A teenage girl decides the only way forward is to tear something down and rebuild from the ground up. Elna Baker explains.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2019 17:27:47 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>684</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>683: Beer Summit</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/683/beer-summit</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/683/Gia3ov_HQ4nH3_2aeRbA2dpnBSb33cJ9-w7J6bYYHJg/683.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Two people, sitting down over a beer, hashing out their differences. Hard to imagine these days, right?</itunes:subtitle><description>Two people, sitting down over a beer, hashing out their differences. Hard to imagine these days, right?<br /><br />Prologue: Ira and producer Robyn Semien go behind the scenes with some of the Obama staffers to hear what it felt like in the days leading up to the infamous Beer Summit of 2009.<br /><br />Act One: One More For My Baby and One More For the Road:<br />Maybe the most radical national experiment to avoid tribalism ever done, anywhere in the world. Of course the key moment two sides come together happens in a bar.<br /><br />Act Two: Lagerheads:<br />A Democratic club at a bar in South Bend, Indiana, melts down over President Trump, and producer Ben Calhoun is there to see who’s still left in the club at the end of the night.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2019 16:41:50 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>683</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>682: Ten Sessions</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/682/ten-sessions</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/682/r8SS8yGmruo3Qx07qpLkjtLy-ex13tx8TcwqH5oP5gU/682.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A therapy that helps people work through unhealed trauma in just ten sessions.</itunes:subtitle><description>A therapy that helps people work through unhealed trauma in just ten sessions.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira tells us about a short-term therapy for trauma called CPT. Cognitive processing therapy was designed for survivors of sexual assault and is also used for veterans with PTSD symptoms.<br /><br />Act One: Week One:<br />Jaime Lowe begins CPT.<br /><br />Act Two: Week Two:<br />After a difficult first week in therapy, Jaime starts to see progress.&nbsp;(21 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Aug 2019 17:58:19 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>682</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>681: Escape From the Lab</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/681/escape-from-the-lab</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/681/D0BT-ozK85AqPDhQ8VzxWY5HNZGr9ppw-LFtmiBlkZI/681.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What happens when our most ingenious creations actually make it out into the world.</itunes:subtitle><description>What happens when our most ingenious creations actually make it out into the world.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira questions the motives of overly ambitious scientists and inventors.&nbsp;(2 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Breakout Star:<br />A reality show contestant tries to game the system.&nbsp;(20 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Two Times a Lady :<br />An inventor designs a robotic device that creates a dilemma for the administrators and judges of a major electronics trade show.<br /><br />Act Three: Fraught Couture :<br />A government agent steals a suit that’s supposed to make her invisible. It does more than that.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Aug 2019 17:50:09 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>681</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>680: The Weight Of Words (2019)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/680/the-weight-of-words-2019</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/680/se5Q13TtTZRk-4su6ryvk3huvNxQZ_5I_InpL-vvFS4/680.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Words mean things, but some words are especially meaningful — whether in a survival manual, a song lyric, or a slur.</itunes:subtitle><description>Words mean things, but some words are especially meaningful — whether in a survival manual, a song lyric, or a slur.<br /><br />Prologue: What does God get out of us praising him? Or is it actually for us?&nbsp;(7 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Go To The Mattresses:<br />Shamyla always loved books. Like lots of other eleven-year-olds back in 1989, she loved The Babysitters Club.<br /><br />Act Two: Daddy Lessons:<br />Parents try to shape who we are in their own image.&nbsp;Producer Neil Drumming spoke to Adam Mansbach, who tried to make his daughter fall in love with hip-hop.<br /><br />Act Three: Where I Came From:<br />Producer Ben Calhoun recalls a weighty moment from childhood and thinks about how the words from that encounter have come up again.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jul 2019 21:55:18 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>680</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>679: Save the Girl</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/679/save-the-girl</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/679/BKoFPgdIFCerGnO29lBxsW7hx0Vegkj8oLXWWCr3QYE/679.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People go on missions to save girls from danger. But they get so caught up that it overshadows the girl herself.</itunes:subtitle><description>People go on missions to save girls from danger. But they get so caught up that it overshadows the girl herself.<br /><br />Prologue: Lina Misitzis tells Ira Glass about this one video game character from the 90s who consistently brings men to tears.<br /><br />Act One: My Very Unhappy Birthday:<br />Nadia Reiman looks into the case of a girl the U.S. government is determined to save, even though she doesn’t want them to.<br /><br />Act Two: Frida Be You and Me:<br />A whole country gets obsessed with rescuing a missing girl. Aviva DeKornfeld tells what happens.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jul 2019 16:30:51 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>679</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>678: The Wannabes</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/678/the-wannabes</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/678/XjCGPGlNl9Hbj6UMjQNKM1uxWoAtKBuQyHoFSs_Qe4U/678.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We hang out with the presidential candidates, in this weird early period of the election.</itunes:subtitle><description>We hang out with the presidential candidates, in this weird early period of the election.<br /><br />Prologue: Producer Zoe Chace drives around with Washington Post political reporter extraordinaire Dave Weigel. He delights in this special period in the race where it’s easy to trip over people running for president.<br /><br />Act One: Wannabes One:<br />Weigel and Zoe drop in on two candidates desperately trying to break out of the one percent.<br /><br />Act Two: Wannabes Two:<br />Host Ira Glass follows presidential hopeful Julián Castro as he prepares for the first debate of the Democratic primary. His goal is just to let people know he’s in the race! By, possibly, interrupting somebody onstage.<br /><br />Act Three: Wannabes Three:<br />Producer Emanuele Berry plays Ira Glass some weird inside his head tape of presidential hopeful Cory Booker trying to walk two blocks.<br /><br />Act Four: Wannabes Four:<br />Producer Ben Calhoun gets on the road with presidential hopeful Andrew Yang as he bestows free money on an Iowa family to make a point.<br /><br />Act Five: Wannabes Five:<br />Producer Zoe Chace and Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel spin through some greatest hits of their weekend in Iowa once more, and Weigel reflects on what’s about to come next in the presidential race.<br /><br />Act Six: Wannabes Six:<br />Producer David Kestenbaum drops in on some Republicans who are still trying to field a candidate to challenge this president.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jun 2019 19:49:51 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>678</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>677: Seeing Yourself In the Wild</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/677/seeing-yourself-in-the-wild</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/677/_ql-WFR60cTzuCK5esYMr5E70augKS4XV8SKOcglQ5w/677.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of those unexpected moments when we see who we really are.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of those unexpected moments when we see who we really are.<br /><br />Prologue: Sean Cole guest hosts. He was attacked in the street and happens to have a recording of the&nbsp;moment right afterwards.<br /><br />Act One: You Don’t Have to Be a Star to Be in My Show:<br />Zack McDermott was a lawyer who moonlighted as a comedian.<br /><br />Act Two: Distant Replay:<br />Producer Emanuele Berry and her dad only talked about basketball. But they never talked about a&nbsp;game that her dad had botched.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jun 2019 16:46:34 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>677</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>676: Here’s Looking at You, Kid</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/676/heres-looking-at-you-kid</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/676/mlnjqys6Rxubdx9g8m_DwLz7NTWR4xsokLepGgj1p-s/676.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Adults telling kids who they are, and kids wondering — are they right?</itunes:subtitle><description>Adults telling kids who they are, and kids wondering — are they right?<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira talks with comedian Gary Gulman about his transformation from high school nobody to&nbsp;football star.<br /><br />Act One: Jersey? Sure.:<br />Gary puts on a tough guy costume, but will it turn him into a tough guy? Ira continues Gary Gulman’s&nbsp;story.<br /><br />Act Two: Grownups Know Things:<br />Eleanor Gordon-Smith tells the story of a woman who wants to know why she was taken away from&nbsp;her mom as a kid. A version of this story is in Eleanor’s book Stop Being Reasonable: How We Really&nbsp;Change Our Minds.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2019 10:35:51 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>676</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>675: I’m on TV??</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/675/im-on-tv</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/675/uBMqAJMY3Vv_m6wAjj0BvkvjnyIFKzNcGsV_K_1l-rA/675.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What it's like to be momentarily big on the small screen.</itunes:subtitle><description>What it's like to be momentarily big on the small screen.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira follows Yankee Stadium cameraman Eric Capstick as he puts fans on the Jumbotron. (5 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Anything You Say Can And Will Be Used...on Television:<br />Dan Taberski takes us into the world of the TV shows Cops and Live PD. And talks to people about&nbsp;what it’s like to be caught by the police and caught on camera at the same time.<br /><br />Act Two: Born to Play the Part:<br />One of our producers Bim Adewunmi explains her obsession with a certain baby on television.<br /><br />Act Three: Lina with an N:<br />Producer Lina Misitzis revisits a moment in a TV special that’s stuck with her for over twenty years.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2019 15:40:02 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>675</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>674: Get a Spine!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/674/get-a-spine</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/674/7eNOWDLMlO9NYoLg4FeAAFM60S-HI07rvHL2Ek10C_g/674.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people shaking off their fear and doing what they’ve been scared to do.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people shaking off their fear and doing what they’ve been scared to do.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira goes to a crowded singles bar where it wasn’t hard to find serial ghosters — people who kiss and disappear. &nbsp;(8 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Finally:<br />We start with someone getting up the nerve to do something that really, it would be nice to see more often — an apology. And not just any apology.<br /><br />Act 2: A Brief Catalogue of Spines Recently Grown:<br />We put out a call looking for people having to face something that freaked them out. Over two hundred people wrote in, facing big, life-changing moments, and some smaller ones.<br /><br />Act Two: Because You’re Spine, I Walk the Line:<br />We turn to those who are truly spineless, and I mean literally, they are creatures that have no spines. Also featured in this story: the people who study them who, like us all, could sometimes use a little more spine.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2019 14:52:51 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>674</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>673: Left Behind</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/673/left-behind</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/673/z17RBazXTXS5giQsevWUF2AJZHxUEbs7ahF4ijDyTYc/673.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People figuring out how to move through a world in which something important has disappeared.</itunes:subtitle><description>People figuring out how to move through a world in which something important has disappeared.<br /><br />Prologue: Eleven adult siblings need to divide their dead parents' stuff. But they don’t all get along.<br /><br />Act One: The Sudden Departure:<br />When a small town loses 100 people in just a few hours, kids come home to find their parents missing. Producer Lilly Sullivan talks to people trying to make sense of where they went and if they’ll come back.<br /><br />Act Two: Passed Over:<br />With flames moving in from all sides during the Northern California fire, an entire town flees—except for four friends who’ve lived there since childhood. Producer Nancy Updike on what they do next.<br /><br />Act Three: The Book of Death Is Long and Boring:<br />Where do we go when we die? Producer David Kestenbaum learns that the answer's pretty bureaucratic.&nbsp;</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2019 15:51:41 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>673</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>672: No Fair!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/672/no-fair</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/672/QJx9mMe6PRAqJAnVWKzV6GmyT1vjZPs8iC_w1sZvE3c/672.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of very small injustices and also one very big one.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of very small injustices and also one very big one.<br /><br />Prologue: Producer David Kestenbaum explains how teachers at his sons’ preschool installed a “tattle phone” where kids could register their complaints about each other. David rigged it up to record those complaints and document the unfairnesses of preschool.<br /><br />Act One: Hoop Reams:<br />Writer Michael Lewis takes us inside the world of NBA refereeing. He explains how protests about&nbsp;unfair calls have increased in recent years.<br /><br />Act Two: The Fairer Sex:<br />When Heidi Schreck was 15 years old she loved the United States Constitution — in part, because&nbsp;she believed it enshrined the idea of fairness. She traveled to American Legion posts across the&nbsp;country, where she competed in speaking competitions about the Constitution.</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2019 16:33:35 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>672</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>671: Anything Can Be Anything</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/671/anything-can-be-anything</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/671/mV4SwZBUTqWEmflzu5caDAj81z61XfhVVlrRytcC5Ag/671.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People connecting the dots that maybe should not be connected.</itunes:subtitle><description>People connecting the dots that maybe should not be connected.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to producer Zoe Chace about what she learned about the President and&nbsp;conspiracy theories at a Trump rally.<br /><br />Act One: Show Me State of Mind:<br />Writer Jelani Cobb travels to Missouri to talk to people in Ferguson about the troubling deaths of six&nbsp;activists there.<br /><br />Act Two: The Red Menace Hits the Crimson Tide:<br />A Democrat in Alabama watches helplessly as Russian internet bots play dirty with the 2016 election.&nbsp;But a year later, those same tactics inspire him to organize an election conspiracy of his own. Producer&nbsp;Ben Calhoun has the story.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2019 19:19:21 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>671</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>670: Beware the Jabberwock</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/670/beware-the-jabberwock</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/670/pUSvVj5NwgfOpSE-TfteZ8R9prOT01TqwmtoEjFi7wU/670.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories from the upside-down world where conspiracy theorists dwell.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories from the upside-down world where conspiracy theorists dwell.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira tells the story of a guy, Lenny Pozner, who strikes up a conversation with a stranger in a bar,&nbsp;only to learn the guy already knows who Lenny is. And the stranger is furious with him.<br /><br />Act One: Down the Rabbit Hole:<br />Producer Miki Meek picks up the story of Lenny Pozner, whose son, Noah, was killed at Sandy&nbsp;Hook. In the years after Noah's death, Lenny and his family were harassed by people who believed&nbsp;the shooting at Sandy Hook never happened – that it was all a conspiracy.<br /><br />Act Two: Alex in Wonderland:<br />Alex Jones spread the idea that Sandy Hook was a hoax, on his radio show and website for years after the shooting.&nbsp;He's probably the country's most famous conspiracy theorist. He's even had Donald Trump on his&nbsp;show.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Mar 2019 12:33:59 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>670</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>669: Scrambling to Get Off the Ice</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/669/scrambling-to-get-off-the-ice</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/669/NY_Dm-xAHfOMTwhLtPc8ZTKVN0C60djWeblmirsK-uc/669.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee try out their new powers for the first time.</itunes:subtitle><description>The Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee try out their new powers for the first time.<br /><br />Prologue: Mike Wise tells Ira about a run he went on one winter night with his dog, years ago along the C&amp;O&nbsp;Canal in DC. It was late.<br /><br />Act One: New Sheriffs in Town:<br />Jerry Nadler and other democrats in the House Judiciary Committee were anticipating their first&nbsp;major public appearance – and show of power – since winning back the house in November. As&nbsp;Nadler and his staff prepared to get some answers from then-acting Attorney General Matthew&nbsp;Whitaker about his role and conduct as interim AG, producer Zoe Chace follows them behind&nbsp;the scenes for weeks in the run-up to the hearing, to see if their strategies work, or don’t.<br /><br />Act Two: Going Under:<br />When Jessica Hopper was inappropriately groped by an anesthesiologist, during labor, she tries to&nbsp;out him that same day, to a roomful of hospital staff who don’t believe her. That sets her on a many&nbsp;year mission to get someone to take up her cause.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 2019 18:44:46 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>669</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>668: The Long Fuse</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/668/the-long-fuse</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/668/h9D3EFQph_ulEY6w1H5TXB0UR-kvxczz8oQEvxQm0Og/668.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People tossing words out into the world impulsively to ignite and burn over decades.</itunes:subtitle><description>People tossing words out into the world impulsively to ignite and burn over decades.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass plays a strange voicemail left by a 96-year-old surgeon&nbsp;about a letter that was written&nbsp;five decades ago.&nbsp;(6 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Humor Is Not The Best Medicine:<br />Producer Lilly Sullivan reports out that voicemail.&nbsp;(13 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Babies Got Bank:<br />On his deathbed, a wealthy man in Toronto decides to make some trouble. Hundreds of babies are involved. Stephanie Foo tells the story.<br /><br />Act Three: Meatball and Chain:<br />Cyclist Mike Friedman said something to cyclist Ian Dille in the middle of a race that ate at both of them for years. Jared Marcelle tells the story.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2019 18:40:45 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>668</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>667: Wartime Radio</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/667/wartime-radio</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/667/B9GY9fLGwXAAwfwgQ8KPXjnRfTly-LgV9sFlkr5krzA/667.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Intimate and personal dispatches from two very different battlefields.</itunes:subtitle><description>Intimate and personal dispatches from two very different battlefields.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira tells the story of Dave, a former heroin addict who, with his friend Chris, launches a podcast&nbsp;inspired by the Howard Stern Show. Except it’s all about heavy drug use.<br /><br />Act One: Two Dope Kings:<br />Producer Dana Chivvis picks up the story of Dave and Chris and their show “Dopey.” (27 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: Good Morning, Kafranbel:<br />Reporter Dana Ballout tells the story of Radio Fresh, a community station in Syria that the local&nbsp;listeners depend on, and local militant factions try to shut down.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Jan 2019 16:53:55 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>667</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>666: The Theme That Shall Not Be Named</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/666/the-theme-that-shall-not-be-named</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/666/4pko-qugFXRFWSUA90YoeIIomr9ji6Fn3QHS-CdlttY/666.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Satan! In his many surprising manifestations, all around us.</itunes:subtitle><description>Satan! In his many surprising manifestations, all around us.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass plays recordings from the Satanic Prayer Line, and speaks to the line’s creator, Chris&nbsp;Allert.<br /><br />Act One: Record Deal with the Devil:<br />New Yorker staff writer&nbsp;Kelefa Sanneh tells the story of exorcist Bob Larson’s trip into the world of&nbsp;heavy metal.<br /><br />Act Two: Details of the Devil:<br />Religion professor Elaine Pagels explains the roots and evolution of Satan in religious texts.<br /><br />Act Three: The Devil You Know:<br />Writer Gary Shteyngart presents a fictional diary of two Russian men — and a story of the special&nbsp;malevolence that can grow from an intimate situation. A portion of the story is read by actor Josh&nbsp;Gad.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Jan 2019 17:21:52 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>666</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>665: Before Things Went to Hell</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/665/before-things-went-to-hell</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/665/GXVBRdmZD0AxYOJMJyaVzviCDVU5Tmd3NgrLt8Okuy4/665.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Revisiting those moments of calm before the storm.</itunes:subtitle><description>Revisiting those moments of calm before the storm.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass gets his grandmother Frieda’s college files, which reveal a whole other side of this&nbsp;person he thought he knew so well.<br /><br />Act One: Where Have You Gone, Barbara Jordan? Our Nation Turns Its Lonely Eyes to You:<br />Back in the 1990s, a bipartisan team led by the charismatic Barbara Jordan came up with a solution&nbsp;to the immigration debate that would have fixed a lot the things we’re arguing about today.<br /><br />Act Two: Director’s Cut:<br />Comedian Will Weldon’s ex-wife made a movie loosely based on their marriage. &nbsp;Producer Elna&nbsp;Baker watches the film with Will as he revisits his break-up.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Dec 2018 10:54:51 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>665</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>664: The Room of Requirement</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/664/the-room-of-requirement</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/664/mBZHQJODWLe0HqenrAZCopjSkNmX5xaKB00C4AJBtmw/664.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who roam the stacks and find unexpected things that just happen to be exactly what they required.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who roam the stacks and find unexpected things that just happen to be exactly what they required.<br /><br />Prologue: One Monday earlier this month, we sent five producers to record what happened at library reference desks around the country.<br /><br />Act One: In Praise of Limbo:<br />There is a library that's on the border of Canada and the United States — literally on the border, with part of the library in each country. Producer Zoe Chace interviews journalist Yeganeh Torbati about how lately, it's become a critical space for a surprising set of visitors.<br /><br />Act Two: Book Fishing In America:<br />In Richard Brautigan's novel "The Abortion," he imagines a library where regular people can come and drop off their own unpublished books. Nothing is turned away.<br /><br />Act Three: Growing Shelf-Awareness:<br />Lydia Sigwarth spent a lot of time in her public library growing up – all day, almost every day, for six months straight. Producer Stephanie Foo returned to that library with her, after years away.</description><pubDate>Thu, 13 Dec 2018 15:57:45 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>664</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>663: How I Read It</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/663/how-i-read-it</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/663/iRZc2R_o0hgH3BPTkni1nlFuGXkcSmD0djhA1yRcgMQ/663.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Documents you don't normally think of, showing you things you didn't expect.</itunes:subtitle><description>Documents you don't normally think of, showing you things you didn't expect.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass finds the men behind a bot, whose job was to generate random inspirational quotes&nbsp;and images. But the bot ended up making something more surprising.<br /><br />Act One: The Veritas Is Out There:<br />There’s a lawsuit going on between Harvard and some Asian American students who say the&nbsp;admissions process discriminates against them.<br /><br />Act Two: Know That You Are Unprecedentedly Negative:<br />When health care premiums went up in New York State, a bunch of people got mad and wrote&nbsp;letters to the state.<br /><br />Act Three: Bladen Runner:<br />What one professor saw in voter registrations that others didn’t.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Nov 2018 19:33:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>663</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>662: Where There Is a Will</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/662/where-there-is-a-will</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/662/03bbztbVMe-FTztl7I6C5kpxVvzehrhpxB_mFkVhsRo/662.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who believe there is always a way. And also those who don’t.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who believe there is always a way. And also those who don’t.<br /><br />Prologue: Etgar Keret tells the story of how his mother convinced an army&nbsp;general to send her son home for a day in the middle of a war.<br /><br />Act One: When Cooperation Doesn’t Get You What You Want:<br />As a teenager he saw himself as an historical figure, then that ended up becoming true. Producer&nbsp;Zoe Chace tells the story of Newt Gingrich, the man who either reinvented politics or broke it.<br /><br />Act Two: Life Is a Coin With One Side:<br />Producer David Kestenbaum took issue with the entire premise of today’s show, and explains why.</description><pubDate>Thu, 08 Nov 2018 14:31:45 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>662</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>661: But That's What Happened</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/661/but-thats-what-happened</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/661/oHrTRvzfaOuHjqYuzaeFOU-oVWb-W2dzkjkWyMjOgdI/661.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of women in unsettling situations, who are told that there’s nothing unsettling at all.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of women in unsettling situations, who are told that there’s nothing unsettling at all.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass talks with producer Lilly Sullivan about a story she heard growing up about men messing&nbsp;with a girl’s mind. Lilly can relate.&nbsp;(9 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: The Old Man on My Shoulder:<br />From the ages of 12 to 27, our producer Elna Baker was supposed to confess to male clergy anytime she did anything sexual.&nbsp;It was so routine for her that she barely thought to talk about it.<br /><br />Act Two: While You Were Out:<br />A doctor tries to investigate something that horrifies her, but people tell her it’s not worth thinking&nbsp;about. It’s the way it’s done.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Oct 2018 19:01:47 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>661</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>660: Hoaxing Yourself</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/660/hoaxing-yourself</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/660/pRVwI1DhJDmtQxgjwOzj_0q_icb0L02yVZrN5GDtvso/660.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People who tell a lie and then believe the lie more than anyone else.</itunes:subtitle><description>People who tell a lie and then believe the lie more than anyone else.<br /><br />Prologue: Sean Cole explains why he decided that he would speak with a British accent—morning, noon and night—from the age of fourteen until he was sixteen, and how he believed the lie that he was British&nbsp;<em>must</em>&nbsp;be true.<br /><br />Act One: The Sun Never Sets—On The Moosewood Restaurant:<br />The story of two young people who, in their search to figure out who they were, pretended to be people they weren't. Both were from small towns; both took on false identities.<br /><br />Act Two: Conning The Con Men:<br /> The story of a con man, one of the most successful salesmen in a long-running multimillion-dollar telemarketing scam, who finally got caught when he was conned himself. Producer Nancy Updike talks about the case with Dale Sekovich, Federal Trade Commission investigator.<br /><br />Act Three: Oedipus Hex:<br />Shalom Auslander reads his true story, "The Blessing Bee." It's about the time when, as a third-grader at an Orthodox Jewish school, Shalom saw his chance to both make his mom proud, and push his drunken father out of the picture. Part of his scheme involved winning the school's bee on the complicated Hebrew blessings you say before eating certain foods.</description><pubDate>Thu, 01 Nov 2018 07:18:09 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>660</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>659: Before the Next One</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/659/before-the-next-one</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/659/pOTbGdZqGaweGh-Yz3A1SlJGJ6eMP6MWo0FbN2m6XwU/659.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People taking what they’ve learned from school shootings and try to use that knowledge to save others.</itunes:subtitle><description>People taking what they’ve learned from school shootings and try to use that knowledge to save others.<br /><br />Prologue: A school in rural Ohio has decided to arm some of its staff, and is practicing how to use the school's&nbsp;new guns&nbsp;in case of an emergency. Reporter Lisa Pollak talks to Ira about how they came to the&nbsp;decision, and what they learned at that training.<br /><br />Act One: Ready As You’ll Never Be:<br />Marjory Stoneman Douglas had just completed a schoolwide upgrade on their emergency plans,&nbsp;just a month before the mass shooting at their school. Producer Robyn Semien talks to two teachers&nbsp;at the school about how that training both benefited them, and didn’t.<br /><br />Act Two: Keep Breathing:<br />Since losing their daughter in the Aurora, Colorado shooting, Sandy and Lonnie Phillips have gone&nbsp;to the locations of many mass shootings. They know lots about the challenges grieving families&nbsp;face, and have information only people who have lost someone to a shooting can know.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Sep 2018 18:45:12 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>659</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>658: The Unhappy Deciders</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/658/the-unhappy-deciders</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/658/oRhZPg4llrxarY95XOfUiCGuTkDCDpd-MiIZF62c5CU/658.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Zoe Chace followed Senator Jeff Flake as he decided to force the Senate to delay its vote on Judge Kavanaugh.</itunes:subtitle><description>Zoe Chace followed Senator Jeff Flake as he decided to force the Senate to delay its vote on Judge Kavanaugh.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass on the weird news vortex of the past week.&nbsp;(3 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Judge:<br />Zoe Chace gives us a peek at what Senator Jeff Flake was up to in the days before and after&nbsp;deciding to delay Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation vote.<br /><br />Act Two: Jury:<br />Jonathan Goldstein talks to Sven Berger, a juror still hung up over an assignment he served&nbsp;ten years ago. Jonathan is the host of Heavyweight from Gimlet Media, which just began its&nbsp;third season.</description><pubDate>Mon, 01 Oct 2018 16:36:57 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>658</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>657: The Runaways</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/657/the-runaways</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/657/avhHDX1pZfZ5Uxl4-Qu7Z9oMfT0vbWcovHrSf1PJQto/657.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A bunch of teenagers go missing from a town in Long Island.</itunes:subtitle><description>A bunch of teenagers go missing from a town in Long Island.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira takes us through a couple of occasions in which President Trump has evoked the brutal street&nbsp;gang MS-13. The President has lauded local law enforcement on Long Island on its efforts to stop&nbsp;the gang.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Hannah Dreier with ProPublica spent a year reporting in Brentwood, Long Island where three&nbsp;teenagers mysteriously disappeared. All three were considered runaways by the Suffolk County&nbsp;Police.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Hannah Dreier’s story continues. She confronts former Suffolk County Police Commissioner&nbsp;Timothy Sini with her findings.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:35:07 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>657</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>656: Let Me Count the Ways</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/656/let-me-count-the-ways</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/656/s81v-CnsWnNiyWXN3sC3yageXvndFHnXUB3dziWcmJ0/656.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The quiet bureaucratic war that’s even targeting legal immigrants.</itunes:subtitle><description>The quiet bureaucratic war that’s even targeting legal immigrants.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass goes to Tijuana, Mexico where people trying to come to the U.S. asking for asylum&nbsp;have devised a new way to keep track of their place in line.&nbsp;&nbsp;(11 minutes)Cindy Carcamo first wrote about this story for the <em>Los Angeles&nbsp;Times.</em><br /><br />Act One: All Together Now:<br />Reporter Julia Preston goes to a mass hearing in McAllen, Texas where 74 immigrants are being&nbsp;charged in a federal courtroom as a result of zero tolerance. Julia is a contributing writer for The&nbsp;Marshall Project, which published a print version of this story.<br /><br />Act Two: Kitchen Sink:<br />All the little and not-so-little ways the Trump&nbsp;administration is tightening its scrutiny of immigrants.<br /><br />Act Three: The Terminators:<br />A bunch of government emails recently came out as part of a class-action lawsuit. The emails show&nbsp;new appointees trying to roll back one particular part of immigration policy that could result in half a&nbsp;million people having to leave the United States.<br /><br />Act Four: Now IRC Me, Now You Don’t:<br />The President has cut the number of refugees officially allowed into the U.S. So a bunch of refugee&nbsp;resettlement offices are shutting down.<br /><br />Act Five: Why So Few:<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Sep 2018 20:03:51 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>656</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>655: The Not-So-Great Unknown</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/655/the-not-so-great-unknown</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/655/59oPtl1iOAz0EzIHbKqec4kv-OwvkY8DaSKu-WuCJvg/655.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What happens when an astronaut who's not really into outer space goes to the moon.</itunes:subtitle><description>What happens when an astronaut who's not really into outer space goes to the moon.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Producer Diane Wu tells Ira the story of a woman and her quest to find out who sent her a&nbsp;mysterious gift.<br /><br />Act One: So Over The Moon:<br />Producer David Kestenbaum tells the story of an astronaut who returns with a very unexpected view&nbsp;of the great beyond.<br /><br />Act Two: Traveling Violation:<br />One of Jared’s oldest friends is about to embark on a trip&nbsp;he may not be able to return home from.<br /><br />Act Three: A Fly On the Call:<br />A man tries something he’s never done before and discovers a new passion. A work of short fiction written&nbsp;by Neil Drumming and read by actor Dorian Missick.<br /><br />Act Four: Act Four:<br />We end our show with a true story in the form of a song — “Rabies," by the rapper Aesop Rock. A&nbsp;few years ago he moved into the country, into an actual barn, to make music.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Aug 2018 15:00:32 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>655</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>654: The Feather Heist</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/654/the-feather-heist</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/654/oAVb2hMqUaJGSZdqr7a6tSjR3f-xhndCQ0w7O4un5cI/654.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A flute player steals a million dollars worth of dead birds.</itunes:subtitle><description>A flute player steals a million dollars worth of dead birds.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />After hearing about the heist, Kirk Wallace Johnson gets sucked into the feather underground. He ends up&nbsp;discovering things that the people in charge of the theft investigation didn’t.<br /><br />Act One: The Specimens:<br />The birds Edwin Rist stole were valuable and collected in the mid-1800s by one of the greatest&nbsp;scientific explorers of his time: a man named Alfred Russel Wallace.<br /><br />Act Two: The Flautist:<br />Edwin's life in a rarified world of flutes and feathers.<br /><br />Act Three: The Museum:<br />Edwin visits a branch of Britain's Natural History Museum in a little town called Tring.<br /><br />Act Four: The Heist:<br />The detective on the case takes Kirk to the crime scene.<br /><br />Act Five: The Investigation:<br />The police track Edwin down after a fly-tier turns in a tip.<br /><br />Act Six: The Suspect:<br />Kirk wonders if Edwin has a sidekick who helped him the night of the Tring heist.<br /><br />Act Seven: Oslo:<br />In Norway, Kirk tracks down fugitive feathers.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Aug 2018 11:33:01 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>654</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>653: Crime Scene</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/653/crime-scene</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/653/3FgKeMCwMF24JZF1ytW8gpErdr6dJQdj10KbgxRwWhk/653.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Every crime scene hides a story.</itunes:subtitle><description>Every crime scene hides a story.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Medical Examiner D.J. Drakovic, in Pontiac Michigan, explains how every crime scene is like a novel.<br /><br />Act One: Grime Scene:<br />Reporter Nancy Updike spends two days with Neal Smither, who cleans up crime scenes for a living,&nbsp;and comes away wanting to open his Los Angeles franchise, despite the gore — or maybe because of&nbsp;it.<br /><br />Act Two: What Police Cannot Do:<br />Actor Matt Malloy reads a short story by Aimee Bender, from her book “The Girl in the Flammable&nbsp;Skirt," about what can be and cannot be recovered from a crime scene, or from anywhere.<br /><br />Act Three: A Criminal Returns to the Scene of the Crime:<br />Sometimes criminals return to the scene of their misdeeds — to try to make things right, to try to undo&nbsp;the past.&nbsp;Katie Davis reports on her neighbor Bobby, who returned to the scene where he robbed&nbsp;people and conned people. This time, he came to coach little league.</description><pubDate>Tue, 31 Jul 2018 16:33:05 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>653</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>652: ICE Capades</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/652/ice-capades</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/652/eoGlkNnQrhQ6PeuMpZSD4BH8q9NJkg-d3DIBuAvfyRc/652.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Dispatches from a government agency in its tumultuous teenage years.</itunes:subtitle><description>Dispatches from a government agency in its tumultuous teenage years.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to Congressman Mark Pocan and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal&nbsp;about a bold bill they sponsored last week.<br /><br />Act One: We'll Talk About It in the Car:<br />Anita was separated from her son at the border a month ago. Jeremy Raff and Nadia&nbsp;Reiman follow her as she tries to get him back.<br /><br />Act Two: The Iceman Cometh:<br />Miki Meek tells the story of an unlikely alliance between an ICE agent and a group of undocumented immigrants.&nbsp;(34 minutes)</description><pubDate>Tue, 17 Jul 2018 14:12:01 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>652</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>651: If You Build It, Will They Come?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/651/if-you-build-it-will-they-come</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/651/243XaX3-mKa_l9SowDXzBUeiYCdkYHWJxJYBRStS0Nc/651.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A young preacher opens a new church.</itunes:subtitle><description>A young preacher opens a new church.<br /><br />Prologue: Reporter Eric Mennel introduces Host Ira Glass to church planters, a group of evangelical Christians&nbsp;who apply the lessons of Silicon Valley to their goals of building new churches and growing their flock.&nbsp;(9 ½ minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Come All Ye Faithless:<br />Eric Mennel tells the story of one church planter, Watson Jones, who sets out on his mission to build&nbsp;a new church in a very challenging setting.<br /><br />Act Two: Hole in the Wall:<br />Producer Neil Drumming has steadfastly avoided one bar in his neighborhood&nbsp;because of the controversy that surrounds it—until recently, when he noticed that lots of people he didn’t expect to&nbsp;go there were becoming regulars.<br /><br />Act Three: An Awful Place That You’re Lucky To Get To:<br />Ira Glass reads a favorite passage from the writing of the recently deceased poet Donald Hall.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Jul 2018 13:37:02 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>651</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>650: Change You Can Maybe Believe In</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/650/change-you-can-maybe-believe-in</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/650/AWVdg-HjMrnTqKFUCCs77AQ8B41adX0qYmB7tyhA0sU/650.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Radical change comes to an Argentinian talk show.</itunes:subtitle><description>Radical change comes to an Argentinian talk show.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />A lawyer tries to help a father separated from his 12-year-old daughter at the border.<br /><br />Act One: The All-Too-Real Housewives of Argentina:<br />Reporter Jasmine Garsd grew up in Argentina watching talk shows, which were kind of extreme&nbsp;even for Latin American television. The women on screen were pumped with silicone and Botox,&nbsp;and sometimes showed up wearing almost nothing.<br /><br />Act Two: You Have the Right to Remain Angry:<br />The TV news stories told it as heartwarming tale of reconciliation from small-town America: a black&nbsp;man who was framed by a white cop decides to forgive him. But those stories left out a few things.&nbsp;Producer Lilly Sullivan looked into it.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Jun 2018 10:20:03 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>650</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>649: It's My Party and I'll Try If I Want To</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/649/its-my-party-and-ill-try-if-i-want-to</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/649/Go3Xf5yhPYgtlTydsxImE8tNGeEWg-1EBiOd0ZTPNPU/649.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Before Democrats slug it out with Republicans, they’re slugging out with each other.</itunes:subtitle><description>Before Democrats slug it out with Republicans, they’re slugging out with each other.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with Ben Calhoun about how Democrats are furiously trying to retake New York’s&nbsp;19th congressional district. The sitting Republican is considered very vulnerable, and has been the&nbsp;subject of weekly protests that even have a house band.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />When Jeff Beals learned who was going to run in the Democratic primary for NY-19, he was&nbsp;disappointed. Beals, a progressive, thought the Democrats jumping in were conventional candidates,&nbsp;ones who embodied what he thinks is a failed strategy for his party: raising lots of money from big&nbsp;donors and lobbyists, and buying TV ads.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Beals is running against six other candidates, many of whom say they, too, are progressive. Beals&nbsp;disagrees.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Jun 2018 13:43:11 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>649</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>648: Unteachable Moment</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/648/unteachable-moment</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/648/OytNhW3lNXnGc8gJvwNmDqgtNCmpHtjWHdDHc2VJV9k/648.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People trying to learn something when no one is clear what the lesson is supposed to be.</itunes:subtitle><description>People trying to learn something when no one is clear what the lesson is supposed to be.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass and Kelefa Sanneh talk about Starbucks’ racial bias training program, which Kalefa recently discussed with Howard Schultz.<br /><br />Act One: All the Caffeine in the World Doesn’t Make You Woke:<br />Kelefa Sanneh sits in on one of Starbucks’ anti-racial bias classes. There’s one thing that no one&nbsp;seems to want to talk about.<br /><br />Act Two: Throw the Book at Them:<br />A group of kids is told that “education is the door to their futures.” But these kids are in jail, facing&nbsp;adult sentences. Why learn algebra when you’re facing 25 years? Eli Hager reports.<br /><br />Act Three: Those Who Can’t Play:<br />Daniel Alarcón’s dad was obsessed with soccer when he was growing up, but he was only average&nbsp;at soccer. But those who can’t do...find something else to do.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Jun 2018 19:38:56 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>648</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>647: LaDonna</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/647/ladonna</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/647/8UegB_HtUSdzU9-J-f1DOr19k67xlAx9bCTGeUOFBBg/647.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A security guard at the airport notices something going wrong on the tarmac, and takes it upon herself to fix it.</itunes:subtitle><description>A security guard at the airport notices something going wrong on the tarmac, and takes it upon herself to fix it.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />LaDonna Powell starts her new job out on the tarmac at the airport.<br /><br />Act One: The Old Guard:<br />LaDonna sets out to understand how this place is run.<br /><br />Act Two: The New Guard:<br />LaDonna sets out to transform the way this place is run.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2018 11:56:25 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>647</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>646: The Secret of My Death</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/646/the-secret-of-my-death</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/646/prbsjYoLGjhPiyq9t-a2LHuLEuRmSb1LghhJQo0N-60/646.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The clues people find when trying to make sense of a death.</itunes:subtitle><description>The clues people find when trying to make sense of a death.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to a guy about a crazy experiment he devised when he was a kid. It almost&nbsp;killed him.<br /><br />Act One: Dear Dealer:<br />We begin with a woman whose sister has died. She has questions.<br /><br />Act Two: Commento Mori:<br />There’s a problem with having a Facebook account after you’re dead that you’ve never, ever, ever&nbsp;thought about. Producer Stephanie Foo tells this story, about Dave Maher.<br /><br />Act Three: Funeral for a Stranger:<br />A guy goes to a funeral for someone he doesn’t know at all, and has to piece together everything&nbsp;about him.</description><pubDate>Wed, 09 May 2018 16:10:58 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>646</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>645: My Effing First Amendment</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/645/my-effing-first-amendment</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/645/LVIOqLZJfmHDmFqwsv2NR2kFzP3x8CpJd0TtB7BWhFQ/645.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Conservative students don't feel like their ideas are welcome on campus. So they're fighting back.</itunes:subtitle><description>Conservative students don't feel like their ideas are welcome on campus. So they're fighting back.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Zoe Chace goes to a&nbsp;conference&nbsp;hosted by Turning Point USA, where college students get trained to fight political battles.<br /><br />Round One: The Brawl on the Mall:<br />Reporter Steve Kolowich goes to the University of Nebraska where one new recruit to Turning&nbsp;Point goes out on campus to sign people up for her club. And that one act immediately devolves into&nbsp;a political battle of epic proportions.<br /><br />Round Two: The Fiasca in Nebraska:<br />The brawl on the mall of the University of Nebraska turns into a fiasco at the state capitol, as&nbsp;legislators try to step in and dictate what should happen at the university.&nbsp;(16 1/2 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2018 14:32:01 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>645</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>644: Random Acts of History</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/644/random-acts-of-history</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/644/x6vgBSq8Gn_LaAck7nWyUPIlOmhokJ5z1Bv3vrOokcw/644.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about people who accidentally bump into unsettling facts of history.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about people who accidentally bump into unsettling facts of history.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass talks to Brian Reed about encountering an intriguing plaque in&nbsp;Alabama.<br /><br />Act One: The Miseducation of Castlemont High:<br />A bunch of high school students gets taken to see a movie that’s supposed to teach them about&nbsp;history. But they end up learning about a lot of other stuff instead.<br /><br />Act Two: Exit Through The Gift Shop:<br />The bizarre experience of being a guest in museum dedicated to the worst day of your life.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 2018 20:24:24 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>644</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>643: Damned If You Do…</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/643/damned-if-you-do</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/643/7-14VwvzK3gQOaBlAvGodKnjEdbJKR69uHuTFuFF9Q4/643.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People having to make a choice, when no good options exist.</itunes:subtitle><description>People having to make a choice, when no good options exist.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with two women who went to see the rodeo – the Professional Bull Riders tour&nbsp;–&nbsp;and came away wondering if they were witnessing a #MeToo moment in a very surprising place.<br /><br />Act One: The Borrowers:<br />A group of refugees who are stuck in debt, see a way out. But there’s a catch.<br /><br />Act Two: We Must Destroy This Family in Order to Save It:<br />Eileen was desperate to help her son, and the only way to do it involved a perverse legal loophole.&nbsp;But should she dare try it? Shannon Heffernan tells the story. She’s a reporter at WBEZ Chicago.<br /><br />Act Three: Amricani:<br />What’s worse than being the new kid in school? Being the new kid in the country. Especially when&nbsp;the&nbsp;whole country’s tougher than you are.&nbsp;Sharif Youssef tells this story, which was first published on Yale Herald Audio.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Apr 2018 14:56:36 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>643</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>642: The Impossible Dream</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/642/the-impossible-dream</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/642/Hez-Lkrb3Lo3qnx3439-dgofFCQ319YFSegEByNxb5c/642.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Before he leaves the Senate for good, Republican Jeff Flake is trying to get a bill passed.</itunes:subtitle><description>Before he leaves the Senate for good, Republican Jeff Flake is trying to get a bill passed.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Producer Zoe Chace talks with host Ira Glass about following Senator Jeff Flake, and how when he announced his retirement she thought her reporting had ended.<br /><br />Act One: The Bluff:<br />Senator Jeff Flake tries use his newfound leverage to get a commitment to bring DACA to the Senate&nbsp;floor in exchange for his vote for the Republican tax bill. Things change at the last minute.<br /><br />Act Two: Flakes Second At Bat — Now With the President:<br />Senator Jeff Flake goes to the White House and discovers a president who seems to be very open to&nbsp;doing whatever immigration deal the senate brings him. He spends an optimistic 24 hours writing a&nbsp;bill with his bipartisan partners.<br /><br />Act Three: When the Cat’s Away, the Mouse, He Can Run Around:<br />Senator Jeff Flake breaks from the plan and speaks openly about the bipartisan DACA proposal to&nbsp;the&nbsp;media before the president has a chance to sell the deal himself. Turns out, that’s not what&nbsp;actually&nbsp;kills the deal.<br /><br />Act Four: It’s Our Prerogative:<br />The government shuts down, and Flake tries to get the senate to ignore what the White House wants.&nbsp;Unsuccessfully.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Mar 2018 19:37:37 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>642</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>641: The Walls</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/641/the-walls</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/641/ualLnAjb2PvRl0hE9ii8iFLAKXwMZ54IqGnfVM5ru-c/641.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories from border walls all over the world, and of the strange ecosystems that arise around them.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories from border walls all over the world, and of the strange ecosystems that arise around them.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass takes a tour to walls all around the world.&nbsp;(9 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Just Another Kind of Outdoor Game:<br />There are two tiny Spanish towns on the African continent protected by multiple layers of razor wire,&nbsp;cameras and guards.<br /><br />Act Two: No One Has Seen Them Made or Heard Them Made:<br />Ira Glass talks with Robert Costa of The Washington Post about President Trump's promise&nbsp;that&nbsp;Mexico would build the wall.Then Brian Reed investigates a wall that may or may not exist. Brian is our senior producer and host of&nbsp;our podcast series&nbsp;<em>S-Town</em>.<br /><br />Act Three: He Is All Pine and I Am Apple Orchard:<br />When writer Mariya Karimjee was a kid in Pakistan she heard about this elaborate ceremony at the&nbsp;border with India where soldiers on both sides performed perfectly synchronized sky-high kicks and&nbsp;steps. But she went to visit and it was not what she expected.<br /><br />Act Four: We Keep the Wall Between Us As We Go:<br />Where do parents go when they’re deported? For some, the answer is: as close as possible to their&nbsp;kids. That often means Nogales, Mexico.</description><pubDate>Thu, 08 Mar 2018 13:01:59 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>641</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>640: Five Women</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/640/five-women</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/640/IMrmGnyb9s5aIporzJbXdA1r9wyOPhdQQ55bmWdTwPM/640.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A different kind of #MeToo story, about several women who worked for the same man.</itunes:subtitle><description>A different kind of #MeToo story, about several women who worked for the same man.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Producer Chana Joffe-Walt fills in for Ira Glass this week. We hear from a person you don’t normally&nbsp;hear from in these kinds of stories — the partner of a man who has been accused of sexual&nbsp;harassment.<br /><br />Act One: Deanna:<br />Growing up, Deanna is told that relationships with men won’t be easy: that men are dumb and she’ll&nbsp;have to make sense of things for them. Throughout her twenties, this proves true.<br /><br />Act Two: The Dinner:<br />Alternet editors try to figure out what to make of Deanna’s odd behavior at an all-staff dinner.&nbsp;(3 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Onnesha:<br />When Onnesha asks Don for a raise, he asks her a weird question.<br /><br />Act Four: The Cliff:<br />Don’s behavior grows increasingly troubling to Deanna.<br /><br />Act Five: Tana:<br />Tana is clear on how to deal with Don.<br /><br />Act Six: Kristen:<br />Kristen has no trouble naming what’s going on with Don: sexual harassment. She’s the first Alternet&nbsp;employee angry enough to try to do something about it.<br /><br />Act Seven: Vivian:<br />We return to Vivian, Don’s partner, who reflects on how to incorporate some new information into&nbsp;the story of her own relationship with him.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Feb 2018 19:19:34 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>640</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>639: In Dog We Trust</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/639/in-dog-we-trust</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/639/MJLHCMJVPJlu5rENPqkE53zb1F8Sk6EzShJLNLJasqo/639.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Exactly how much are the animals that live in our homes caught up in our everyday family dynamics?</itunes:subtitle><description>Exactly how much are the animals that live in our homes caught up in our everyday family dynamics?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Heather and her girlfriend lived with a cat named Sid. The girlfriend showed all sorts of affection toward Sid that she never showed toward Heather.<br /><br />Act One: The Youth In Asia:<br />When a pet dies, to what degree can it be replaced by another? And to what degree can pets replace people in our lives? David Sedaris tells this story of cats and dogs and other animals.<br /><br />Act Two: Polly Wants More Than A Cracker:<br />Veronica Chater explains the conflict in her house between her love for her pet macaw—a kind of parrot—and her love for her husband and three kids. The macaw wreaks a sort of low-level chaos in the house, because it wants Veronica all to itself.<br /><br />Act Four: Resurrection:<br />Writer Brady Udall with another story about what animals can take the place of, in our lives and in our homes—this one involving an armadillo.</description><pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2018 10:58:16 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>639</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>638: Rom-Com</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/638/rom-com</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/638/aRyn9ngGkm7G-063cTEzeq7p3Y0RF2tVt2r1b9p4TTo/638.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about surviving the mishaps of love.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about surviving the mishaps of love.<br /><br />Prologue: Romantic comedies usually don’t get much respect.&nbsp; Producer Neil Drumming explains what’s so great about them.&nbsp;(5 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Meet Cute:<br />Actor Daniel Radcliffe reads a short piece of fiction, “The Present,” from Simon Rich’s book of short stories, “The Last Girlfriend on Earth.”&nbsp;(10 minutes)<br /><br />Act Two: The Obstacle:<br />Elna Baker interviews comedian Michelle Buteau about one of her first big romantic challenges.<br /><br />Act Three: The Run:<br />David Kestenbaum retraces the steps of Steve Snyder, a man who found himself running for love.<br /><br />Act Four: You Had Me at Hello:<br />Comedian Jillian Welsh tells Diane Wu about one of the most romantic—and stressful—nights of her life, a&nbsp;night that paralleled the plot of a rom-com in several ways. (16 minutes)A version of this story first appeared on the Risk! podcast.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Feb 2018 14:42:10 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>638</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>637: Words You Can't Say</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/637/words-you-cant-say</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/637/aOaxJsfJ8Ejvfijqc1Bissm0_kZXE7g1tzAUfRwbUAo/637.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People who say the “wrong” thing and suffer the consequences.</itunes:subtitle><description>People who say the “wrong” thing and suffer the consequences.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass and producer B.A. Parker talk about a disagreement they’ve been having about a particular word.<br /><br />Act One: Video Killed the Video Star:<br />A famous YouTuber gets harassed on the internet—no surprise there. What is surprising is who winds up harassing her, and what she does about it.<br /><br />Act Two: Trigger Warning:<br />A glock-toting Republican is accused by her own party of trying to take away their Second Amendment rights.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jan 2018 15:47:19 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>637</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>636: I Thought It Would Be Easier</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/636/i-thought-it-would-be-easier</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/636/QgCMQBzw8Gyfea7bDF-kAxsG2iV2sN7O0yXvQMQbjpA/636.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A year into Trump’s presidency, stories of politicians—of both parties—unable to accomplish tasks that seem pretty straightforward.</itunes:subtitle><description>A year into Trump’s presidency, stories of politicians—of both parties—unable to accomplish tasks that seem pretty straightforward.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira wonders aloud, when it comes to DACA, with broad support from most Americans, including the&nbsp;majority of Trump voters, leaders of both parties and the president himself: Why is a permanent&nbsp;solution so hard? Why are politics so hard? (2 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Send in the Gowns:<br />Marshall Project reporter Julia Preston and producer Jonathan Menjivar visit an immigration court in&nbsp;Laredo, Texas to find out how one of Trump’s mandates—to quickly expel immigrants from the US—is&nbsp;going.This story was produced in collaboration with The Marshall Project where Julia is a contributing writer.&nbsp;Julia’s print version of the story, “Lost in Court,” is on the The Marshall Project website.<br /><br />Act Two: Fighting Amongst Demselves:<br />Ben Calhoun spent months following some key leaders in the Democratic Party, to find out the party’s&nbsp;best strategy for the future. He got some answers.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jan 2018 14:23:53 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>636</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>635: Chip in My Brain</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/635/chip-in-my-brain</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/635/k5Phr-wSuKX3Z0JCSFBtOON3D4GRD8XSznlhp-se2Qc/635.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A boy who can’t dribble gets a coach, a new best friend, and something to believe in.</itunes:subtitle><description>A boy who can’t dribble gets a coach, a new best friend, and something to believe in.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira introduces David Kestenbaum's story with some thoughts about the challenges of parenting.<br /><br />Act One: Believing:<br />A private basketball coach teaches a young student some things his parents don't agree with. David Kestenbaum has the story.<br /><br />Act Two: Unbelieving:<br />Cody's parents try to get him to unlearn some of what AJ taught him—and it's difficult.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jan 2018 18:19:45 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>635</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>634: Human Error in Volatile Situations</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/634/human-error-in-volatile-situations</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/634/MkD39bQ3b32znM0kyOoExDtVVeig8tBAM66B0A0tIQI/634.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People bungle simple operations on some of the most dangerous weapons in the world.</itunes:subtitle><description>People bungle simple operations on some of the most dangerous weapons in the world.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira tells the little known story about one of the times we almost began a nuclear war with the Soviet Union—by accident.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />In 1980, deep in a nuclear missile silo in Arkansas, a simple human error nearly caused the destruction of a giant portion of the Midwest. Joe Richman, founder of&nbsp;Radio Diaries&nbsp;tells the story.&nbsp; Eric Molinsky helped report this story.<br /><br />Act Two: Erring Like a Sailor:<br />The Navy’s Seventh Fleet has seen a string of collisions and accidents, killing 17 sailors this year. Producer Stephanie Foo learned about a part of Navy life that investigators say played a role in these accidents.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Dec 2017 16:15:08 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>634</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>633: Our Town - Part Two</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/633/our-town-part-two</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/633/RPe18USYto5_3ma6xWiQcHkOMstY_l2KD7veGdhy78w/633.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>When an Alabama town went from 98% white to one-fourth Latino, what did it mean for taxpayers, schools, traffic, crime?</itunes:subtitle><description>When an Alabama town went from 98% white to one-fourth Latino, what did it mean for taxpayers, schools, traffic, crime?<br /><br />Act One: Christmas Lights and Fender Benders:<br />In the early years, when immigrants first arrived in Albertville, the things that bothered the locals weren’t the things you usually hear about when people talk about immigration. Not jobs or wages or crime.<br /><br />Act Two: The March:<br />Latino residents decided to organize a peaceful march in support of a path to legal status, and their white neighbors were shocked when 5,000 people poured into the streets.<br /><br />Act Three: Backlash:<br />Suddenly realizing just how many Latinos had moved to town, longtime residents jumped into action, fueled by a wave of national and statewide anti-immigration fever. Then in 2011, Alabama adopted the most extreme anti-immigrant law in the country.<br /><br />Act Four: Let’s Do the Numbers:<br />One of the things we were excited to investigate when we went to Alabama was to answer the question at the heart of the immigration debate: what does it cost taxpayers when we let in millions of immigrants, documented and undocumented? In Albertville, how much was it? We asked economist Kim Rueben and her colleague Erin Huffer to run the numbers.<br /><br />Act Five: Today:<br />In 2012, the fever broke, and the Albertville city council stopped targeting Latino residents. The mayor says he and the council are taking a cue from the public schools.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>633</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>632: Our Town - Part One</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/632/our-town-part-one</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/632/5Lr_MX7FuGk9AamI8zHG0UuD7HfD1qpGqDa8M7AEIMY/632.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What really happened when undocumented workers showed up in one Alabama town?</itunes:subtitle><description>What really happened when undocumented workers showed up in one Alabama town?<br /><br />Prologue: Today's show came out of something we heard politicians saying.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />We’ve visited Albertville, Alabama many times now, to figure out exactly what happened when the population shifted from 98% white in 1990, to a fourth Latino twenty years later.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />We hear the companies’ side—they have a totally different story to tell than the workers. We also go to one of the leading researchers on the economic effects of immigrants, Giovanni Peri, who chairs the economics department at UC Davis. He and researcher Justin Wiltshire did a study for us on what happened to wages and jobs in Albertville.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>632</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>631: So a Monkey and a Horse Walk Into a Bar</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/631/so-a-monkey-and-a-horse-walk-into-a-bar</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/631/-0Cdi8viKsuolSQ4SsJZMLdZwnXPHzeSpFDbHszucE0/631.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Blurring the line between animal and human.</itunes:subtitle><description>Blurring the line between animal and human.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira tells a favorite joke—about a popcorn-eating horse and a hat-wearing cow.<br /><br />Act One: Monkey in the Middle:<br />Nature photographer David Slater went to Indonesia. While he was there, he got some stunning photos of monkeys.<br /><br />Act Two: If Wishes Were Horses:<br />Two women attempt very different transformations. One wants to become a mother.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>631</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>630: Things I Mean to Know</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/630/things-i-mean-to-know</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/630/GdgUf670QtIt_KcxCeB85hPpBqDvGUiLIsPM1NdQqgI/630.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people trying to unspool some of life’s certainties.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people trying to unspool some of life’s certainties.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Guest host David Kestenbaum talks to producer Diane Wu about a list she keeps of things she means to know. Sweet potatoes vs. yams.<br /><br />Act One: Fraud Complex:<br /> We’ve all heard reports that voter fraud isn’t real. But how do we know that’s true? David Kestenbaum went on a quest to find out if someone had actually put in the work—and run the numbers—to know for certain.<br /><br />Act Two: Flake News:<br />Producer Zoe Chace has been following Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake for the last few months, reporting on the run-up to his re-election bid in 2018.<br /><br />Act Three: The Sun Also Rises...Over There:<br />Among the things we tend to take for granted: The sun comes up and goes down like clockwork. Except when it doesn’t.<br /><br />Act Four: Period Drama:<br />Remember learning that women’s menstrual cycles tend to sync up when they spend a lot of time together? Producer Diane Wu was skeptical. So she went looking for evidence.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>630</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>629: Expect Delays</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/629/expect-delays</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/629/P41zu7fBNaTorAhTWbSHpLTmRj2MvvEdKIOiNBT2xOA/629.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about delays, including a town in Ohio known almost entirely for its speed trap.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about delays, including a town in Ohio known almost entirely for its speed trap.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to JetBlue pilot Anne Aldrich about the unusual speech she gives before take-off.<br /><br />Act One: The Most Expected Delay in Northern Ohio:<br />Linndale, Ohio, is a town known almost entirely for its speed trap. Producer Sean Cole explains.<br /><br />Act Two: Asleep at the Wheel:<br />Traffic jams that last days are not uncommon in China. Producer Stephanie Foo talks to two people about how they pass the time.<br /><br />Act Three: The Longest Distance Between Two Points:<br />New York City has a paratransit service called Access-a-Ride for passengers who are disabled and elderly. But people who rely on the system refer to it as Stress-a-Ride.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>629</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>628: In the Shadow of the City</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/628/in-the-shadow-of-the-city</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/628/Cgzvgp7JgsZYNtCuJZEMbca6IRqg4abTJo5osKfg80c/628.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories that take place on the edge of civilization, just out of sight.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories that take place on the edge of civilization, just out of sight.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Every city's got a place like this: that weird no man's land on the outskirts of town, with junk yards and landfills. Charlie Gregerson grew up near that stuff, on Chicago's far south side, and he remembers finding debris from famous Louis Sullivan masterpieces in the garbage dump after those buildings were demolished.<br /><br />Act One: Brooklyn Archipelago:<br />Out for a simple pleasure cruise with two friends, Alex Zharov was planning to see Jamaica Bay in New York City. But this end-of-the-day excursion, which should have only lasted 40 minutes, turns into an out-of-control adventure that left him lost, stranded, and bleeding—all within sight of the Empire State Building. Brett Martin reports.<br /><br />Act Two: Troubled Bridge Over Water:<br />There is a four mile long bridge in Naan-jing China, famous for how many people jump off to die by suicide. In 2003, a man named Chen Sah began spending all of his weekends on the bridge, trying to single handedly stop the jumpers.<br /><br />Act Three: Yes, In My Backyard:<br />The story of the government cracking down on smokestack emissions at a city factory—even though the residents <em>like</em> the emissions. We hear from Jorge Just, who explains the one, magical secret about Chicago that no one outside Chicago ever believes is true.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>628</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>627: Suitable for Children (2017)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/627/suitable-for-children-2017</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/627/-PHuVTqRjsigCq8KaZXaZPCiO4cMr-Ibs6shii9H6tY/627.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Neil Drumming looks back at a toy he loved that, in retrospect, probably wouldn’t love him back.</itunes:subtitle><description>Neil Drumming looks back at a toy he loved that, in retrospect, probably wouldn’t love him back.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira remembers the time when his older sister, Randi, asked his mother where babies come from.<br /><br />Act One: Stars & Bars & Bars:<br />Producer Neil Drumming talks with the rapper Breeze Brewin about a toy car they both loved playing with as kids: The General Lee from the hit TV show The Dukes of Hazzard. Breeze went on to record a song called “Generally” about The General Lee with his group the Juggaknots.<br /><br />Act Two: History is Not a Toy:<br />There’s a museum in Baltimore that was created to memorialize the Black experience in America. It’s called The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum.<br /><br />Act Three: The Questionnaire:<br />Over the last few years, there’s been a flood of kids from Central America who’ve arrived in the United States by themselves. With no adults.<br /><br />Act Four: Rocket Boy:<br />Paul Zimmer is eighty-three years old now, and he’s still haunted by something he saw in his teens. Something very few Americans have ever seen: The explosion of an atomic bomb.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>627</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>626: White Haze</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/626/white-haze</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/626/Eo1MCXDs3UxrwuSmke1pbZYflX7ZZPNIvIpDX8VXGCw/626.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What should we make of right-wing groups like the Proud Boys, who believe “the West is the best”?</itunes:subtitle><description>What should we make of right-wing groups like the Proud Boys, who believe “the West is the best”?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Last month, after white nationalists and members of the alt-right and offshoot groups descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, and marched with torches, the staff of our show realized something: The guy who organized the rally was a member of a right wing men's group that our producer Zoe Chace had been following for months, long before the rally was planned. And she’d learned that the group had an unlikely spiritual advisor: a liberal, black relationship consultant and comedian named Dante Nero.<br /><br />Act One: Lost in the Proud:<br />Dante Nero has been involved in this group for years, since before it even had a name. He’s seen its evolution.<br /><br />Act Two: Phone Calls to an Undisclosed Location:<br />The man who organized the rally in Charlottesville is named Jason Kessler. He says he’s not to blame for the violence that happened there, including the death of a counter protester.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>626</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>625: Essay B</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/625/essay-b</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/625/PLKX9jG0672PNRHtK1NEHGGjNfz0z16WsDVIzmIhUDs/625.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>In 1967, the first Black students integrated the South’s elite prep schools. One of the main reasons they were there? To benefit the white kids.</itunes:subtitle><description>In 1967, the first Black students integrated the South’s elite prep schools. One of the main reasons they were there? To benefit the white kids.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to Mariya Karimjee about a college application essay question. Essay B asks students to imagine a person they might meet in college—someone from a very different background.<br /><br />Act One: How to Win Friends and Influence White People:<br />Back in the late 1960s, a wealthy tobacco heiress saw that integration was happening all around the country—except at prep schools in the South. So she set out to find the best Black students in neighborhood public schools—in hopes of teaching the white prep-school students to be less bigoted. Mosi Secret tells the story of how the first two Black students to integrate Virginia Episcopal School succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Mosi Secret’s story continues. We find out about a Black student who struggled at VES.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>625</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>624: Private Geography</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/624/private-geography</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/624/eCtl1NEUXJtbcxyvBRwfxzCuOKFXqsqy7wPUV8T-S_0/624.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What Betsy DeVos's experience in a public school in her hometown can tell us about her vision for education in this country.</itunes:subtitle><description>What Betsy DeVos's experience in a public school in her hometown can tell us about her vision for education in this country.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to Australian novelist Gerald Murnane. He’s never left Australia.<br /><br />Act One: Vouching Towards Bethlehem:<br />Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. So is <em>This American Life</em> producer Susan Burton.<br /><br />Act Two: Kids in the Hall:<br />Will McMillan found a home in the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses when he was a teenager. Ultimately he was kicked out of the church.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>624</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>623: We Are in the Future (2017)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/623/we-are-in-the-future-2017</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/623/8VcsVscEs0qkNIWptM4JhQEFZHD1GNJEwS9PhlfVuqs/623.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Afrofuturism is a way of looking at black culture that’s fantastic, creative, and oddly hopeful.</itunes:subtitle><description>Afrofuturism is a way of looking at black culture that’s fantastic, creative, and oddly hopeful.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira and producer Neil Drumming visit a comic book store in Philadelphia to try and help Ira understand Afrofuturism.<br /><br />Act One: Metropolis Now:<br />Producer Neil Drumming spends a couple days exploring Detroit, first with a quirky mayoral candidate running an Afrofuturist campaign, and then with a couple of locals.<br /><br />Act Two: Past Imperfect:<br />Comedian and actor Azie Dungey recounts her time playing a slave for visiting tourists at George Washington’s estate in Mount Vernon.<br /><br />Act Three: The Black Sea:<br /><em>This American Life</em> commissioned an original song, “The Deep,” from the hip-hop group clppng., featuring actor and Hamilton performer Daveed Diggs. The song is based on the underwater mythology of the 90s Detroit electro band Drexciya.<br /><br />Act Four: Childhood’s End:<br />Producer Neil Drumming looks into two videos he found on YouTube—one that takes place in Atlantic City, another in Brooklyn—that deal with the trouble kids face walking home from school.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>623</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>622: Who You Gonna Call?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/622/who-you-gonna-call</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/622/Xm8eLuMTyNFSQ50YfA4WFWNCfPfwaTSzTrZuLWsLT4I/622.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of lucky people who have found the exact right person to ring up for help.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of lucky people who have found the exact right person to ring up for help.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Guest host Sean Cole tells a story about how he found the very perfect person to call for things large and small, and how Sean might be his guru's perfect person, too.<br /><br />Act One: Fass Talker:<br />Bob Fass has been a radio host on WBAI since 1963, often taking calls from strangers late at night. One night at 3 a.m. in 1971, a man called into his show facing a literally life-or-death dilemma.<br /><br />Act Two: A Road By Any Other Name:<br />Reporter Aaron Reiss found a woman that an entire community calls, in order to find out the names of the very streets they're walking on. She's the gatekeeper for a series of secret underground maps of New York City.<br /><br />Act Three: Ode to Joy:<br />Ira Glass' friend Lucy used to love listening to the radio psychologist Joy Browne, who she thought always had the best advice. But is it possible for someone's advice to just be too good? Ira Glass talks to Lucy to find out.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Aug 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>622</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>621: Fear and Loathing in Homer and Rockville</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/621/fear-and-loathing-in-homer-and-rockville</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/621/10rHa6fmZwCs-1-OjK1Ddv-j8hkXL-R71_11gOoEtb8/621.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Two towns grapple with the question—who do we let in?</itunes:subtitle><description>Two towns grapple with the question—who do we let in?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to our Senior Producer Brian Reed about a fight that’s been brewing in the remote town of Homer, Alaska over a resolution that states that Homer welcomes immigrants. Which is odd.<br /><br />Act One: Fear:<br />Brian Reed continues his story about the town of Homer, Alaska. He talked to all sorts of people involved in the debate over whether the town should welcome immigrants.<br /><br />Act Two: Loathing:<br />In the first half of the show, we documented a community that was worried about what might happen, theoretically, if undocumented immigrants arrived. In this act, Producer Zoe Chace looks at a community where the immigrants have already arrived – Rockville, Maryland.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>621</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>620: To Be Real</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/620/to-be-real</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/620/n9Row4wAj_o1UQmEzXfkLGhpcmdQ5z2UmvJrTyooWdA/620.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People try to go deeper—to get to something real—in some unexpected places: war, magic, and porn.</itunes:subtitle><description>People try to go deeper—to get to something real—in some unexpected places: war, magic, and porn.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Producer Chana Joffe-Walt tells Ira about a man who decided to do a drag act at his child's elementary school talent show.<br /><br />Act One: How I Learned To Start Worrying and Fear the Bomb:<br />Earlier this month, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile… one powerful enough, news reports said, to reach Alaska. People were shocked.<br /><br />Act Two: The Lie Becomes the Truth:<br />Ira with two magicians who take the premise of magic – that it’s all about deception – and try to stand that on its head to get to something utterly real, unfaked and emotional. (16 minutes) David Blaine is on tour for the summer.<br /><br />Act Three: Fly Girl:<br />Jon Ronson has been working on a podcast for over a year that traces how one man changed the porn business, when he applied modern internet technology — keywords, search-term optimization — to porn. One big obvious consequence of this is that so much pornography is given away for free, people who make porn videos have a much harder time making a living.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>620</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>619: The Magic Show</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/619/the-magic-show</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/619/XAhGJTAqWYsNZoozcFnNbYAG13VWNXhtr1Ivd5-0ato/619.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Former kid magicians Ira Glass and David Kestenbaum dive back into the world of magic.</itunes:subtitle><description>Former kid magicians Ira Glass and David Kestenbaum dive back into the world of magic.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to producer David Kestenbaum about what it was like to be a kid magician.<br /><br />Act One: The Oldest Trick in the Book:<br />Magicians say it can take years to create and polish a new magic trick. Teller (of Penn and Teller) shows host Ira Glass how he invented one of his most beautiful and puzzling routines.<br /><br />Act Two: The Lady Vanishes:<br />Producer David Kestenbaum became obsessed with one trick he loved as a kid—when David Copperfield made the statue of liberty disappear.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jun 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>619</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>618: Mr. Lie Detector</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/618/mr-lie-detector</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/618/yiLn6006n2H4bH1MgBz8kCHIHxBzpul9wg0xi1KdxPI/618.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A polygraph operator and his strange journey.</itunes:subtitle><description>A polygraph operator and his strange journey.<br /><br />Act One: Relevant Questions:<br />A story about polygraph operator Doug Williams, created by the podcast Love + Radio, that’ll be part of their upcoming season. Produced by Jacob McClelland, Ana Adlerstein, Steven Jackson and Nick van der Kolk.<br /><br />Act Two: Where the Rubber Meets the Road:<br />Ira discusses James Comey’s Senate testimony this week, testimony that called the president a liar. And producer Sean Cole talks with Theo Greenly about a lie that bothered him for a while, a lie involving his cousin, an artist named Kenny Scharf.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>618</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>617: Fermi’s Paradox</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/617/fermis-paradox</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/617/kMNqGVBPbo2RWbrgL27rFZGQyVvfcC2jbERu9-waOl4/617.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Three people grapple with the question, “Are we alone?”</itunes:subtitle><description>Three people grapple with the question, “Are we alone?”<br /><br />Prologue:<br />If there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, why haven’t we heard from the extraterrestrials yet? Producer David Kestenbaum explains The Fermi Paradox to host Ira Glass. The possibility that we are alone in the universe makes David sad.<br /><br />Act One: I Think We’re Alone Now:<br />David’s story continues. He visits his old physics professor, who helps him figure out what to think.<br /><br />Act Two: Two Can Be as Sad as One:<br />We turn now to one of the loneliest experiences a person can have: marriage. Ira listens to two people trying to break through what’s going wrong in their marriage, an excerpt from a new podcast in which real couples have a real therapy session with a real therapist, Esther Perel.<br /><br />Act Three: Rosie’s Paradox:<br />One night Rosie’s father, busy working, told Rosie, then 9, to stop distracting him with her questions. She should write them all down, he said.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 May 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>617</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>616: I Am Not a Pirate</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/616/i-am-not-a-pirate</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/616/VLbwBqYCq6eXSrRCZWUovDm4LhFUPSyTbGc36lB71TE/616.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about both historical and modern-day swashbucklers who loot, pillage, and question their choices.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about both historical and modern-day swashbucklers who loot, pillage, and question their choices.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to producer Elna Baker about Stede Bonnet, a nobleman who woke up one day and decided&nbsp;that his new life goal was to become a pirate. You can read the trials of Stede Bonnet online.<br /><br />Act One: Pirate Change Denier:<br />Mohammed Aden was just a regular Minnesotan dad who unwittingly became governor of a region in&nbsp;Somalia. As governor, one of his main goals was to eliminate piracy.<br /><br />Act Two: C.E.Yo-Ho-Ho.:<br />Producer Stephanie Foo talks to author and pirate historian Laura Sook Duncombe about the most successful pirate of all time, Cheng I Sao.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 May 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>616</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>615: The Beginning of Now</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/615/the-beginning-of-now</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/615/W2cNMGCyfNDnmbbrOBb7gsfh9FdT4wL_uwhQSqY2-M4/615.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Before Trump started his presidential campaign, there was a congressional race that redefined what was possible in American politics.</itunes:subtitle><description>Before Trump started his presidential campaign, there was a congressional race that redefined what was possible in American politics.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Vice News producer Reid Cherlin tells Ira about a party he attended in Washington in 2014. At the time he thought everyone there was on the fringe of the right wing, largely irrelevant.<br /><br />Act One: The Brat Pack:<br />In 2014, in the wake of losing the previous presidential election, the Republican Party had committed itself to immigration reform as its only path to winning elections in the future. Within two years, Donald Trump would be elected on the exact opposite platform, railing against immigration.<br /><br />Act Two: Who Tells Your Story?:<br />For years Pat Buchanan ran on many of the same ideas that Donald Trump would later run on. Buchanan lost — three times.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Apr 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>615</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>614: The Other Mr. President (2017)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/614/the-other-mr-president</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/614/kCQ9vcBTJvXiQ768LP_5svk-gMxIfx5babYc2MLTZpw/614.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What it's actually like to live in the confusing information landscape that is Putin's Russia.</itunes:subtitle><description>What it's actually like to live in the confusing information landscape that is Putin's Russia.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to Russian reporter Anna Nemtsova in Moscow about the recent subway bombing in St. Petersburg and the conspiracy theories she heard from Russians as soon as news about the bombing started to spread. Anna Nemtsova is a correspondent for The Daily Beast and Newsweek.<br /><br />Act One: Going In With A Bang:<br />Back in 1999 there was a series of bombings of apartment buildings in Moscow and across Russia. 300 people died. It happened just as Vladimir Putin was coming to power.<br /><br />Act Two: Mr. Popular:<br />Vladmir Putin’s approval rating is a seemingly unreal 84%. Ira talks to reporter Charles Maynes to find out if that number is real and how it could be that high.<br /><br />Act Three: Maybe Pay Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain:<br />Disinformation and propaganda works differently in Putin’s Russia than it did during the Soviet Union. Instead of tamping down the opposition, the Russian government works to control the opposition.<br /><br />Act Four: A Matter of Principal:<br />The anti-government protests last month in Russia were surprising for a few reasons – including the fact that they included tons of young people. After the protests, teenagers started posting videos to the internet of their teachers lecturing them about the protests and the kids arguing back.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Apr 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>614</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>613: OK, I’ll Do It</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/613/ok-ill-do-it</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/613/0apgbKwdGXlAqtu4vlznTl2Yye24Xk1jM4kZzR6PApI/613.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A surgeon takes out his own appendix in what might be one of the most daring surgeries ever performed.</itunes:subtitle><description>A surgeon takes out his own appendix in what might be one of the most daring surgeries ever performed.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass tells the story of what might be one of the most daring surgeries ever performed.<br /><br />Act One: Line in the Sand:<br />A Border Patrol agent takes us deep inside his experience patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border.<br /><br />Act Two: Da-Do-Run-Guns-Mum-Da-Do-Run-Guns:<br />Journalist Reya El-Salahi tells the story of learning something very surprising about her mother’s past, involving a fake marriage, guns and guerrillas.</description><pubDate>Fri, 31 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>613</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>612: Ask a Grown-Up</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/612/ask-a-grown-up</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/612/dEpDKehp2XTLchOKmmyDFa_Hl3-nP2dw-H5m_RoncV8/612.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Teenage girls ask for advice about their love lives, and Ira's tribute to his very grown-up friend Mary.</itunes:subtitle><description>Teenage girls ask for advice about their love lives, and Ira's tribute to his very grown-up friend Mary.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to producer Sean Cole about a video he found of the rap duo Run the Jewels—giving advice to teenage girls.<br /><br />Act One: Are You There, Ad-Rock? It's Me, Margaret:<br />Sean continues his story about <em>Rookie Magazine's</em> Ask A Grown, and goes through some particularly interesting moments of advice from famous people to regular teen girls. Watch more videos from Ask A Grown. (14 1/2 minutes) Ira's Ask A Grown Video <br /><br />Act Two: The Enemy of The People vs. The People.:<br />Mike Wilson, the editor of the Dallas Morning News, recently got some hate mail from conservative readers. They think that the media—and his paper—are biased.<br /><br />Act Three: Ask My Grown-Up Kid:<br />We searched for a parent who had a question for their kid...that they could only ask them after their kid was an adult. Then we found Ken Gethard, comedian Chris Gethard's dad, who had some really meaningful questions he wanted to ask his son.<br /><br />Act Four: Ask A Very Grown Woman:<br />Ira's good friend Mary Ahearn died this week. She was thirty years older than him...so, decidedly more grown-up than he.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>612</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>611: Vague and Confused</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/611/vague-and-confused</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/611/GiWcanXY-gQfJrai96-OF3khtGqQj48fWRwOAB4riQw/611.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A show about rules and what happens when they’re vague and randomly enforced.</itunes:subtitle><description>A show about rules and what happens when they’re vague and randomly enforced.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />The Department of Homeland Security’s new policies on deportation have sown fear and confusion among undocumented immigrants. Ira Glass and Lilly Sullivan go to Chicago and meet a family trying to navigate the situation.<br /><br />Act One: That’s Just How I Rule:<br />A family that owns a private island in Hawaii sets rules for the people who live there. But when the rules are administered in an unpredictable way, the islanders get upset.<br /><br />Act Two: A Dave in Court:<br />A judge in a suburban New Jersey courtroom wants the people who come before him to see the rules as fair. Including our reporter, David Kestenbaum.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>611</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>610: Grand Gesture</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/610/grand-gesture</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/610/wyotYr-5FpR7PtgwJR-pHCPXjXMDBYXIREUg8kwamWc/610.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People going to very extreme measures to demonstrate their feelings.</itunes:subtitle><description>People going to very extreme measures to demonstrate their feelings.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Producer Miki Meek takes Ira back to her old high school in a town called Payson, Utah. They meet up with students who go above and beyond when asking dates out to school dances.<br /><br />Act One: Dr. Strangelove:<br />A guy in Key West makes a series of grand gestures, each one more outrageous than the last. He goes so far that we need to say that this story, from Miki Meek, is not for kids.<br /><br />Act Two: Say It Out Cloud:<br />Our producer David Kestenbaum spoke with some people who are in the grand gesture business: skywriters.<br /><br />Act Three: It’s Gesture Imagination:<br />Among friends, Elna Baker is famous for her romantic advice: go big! She talks to Ira about successes and failures.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>610</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>609: It’s Working Out Very Nicely</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/609/its-working-out-very-nicely</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/609/NS3D5n6vqAumLeRvS6ADfpjKDVD7ZltJA-P6x8rDZoE/609.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We document what happened when the President’s executive order went into effect temporarily banning travel from seven countries.</itunes:subtitle><description>We document what happened when the President’s executive order went into effect temporarily banning travel from seven countries.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />This week we document what happened when the President’s executive order went into effect, and talk about the way it was implemented. A major policy change thrown into the world like a fastball with no warning.<br /><br />Act One: Basket of Deportables:<br />The news of the executive order broke while immigrants and refugees were mid-flight. That meant they were stranded in airports around the country.<br /><br />Act Two: Heavy Vetting:<br />One of the justifications for the executive order from the administration was that we needed to temporarily stop admitting immigrants and refugees from these seven countries in order to scrutinize and improve the vetting process. Ira speaks with the vetters about how they vet and what they make of the new order.<br /><br />Act Three: Statement of Purpose:<br />There is one line in the executive order that justifies its existence. It’s the second sentence in section 1.<br /><br />Act Four: How Do You Solve A Problem Like Sharia?:<br />Ira talks with a very skeptical national security expert about whether this order actually secures the nation.<br /><br />Act Five: It’s Not Easy Being Green:<br />We revisit a refugee who’s been resettled in America, and on our show in the past—Abdi Nor—to see what he thinks.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>609</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>608: The Revolution Starts At Noon</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/608/the-revolution-starts-at-noon</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/608/Px5jU3JxW077Ly9fbKH3HUeTDH-EwfVkCcvqdJn3Bcs/608.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Some people are super-stoked for the political changes that are coming.</itunes:subtitle><description>Some people are super-stoked for the political changes that are coming.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to a man driving to Washington, D.C.—with his brother, father and a whole lot of neckties—for his first job on Capitol Hill.<br /><br />Act One: Meme Come True:<br />Producer Zoe Chace attends the DeploraBall, a party for trolls and others who say they memed Trump into the presidency.<br /><br />Act Two: Dreamers Get Real:<br />Kenia and her brother Henrri make a trip back to El Salvador, for the first time in 12 years, since they immigrated to the US. For the last few years they've been protected from deportation, but are worried things might change under President Trump. Seth Freed Wessler reports.<br /><br />Act Three: Law and Border:<br />Border Patrol agents were stoked when immigration became a centerpiece of Trump’s campaign. Producer Stephanie Foo went to find out how they hope their jobs will change.<br /><br />Act Four: You Are Still Fired:<br />Reporter Sam Black visited factory workers in Indiana to see how they were feeling.<br /><br />Act Five: Debate Is Not Allowed During a Vote:<br />Democrats don’t run the White House. Or the House.<br /><br />Act Six: A Change In The Office Climate:<br />Two civil servants who do not like our new President weigh their options. Quit? Stay? Stay and fight? Producer David Kestenbaum reports.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>608</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>607: Didn’t We Solve This One?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/607/didnt-we-solve-this-one</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/607/2kOlbJ6FPe6rBN3tsGxvercLYiatzxy3ZZyAgoc_yBs/607.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Why has it been so hard for us to get the tens of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans that have helped the U.S. to safety?</itunes:subtitle><description>Why has it been so hard for us to get the tens of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans that have helped the U.S. to safety?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass interviews Congressman Seth Moulton (D., Mass.), who served four tours as a Marine in Iraq. Moulton talks about an Iraqi translator he grew close to, and about a special visa program that allows Iraqi and Afghan translators to come to the U.S.<br /><br />Act One: Good Things Come to Those Who Wait. But Not Always.:<br />An Iraqi translator named Sarah has been trying to get to the U.S. for eight years. Finally, this fall, she got a call to come in for an interview for her visa.<br /><br />Act Two: He’s Making a List:<br />Nancy returns with a story that explains the origins of the special visa program for interpreters. A decade ago, a young guy named Kirk Johnson inadvertently became the point person for American policy about the Iraqis and Afghans endangered by their work for us.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>607</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>606: Just What I Wanted</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/606/just-what-i-wanted</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/606/Z7grfSN8Njmv0xKsXiJxMfIPhfazs4JZxqw7G8ARfts/606.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories from people who want something desperately and then have their wishes fulfilled. Or do they?</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories from people who want something desperately and then have their wishes fulfilled. Or do they?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to Luke Huisenga, a Marine sniper who became a fan of Gilmore Girls while on deployment in Iraq.<br /><br />Act One: Lopsided Tannenbaum:<br />A fictional story written and read by Maile Meloy about a family that encounters two peculiar strangers in the snow on Christmas Day.<br /><br />Act Two: He’s Making A List, Checking It Nice, Gonna Find Out Who Voted Twice:<br />After this year’s election, Republicans in North Carolina went out looking for cases of voter fraud - all over the state. It was hard to find, hard to prove—until they stumbled across what could have been the best present ever: a seemingly clear-cut case of Democrats out to rig the election.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Dec 2016 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>606</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>605: Kid Logic</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/605/kid-logic</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/605/yywgdqSNbNljH9WZenFwkMzCQ--0uvjZRUsHsxs8Voo/605.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Kids using perfectly logical arguments, and arriving at perfectly wrong conclusions.</itunes:subtitle><description>Kids using perfectly logical arguments, and arriving at perfectly wrong conclusions.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks with Rebecca who, using perfectly valid evidence, arrived at the perfectly incorrect conclusion that her neighbor, Ronnie Loeberfeld, was the tooth fairy. Ira also talks with Dr.<br /><br />Act One: Baby Scientists with Faulty Data:<br />More stories like the one in the prologue, where kids look at something going on around them, observe it carefully, think about it logically, and come to conclusions that are completely incorrect.<br /><br />Act Two: Werewolves in Their Youth:<br />Michael Chabon reads an excerpt from his short story "Werewolves in Their Youth," from his collection of the same name, about an act of kid logic that succeeds where adult logic fails.<br /><br />Act Three: The Game Ain't Over til the Fatso Man Sings:<br />Howie Chackowicz tried a risky combination when he was little, kid logic with puppy love. He used to think that girls would fall in love with him if they could just see him sleeping, or if they could hear him read aloud.<br /><br />Act Four: When Small Thoughts Meet Big Brains:<br />Alex Blumberg investigates a little-studied phenomenon: Children who get a mistaken idea in their heads about how something works or what something means, and then don't figure out until well into adulthood that they were wrong. Including the tale of a girl who received a tissue box for Christmas, allegedly painted by trained monkeys.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2016 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>605</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>604: 20 Years Later</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/604/20-years-later</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/604/W6UWNA3AlWdf9jrbdGwfyqSnSxLgZhGO0ZWgXieIdRM/604.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Samantha Broun interviews her mom about surviving a brutal attack 20 years ago that ended up changing Pennsylvania law regarding life sentences.</itunes:subtitle><description>Samantha Broun interviews her mom about surviving a brutal attack 20 years ago that ended up changing Pennsylvania law regarding life sentences.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira re-listens to an interview he did with his mom 16 years ago, three years before she died.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Samantha Broun interviews her mom about surviving a brutal attack by Reginald McFadden 20 years ago, and sets out to interview friends, family and policymakers about how that attack changed Pennsylvania law regarding life sentences at the time. Additional information and outtakes are available on the Transom website.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Samantha continues toward McFadden, and talks to an inmate who knows something about the case that she never knew before.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2016 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>604</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>603: Once More, With Feeling</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/603/once-more-with-feeling</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/603/xgl-A2CcawsIF4_zb9X4zEV8kUb_98SCnCLPVLU0cz4/603.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who decide to rethink the way they’ve been doing things.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who decide to rethink the way they’ve been doing things.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to Eleanor Gordon-Smith, a writer/reporter in Australia who decides to confront her catcallers and figure out why they do it.<br /><br />Act One: Hollaback Girl:<br />The story from the prologue continues. Eleanor tries to persuade Zack and Mike not to catcall or accost women in the streets of King’s Cross.<br /><br />Act Two: The Real Decoy:<br />Producer Stephanie Foo talks to veteran Michael Pitre, who had to change the way he talked about his experiences in the military after he realized the effect it was having on people.<br /><br />Act Three: You Had One Job:<br />A bomb disposal robot is assigned a new and even more complicated task. Fiction by Scott Brown, read by actor Jeremy Shamos.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>603</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>602: The Sun Comes Up</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/602/the-sun-comes-up</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/602/ARRGLmV8H_JIGXuT2O81xRJYjbaJftJam2hfaTsnklM/602.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People around the country talking about the coming four years after Trump's election.</itunes:subtitle><description>People around the country talking about the coming four years after Trump's election.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass explains that this hour we will hear from people from all over the country, with different points of view, explain what they’re feeling and thinking about Donald Trump’s election.<br /><br />Act One: South Florida:<br />Two police officers who voted for Obama in 2008 explain to Producer Miki Meek why they went for Trump this time around.<br /><br />Act Two: Metro-North Train:<br />Producer Neil Drumming talks to someone who was not happy with the results of Tuesday’s election. Janelle, who’s black, is bracing herself for the coming days.<br /><br />Act Three: Trump Tower:<br />Producer Karen Duffin visits someone who actually knows the man who’s going to be President: Donald Trump’s neighbor.<br /><br />Act Four: Los Angeles:<br />Producer Jonathan Menjivar listens in on parent-teacher conferences the day after the election at a bilingual school in Los Angeles.<br /><br />Act Five: Long Island:<br />For some people, this election wasn’t just about choosing a politician. It was about choosing their new boss.<br /><br />Act Six: Times Square:<br />Ira talks to a Muslim woman who tweeted on election night that she was worried she would no longer feel safe wearing a hijab.<br /><br />Act Seven: Nicholasville, Kentucky:<br />Donald Trump has promised to get rid of Obamacare. Producer David Kestenbaum talks with someone who’d lose their insurance.<br /><br />Act Eight: Greenville South Carolina:<br />We’ve been talking to Trump voters all year—a time during which they’ve watched their candidate’s chances evolve from laughable, to likely, to striking distance, to victory. Producer Zoe Chace checks in with a father and son who’ve been Trump supporters since February, when their guy was an underdog.<br /><br />Act Nine: Salt Lake City:<br />Elna Baker talks to a Republican woman who voted for Hillary Clinton this year, and has suffered consequences in the Mormon community she lives in.<br /><br />Act Ten: New York City:<br />Producer Zoe Chace hung out with some immigration lawyers who are getting calls from their nervous clients.<br /><br />Act Eleven: Toledo:<br />On election night, producer Emmanuel Dzotsi was the last person at our office. Just before midnight, he got on the phone to his mom in Ohio, and recorded their conversation.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Nov 2016 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>602</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>601: Master of Her Domain… Name</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/601/master-of-her-domain-name</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/601/ikG9PH8W5ZHWv-xAMzzZOMCLE8LJ7hWdtDCNANzd2fQ/601.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A story about Hillary Clinton that offers a different picture than what we’ve been hearing from both sides during the campaign.</itunes:subtitle><description>A story about Hillary Clinton that offers a different picture than what we’ve been hearing from both sides during the campaign.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />There’s a political parable about Hillary Clinton that’s made the rounds this year. Host Ira Glass interviews contributor Jack Hitt, who says that in this parable you can see almost every version of Hillary that exists in the popular imagination: the A student, the opportunist, the mastermind, the rat fink, the pragmatist, the truth-twister.<br /><br />Act One: Server Be Served:<br />Sean Cole talks to reporter Garrett Graff, who read the 247 pages of interview summaries of the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. Graff concludes that it’s not the scandal most people thought it was.<br /><br />Act Two: Knowing What We Know:<br />After Huma Abedin’s emails were discovered on her husband’s computer by the FBI, and after FBI Director James Comey publicly declared the agency would be investigating those emails, Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers dropped. What was the conversation Huma Abedin then had with her boss, Hillary Clinton? Actors Tami Sagher and Cady Huffman tried to imagine it.<br /><br />Act Three: Of Mice and Men:<br />Comedian Mike Birbiglia, his wife and his cat take a trip together and meet some parasitic zombie mice.<br /><br />Act Four: Squirrel Cop:<br />The first day on the job inevitably means mistakes, mishaps, and, sometimes, fiascos. A true story, about a rookie cop, told by the cop.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Nov 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>601</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>600: Will I Know Anyone at This Party? </title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/600/will-i-know-anyone-at-this-party</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/600/7ILOGeIz_R_VM2qCP4nGScPM4cM705qFEPi9akjII2A/600.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Right now a lot of Republicans feel like they don’t recognize their own party.</itunes:subtitle><description>Right now a lot of Republicans feel like they don’t recognize their own party.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />There’s a seismic, historic change going on in the Republican party this year. Producer Zoe Chace tells Ira about a place you can eavesdrop on a group of Republican friends as they fret and argue about that change week after week: a podcast called Ricochet.<br /><br />Act One: Party in the U.S.A.:<br />One way to understand the split inside the Republican party is to look at immigration. It’s this urgent, emotional issue for so much of the party these days.<br /><br />Act Two: Party Guy:<br />(Podcast and Internet Only) Another tragic figure this year is the head of the Republican National Comittee Reince Priebus, who has the job of holding the whole party together. A grueling and thankless job, this year.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Oct 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>600</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>599: Seriously?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/599/seriously</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/599/0EmWpdFB0WBnZ6tb-fYtTBpQBa9yLg5c6Utulw-ZiVw/599.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Watching lies become the truth in the 2016 election.</itunes:subtitle><description>Watching lies become the truth in the 2016 election.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks about what’s alarming him about this year’s election: facts seem less meaningful than they ever have, and the gap between the mainstream media and right-wing media’s versions of the world have never seemed further apart. CNN’s Jake Tapper explains what it was like to be on the air live when Donald Trump tried to take a huge, obvious lie and pass it off as the truth.<br /><br />Act One: Lies Become the Truth:<br />Ira's quest continues. He calls his Uncle Lenny, who gets his news from Fox and the Wall Street Journal, and lives with an entirely different set of facts, and Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration expert at the CATO Institute, who explains that the central issue in Donald Trump’s candidacy is based on something that isn’t true.<br /><br />Act Two: Judges with Grudges:<br />In this election year we look at the story of one small ballot initiative, in one state. We heard this referendum would gut Georgia's Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC), an independent organization that investigates ethics complaints about judges.<br /><br />Act Three: Aw, Do We NAFTA?:<br />Ira explains that when Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton all seemed to be against free trade agreements, he got genuinely confused. Is free trade good or bad? Was NAFTA good or evil? Are we down with TPP? He asked Jacob Goldstein of NPR’s Planet Money podcast to explain, once and for all, the pros and cons of free trade.<br /><br />Act Four: Seriously?:<br />We’ve been wondering about some of the things President Obama thinks about the current election, but can’t say publicly. But since he hasn’t told us his thoughts explicitly, we asked singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles – who did the Broadway musical “Waitress” – to imagine those thoughts for us.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>599</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>598: My Undesirable Talent </title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/598/my-undesirable-talent</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/598/dc2PohAUs_183mCBfoGDNhym9iyzsOTnfLnZ6o6fhQc/598.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>San Francisco’s Spider-Man dropped into buildings from skylights and leapt 10 feet from one roof to another. But mostly, his talent got him into trouble.</itunes:subtitle><description>San Francisco’s Spider-Man dropped into buildings from skylights and leapt 10 feet from one roof to another. But mostly, his talent got him into trouble.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to Biba Struja – a Serbian man who says that when he was in high school, he discovered that he seemed to have a high resistance to electricity. It’s a power that he’s utilized, but is mostly a curse.<br /><br />Act One: Climb Spree:<br />Awhile back, San Francisco experienced a rash of burglaries that all fit a pattern. The suspect got into businesses at night through skylights, or the attic, and then lowered himself in with ropes where he would rob safes.<br /><br />Act Two: Uganda Be Kidding Me:<br />Zora Bikangaga grew up in a mostly white California suburb, the son of Ugandan immigrants. But when he went to college, someone thought he himself was Ugandan.<br /><br />Act Three: Disbarred:<br />Wendy Whelan was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet until 2014. She explains an undesirable side of having an incredible talent.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Oct 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>598</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>597: One Last Thing Before I Go (2016)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/597/one-last-thing-before-i-go-2016</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/597/Pwf4n_3O3eQzaaWZno0Flh1xjqHrrxifEkT6CyfgZ80/597.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Ordinary people make last ditch efforts to get through to their loved ones.</itunes:subtitle><description>Ordinary people make last ditch efforts to get through to their loved ones.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira explains how at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the men with their finger to the button called their loved ones for what was potentially the last time.<br /><br />Act One: Really Long Distance:<br />Producer Miki Meek tells the story of a phone booth in Japan that attracts thousands of people who lost loved ones in the 2011 tsunami and earthquake. A Japanese TV crew from NHK Sendai filmed people inside the phone booth, whose phone is not connected to anything at all.<br /><br />Act Two: Uncle's Keeper:<br />Jonathan Goldstein tries to convince his uncle and his father to get into the same room and have a conversation for the first time in decades, before it’s too late and one of them dies. This story comes from Jonathan’s podcast Heavyweight, from Gimlet Media.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Sep 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>597</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>596: Becoming a Badger</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/596/becoming-a-badger</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/596/RpAIG9eVjNLOVC4bswKMqoZ8Bh1AdiW5ysS0jusrVf0/596.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about people trying their best to turn themselves into something else—like a badger.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about people trying their best to turn themselves into something else—like a badger.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Charles Foster has always been obsessed with trying to figure out how animals see the world. So he decides to find out—by living life as a badger.<br /><br />Act One: Je Suis Ici Toute La Semaine:<br />French comedian Gad Elmaleh is known as the Jerry Seinfeld of France. He sells out arenas.<br /><br />Act Two: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime:<br />Terriers have been bred for hundreds of years to kill rats. Ray Ray is a terrier, but he lives in a comfy apartment in New York City.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Sep 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>596</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>595: Deep End of the Pool</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/595/deep-end-of-the-pool</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/595/jno0jMft9BupQ8SNDmp7b_AAmXwUqxJFziWd11cqwbk/595.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What do you do when you're thrown into a situation you’re not prepared for?</itunes:subtitle><description>What do you do when you're thrown into a situation you’re not prepared for?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to Aaryn Zhou. When she was nine, her father threw her into the deep end of pool to teach her to swim.<br /><br />Act One: If You Cannot Afford an Attorney, Some Random Dude Will Be Appointed to You:<br />A lawyer with almost no experience in criminal law is assigned to a criminal case with a sentence of 20 years to life. This happened because, in Louisiana, like in a few states, public defenders’ offices are so short-staffed that courts are ordering private attorneys to take pro bono clients.<br /><br />Act Two: Mein Camp:<br />Sometimes an entire government has to dive into the deep end of the pool and do something it’s never done before. One of our producers Karen Duffin has the story of the US government doing just that… in a high stakes sink or swim situation.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>595</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>594: My Summer Self</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/594/my-summer-self</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/594/wJ5soWkaslgrMpq_FdEQLO46cR4QALTM6giPVQxfrMk/594.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Summer is a time when change seems more possible than ever. But is that really how it happens?</itunes:subtitle><description>Summer is a time when change seems more possible than ever. But is that really how it happens?<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass reflects on his feelings about going to the beach.&nbsp;(3 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Grapes of Wrath:<br />Producer Dana Chivvis explores the case of a 66-year-old working lifeguard who is suing New York State for age discrimination after refusing to wear a Speedo on the job.<br /><br />Act Two: Say Yes to Summer:<br />A troupe of comedians tells personal stories about summer experiences and improvises scenes based on them.<br /><br />Act Three: It Takes A Villa:<br />Producer Neil Drumming tells the story of his dad and his family’s timeshare in Orlando, Florida.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>594</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>593: Don’t Have to Live Like a Refugee</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/593/dont-have-to-live-like-a-refugee</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/593/-F8FyANse6KOfZ-iBGEDUVCtgFTxzSb1n1YbOwIBE6I/593.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of refugees in Greece trying to move on with their lives in whatever way they can.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of refugees in Greece trying to move on with their lives in whatever way they can.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />A couple guys show off a pretty creative invention.<br /><br />Act One: You Just Keep on Pushing My Love Over the Borderline:<br />There are young single men and women at the camps, and there’s some flirting for sure. But usually it doesn’t seem to go very far.<br /><br />Act Two: Thank You for Smoking:<br />People don’t have a lot of money in the refugee camps, and our producer Miki Meek went to see what that’s like at a camp that’s been built on the grounds of an abandoned psychiatric hospital. About 1,300 people are living there.<br /><br />Act Three: Last Resort:<br />There’s a camp trying to set the gold standard for what refugee camps are to be. It’s in an actual beach vacation resort. Joanna Kakissis went there.<br /><br />Act Four: Take Another Little Piece of My Heart:<br />One night at L-M Village, a panic-struck man walked up to Robyn Semien from our staff. He said his wife had a medical problem.<br /><br />Act Five: Smile, You’re on Handmade Camera:<br />Sean hit up this one piece of coverage that wasn’t like any of the others. He got a little obsessed with it.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>593</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>592: Are We There Yet?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/592/are-we-there-yet</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/592/L9fKMiXHuXujWKI3ovwHZSvGyDXVOUQHtSk3NU60s_0/592.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>57,000 refugees are stuck in Greece, making homes in some surprising locations.</itunes:subtitle><description>57,000 refugees are stuck in Greece, making homes in some surprising locations.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />We were interested in how the Greek government was dealing with the refugees, but we also wanted to know what it was like for all these people who thought they were heading elsewhere in Europe who are now stuck in these camps, where they’re just waiting for some country to let them in and restart their lives. Ira goes on a quick tour of camps around Greece.<br /><br />Act One: Field of Interrupted Dreams:<br />One good place to see how this ad hoc response is working is at an abandoned baseball stadium in Athens. About a thousand Afghans are now living here.<br /><br />Act Two: The Parents, Trapped:<br />Kids are everywhere in the camps, they’re a third of the refugees. You see them around, improvising stuff to play with.<br /><br />Act Three: All Our Representatives Are Currently Busy:<br />The first step for refugees trying to get out of limbo in Greece has been calling (and calling) the asylum office… on Skype.</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>592</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>591: Get Your Money's Worth</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/591/get-your-moneys-worth</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/591/0fUAMo_3xmrxhNTNAp5AJVH-8ynHf_IQcmbE-jsKW_k/591.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A political donor has to decide whether or not he's going to support Trump. Plus other stories of people trying to make sure they get what they paid for.</itunes:subtitle><description>A political donor has to decide whether or not he's going to support Trump. Plus other stories of people trying to make sure they get what they paid for.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Producer Zoe Chace takes a trip to the grocery store with Planet Money co-host – and ultimate bargain shopper – Jacob Goldstein.<br /><br />Act One: The Final Countdown:<br />Doug Deason is a political donor trying to make the biggest decision people like him make every four years – which presidential candidate to back. Producer Zoe Chace follows Deason through the unpredictable primaries of the 2016 election.<br /><br />Act Two: Bean Counter:<br />Reporter Sara Corbett looks into what happens when a company makes this promise: if you’re not 100% satisfied by our product, bring it back. Any time, for any reason; no questions asked.<br /><br />Act Three: Make It Count:<br />Most stories of customer satisfaction are told by the customers. In this act, we ask: is the product satisfied by life with you? We get answers, from a product itself. Simon Rich reads his short story, “Unprotected.” Please note: this story does vaguely acknowledge the existence of sex.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Jul 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>591</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>590: Choosing Wrong</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/590/choosing-wrong</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/590/ppLdaRzyKVI8TQfRzsVPo_kJ80yPC0HRSfx7opQK2uk/590.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people making the wrong choice, even though the right one is staring them squarely in the eye.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people making the wrong choice, even though the right one is staring them squarely in the eye.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass interviews author Alain de Botton about why so many of us choose the wrong spouses. Botton is the author of the new novel <em>The Course of Love</em>.<br /><br />Act One: Swish Miss:<br />Wilt Chamberlain - easily one of the best basketball players of all time - was a terrible free throw shooter. Except for one season when he changed technique and scored more free throws in one game than anyone ever has.<br /><br />Act Two: Poll Dance:<br />Ira talks to Tom, who regrets his vote on Brexit this week. And Zoe Chace talks to Harry Enten, a senior analyst at the website FiveThirtyEight, about Donald Trump.<br /><br />Act Three: Post-It Not:<br />Comedian Kurt Braunohler makes a wrong choice, for his own amusement.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jun 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>590</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>589: Tell Me I’m Fat</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/589/tell-me-im-fat</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/589/IQcajHkQHBxnein1O7fKWXEsJsB8XpKIjXu8IbmghaE/589.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Maybe it’s time to rethink the way we see being fat.</itunes:subtitle><description>Maybe it’s time to rethink the way we see being fat.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass interviews Lindy West about her experience “coming out” as fat.<br /><br />Act One: The Day the Scales Fell from Her Eyes:<br />Lindy West tells us how she went from being ashamed of her fatness to embracing it, and reads from her book,&nbsp;<em>Shrill</em>. The book has been adapted into a TV show on Hulu, starring Aidy Bryant.<br /><br />Act Two: It’s a Small World After All:<br />Elna Baker lost a lot of weight, 110 pounds. When she was fat, she wasn’t able to get a job or a boyfriend and sometimes thought, “I wonder if it’s my weight.” She figured no, that’s a bad attitude, paranoia.<br /><br />Act Three: How Are You Doing with Sizes?:<br />Obesity in America affects a higher percentage of black people than white people. Roxane Gay talks about being black and being fat with host Ira Glass.<br /><br />Act Four: Cross Trainers:<br />Fat is seen by so many people as a kind of moral issue. They think you’re fat because you’re weak and can’t get control of your own life.<br /><br />Act Five: An Immodest Proposal:<br />We close the show with one more excerpt from Lindy West’s book, <em>Shrill</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jun 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>589</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>588: Mind Games (2016)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/588/mind-games-2016</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/588/ARcwf3LY12e2tagXbaa8j2AS_AM7GeThMvCpOUkCUns/588.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People who try simple mind games on others and find themselves in way over their heads.</itunes:subtitle><description>People who try simple mind games on others and find themselves in way over their heads.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass interviews Lori Gottlieb about the time she sent a letter to a writer in a magazine, a letter packed with white lies.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Lori Gottlieb's story from the prologue continues. One complication led to another and before long, the writer seemed to be lying to her.<br /><br />Act Two: The Spy Who Loved Everyone:<br />A group called Improv Everywhere decides that an unknown band, Ghosts of Pasha, playing their first ever tour in New York, ought to think they're a smash hit. So they study the band's music and then crowd the performance, pretending to be hard-core fans.<br /><br />Act Three: Lonely Hearts Club Band...Of One:<br />Musician David Berkeley has gotten a lot of requests in his life, but none quite like the offer his agent got last year. A fan wanted Berkeley to come to his house and help save his relationship by serenading the troubled couple with a personal concert.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jun 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>588</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>587: The Perils of Intimacy</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/587/the-perils-of-intimacy</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/587/E6xeRWkjIioZjdfo1zfwlh6DyV-qxT_xL6VCfI-mrXo/587.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Mysteries that exist in relationships we thought couldn't possibly surprise us.</itunes:subtitle><description>Mysteries that exist in relationships we thought couldn't possibly surprise us.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks to Rachel Rosenthal, who spent years trying to figure out who had stolen her identity. She was closing bank account after bank account, getting more and more paranoid, until she realized she knew exactly who the thief was.<br /><br />Act One: Rachel’s Getting Harried:<br />Ira’s conversation with Rachel Rosenthal continues. She tells the story of why it took her so long to break up with her boyfriend, even after she figured out that he had stolen from her.<br /><br />Act Two: Why Can’t We Be Friends?:<br />Producer Neil Drumming conducts an experiment to find out: can two adults, both new in town, become friends, with the right help? (16 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow:<br />Comedian Kyle Mizono, in a live performance, tells about the time she met her hero, spent a week working with him every day, and it went really well. And then, she emailed him.<br /><br />Act Four: Break It Down:<br />A short story by Lydia Davis about trying to calculate the cost of a love affair. The story is read by actor Matt Malloy.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 May 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>587</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>586: Who Do We Think We Are?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/586/who-do-we-think-we-are</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/586/XcrMe6zq-KJi9IS74MQaTOcMAqoF6QdFNT2lWx-fKRg/586.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle> When Mariya Karimjee was little, her family made a decision that would affect her entire life. Years later, she wants to know why.</itunes:subtitle><description>When Mariya Karimjee was little, her family made a decision that would affect her entire life. Years later, she wants to know why.<br /><br /> Prologue:<br />Producer Zoe Chace checks in on Tony, a diehard, conservative Republican and Ted Cruz supporter, to see how he’s holding up this week. Not great.<br /><br />Act One: Whose Great Idea Was This?:<br /> When Mariya Karimjee was little, members of her family made a decision that would affect her entire life. Years later, she wants to know why.<br /><br />Act Two: Who Wants To Know?:<br />Nema and Neda Semnani have extraordinarily similar first names – and completely opposite ways of dealing with what happened to their dad when they were little.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 May 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>586</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>585: In Defense of Ignorance</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/585/in-defense-of-ignorance</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/585/dAINQCc9F8e31e5jUR7rFei3EwflK2eKy6wUUT7WX20/585.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Three very different stories of people not admitting the truth.</itunes:subtitle><description>Three very different stories of people not admitting the truth.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira relays advice from a staffer’s family on what to do if you’re thinking about something you don’t want to think about.<br /><br />Act One: What You Don't Know:<br /> Lulu Wang tells the story of an elaborate attempt to keep someone ignorant — her grandmother — and how her family pulled it off.<br /><br />Act Two: Ignorance for Dummies:<br />Producer Sean Cole tells the story of a psychological experiment that proved ignorance is, in fact, bliss.<br /><br />Act Three: Forget Me? Not!:<br />Producer Stephanie Foo describes a subset of the population who will never enjoy the benefits of ignorance — because they’re destined never to experience it in the first place.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>585</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>584: For Your Reconsideration</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/584/for-your-reconsideration</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/584/4TVh6ffDH45UrCv_ql_2R9cK0gnVLifhLvaCRCpJ_hg/584.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The older and wiser we get, the more bewildering our past decisions can seem.</itunes:subtitle><description>The older and wiser we get, the more bewildering our past decisions can seem.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />A year ago, we did a story about a study that found that a simple 20-minute conversation could change someone’s mind about controversial issues like gay marriage and abortion. But a few weeks after we aired the story, the study was discredited.<br /><br />Act One: Knock Knock. Who’s There? The Truth.:<br />The story from the prologue continues, with the researchers re-doing the canvassing experiment. And the results are even more surprising this time around.<br /><br />Act Two: Hotline Bleak:<br />Comedian Chris Gethard has a new podcast called <em>Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People</em>, where people can call in to talk to him about anything for an hour. Our editor, Joel Lovell, tells us about his favorite episode thus far — featuring a man who calls in desperately seeking Chris’ guidance.<br /><br />Act Three: Kids Look Back:<br />Senior Producer Brian Reed tells Ira about a book entitled “Now I Know Better,” where children write cautionary tales recounting horrific accidents they’ve endured. He also interviews one of the book’s contributors about his childhood mishap.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Apr 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>584</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>583: It’ll Make Sense When You’re Older</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/583/itll-make-sense-when-youre-older</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/583/gnxD3tIN-JzvY6CfCcxSYRS5ZhX0jnGmFJa4x_DStJs/583.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Kids do not like being told it’ll make sense when they’re older. They’re pretty sure the grown-ups are wrong.</itunes:subtitle><description>Kids do not like being told it’ll make sense when they’re older. They’re pretty sure the grown-ups are wrong.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Kids do not like getting told it’ll make sense when they’re older. They’re pretty sure the grown-ups are wrong, and whatever the conversation is, they’re up for it.<br /><br />Act One: Adolescence:<br />Reporter Hillary Frank finds out there is this tradition going on in her town, where big kids take over younger kids’ parties—and she investigates how one kid goes from freaked out to an instigator.<br /><br />Act Two: Grown:<br />Comedian Sasheer Zamata does this joke about her mom in her standup act. About how her mom hates white people.<br /><br />Act Three: Middle Age:<br />Host Chana Joffe-Walt worries she’ll have regrets in 20 years. So she finds someone 20 years older than she is to gauge how bad it gets.<br /><br />Act Four: Old Age:<br />For those in the early stages of dementia, some simple tasks become very complex. Chana sits down with one guy determined to figure out why something that used to be so easy has become so hard.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2016 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>583</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>582: When the Beasts Come Marching In</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/582/when-the-beasts-come-marching-in</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/582/x5JdAdJPiTLs1BiFFu0k2Rkcc-xQ4hF943nn9T4jCBI/582.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The animals drop in and show us who's boss.</itunes:subtitle><description>The animals drop in and show us who's boss.<br /><br />Prologue:<br /> Ira visits an 83-year-old man named Dick Paterniti who’s been waging a long and lonely war against a woodpecker.<br /><br />Act One: Beaching and Moaning:<br />Even when an animal is not a pest, not chewing up homes or spreading disease or biting average citizens, even when it is universally loved, it can still wreak havoc when it arrives in our world. James Spring has this example from a community of harbor seals in La Jolla, California, near San Diego.<br /><br />Act Two: Hungry like a USDA Contract Employee:<br />Back in the day, generally when a wild animal showed up, we’d just kill it. Take this press release the federal government put out nearly a hundred years ago.<br /><br />Act Three: Weeknight at Bernie's:<br />In Anchorage, many people take pride in being able to co-exist side-by-side with wild animals. Jon Mooallem has the story of one animal that became a resident of the city in a way that few non-humans ever do.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2016 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>582</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>581: Anatomy of Doubt </title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/581/anatomy-of-doubt</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/581/jU37fQoqHJ5VCKr8PLEBJmrqUTjummHxDmau_FQoxLk/581.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of a rape investigation gone undeniably wrong.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of a rape investigation gone undeniably wrong.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira hears from a woman named Shannon about a phone call she got in 2008 that cast doubt on whether an 18 year old named Marie was telling the truth about being sexually assaulted. This idea leads to one of two investigations—one small and bad, and the other stunningly big and good.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />We go to Lynnwood, Washington to retrace the steps of a rape investigation gone undeniably wrong. Producer Robyn Semien and investigative reporter Ken Armstrong of the Marshall Project tell the story.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Our story continues two years later in Colorado where detectives in four neighboring towns combine resources to run down a serial rapist.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Feb 2016 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>581</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>580: That's One Way to Do It</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/580/thats-one-way-to-do-it</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/580/t84ULWUfPNyg_c18QfDJkd-JdQN4BEG6O2QSDvyJuHc/580.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of a young voter who defies political categorization.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of a young voter who defies political categorization.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />As a California game warden Terry Grosz went to great lengths — and some depths — to stop illegal fishing. Terry also tells this story in his book Wildlife Wars.<br /><br />Act One: Sex, Boyhood and Politics in South Carolina:<br />Producer Zoe Chace hangs out with an unlikely Trump supporter in order to get to the bottom of his unusual motivation.<br /><br />Act Two: Here's Looking at You, Kidney:<br />Sigrid Fry-Revere was fed up with the kidney donation system in this country. So, she went somewhere that seemed to be doing a better job with its transplant patients— possibly one of the last places you’d expect.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Feb 2016 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>580</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>579: My Damn Mind</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/579/my-damn-mind</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/579/_4wutUUA8cU-xX_DL86TA9EF0r3P6G-Y97bzdpRVqX0/579.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A hospital staffer finds a patient on the floor of his room. He is unarmed, and has been shot by the cops in the hospital.</itunes:subtitle><description>A hospital staffer finds a patient on the floor of his room. He is unarmed, and has been shot by the cops in the hospital.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />A staffer at St Joseph Medical Center in Houston finds a patient shot on the floor of his room. He is unarmed, and has been shot by the cops in the hospital.<br /><br />Act One: When Your Hospital-Borne Infection Is a Bullet:<br />We tell the story of that patient, Alan Pean, and how his delusions lead him to a situation that's just as strange as the worst thoughts his mind is cooking up. This story is a collaboration with the <em>New York Times</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: Don’t Need to Know Basis:<br />In this act, writer Michael Kinsley describes harnessing the power of his own mind to deal with his Parkinson's diagnosis. Michael Kinsley is a contributing columnist for <em>Vanity Fair</em> and the <em>Washington Post</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Feb 2016 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>579</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>578: I Thought I Knew You</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/578/i-thought-i-knew-you</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/578/i7yj13Q47dot6DieKhOhwUBnaYJbyxU8N1ID2ASgQys/578.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A conservative radio host is completely baffled by the candidate his audience has decided to get behind this election season.</itunes:subtitle><description>A conservative radio host is completely baffled by the candidate his audience has decided to get behind this election season.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with Adam Mansbach about what happened when he went looking for an apartment and was mistaken for someone else. Adam is the author of the book <em>Go The F*** To Sleep</em>.<br /><br />Act One: Who's Really On Line 1?:<br />Producer Zoe Chace goes to Greenville, South Carolina to talk with Tony Beam – host of the radio show Christian Worldview Today. Tony and his listeners are evangelical Christians, and usually, Tony backs a candidate for office and his listeners tend to agree with him.<br /><br />Act Two: My Little Bruce Dupe:<br />One day comic Jay Larson's phone rang. And the people on the other end of the line thought they knew who they were talking to.<br /><br />Act Three: A Light From the Other Side:<br />Robert had a bad reputation as a kid who didn't do his schoolwork and had little respect for adults. But his best friend, Lilly thought he was misunderstood.<br /><br />Act Four: I Thought I Knew U2:<br />Scott Aukerman and Adam Scott have a podcast called "U Talkin' U2 To Me" that is all about the band U2. Scott and Adam love U2.</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Jan 2016 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>578</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>577: Something Only I Can See</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/577/something-only-i-can-see</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/577/hVqlWxvMY3wQ0b-MVDQzbJroVvdD_fjkogu_lkqOkKY/577.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A woman with muscular dystrophy tries to convince doctors that she has the same gene mutation as an Olympic athlete.</itunes:subtitle><description>A woman with muscular dystrophy tries to convince doctors that she has the same gene mutation as an Olympic athlete.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira asks Jeff Emtman to do the impossible—describe the indescribable color he sees in his left eye.<br /><br />Act One: Do These Genes Make Me Look Fatless?:<br />Journalist David Epstein tells the story of Jill Viles, who has muscular dystrophy and can’t walk. But she believes that she somehow has the same condition as one of the best hurdlers in the world, Priscilla Lopes-Schliep.<br /><br />Act Two: Mom Jokes:<br />Producer Nancy Updike speaks with comedian Tig Notaro about her mother-in-law, Carol. Carol came up with a joke that is only funny to one person—herself.<br /><br />Act Three: Earth Angel:<br />Actor Alex Karpovsky reads a short story by Etgar Keret, from his book, “The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God." (4 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2016 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>577</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>576: Say Yes To Christmas</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/576/say-yes-to-christmas</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/576/0aHaJfCfWpUb1b4z8U5QVqUY5m0LoWa7cqfY6aDMj4Y/576.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We go all in and bring the joy, the spontaneity, the sense that anything can happen back to Christmas.</itunes:subtitle><description>We go all in and bring the joy, the spontaneity, the sense that anything can happen back to Christmas.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks about “The Twelve Days Of Christmas,” the one Christmas song he’s always hated.&nbsp;(7 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Christmas On A High Wire:<br />Some of the best improv actors in the country join us for a special Christmas themed performance recorded live at the Bellhouse in Brooklyn. Scott Adsit, Mike Birbiglia, Aidy Bryant, Chris Gethard, Tami Sagher, and Sasheer Zamata dream up a magical world on stage that’s only possible at Christmas.<br /><br />Act Two: Oily Potter and The Gobble of Fire:<br />Producer Stephanie Foo fell hard for a new holiday tradition this year – Turkey Fryer PSAs created by fire departments across the country.<br /><br />Act Three: The First Noel:<br />Andre, 6, and his 4 year old brother Luc are experiencing Christmas for the very first time. They’re adopted and have recently moved to the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of Congo.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Dec 2015 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>576</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>574: Sinatra’s 100th Birthday</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/574/sinatras-100th-birthday</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/574/edEokP2Xd0K3pDIY17GoG1DhxR9mXO_-piNQB59XrR0/574.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories, tributes, and attempts to understand the Chairman of the Board.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories, tributes, and attempts to understand the Chairman of the Board.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass, with a recording of a 1962 Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr., appearance at the Villa Venice, a club outside Chicago. What's fascinating about Sinatra is how he is so many different people at once, and they're all on display in this recording: sentimental crooner, cruel woman-baiter, bully, goofball.<br /><br />Act One: Frank Sinatra Has a Cold:<br />Gay Talese reads from his classic 1966 Esquire article, in which he followed around Sinatra at the height of Sinatra's power.<br /><br />Act Two: One Sinatra Fan ... Versus All Of Network TV.:<br />Before Sinatra died, Sarah Vowell appeared on this radio program and made a prediction about how network news would cover Sinatra's death ... and she made a simple plea. We hear whether her prediction came true.<br /><br />Act Three: History Lesson:<br />Ira and music contributor John Conners on Sinatra's worst songs. And a brief history of what makes that 1950s Sinatra sound so great, with Will Friedwald, author of the definitive book on Sinatra's music, Sinatra! The Song Is You: A Singer's Art.<br /><br />Act Four: The Death of Frank Sinatra:<br />Michael Ventura, who grew up Sicilian in New York, says that as a kid he thought Sinatra was in his family. His book The Death of Frank Sinatra is not really about Sinatra.<br /><br />Act Five: Chairman of the Block:<br />An odd occurrence at 124 East Fourth Street in Manhattan's East Village. For the last five weeks, a singer named Nick Drakides has stood on the stoop singing Sinatra songs late at night to the delight of his neighbors.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Dec 2015 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>574</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>573: Status Update</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/573/status-update</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/573/CI9kxfZEbPtpqTFYxaxzA2ASXyeD6r7SWmySliqi9eA/573.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Three teenage girls explain why they are constantly telling their friends they are beautiful on Instagram. Plus more stories about status updates that interrupt our daily life.</itunes:subtitle><description>Three teenage girls explain why they are constantly telling their friends they are beautiful on Instagram. Plus more stories about status updates that interrupt our daily life.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Three teenage girls explain why they are constantly telling their friends they are beautiful on Instagram.<br /><br />Act One: Finding the Self in Selfie:<br />Jane, Julia and Ella continue describing the complex social map that is constantly changing in their phones.<br /><br />Act Two: Mon Ami Ta-Nehisi:<br />Producer Neil Drumming talks with his friend Ta-Nehisi Coates about Ta-Nehisi’s newfound fame and their friendship.<br /><br />Act Three: There Owes the Neighborhood:<br />The story of an entire town that gets a status update. Producer Chana Joffe-Walt talked to Paul Kiel of Pro Publica, the man who gave the town its status update.<br /><br />Act Four: 76-Year-Old Quarterback Throws Hail Mary Pass:<br />We have an update on a man in his 70s who planned to propose to a woman. We first spoke with him for time in our episode The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Nov 2015 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>573</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>572: Transformers</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/572/transformers</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/572/jLsyE4hJHcposbs96DRkxdcJo8WFw3pDuqhHzFZu1Pc/572.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A prisoner who hasn't talked to anyone in years comes up with a bold plan to re-introduce himself to the world.</itunes:subtitle><description>A prisoner who hasn't talked to anyone in years comes up with a bold plan to re-introduce himself to the world.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Bob Carlson and his 10-year-old daughter, Tess, were driving by Six Flags Magic Mountain when she told him about one of her biggest fears: roller coasters. So they decided to try and take one on.<br /><br />Act One: Optimus ... Way Past Her Prime.:<br />Anthony DeVito recently observed his grandmother go through a metamorphosis no one in the family ever imagined they'd see.<br /><br />Act Two: Streetwise:<br />Most big grand transformations we go through really come down to a hundred little things that we change about ourselves. This recently happened for a refugee from Afghanistan, now living in Detroit.<br /><br />Act Three: Afterburner:<br />There are things lots of us think we might fix about ourselves, you know, someday. When we get around to it.<br /><br />Act Four: Trailbreaker:<br />It's not just that deciding to change your life completely can be momentous. Telling people about the decision can be a big deal too.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2015 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>572</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>571: The Heart Wants What It Wants</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/571/the-heart-wants-what-it-wants</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/571/cNYZ7nWOneb09tJ5FGTyW270NxqCKySLATVAt_MELDE/571.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Emily Dickinson said “The heart wants what it wants.” This week, stories from people who take that notion to extremes and are unapologetic about it.</itunes:subtitle><description>Emily Dickinson said “The heart wants what it wants.” This week, stories from people who take that notion to extremes and are unapologetic about it.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to a man in his 70s who’s about to travel across the country to tell a woman he loves how he really feels, despite some very real signs that doing so might be a bad idea.<br /><br />Act One: Jesse’s Girl:<br />Jesse had been waiting his whole life to fall in love—and then he started getting these letters from the perfect woman, Pamala. She seemed vulnerable.<br /><br />Act Two: My Love Is Blue:<br />Comedian Elsa Waithe tells about going to Time’s Square to take part in the Black Lives Matter protests, and winding up with a huge crush on her arresting officer.<br /><br />Act Three: Unbreak My Heart:<br />Julia Lillis talks to Ira about the huge, romantic move she made after a break up, and how it was both crazy and worth doing.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>571</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>570: The Night in Question</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/570/the-night-in-question</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/570/i-aihVUyPD4xri3o-HznbdPpqh1YMAJm7I4yN70jNNU/570.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Conspiracy theories about the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin continue to shape Israel's politics and future.</itunes:subtitle><description>Conspiracy theories about the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin continue to shape Israel's politics and future.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to producer Nancy Updike and reporter Dan Ephron, about their interview with the accomplice, Hagai Amir, who showed them the house where he and his brother plotted the murder and the shed where he machined special bullets.<br /><br />Act One: The Night:<br />Updike and Ephron reconstruct the night of the murder, with Ephron describing what he recalls (he reported from Israel at the time and covered the rally where Rabin was assassinated). A police investigator talks about interrogating Amir in the hours after the assassination.<br /><br />Act Two: The Morning:<br />Ephron takes the shirt Rabin was wearing on the night of the assassination from Israel to the U.S. to have it examined by a gunshot expert. A right-wing activist describes what the assassination meant to her and her settler movement -- a political victory.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>570</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>569: Put a Bow on It</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/569/put-a-bow-on-it</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/569/tz6Yi0VCkM2QyW6JSuYWb30ZztbX21CsSntjv1l2-zg/569.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Meet the people who pitch ideas for new foods and then decide which ones they're actually going to make.</itunes:subtitle><description>Meet the people who pitch ideas for new foods and then decide which ones they're actually going to make.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks about the phenomenon of weird food mashups that fast food companies started selling in the last five years – things like the pizza with hot dogs on the crust that Pizza Hut made or the Hardee's burger with a cheesesteak as the topping on the burger. Ira explains that there is something about these foods that he's been wondering about.<br /><br />Act One: The Room Where It Happens:<br />Producer Zoe Chace gets into the room that Ira has been wondering about. Specifically, the headquarters of fast food chain Hardee's.<br /><br />Act Two: The Wedding Crasher:<br />Writer and musician Ahamefule Oluo has been puzzling out one story for a lot of his life. It's the story of a stranger, who also, is his dad.<br /><br />Act Three: Drivers Wanted. Really Really Wanted.:<br />As we were putting together this week's show, we thought back to the guy in Act One who was in charge of marketing when Jack in the Box went through an E. Coli crisis.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>569</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>568: Human Spectacle</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/568/human-spectacle</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/568/IsS25jbSKxIsLYujmQoN5Orv8Vr-NsoA2VFwX9FADBQ/568.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We've always loved to gawk at others, but what's it like when the tables are turned and all eyes are on you?</itunes:subtitle><description>We've always loved to gawk at others, but what's it like when the tables are turned and all eyes are on you?<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks to Joel Gold, a psychologist and author, about a strangely common delusion known as the "Truman Show Delusion," in which patients believe that they are being filmed, 24/7, for a national reality television program.<br /><br />Act One: I Am the Eggplant:<br />Producer Stephanie Foo speaks to Nasubi, a Japanese comedian who, in the 90s, just wanted a little bit of fame. So he was thrilled when he won an opportunity to have his own segment on a Japanese reality TV show.<br /><br />Act Two: I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me:<br />Writer Ariel Sabar tells the story of Roger Barker, a psychologist who believed humans should be studied outside the lab. So Barker dispatched an army of graduate students to follow the children of Oskaloosa, Kansas, and write down every single thing they did.<br /><br />Act Three: Take My Break, Please:<br />Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall were a comedy duo back in the mid-1960s, playing clubs around Los Angeles, when their agent called to tell them he'd landed them the gig of a lifetime: They were going to be on The Ed Sullivan Show. The only problem was that their performance was a total fiasco, for a bunch of reasons, including one they never saw coming.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>568</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>567: What’s Going On In There?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/567/whats-going-on-in-there</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/567/Cgw58dJpGS6R4_V4hifRRJ6cJ6dsA1NgTkgmXKFQsao/567.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Getting inside a situation and finding out just how interesting it is.</itunes:subtitle><description>Getting inside a situation and finding out just how interesting it is.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />A mysterious tunnel is found in a forest in Toronto. Public speculation is all over the place and totally wrong.<br /><br />Act One: I Can Explain:<br />A teenager reports what it is like to be inside an abusive relationship with an older man. (29 minutes)This piece was created by WNYC’s Radio Rookies program.<br /><br />Act Two: RSV-Pa:<br />Larry speaks English. His dad speaks Chinese.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>567</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>566: The Land of Make Believe</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/566/the-land-of-make-believe</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/566/YC0XjMyQ-6JAUiK8THFVPe2C1PDrKPZ_IeR3wejbQDY/566.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A father constructs an elaborate fantasy to occupy his 12 children.</itunes:subtitle><description>A father constructs an elaborate fantasy to occupy his 12 children.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />As we were putting together this week's show, we came across a talk that changed the way we seeall the stories in it. Ira explains.<br /><br />Act One: Overboard:<br />Producer Miki Meek tells the story of a father and the incredible, decades-long fantasy he created for his 12 children.<br /><br />Act Two: The Lyin' Kings:<br />A woman befriends her neighbor, only to find herself dragged into a world of make-believe we almost never get to see inside. Producer Jonathan Menjivar tells what happened.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>566</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>565: Lower 9 + 10</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/565/lower-9-10</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/565/tc3_2Yr3R9kvBMXJ1XU1MtmYllQLV4Y2-Ti2oNjtSHw/565.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We go to the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans to talk to residents about what matters most to them ten years after the hurricane.</itunes:subtitle><description>We go to the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans to talk to residents about what matters most to them ten years after the hurricane.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Residents of the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans felt so strongly against hurricane tours after the storm, that legislation made the bus tours illegal there. Ira Glass talks to residents about the problem with bus tours, and takes us on a walking tour of the area, to meet people who are there now, 10 years after the storm.<br /><br />Act 1: First Stop:<br />Robyn Semien talks to St. Claude Internet Café owner Kirk Washington about what’s changed the most in his life, post-Katrina.<br /><br />Act 2: Second Stop:<br />Zoe Chace goes to a favorite bar of the Lower 9th Ward: Mercede’s Place. She finds people who want so badly to go back to their lives before the storm, but know they can’t.<br /><br />Act 3: Third Stop:<br />Lots of people in the lower 9th ward believe that the levees were exploded by the US government, and that’s why their neighborhood ended up under water. This makes a lot of sense when you learn about what happened in that same place in 1927.<br /><br />Act 4: Fourth Stop:<br />A lot of people lost their homes during Katrina, but a lot of people lost their homes afterward, too—in ten years of post-storm debt, foreclosures, and hard loans. Zoe Chace talked with Roy Bradley, a Saints fan who’s facing losing his house right after he rebuilt it.<br /><br />Act 5: Fifth Stop:<br />Someone has moved into Kirk Washington’s friend’s house—the guy from the first stop, whose friend died during Katrina. Her name is Sarah.<br /><br />Act 6: Sixth Stop:<br />Lots of people don’t remember the storm: like people who are just becoming adolescents today. But they think about it a lot.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>565</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>564: Too Soon?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/564/too-soon</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/564/7ZLM3KqvN48VlXjwKPDoJL3O-uLbBa4lpS-VKxTamu0/564.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>It can be hard to know the right moment for something to happen.</itunes:subtitle><description>It can be hard to know the right moment for something to happen.<br /><br />Prologue: When Jordan was going into his senior year of high school in small town Utah, he and his buddies all lived together in a house, daring each other into Jackass-style pranks and stunts. There's one particular thing Jordan did that he did not want to talk to Ira about.<br /><br />Act One: But Wait, There's More!:<br />Harmon Leon is a writer and comedian whose cocktail party story about “the-weirdest-gig-I-ever-did” is more weird—by a lot—than anyone else’s we’ve heard. He answered an ad several years ago that called for a hilarious sidekick to a celebrity on a hidden camera show.<br /><br />Act Two: Pink Slip:<br />One of the show's producers, Zoe Chace, tells Ira about a joke she made pretty soon after something terrible had happened.And then Ira talks to Amy Silverman about something else being too soon, and how she finally figured out the right moment for it. Amy's blog about her daughter is at girlinapartyhat.com.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>564</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>563: The Problem We All Live With - Part Two</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/563/the-problem-we-all-live-with-part-two</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/563/_xXud9VyupHW92nK_7RfGSMBYddI8WUetTj1_WCNtoo/563.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A city goes all out to integrate its schools.</itunes:subtitle><description>A city goes all out to integrate its schools.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Chana Joffe-Walt talks to Kiana, who went to a school that was overwhelmingly black and Latino, but when some white students showed up one day on an exchange program, she went up to them eagerly. And since then, has embarked on a one-woman school integration program.<br /><br />Act One: My Secret Public Plan:<br />Chana Joffe-Walt reports on the Hartford, CT school system, which actively seeks to integrate. The results have been impressive.<br /><br />Act Two: What’s It All About, Arne?:<br />Reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, who has investigated integration in schools for years, joins ChanaJoffe-Walt to interview the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. The Obama Administration saysit’s in favor of integrating the schools, but doesn’t seem to do so much to promote it.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>563</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>562: The Problem We All Live With - Part One</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/562/the-problem-we-all-live-with-part-one</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/562/anIle8TSL8wg6TD3_GChwBCy6gOwbxp5wtYw9JQa0pM/562.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>There’s one thing that has been proven to cut the achievement gap between black and white students by half: integration.</itunes:subtitle><description>There’s one thing that has been proven to cut the achievement gap between black and white students by half: integration.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira speaks with New York Times Magazine Reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones about her years reporting on education and the various kinds of school reforms administrators have tried to close the achievementgap that never seem to work. Nikole says there's one reform that people have pretty much given upon, despite a lot of evidence that it works – school integration.<br /><br />Act One: The Problem We All Live With PART ONE:<br />Nikole Hannah-Jones reports on a school district that accidentally stumbled on an integration programin recent years. It's the Normandy School District in Normandy, Missouri.<br /><br />Act Two: The Problem We All Live With PART TWO:<br />Nikole Hannah-Jones' story on the Normandy school district from the first part of the show continues.</description><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>562</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>561: NUMMI (2015)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/561/nummi-2015</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/561/r3IzbG6bzFT0_Lc5yVlHhsT8VKLOrSeFX2k4ksmlSUw/561.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A car plant in Fremont California that might have saved the U.S. car industry.</itunes:subtitle><description>A car plant in Fremont California that might have saved the U.S. car industry.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass introduces the story of the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., aka NUMMI. In 1984, General Motors and Toyota opened NUMMI as a joint venture.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />The rise of NUMMI, or how one of the worst auto plants in America started producing some of its best cars, thanks to lessons learned from the Toyota production system.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Why did it take so many years for GM to begin implementing the lessons of NUMMI across the company? NPR Automotive Correspondent Frank Langfitt continues his story.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>561</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>560: Abdi and the Golden Ticket</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/560/abdi-and-the-golden-ticket</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/560/puHQwQvND0brQCeZb2GH8GGmbGnb597kbP3iC1BSF-c/560.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A story about someone who's desperately trying – against long odds – to make it to the United States and become an American.</itunes:subtitle><description>A story about someone who's desperately trying – against long odds – to make it to the United States and become an American.<br /><br />Prologue: Ira talks to cyber cafe workers around the world about something that lots of Americans have never heard of, but that people in other countries know all about: a lottery run by the U.S. government where the prize is a visa to come to America. Each year people flock to cyber cafes to enter it, hoping for a lucky break that will change their life.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />It turns out winning the lottery is only the first step in trying to come to America. More than half of the people who win each year never make it.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Leo Hornak's story about Abdi continues. Abdi encounters one obstacle after another on the streets of Nairobi.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>560</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>559: Captain's Log</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/559/captains-log</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/559/IsPVxtrluzdN0ePSb1w0ympqVt4tRDrcFAO8RjvKUDY/559.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of a concentration camp in China that housed groups of Girl Scouts.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of a concentration camp in China that housed groups of Girl Scouts.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Erik Larson has read lots of captain’s logs while researching big historical events. When he found the log of Captain Walther Schwieger, the guy who headed the U-boat that sank the Lusitania, he knew something didn’t sound right.<br /><br />Act One: Cookies and Monsters:<br />PJ Vogt’s friend plays a trick on some girl scouts. The trick doesn’t work.<br /><br />Act Two: Romancing the Phone:<br />Comedian Aziz Ansari has been touring the country collecting people’s text messages from when they first say hi, and ask each other out. Sociologist Eric Klinenberg wanted to study this raw data of the initial approach a man makes to a woman over text.<br /><br />Act Three: On A Quiet Street in Richmond:<br />We bring you this very matter-of-fact article from 1853, about something profoundly troubling: a slave auction in Virginia.<br /><br />Act Four: A Brief History of Us:<br />Actress Sue Scott reads a short story by Etgar Keret. Etgar's newest book is a memoir called The Seven Good Years.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>559</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>558: Game Face</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/558/game-face</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/558/U-FtDS5xO0kZTfB7gCucQaNrlIPVOACMcQw6AXkPJgI/558.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people facing very difficult situations who put their game face on and muscle through.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people facing very difficult situations who put their game face on and muscle through.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira explores the news this week alleging bribery and corruption among officials for international soccer's governing board, FIFA. There have been 14 people arrested, and law enforcement officials have made clear that their investigation is not finished.<br /><br />Act One: 200 Dog Night:<br />For two summers when she was 18 and 19, Blair Braverman worked as a dogsled guide on an Alaskan glacier. 8 times a day, helicopters full of tourists would arrive on the glacier for their experience of Real Alaska. Then one day, the weather turned bad and things got a little too real.<br /><br />Act Two: Funny Face:<br />Comedian Tig Notaro tells the story about the time she played a string of dates night after night after night in Las Vegas – and bombed every single time. Getting up on stage and pretending like everything was going great was not easy.<br /><br />Act Three: Who Put the Face in Game Face?:<br />Ira speaks with Mike Pesca, host of the sports podcast Hang Up and Listen and Slate's daily podcast The Gist about the whole concept of the game face in sports. What is it exactly? And who might be the best examples of athletes with incredible game faces? Then Ira speaks with writer David Dupuis about the athlete who may have the game face-iest game face in sports history – hockey goalie Terry Sawchuk.<br /><br />Act Four: Frankly Miss Scarlet:<br />It turns out that one of the members of the This American Life staff, Elna Baker, has a kind of anti-game face. She's what's called a chronic blusher.</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>558</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>557: Birds & Bees</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/557/birds-bees</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/557/cSrNrxZxmMwRDTaK03EHwDUjGQB217zgGMRWqxmQI6M/557.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about the vague and not-so-vague ways we teach children about race, death, and sex.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about the vague and not-so-vague ways we teach children about race, death, and sex.<br /><br />Prologue:<br /><em>This American Life</em> producer Chana Joffe-Walt sits in for Ira Glass, because Chana has kids, two young sons. And her oldest, Jacob, has some complicated ideas about people, that Chana wants to straighten out, but doesn’t know exactly how.<br /><br />Act One: Some Like it Not (On the Neck):<br />Workshops on sexual assault and consent are hugely popular on college campuses around the country. Chana visits one of these workshops to find out what’s being taught, and more importantly, what college boys in particular have already learned about sex, back when they were kids.<br /><br />Act Two: If You See Racism Say Racism:<br />Comedian W. Kamau Bell has two daughters, and tries to figure out just how much about the violent history of racism and oppression his four-year-old can handle.<br /><br />Act Three: About that Farm Upstate:<br />While it’s hard to explain to kids how babies come into the world, it might be harder to explain that people leave the world too — especially to a kid whose mom or dad or brother or sister has died. There are grief counseling centers all over the U.S. that cater specifically to children.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>557</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>556: Same Bed, Different Dreams</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/556/same-bed-different-dreams</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/556/0dSIqIvOacFdilz6TzchGMGGYxXtFVs4ovYKHcCgd78/556.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A movie star and her ex-husband plot against Kim Jong-Il, plus more stories of people who are tied together but imagine radically different futures.</itunes:subtitle><description>A movie star and her ex-husband plot against Kim Jong-Il, plus more stories of people who are tied together but imagine radically different futures.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />In order to maintain their status as the friendliest, calmest people on the plane, flight attendants bicker mercilessly behind our backs. Then they cuddle up and sleep right next to each other in the same bed.<br /><br />Act One: Dream Weevil:<br />Kim Jong-Il loved movies &ndash; but hated all the movies made in North Korea. So he kidnapped a famous South Korean director and his ex-wife, a South Korean film star, locked them up in a villa in North Korea, and forced them to make movies for him.<br /><br />Act Two: Smell You Later:<br />Lots of people in America share actual beds &ndash; but almost never see each other. Flight attendants have crash pads near airports, oil rig workers carry their own sheets and sleep in shifts in an RV &ndash; and Stephanie Foo has a profile of Mexican immigrants who share a few beds in a tiny trailer in upstate New York.<br /><br />Act Three: The Haunted Becomes the Haunter:<br />When someone stole Jessamyn Lovell’s ID, she became obsessed with the thief. Miki Meek tells what happened.<br /><br />Act Four: Overnight Flight:<br />Several people who just woke up on red-eye flights talk about their dreams.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>556</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>555: The Incredible Rarity of Changing Your Mind</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/555/the-incredible-rarity-of-changing-your-mind</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/555/5beHZa1JQ1PLLfAqyidKkFr85tEhY0exoEqx2fzihbg/555.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of those very infrequent instances where people’s opinions flip on fundamental things that they believe.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of those very infrequent instances where people’s opinions flip on fundamental things that they believe.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira introduces “the backfire effect,” a phenomenon stating that when confronted with evidence disproving what we believe, most of us ignore that evidence, dig in and become more entrenched in our beliefs. Which just makes the recordings he plays more surprising—recordings of canvassers going door to door and effectively convincing people to completely flip their positions.<br /><br />Act One: Do Ask, Do Tell:<br />Ira continues to explain how these canvassers learned how to change people’s minds, and talks about the mistakes they made along the way.<br /><br />Act Two: Crime Pays:<br />Reporter Joe Richman visits a program in Richmond, CA that is trying a controversial method of reducing gun violence in their city: paying criminals to not commit crimes. Sounds crazy, but the even crazier part is…it works.<br /><br />Act Three: Glacial Change:<br />Zalena (pictured, right) lived in paradise. She grew up in American Samoa, hanging out on the beach, doing normal teenage things with her friends—until senior year, when her dad decided he was going to move the family to the exact opposite of everything she’d known—a tiny, isolated town in Alaska.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>555</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>554: Not It!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/554/not-it</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/554/mJYBs-g1Oe17rTCXX7hhKK6z9MNrhzOXUg3QAUryWIU/554.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A mysterious world of heroin addiction treatment centers where no one seems to be taking responsibility for the people they're treating.</itunes:subtitle><description>A mysterious world of heroin addiction treatment centers where no one seems to be taking responsibility for the people they're treating.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />When Adriana Cardona-Maguigad started talking to homeless men in the Chicago neighborhood she works in, she discovered that many of them had the same, very strange backstory. Adriana tellsIra how she stumbled upon this.<br /><br />Act One: Como Se Dice "Not It"?:<br />Adriana's story continues, as she ventures deep into a mysterious world of heroin addiction treatment centers where no one seems to be taking responsibility for the people they're treating. Adriana is the editor of the bilingual newspaper <em>The Gate</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: Last But Not Least:<br />Producer Brian Reed tells the story of a city that years ago was given a title and is now saying, "not it!" They want to shed that title once and for all.<br /><br />Act Three: The Big Crapple:<br />A story about a substance we've played "not it" with for generations, and why maybe we shouldn't anymore. Producer Zoe Chace explains.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>554</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>553: Stuck in the Middle</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/553/stuck-in-the-middle</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/553/orll-fFvABzu0cjdybiBGRy0N6wKwMTyS96vHuYwb4A/553.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People caught in limbo, using ingenuity and guile to try to get themselves out.</itunes:subtitle><description>People caught in limbo, using ingenuity and guile to try to get themselves out.<br /><br />Prologue: Rachel has two kids. Elias, age seven, is a vegetarian.<br /><br />Act One: Do You Hear What I Hear?:<br />Sara Corbett's father-in-law Dick is 81. And he's become obsessed with a limbo most of us hate – the music he hears whenever he's on hold.&nbsp;(14 minutes)Sara is co-author of the book <em>A House in the Sky</em>.The hold music, Opus No. 1, was composed by Tim Carleton and Darrick Deel.<br /><br />Act Two: Sunrise, Sun-Get:<br />Mark Oppenheimer reports on agunah in the Orthodox Jewish community. An agunah is a woman whose husband refuses to give her a divorce – in Hebrew it means "chained wife." If you're an Orthodox Jew, strictly following Jewish law, the only real way to get divorced is if your husband agrees to hand you a piece of paper called a get.<br /><br />Act Three: The Contrails of My Tears:<br />Brett Martin documents a previously unnoticed human phenomenon, one that involves airplanes, crying, and Reese Witherspoon.&nbsp;(11 minutes)Brett is the author of the book <em>Difficult Men</em>.&nbsp;</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>553</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>552: Need To Know Basis</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/552/need-to-know-basis</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/552/EXZU5MevuiQT3G39dTMm9b_YXcPwSgbDQJgm2hcnong/552.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Growing up, Stephanie Foo was the favorite child of her family in Malaysia. As an adult, she found out the complicated truth about why.</itunes:subtitle><description>Growing up, Stephanie Foo was the favorite child of her family in Malaysia. As an adult, she found out the complicated truth about why.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks with a guy in Chicago named Josh who likes to spend time going bird watching. But one day, Josh was out in a park with his binoculars and he discovered something he definitely did not want to know about.<br /><br />Act One: Full Disclosure:<br />Michael Leviton was raised in a family who encouraged him and his siblings to tell the truth all the time. They believed it was better to be honest and work things out.<br /><br />Act Two: Total Eclipse of the Son:<br />Producer Zoe Chace tells the story of a community college student named Demetrius who seemed like he was doing exceptionally well in school. But as Zoe followed Demetrius over a semester, she discovered that there were things about his academic past that he had kept a secret.<br /><br />Act Three: The Favorite:<br />Growing up, producer Stephanie Foo was the favorite child of her family in Malaysia. Particularly of the matriarch of the family who everyone called "Auntie." But as an adult, Stephanie found out the complicated truth about why she was the family favorite.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>552</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>551: Good Guys 2015</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/551/good-guys-2015</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/551/kyzUqgdJuYB6KsK7VnzgE8HtNHQ35U_hM1cIO9RQccM/551.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of valiant men attempting to do good: in department stores, public buses, and at the bottom of a cave.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of valiant men attempting to do good: in department stores, public buses, and at the bottom of a cave.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Producer Ben Calhoun tells Ira about a secret move his friend uses all the time &mdash; the "good guy discount" &mdash; that gets Ben's friend money off all sorts of items when he's shopping.<br /><br />Act One: Takes One To Know One:<br />Ben tries the good guy discount, to see if he can pull it off, as Ira tags along.<br /><br />Act Two: The Heels On The Bus:<br />Mike Birbiglia has this story about a time his good guy-ness was called into question. Mike is about to go on a new tour called "Thank God For Jokes" that will take him to 100 cities.<br /><br />Act Three: No Man Left Behind:<br />Julia DeWitt tells the story of someone who goes to incredible lengths to do a favor for another guy, even though the guy won't ever be able to know about it. Julia's story originally aired on <em>Snap Judgment</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: The Test:<br />Radio producer Scott Carrier quit his job at a low moment in his life. His wife left him and took the kids.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>551</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>550: Three Miles</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/550/three-miles</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/550/2vKHwMnY4ZTo0vZqCtrUTy9bbdP94CEY8fkxdUoZW-4/550.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What happens when of a group of public school students in the Bronx goes to visit an elite private school three miles away.</itunes:subtitle><description>What happens when of a group of public school students in the Bronx goes to visit an elite private school three miles away.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass introduces producer Chana Joffe-Walt, who reports this week's story.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Chana Joffe-Walt tells what happened when a group of public school students in the Bronx went to visit an elite private school three miles away.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />The kids who traveled three miles up the road are in their mid-20s now. We hear how what they saw affected them for years, including at college.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>550</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>549: Amateur Hour</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/549/amateur-hour</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/549/xB8x7WQefCcqKTI9cgbGUbu-L1584z9JU1QiNnHb8b8/549.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A tough group of soldiers attempts to save lives through the power of show tunes.</itunes:subtitle><description>A tough group of soldiers attempts to save lives through the power of show tunes.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />When Miles and Katie are burglarized by a few teenaged criminals, Katie decides to use her rookie sleuthing skills to take them down.<br /><br />Act One: Theater of War:<br />Fort Bragg Army base was suffering a number of unnecessary deaths — so they decided to attempt to save soldiers’ lives through the art of musical theater. Jack Hitt investigates, and tells the story of how this strange phenomenon began.<br /><br />Act Two: What to Expect When You're Expecting a Robot:<br />Some schools make kids take care of eggs in order to teach them about the responsibilities of rearing a child. But at Glen Ridge High, kids are asked to take care of robotic babies. Hilary Frank&nbsp;follows around two teenage “moms" to see how realistic the experience is.<br /><br />Act Three: Commander In Brief:<br />Stephanie Foo tells us the story of amateurs who for one night get thrown into a very, very big job — perhaps the biggest: President of the United States of America.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>549</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>548: Cops See It Differently - Part Two</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/548/cops-see-it-differently-part-two</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/548/VAbRllXvbF279cOTm6B0kte5SISU0Sg3UfDxviCWArk/548.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We look at one city where relations between police and black residents are terrible, and another city where they seem to be improving remarkably.</itunes:subtitle><description>We look at one city where relations between police and black residents are terrible, and another city where they seem to be improving remarkably.<br /><br />Prologue:<br /><em>This American Life</em> producer Robyn Semien watched the Eric Garner video with a friend who's aNew York cop. Robyn's black.<br /><br />Act One: Inconvenience Store:<br />Miki Meek reports on how bad things got for black residents of Miami Gardens, Florida – and why they got so bad – by telling the story of two men, a convenience store owner and one of his employees.<br /><br />Act Two: Comey Don't Play That:<br />FBI Director James Comey gave a speech this week calling for law enforcement to redouble itsefforts to serve the black community, and calling for a conversation about race in policing. Producer Robyn Semien has noticed that local big city police chiefs do not think race is a factorin the newsmaking incidents where white officers kill unarmed black men.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>548</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>547: Cops See It Differently - Part One</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/547/cops-see-it-differently-part-one</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/547/v0MuGom7JmYxRG6q_wyfOSmrafsBwY001JVuw-wK66o/547.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>There's a division between people who distrust the police and people who see cops as a force for good.</itunes:subtitle><description>There's a division between people who distrust the police and people who see cops as a force for good.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira tells the story of Lisa Mahone, who was pulled over by a police officer who she says was acting really weird. When he pulled a gun on her, Lisa decided to call 911 — on the cop.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />In 2008, the Milwaukee Police Department, which has a long history of tension with black residents, got a new chief named Ed Flynn. One of his big goals when he came to the city was to try and improve the relationship between cops and black Milwaukeeans.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Brian continues his story. Chief Flynn implements Milwaukee's version of stop and frisk, but some officers start illegally searching residents.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>547</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>546: Burroughs 101</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/546/burroughs-101</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/546/CQhE7112VwlI-PpEehXnNqpqeqa4cOSQsQgkqHnvkGI/546.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Ira Glass was never into William Burroughs. Then he heard this radio story that changed that.</itunes:subtitle><description>Ira Glass was never into William Burroughs. Then he heard this radio story that changed that.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks about the fact that he never much liked William Burroughs or his writing, just never got why Burroughs was this revered figure for some people. Then Ira heard a recent BBC documentary about Burroughs and finally understood.<br /><br />Act One: Burroughs, Part One:<br />Iggy Pop, the documentary's narrator, begins by listing some of the artists and artistic movements influenced by Burroughs: Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Steely Dan, Kurt Cobain, Lou Reed; punk, heavy metal. We hear from director John Waters on the impact on him of Burroughs' open homosexuality and frankness about sex.<br /><br />Act Two: Burroughs, Part Two:<br />Iggy Pop picks up the story of Burroughs by explaining "Cut Up" — Burroughs habit of randomly jumbling, repeating and re-assembling words and phrases in his writing. David Bowie and others picked it up.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2015 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>546</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>545: If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say, SAY IT IN ALL CAPS</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/545/if-you-dont-have-anything-nice-to-say-say-it-in-all-caps</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/545/6X_3dyCjViQKgmTwJ_ob5AfChyHd9Af7MSOm8lEoaWI/545.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What happens when the internet turns on you?</itunes:subtitle><description>What happens when the internet turns on you?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira finds a ridiculous comment thread on the Internet about an optical illusion.<br /><br />Act One: Ask Not For Whom The Bell Trolls; It Trolls for Thee:<br />Writer Lindy West has been harassed by hundreds of trolls online. But only one ever apologized for his remarks.<br /><br />Act Two: Freedom Fries:<br />Recently, <em>This American Life</em> has been getting a lot of hate mail about the young women on our staff — listeners complain about their "vocal fry." Ira investigates the phenomenon.<br /><br />Act Three: Words of Prey:<br />Jeffrey Brodeur worked at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and was put in charge of an Osprey Cam — a live web feed of an osprey nest near his office. Which he thought was just charming — until the mother osprey in the nest began acting strangely.<br /><br />Act Four: Mailer Demon:<br />This story, produced by the podcast <em>Reply All</em> (website, iTunes), asks the question — can internet bile ever be helpful? PJ Vogt interviews Paul Ford, a man who programmed a website to deal with his anxiety. The website sends him abusive comments all day long.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2015 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>545</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>544: Batman</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/544/batman</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/544/qsNrn4XvK285qsrnvVz4dj4P7GDjh3qO_INVCsCFMxA/544.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Can people’s expectations change whether a blind man can see?</itunes:subtitle><description>Can people’s expectations change whether a blind man can see?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />NPR Science reporters Alix Spiegel and Lulu Miller explain to Ira Glass how they smuggled a rat into NPR headquarters in Washington, and ran an unscientific version of a famous experiment first done by Psychology Professor Robert Rosenthal. It showed how people’s thoughts about rats could affect their behavior.<br /><br />Act One: Batman Begins:<br />Lulu tells the story of Daniel Kish, who’s blind, but can navigate the world by clicking with his tongue. This gives him so much information about what’s around him, he does all sorts of things most blind people don’t.<br /><br />Act Two: The Dark Knight Rises:<br />Daniel Kish says that through clicking, he forms mental pictures. He actually sees.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jan 2015 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>544</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>543: Wake Up Now</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/543/wake-up-now</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/543/qKIDFPoZVRAx4oilAmkIHQD_nHCv0WCsA2GM4MCalZ0/543.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of a company—or maybe it's a movement?—that has hundreds of people posting enthusiastic videos about it online.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of a company—or maybe it's a movement?—that has hundreds of people posting enthusiastic videos about it online.<br /><br />Prologue:<br /><em>This American Life</em> staffers Brian Reed and Bianca Giaever explain to Ira this thing they've found online called WakeUpNow. It's a company but they can't tell exactly what it does, and what its product is.<br /><br />Act One: Something’s Happening Here and You Don’t Know What It Is:<br />Brian and Bianca go to a WakeUpNow conference to try to figure out what the company really is. WakeUpNow does something called "network marketing," which Brian points out, is a very bland term for something completely mind-blowing.<br /><br />Act Two: Board Games:<br />Jacob Goldstein and David Kestenbaum of NPR's Planet Money tell the story of two guys who decided that the CEO of a small tool company was paid too much and wanted to wake people up to that fact - They wanted to cut the CEO's pay. The two people happened to be investors in the tool company.<br /><br />Act Three: Sleep No More:<br />A woman in Springfield Oregon named Angela Jane Evancie tries to get her boyfriend, sleepy grad student Morgan Peach, to wake up during finals week.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>543</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>542: Wait—Do You Have The Map?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/542/wait-do-you-have-the-map</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/542/j-iMXQaemgQteSzAZgb5EAejQVy3XjqhmejsQSfMOR0/542.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Two brothers take a doomed road trip through Mexico. Plus other stories of feeling lost and trying to figure out how to move ahead.</itunes:subtitle><description>Two brothers take a doomed road trip through Mexico. Plus other stories of feeling lost and trying to figure out how to move ahead.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />In New York, like in lots of cities, you can call 3-1-1 for help with city services, but there's lots of things that people call in for that operators don't have answers for. And so they improvise.<br /><br />Act One: A Marriage of Inconvenience:<br />This next story is about a couple in a relationship that’s unlike the homes either of them grew up in. They’re married.<br /><br />Act Two: Final Rest Stop:<br />Back in 2013, comedian Tig Notaro went on a tour that was filmed. It was a strange tour.<br /><br />Act Three: Not All Who Wander Are Lost…But Some Definitely Are:<br />A car is a classic place to realize: "oh, I’m lost." But sometimes the realization of being lost comes first, and the car is the solution. Drive, keep driving, get un-lost.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>542</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>541: Regrets, I've Had a Few</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/541/regrets-ive-had-a-few</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/541/g6jODvbXSuJax6jbVcx-sj3GCom15zaUKs_kbrvHX7Q/541.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People struggling with regrets—big and small—that take root and have to be dealt with.</itunes:subtitle><description>People struggling with regrets—big and small—that take root and have to be dealt with.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />When Elna Baker was a kid, she hit her younger sister on the head with a broom, then lied and said it was an accident. So Elna’s dad held a family trial to find the truth.<br /><br />Act One: Tattoos and Memories and Dead Skin on Trial:<br />A man posts an ad on Craiglist to find someone to remove his swastika tattoo. Producer Emily Hsiao talked with him about why he got it and why he wants it gone.<br /><br />Act Two: This Is Just As Hard for Me as It Is for You:<br />Producer Miki Meek tells the story of a man named Will Ream who is trying to figure out what is best for his children, and having some regrets about how things worked out. To tell this story we collaborated with songwriter Stephin Merritt.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>541</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>540: A Front</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/540/a-front</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/540/Qe5YtlQboLIafnCtc0stJgTv76ZmNJx6dxvfZTifNzo/540.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>If a Border Patrol agent is not actually at the border, do you have to obey him?</itunes:subtitle><description>If a Border Patrol agent is not actually at the border, do you have to obey him?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to reporters John Diedrich and Raquel Rutlidge, from the <em>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel</em>. They got a call from a landlord who said agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had trashed his place.<br /><br />Act One: WTF, ATF?:<br />After John and Raquel published their story, the U.S. Congress got involved.<br /><br />Act Two: The Border Between America and America:<br />If you haven't spent much time in the southwest, you may not know about this, but there are these border patrol checkpoints that are just in the middle of interstate highways and other roads... not at the border. They're as far as a hundred miles away.<br /><br />Act Three: Ellis Island:<br />Ayelet Waldman says her dad is a bookish man ... a very smart man ... but no man is everything his kids want him to be.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2014 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>540</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>539: The Leap</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/539/the-leap</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/539/wEbvhHA0rIR6hKB7-ZKdthLEZczMtKyTckUOrKyzi4Q/539.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>When routines get too mundane, sometimes you just have to hold your breath and jump.</itunes:subtitle><description>When routines get too mundane, sometimes you just have to hold your breath and jump.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira recounts the story of William Cimillo, a New York bus driver who snapped one day, left his regular route, and drove his municipal bus down to Florida.<br /><br />Act One: Busman’s Holiday:<br /><em>Radio Diaries</em>’ Joe Richman continues William Cimillo’s story and talks to his two sons about what it was like to have lived through the drama that ensued after their father’s big journey.<br /><br />Act Two: Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads:<br />Producers Jonathan Goldstein and Sean Cole were fascinated by a recent Pew Research statistic stating that 9% of Americans want to travel through time.<br /><br />Act Three: The Wisdom to Know the Difference:<br />Tina Dupuy was a teenage alcoholic. She joined Alcoholics Anonymous at the age of 12, got sober by 13.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2014 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>539</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>538: Is This Working?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/538/is-this-working</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/538/j3V4nZoOP9qGluv2PNUw2Zzi4BPsLSITTdZZXy4pH9s/538.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>There's no agreement about how teachers should discipline students. And there's evidence that some of the most popular punishments may harm kids.</itunes:subtitle><description>There's no agreement about how teachers should discipline students. And there's evidence that some of the most popular punishments may harm kids.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />When it comes to disciplining young people, teachers are winging it. We ask middle school teachers all over the country to walk us through how they get a kid to take his hat off.<br /><br />Act One: Time Out:<br />We start out exploration of discipline and schools at the very beginning … in preschool. Tunette Powell is a writer in Omaha and mother to JJ and Joah.<br /><br />Act Two: The Guinea Pig Becomes the Scientist:<br />About 20 years ago, a group of educators launched one of the biggest recent experiments in American education when they started creating charter schools designed for poor, minority kids. The idea was to create classrooms that are rigorous and strict.<br /><br />Act Three: The Talking Cure:<br />We spend a semester in a public school in New York City called Lyons Community School. Lyons is trying to avoid suspensions, detentions and basically all other forms of traditional punishment.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>538</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>537: The Alibi</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/537/the-alibi</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/537/bm_77hy8d_9vO6TeplokRyZhpdfDrmlS4hBHpbflf88/537.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The pilot episode of Serial, hosted by Sarah Koenig.</itunes:subtitle><description>The pilot episode of Serial, hosted by Sarah Koenig.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira explains that the show is different than usual this week.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Sarah Koenig tells the story of the murder of Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior in Baltimore County, Maryland. She disappeared after school one day in January, 1999.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>537</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>536: The Secret Recordings of Carmen Segarra</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/536/the-secret-recordings-of-carmen-segarra</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/536/9It_BKcdlz2gbkertP-9cBm1p3X_vu_reK_46xr-rlw/536.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An unprecedented look inside one of the most powerful, secretive institutions in the country.</itunes:subtitle><description>An unprecedented look inside one of the most powerful, secretive institutions in the country.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira introduces Carmen Segarra, a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve in New York who, in 2012, started secretly recording as she and her colleagues went about regulating one of the most powerful financial institutions in the country. This was during a time when the New York Fed was trying to become a stronger regulator, so that it wouldn't fail to miss another financial crisis like it did with the meltdown in 2008.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />ProPublica's Jake Bernstein tells the story of Carmen's first months at the New York Fed, and how she came to start recording.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />We hear what the New York Fed and Goldman Sachs say about all this. We hear a New York Fed supervisor tell Carmen Segarra how an examiner should talk and act to be successful at the Fed.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>536</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>535: Origin Story</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/535/origin-story</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/535/Ijf6TgJf2lsTT8T_3FA2jXhYdxFDwDZiFvZ_fG-TH2w/535.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Little-known and surprising stories of how all sorts of institutions began.</itunes:subtitle><description>Little-known and surprising stories of how all sorts of institutions began.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to business professor Pino Audia and <em>Fast Company</em> magazine columnist Dan Heath about corporate creation myths&nbsp;and why so many of them involve garages.<br /><br />Act One: Mad Man:<br />Sarah Koenig tells the story of her father, Julian Koenig, the legendary advertising copywriter whose work includes the slogan "Timex takes a licking and keeps on ticking" and Volkswagen's "Think Small" ads. For years, Sarah has heard her dad accuse a former partner of stealing some of his best ideas, but until recently, she never paid much attention.<br /><br />Act Two: Silent Partner:<br />Producer Sean Cole visits Chad's Trading Post in Southampton, Massachusetts. One person who works there wears a shirt that says "Chad's Brother;" other shirts say "Chad's Best Friend," "Chad's Cousin," and "Chad's Father." Pictures of Chad are everywhere.<br /><br />Act Three: Wait Wait… Don't Film Me:<br />Peter Sagal, host of NPR's <em>Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me</em>, tells Ira the origin story of one of the worst movie sequels ever made.<br /><br />Act Four: Bill Clinton's 7-Year-Old Brother:<br />Reporter Mary Wiltenburg tells the story of a little boy stymied by the question "Where do you come from?" (8 minutes)You can read more of the family’s stories on Mary’s website.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>535</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>534: A Not-So-Simple Majority</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/534/a-not-so-simple-majority</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/534/8iG2JSESKA9dbYHqJ9jMujEpGV-crbSUdXrPtB6KwxI/534.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>School board disputes are pretty common, but not like this one.</itunes:subtitle><description>School board disputes are pretty common, but not like this one.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Before the war in the East Ramapo, New York school district, there was a truce. Local school officials made a deal with their Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighbors: we'll leave you alone to teach your children in private yeshivas as you see fit as long as you allow our public school budget to pass.<br /><br />Act One: A Not-So-Simple Majority, Part 1:<br />Producer Ben Calhoun talks about how the truce in East Ramapo fell apart, and plumbs the depthsof the neighbor-vs-neighbor political war that emerged. Also, we learn that it can, in fact, be a massive deal when you change lawyers &mdash; at least when you're a school board.<br /><br />Act Two: A Not-So-Simple Majority, Part 2:<br />Ben Calhoun's story on the East Ramapo school district feud continues. We hear from a former member of the board.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>534</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>533: It's Not the Product, It's the Person</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/533/its-not-the-product-its-the-person</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/533/V8bOZDGTvKSgyeO4E4UwlfZIHxzApLOM4NrpzXZ-lds/533.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Alex Blumberg tells the incredible, sweat-stains-and-all saga of a man fumbling through starting a new business. And the man is: himself.</itunes:subtitle><description>Alex Blumberg tells the incredible, sweat-stains-and-all saga of a man fumbling through starting a new business. And the man is: himself.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to <em>Planet Money</em> reporter Zoe Chace about the day she spent with an 11-year-old entrepreneur named Asia Newson, who has a company called SuperBusinessGirl. Zoe says Asia is a natural at making people want to buy whatever she’s selling.<br /><br />Act One: I Got 99 Problems and a Pitch Is One:<br />Longtime <em>This American Life</em> producer Alex Blumberg decided, a while back, to try and start his own business. He also decided to record the whole process, including investor meetings that go off the rails, and other tense and awkward moments that business reporters usually don’t get access to.<br /><br />Act Two: The Business of Show:<br />A live recording of Mike Birbiglia telling a story about the very early days of his career. He talks about how getting into comedy is like starting up a business that no one wants; it’s all supply, no demand.<br /><br />Act Three: The Other Real World:<br />This story, produced by the podcast Love+Radio, is the story of a woman throwing herself into a business plan that’s really an entire life plan. The piece is non-narrated—just a long interview with the young woman, named Taylor Rose Nations.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>533</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>532: Magic Words</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/532/magic-words</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/532/DS4IziWxL6rieLvqhIvFW2XcTMXHpy9Baju1k05UzoM/532.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories where people recite words that have the power to change their lives.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories where people recite words that have the power to change their lives.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to reporter Jake Halpern about a scene he saw take place in a Georgia courtroom where a couple uttered some magic words that seemed to make their debt disappear completely. Jake describes the scene in his new book, Bad Paper: Chasing Debt from Wall St. to the Underworld.<br /><br />Act One: I Believe I Can Fly:<br />When Jonathan Goldstein was 11, his father gave him a book called <em>Ultra-Psychonics: How to Work Miracles with the Limitless Power of Psycho-Atomic Energy</em>. The book was like a grab bag of every occult, para-psychology, and self-help book popular at the time.<br /><br />Act Two: Rainy Days and Mondys:<br />Producer Chana Joffe-Walt talks to a woman named Karen Stobbe and her husband Mondy about a plan they've recently enacted in their family. Karen's mother lives with them and she has dementia.<br /><br />Act Three: Pescatarian:<br />We plays excerpts from Mike Pesca's podcast, <em>The Gist</em>, from Slate. Mike Pesca used to be the sports reporter for NPR, but <em>The Gist</em> isn't about sports.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>532</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>531: Got Your Back</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/531/got-your-back</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/531/Lq73ALA-zECYfW9A0HjJB2d2xU_2uoPmbkYB6chNU-c/531.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories where one person's powerlessness is transformed when they discover they have backup. And what happens when that backup goes away.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories where one person's powerlessness is transformed when they discover they have backup. And what happens when that backup goes away.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to <em>Grantland</em> writer David Hill about the board game Diplomacy. He had a couple experiences that made him believe that maybe he didn't understand how to play properly.<br /><br />Act One: Absolutely Stabulous:<br />David Hill's story about what happened when he took U.S. Ambassador Dennis Ross as his coach to the World Championships for the board game Diplomacy.<br /><br />Act Two: By the Waters of Haggle-On:<br />Ira plays audio of a phone call recorded by Ryan Block, who became Internet-famous after he posted audio of himself trying to cancel his Comcast account. Then Ira talks with David Segal, writer of the Haggler column in the <em>New York Times</em>, about getting the backs of consumers who need a champion.<br /><br />Act Three: One Woman Show:<br />There's this woman Hamida Gulistani who advocates for women's rights in Afghanistan. For a few years when the US presence in the country was at its greatest, she felt like someone had her back … she felt safer … she saw some progress.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>531</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>530: Mind Your Own Business</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/530/mind-your-own-business</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/530/PLYGypV4Qu4GzNx52LGTFhX1EfuEVyi3MaeQFJzQEfI/530.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A cellphone hidden in a bag of chips starts a messy turf war between the FBI and a local sheriff.</itunes:subtitle><description>A cellphone hidden in a bag of chips starts a messy turf war between the FBI and a local sheriff.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira plays excerpts from a 1966 episode of Studs Terkel's WFMT radio show, with guest Mike Royko talking about a scandal.<br /><br />Act One: Jill House Rules:<br />Earlier this year, a cheerleader named Lacy T filed a lawsuit against the Oakland Raiders for failing to pay her minimum wage. NFL cheerleaders did the same right after... cheerleaders generally make about $1,500 for the entire season.<br /><br />Act Two: Cop versus Cop:<br />There’s been a big, messy, fascinating story unfolding in Los Angeles for awhile… involving two big law enforcement agencies: the LA county sheriff’s department, which is huge, and the FBI. A secret investigation got exposed.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>530</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>529: Human Spectacle 2014</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/529/human-spectacle-2014</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/529/1LB1A0pvZ1oUXTrE-pn9VdNHFR9vhy92tQuz1K4-V2w/529.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A Japanese reality show contestant has to enter sweepstakes from magazines to win enough sustenance to survive.</itunes:subtitle><description>A Japanese reality show contestant has to enter sweepstakes from magazines to win enough sustenance to survive.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to Joel Gold, a psychologist and author, about a strangely common delusion known as the "Truman Show Delusion," in which patients believe that they are being filmed, 24/7, for a national reality television program. Joel wrote a book with his brother Ian called <em>Suspicious Minds: How Culture Shapes Madness</em>.<br /><br />Act One: I Am the Eggplant:<br />Producer Stephanie Foo speaks to Nasubi, a Japanese comedian who, in the 90s, just wanted a little bit of fame. So he was thrilled when he won an opportunity to have his own segment on a Japanese reality TV show.<br /><br />Act Two: I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me:<br />Writer Ariel Sabar tells the story of Roger Barker, a psychologist who believed that humans should be studied outside the lab. So Barker dispatched an army of graduate students to follow the children of Oskaloosa, Kansas, and write down every single thing they did.<br /><br />Act Three: I Am Iraq, I Am An Island:<br />In Iraq, everyone from the militant group known as ISIS to the government security forces and shiite militias have been putting on such a deliberate show. Each faction has its own videos, parades, flags, propaganda and counter-propaganda.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>529</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>528: The Radio Drama Episode</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/528/the-radio-drama-episode</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/528/0wS7mOQGsdJvZndT6hIkyoq6z8iCxheJJOtzD_ahvfo/528.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>In our most ambitious live show, we turn journalism into a Broadway musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.</itunes:subtitle><description>In our most ambitious live show, we turn journalism into a Broadway musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Carin Gilfry explains how she once accidentally locked herself in a hotel closet, and because today’s show is being broadcast from an opera house stage, Ira is able to take the story to a place he never usually can.<br /><br />Act One: 21 Chump Street: The Musical:<br />Lin-Manuel Miranda turns a piece of reporting we broadcast in 2012, into a 14-minute Broadway mini-musical, created by people who normally work on Broadway.<br /><br />Act Two: Of Mice and Men:<br />Comedian Mike Birbiglia, his wife, and his cat take a trip together and meet some parasitic zombie mice.<br /><br />Act Three: How Do You Slow This Thing Down:<br />Joshuah Bearman tells a story that’s a sequel to his memorable episode about his mother and half-brother David. It’s done onstage as a play that’s structured like a radio documentary, with Josh Hamilton playing Joshuah, and James Ransone playing his brother.<br /><br />Act Four: Bus! Stop!:<br />Comedian Sasheer Zamata stages a radio play, complete with sound effects and comedians Nicole Byer, Chris Gethard, and Frank Garcia Hejl. It’s a true story about a recent bus accident.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>528</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>527: 180 Degrees</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/527/180-degrees</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/527/BsSosYZbNAP9e8Ofzc5C4BFHa3fZ0qFGu7yYc7rqiFU/527.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who go one way, and then, for what ever reason, turn around and go the exact opposite direction.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who go one way, and then, for what ever reason, turn around and go the exact opposite direction.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Alex Blumberg talks about New York City’s long-standing ban on ferrets. And how, after years of forbidding them, the city is now poised to lift the ban.<br /><br />Act One: Seeing the Forrest For the Little Trees:<br />Alex Blumberg takes us to an American classroom where students are reading a classic, <em>The Education of Little Tree</em>, by Forrest Carter. The book is marketed as a simple homespun autobiography of a Cherokee orphan.<br /><br />Act Two: Unsafety Exit:<br />Chana Joffe-Walt tells the story of a teenager named Michael. Like a lot of teenagers Michael decides to follow his dreams — and that to follow his dreams, he’s going to need to make a total change.<br /><br />Act Three: I’m the One Who Knocks:<br />Writer Ben Loory has a short story about the 180 none of us can escape. It’s from his collection, <em>Stories for the Nighttime and Some for the Day</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>527</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>526: Is That What I Look Like? (2014)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/526/is-that-what-i-look-like-2014</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/526/fSeRGtaTZ8iDD4p_QOSkAlbuuzfS5UH1tYB7lpYeQkU/526.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A woman wakes up from a coma having forgotten that she'd divorced her husband. And Molly Ringwald watches The Breakfast Club with her daughter.</itunes:subtitle><description>A woman wakes up from a coma having forgotten that she'd divorced her husband. And Molly Ringwald watches The Breakfast Club with her daughter.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Guest host Nancy Updike talks about learning something new, and unpleasant, about herself in — where else — a makeup store.&nbsp;She also talks with other people about moments where someone made an observation about them that was shocking.<br /><br />Act One: Blunt Force:<br />Writer Domingo Martinez tells a story from his memoir <em>The Boy Kings of Texas</em>, about when he was forced to face how he might look in 20 years, if he kept doing what he was doing.<br /><br />Act Two: One Life To Live:<br />A woman, who got in a car accident and was in a coma for 52 days,&nbsp;woke up having forgotten the last two years of her life — during which she'd divorced her husband.&nbsp;Producer Miki Meek spent&nbsp;a week with this family, in the midst of their&nbsp;difficult situation.&nbsp; (14 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: The Blunder Years:<br />Producer Ben Calhoun talks about the moment when the cool teacher at school told the girls they should pay attention to Ben, and they did. Then Ira Glass interviews actress Molly Ringwald about what happened when she watched one of her own movies, <em>The Breakfast Club,</em> with her daughter.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>526</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>525: Call For Help</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/525/call-for-help</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/525/369CEG-K8pe7FCLp6aBOYptmj7Yk4GpsjlNm_-dOyfs/525.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people coming to terms with being in serious trouble.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people coming to terms with being in serious trouble.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira brings up a story that got a lot of attention last year, in the <em>New York Times</em> and also on a lot of morning news shows. A couple was sailing across the Pacific Ocean with their two small children, and after three weeks of sailing they signaled for help &mdash; which came in the form of four National Guardsmen and a navy vessel.<br /><br />Act One: When May Day Comes in April:<br />Ira finds out more about what Eric and Charlotte Kaufman’s sailing trip was meant to be, how prepared they were for such an extensive trip, and exactly what went wrong on their sailboat that led to the dramatic rescue for which they were so roundly criticized.<br /><br />Act Two: Government Assistance:<br />Reporter Anna Sale tells the story of the high profile politician who came to her with an issue that had nothing to do with politics and nothing to do with him. Instead it had everything to do with Anna and the state of her love life.<br /><br />Act Three: Horse of a Different Color:<br />Producer Chana Joffe-Walt talks to her 13 year old sister Maya about Maya’s most important friendship to date. In fact, it’s her first real friendship.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>525</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>524: I Was So High</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/524/i-was-so-high</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/524/k_xMu4qfZm4Ma6awM432bwUpEUEk6H_G25t5vwWnJlQ/524.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Alex Blumberg talks to his dad about the daily pot habit he had while Alex was growing up.</itunes:subtitle><description>Alex Blumberg talks to his dad about the daily pot habit he had while Alex was growing up.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Producer Sean Cole heads to Toronto to see if it was true what he heard: that lots and lots of the bartenders who used to serve him drinks there were on coke at the time. Then Sean takes Ira through a catalogue of the various professions in which people tend to get high.<br /><br />Act One: High on the Corporate Ladder:<br />Producer Alex Blumberg introduces us to Richard, a former executive at a big time marketing firm who smoked pot daily &mdash; sometimes at work. As it turns out, Alex is intimately familiar with how Richard's getting high kept him from focusing on the important things in his life.<br /><br />Act Two: You Were So High:<br />Our listeners sent us 2,600 emails with their own getting high stories. Contributor Elna Baker read a ton of them (other staffers read the rest).<br /><br />Act Three: Bottom of the Eighth:<br />Comedian Wyatt Cenac tells the story of the first time he ever tried marijuana. He didn't smoke it.<br /><br />Act Four: Straight Man:<br />Comedian Marc Maron, who's been off drugs for more than 15 years, says he still thinks it's okay to laugh at funny drug stories. And then he tells us one of the funniest we heard while putting this show together.<br /><br />Act Five: DEA Agent Takes a Hit:<br />Producer Brian Reed recounts one of the more riveting arguments he's ever heard about whether marijuana is dangerous or relatively benign. It takes place in Congress.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>524</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>523: Death and Taxes</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/523/death-and-taxes</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/523/4NXhhxEZLzh11B0XJZJIAyFCH_MjcNTHdjV1Bl2AW0M/523.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We ask the people who work at a hospice facility some personal questions about death and dying.</itunes:subtitle><description>We ask the people who work at a hospice facility some personal questions about death and dying.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />When you're a preteen, you walk around every day with the knowledge that your body is about to change. You don’t know exactly when or how.<br /><br />Act One: Death:<br />Producer Nancy Updike takes some personal questions about death and dying to a place where they're happening all the time.<br /><br />Act Two: Taxes:<br />Al Drucker used to work for the IRS doing tax enforcement. One thing he found really helpful in the job was when someone from the public would give a tip on who he should look into.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>523</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>522: Tarred and Feathered</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/522/tarred-and-feathered</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/522/6q_bBxcz2q4cQeLKP54e_AnB0l3szNQvYjY17_qdyHY/522.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A pedophile who has never acted on his impulses starts an online support group to help himself and others like him.</itunes:subtitle><description>A pedophile who has never acted on his impulses starts an online support group to help himself and others like him.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />When we started putting together this week's show, we assumed we'd be using the phrase "tarred and feathered" as a metaphor for when someone is publicly shamed. We didn't think we'd find a story about someone being literally tarred and feathered, especially not recently.<br /><br />Act One: The Hounds of Blairsville:<br />Gene Cooley had just suffered a huge tragedy, and he was trying to move on. But suddenly anonymous posters started saying horrible things about him on a website called Topix.<br /><br />Act Two: Help Wanted:<br />There's one group of people that is universally tarred and feathered in the United States and most of the world. We never hear from them, because they can't identify themselves without putting their livelihoods and reputations at risk.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>522</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>521: Bad Baby</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/521/bad-baby</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/521/q0DjIt7h1EOmrNGBk42_qof4AjwREEfLix562Nmv-aE/521.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>They're small. And they're cuddly. But sometimes it feels as though our babies were replaced with demon replicas.</itunes:subtitle><description>They're small. And they're cuddly. But sometimes it feels as though our babies were replaced with demon replicas.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to "Cheryl," an anonymous blogger who's been documenting life with an 8-year-old son who seems to take pleasure in causing chaos. He's tried to kill his little brother more than once.<br /><br />Act One: Baby NOT On Board:<br />Ira plays tape from an interview that he did more than 20 years ago, with the author Doris Lessing, about her novel The Fifth Child, which tells the story of a woman who gives birth to a goblin-like baby. The archival audio appears courtesy of National Public Radio, Inc.Then Ira's conversation with Cheryl, from the top of the show, continues.<br /><br />Act Two: The Road To Badness:<br />Yale psychologist Paul Bloom tells Ira about his research into the morality of babies and young children.<br /><br />Act Three: The Devil Went Down To Jersey:<br />Producer Jonathan Menjivar tells the story of a bad baby who stopped being bad. At two years old, Comedian Chris Gethard had a knack for dancing on his mother's last nerve.<br /><br />Act Four: This is Gonna Hurt Me a Lot More than It's Gonna Hurt You:<br />Producer Sean Cole tells the story of a former foster kid who was finally adopted in his mid-30's,and the reason he was taken away from the foster family he loved more than 20 years ago.<br /><br />Act Five: We Are Fine Parents:<br />A short story by John Jodzio that reveals the truth about infants. It's read by Sara Mollo-Christensen.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>521</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>520: No Place Like Home</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/520/no-place-like-home</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/520/KQYAn3F2kmD_a7Zz9yLxeGVQ_uPr0UMwMTLZ-TKwKXc/520.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who are coming to terms with the places they call home.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who are coming to terms with the places they call home.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass tell the story of a city pride campaign in Calgary, Canada. He speaks with life-long Calgarian Ken Lima-Cuelho who explains how much people in the city loved the campaign — and the song at the center of it, "Hello Calgary." Except, Ira, and the song's composer, Frank Gari, have some bad news for Ken.<br /><br />Act One: Flight Simulation:<br />James Spring tells the story of the "Caminata Nocturna" — a simulated illegal border crossing run by a small town in Mexico. The event was recently criticized by conservative media as a training camp for illegal immigration.<br /><br />Act Two: Phone Home:<br />Seth Freed Wessler reports on people going the opposite direction over the US/Mexico border. Each year hundreds of thousands of people are deported from the US to Mexico &mdash; tens of thousands more choose to leave on their own &mdash; and lots of them make the journey after years and years living in the states.<br /><br />Act Three: The Hostess With the Toastess:<br />John Gravois tells the story of a potentially annoying San Francisco food trend: artisanal toast. John explains how, in fact, the trend's origins are very down to earth, and more heroic than annoying.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Mar 2014 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>520</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>519: Dead Men Tell No Tales</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/519/dead-men-tell-no-tales</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/519/KCk8omirROcXQwCJEbBdZF0BPRdCUT6LZPmlyBEZaMI/519.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Last May, the FBI killed a guy in Florida who was loosely linked to the Boston Marathon bombings.</itunes:subtitle><description>Last May, the FBI killed a guy in Florida who was loosely linked to the Boston Marathon bombings.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira explains that in May 2013, the FBI shot a guy named Ibragim Todashev in his living room in Florida. Supposedly, right before he died, Todashev implicated himself in a crime, a pretty gruesome one, a triple murder of three drug dealers in Waltham Massachusetts, a Boston suburb.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Susan Zalkind spent six months investigating all this for <em>Boston Magazine</em> and <em>This American Life</em>. And she has a personal connection to the 2011 triple murder.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Susan’s investigation continues, and she tells the story of a third person who was close to Ibragim Todashev who was whisked out of the United States after actions by the FBI.<br /><br />Act Three: Act Three:<br />Susan lays out her theory of what the truth is in this case. And she explains what we still don’t know.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2014 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>519</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>518: Except For That One Thing</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/518/except-for-that-one-thing</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/518/UPAPugeZkpuLsRpiPZRbVdYPsL8BWoFEPZKQlIGJ3uk/518.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A clerical error allowed a convicted man to walk free for 13 years. Then the justice system realized its mistake.</itunes:subtitle><description>A clerical error allowed a convicted man to walk free for 13 years. Then the justice system realized its mistake.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />When Mike and Sara bought their first house, they didn’t have much money for furniture. So they looked for bargains at yard sales and estate auctions and finally, Sara found the perfect piece of furniture on eBay.<br /><br />Act One: Run On Sentence:<br />Lots of us have things about us that we keep to ourselves. Mike Anderson had something like that, something he kept secret even from his wife, until the day the truth came out.<br /><br />Act Two: Not Okay Cupid:<br />A piece of fiction by BJ Novak called "Julie and the Warlord" that with his help, we’ve turned into a radio drama. It’s from his new book of short stories <em>One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories</em>.<br /><br />Act Three: Hungry Hungry People:<br />Producer Alex Blumberg interviews the writer Jon Mooallem, who just wrote a story for the Atavist about a period in the early 1900’s when meat was scarce in the United States. A group of forward-thinking men had a plan to fix that problem.<br /><br />Act Four: Start Me Up:<br />Comedian Tig Notaro tells an audience at the club Largo in Los Angeles about the day she tried to introduce a sixth grade class to the music of The Rolling Stones. Tig’s the host of the podcast <em>Professor Blastoff</em>.<br /><br />Act Five: Happy Accident:<br />Etgar Keret always had a good relationship with his dad, except for one thing. This was read for us in English translation by actor Michael Chernus.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Feb 2014 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>518</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>517: Day at the Beach (2014)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/517/day-at-the-beach-2014</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/517/dsvd0leEHSWWZc-gc4E8n_fkkNqiCNUeJy5Rftz0s2k/517.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>David Sedaris tells us how losing a sister prompted a family reunion, and an impulse buy of an oceanfront cottage big enough for all of them.</itunes:subtitle><description>David Sedaris tells us how losing a sister prompted a family reunion, and an impulse buy of an oceanfront cottage big enough for all of them.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />All over the United States there are ice storms and blizzards. Today we get away from all of that, first to sunny California.<br /><br />Act One: Mexican Beach Doctor:<br />Alex Blumberg talks to Shane Dubow about a time decades ago, when Shane went sea kayaking and camping with his friends on the beach in Baja California, Mexico. When Shane’s neck stiffens up on him, he finds himself looking for an unlikely chiropractor, in the middle of nowhere.<br /><br />Act Two: Long Talk on a Short Pier:<br />Comedian Sam Mullins tells a story onstage about being in middle school, and throwing a party for his longtime childhood friend, who is also a girl. Sam sees the beach party as the perfect opportunity to impress a bunch of teenage girls in bathing suits.<br /><br />Act Three: The Beachcomber:<br />Note: This story only appears in the podcast version of the show.This clip is from what Ira calls “the beachiest show” public radio ever made. It’s a segment from NPR’s 1970’s show, <em>Ocean Hour</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: Now We Are Five:<br />David Sedaris comes from a big family, who for many years growing up, took annual vacations to the same beach house. In this story, David tells us about losing a sister last year, and how her death prompted a family reunion back at the beach.</description><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2014 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>517</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>516: Stuck In The Middle (2014)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/516/stuck-in-the-middle-2014</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/516/tcAyd9m5O2l6IASJi18FCrvcQzGAEBHVXmVftmoz0k0/516.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about how it sucks to be in limbo, and a man who absolutely loves listening to hold music.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about how it sucks to be in limbo, and a man who absolutely loves listening to hold music.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Rachel has two kids. Elias, age seven, is a vegetarian.<br /><br />Act One: Do You Hear What I Hear?:<br />Sara Corbett's father-in-law Dick is 81. And he's become obsessed with a limbo most of us hate – the music he hears whenever he's on hold.<br /><br />Act Two: Sunrise, Sun-Get:<br />Mark Oppenheimer reports on agunah in the Orthodox Jewish community. An agunah is a woman whose husband refuses to give her a divorce – in Hebrew it means "chained wife." If you're an Orthodox Jew, strictly following Jewish law, the only real way to get divorced is if your husband agrees to hand you a piece of paper called a get.<br /><br />Act Three: They Love a Man in a Uniform:<br />Sarah Carr is a reporter and blogger in Cairo, Egypt. Her blog inanities.org is regularly cited as one of Egypt's best blogs and English language news sources coming out of Egypt.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jan 2014 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>516</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>515: Good Guys</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/515/good-guys</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/515/r73qZ96b4lC5Q7C4TU6IkjTgfSJB91ma3M34r0jyao8/515.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of valiant men attempting to do good in challenging circumstances: in war zones, department stores, public buses, and at the bottom of a cave 900 feet underground.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of valiant men attempting to do good in challenging circumstances: in war zones, department stores, public buses, and at the bottom of a cave 900 feet underground.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Producer Ben Calhoun tells Ira about a secret move his friend uses all the time &mdash; the "good guy discount" &mdash; that gets Ben's friend money off all sorts of items when he's shopping.<br /><br />Act One: Takes One To Know One:<br />Ben tries the good guy discount, to see if he can pull it off, as Ira tags along.<br /><br />Act Two: The Heels On The Bus:<br />Mike Birbiglia has this story about a time his good guy-ness was called into question.<br /><br />Act Three: No Man Left Behind:<br />Julia DeWitt tells the story of someone who goes to incredible lengths to do a favor for another guy, even though the guy won't ever be able to know about it. Julia's story originally aired on <em>Snap Judgment</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: The Deepest Darkest Open Secret:<br />In 2009, a U.S. soldier contacted our show and offered to send audio dispatches from his deployment in Afghanistan, to do a story about what it's really like to go to war. But what he learned when he was over there was way more personal and honest than we, or he, expected.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jan 2014 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>515</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>514: Thought That Counts</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/514/thought-that-counts</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/514/MauUqDKZixuLycYhzBl6s6hwnfoYvemQXiCORpjr3po/514.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>It's the thought that counts. Unfortunately, sometimes it's not always so clear what that thought was.</itunes:subtitle><description>It's the thought that counts. Unfortunately, sometimes it's not always so clear what that thought was.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass speaks to teenagers at the Arundel Mills Mall in Maryland about something that's difficult for so many teenagers: finding Christmas presents for their parents. He talks to Kevin and Karyn Delauder and their dad JD, and two other teens, Gage and William.<br /><br />Act One: Replacement Claus:<br />Jonathan Goldstein tells the story of Santa Claus, who, after losing his wife, Martha Claus, sets out to find love once again. Jonathan's the host of podcast/radio show <em>Wiretap</em>, which is heard on the CBC and on many public radio stations in this country.<br /><br />Act Two: Your Junk In a Box:<br />Starlee Kine tells the story of hundreds of boxes left behind by the late Andy Warhol. The boxes, an art project he titled "Time Capsules," includes hundreds of thousands of objects from all parts of his life.<br /><br />Act Three: Christmas or Bust:<br />Writer Russell Banks tells the story of a teenager, estranged from his family, who plans a triumphant return home for the holidays. But when he puts his plan into action, it drives his family further away, and simultaneously puts him on the wrong side of the law.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Dec 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>514</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>513: 129 Cars</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/513/129-cars</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/513/G1JnPsC7z6nGEIoH42D4s0e_mrjJrZzop7CTKkEioQM/513.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>One car dealership tries to make its monthly quota: 129 cars. It is way more chaotic than we expected.</itunes:subtitle><description>One car dealership tries to make its monthly quota: 129 cars. It is way more chaotic than we expected.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />It’s mid-October, 2013. Freddie Hoyt tries to rally his sales staff to sell 129 cars and trucks by the end of the month.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />How we found this car dealer.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />A quick primer of who’s who, and how the place works.<br /><br />Act Three: Act Three:<br />Salesman Bob Tantillo has the fewest sales of anyone at Town and Country this month. Robyn Semien spoke to him.<br /><br />Act Four: Act Four:<br />Salesman Jason Mascia has the most sales of anyone this month, as usual. Sean Cole spent a week with him watching how he does it.<br /><br />Act Five: Act Five:<br />The next-to-last day of the month. Deals fall apart, but not all of them.<br /><br />Act Six: Act Six:<br />The last day of the month begins. They have to sell nine cars by the end of the day. "God help us," Freddie says.<br /><br />Act Seven: Act Seven:<br />Joe Monti’s real name is Joe Montalbano. But when he started in the car business, he didn't want to lose a sale because a customer couldn’t keep his name straight so he simplified it for the job.<br /><br />Act Eight: Act Eight:<br />The last day of the month continues and the truism is accurate: some people get great deals because it’s the end of the month and they have to hit their goal. When you look at the numbers, the average car they sell in the last two days actually loses money.<br /><br />Act Nine: Act Nine:<br />Salesman Manny Rosales keeps to himself in the showroom, with his own sales philosophy. He explained it to Brian Reed.<br /><br />Act Ten: Act Ten:<br />The last day of the month ends.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Dec 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>513</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>512: House Rules</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/512/house-rules</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/512/mQojAEh7yL8eoyHXF7v3zQxvawsShTU_iw1z92LCsnk/512.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The history of racial housing discrimination in the United States and what has been done—and hasn't been done—to rectify it.</itunes:subtitle><description>The history of racial housing discrimination in the United States and what has been done—and hasn't been done—to rectify it.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to 15 year old Jada who, when she was in third grade, moved from Akron Public Schools in Ohio, to the nearby Copley-Fairlawn schools in the suburbs. After two years, Jada was kicked out by administrators who discovered that her mother was using Jada's grandfather's address in Copley, instead of her own in Akron.<br /><br />Act One: Rental Gymnastics:<br />Reporter Nancy Updike talks to a group of New York City residents about their frustrating attempts to rent an apartment. With hidden microphones, we hear landlords and supers tell the apartment hunters that there's nothing available.<br /><br />Act Two: The Missionary:<br />Once the Fair Housing Act became law in 1968, there was some question about how to implement it and enforce it. George Romney, the former Republican Governor of Michigan and newly-appointed Secretary of HUD, was a true believer in the need to make the Fair Housing Law a powerful one — a robust attempt to change the course of the nation's racial segregation.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Nov 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>512</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>511: The Seven Things You’re Not Supposed to Talk About</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/511/the-seven-things-youre-not-supposed-to-talk-about</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/511/iCwWLUfLSAMPJEshI5Zo37frGOXMUipka_c4QfCXEck/511.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Sarah Koenig's mother lives by a set of rules about conversation. We tried to prove her wrong.</itunes:subtitle><description>Sarah Koenig's mother lives by a set of rules about conversation. We tried to prove her wrong.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Sarah's mom, Mrs. Matthiessen, doubts that the staff of <em>This American Life</em> can find great stories about her conversational no-nos.<br /><br />Act One: Period:<br />Okay, so we admit, that this story that a woman named Ninon told Sarah at a dinner party isn’t strictly about menstruation, but we're going to beg indulgence because it has all the key ingredients of a good menstruation story.<br /><br />Act Two: Diet:<br />Dr. Steven Bratman has spent a lot of time around people with extreme and unusual diets.<br /><br />Act Three: Health:<br />Deborah Lott comes from a family that obsesses over health. And when they all get together for dinner, their banter goes on overdrive.<br /><br />Act Four: Sleep:<br />Dr. Cady Coleman is a NASA astronaut who has spent more than 4300 hours in space.<br /><br />Act Five: Dreams:<br />A group of people have a dream club that meets twice a month to talk about their dreams. Sarah and her mom join one of their meetings.<br /><br />Act Six: Route Talk:<br />Chris Garcia and his dad were driving home, listening to oldies, sharing a bag of chips. A totally familiar scene for them.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Nov 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>511</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>510: Fiasco! (2013)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/510/fiasco-2013-0</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/510/x3xfdFRz7crmZSx9roquH4XOxfVbkd83Yvhaz7X-aMw/510.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of a police officer and a squirrel. Plus, a small town production of Peter Pan goes off the rails.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of a police officer and a squirrel. Plus, a small town production of Peter Pan goes off the rails.<br /><br />Prologue: Jack Hitt tells the story of a small town production of Peter Pan in which the flying apparatus smacks the actors into the furniture, and Captain Hook's hook flies off his arm and hits an old woman in the stomach. By the end of the evening, firemen have arrived and all the normal boundaries between audience and actors have completely dissolved.<br /><br />Act One: Opening Night:<br />Jack Hitt's Peter Pan story continues. Jack is the author of several books, including <em>Bunch of Amateurs</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: What We Wanted To Do:<br />A medieval village, a 1900-pound brass kettle, marauding visigoths, and a plan to drench invaders with boiling oil that goes awry. From Ron Carlson's book, <em>The Hotel Eden: Stories</em>, read by actor Jeff Dorchen.<br /><br />Act Three: Squirrel Cop:<br />The first day on the job inevitably means mistakes, mishaps, and sometimes... fiascos. A true story, told by a former rookie cop.<br /><br />Act Four: Fiascos As A Force For Good:<br />Journalist Margy Rochlin on her first big assigment to do a celebrity interview. It was 1982.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Nov 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>510</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>509: It Says So Right Here</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/509/it-says-so-right-here</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/509/jvd2rVijBpKckEtZDylxI1o5xLQ3uBOCkt3EI03Ha5g/509.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people whose lives are altered when seemingly boring documents like birth certificates and petitions are used against them.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people whose lives are altered when seemingly boring documents like birth certificates and petitions are used against them.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass tells the story of man in Florida named Lanail Hudson who it turned out wasn't actually Lanail Hudson. He had stolen Lanail Hudson's identity and had been using his name for decades.<br /><br />Act One: Doe-ppelgangers:<br />Our story from the prologue continues.<br /><br />Act Two: What Are You Doing for the Test of Your Life?:<br />Huntington's Disease is a progressive brain disorder. There's a wide range of symptoms, but in the worst cases, people who have it can end up losing physical control of their bodies, sort of like Parkinson's Disease, and can also have mental symptoms that are like Alzheimer's or schizophrenia.<br /><br />Act Three: There's a Signed Line Between Love and Hate:<br />Producer Ben Calhoun tells the story of Josh Inglett. Josh was a college student from Portage, Wisconsin who was appointed to the Board of Regents for the University of Wisconsin system.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Oct 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>509</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>508: Superpowers</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/508/superpowers-2013</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/508/ExEd8go-NBwJTmxQGW87lUlSmHJ6U4PHs1uCc7wt0-s/508.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Which is better: flight or invisibility?</itunes:subtitle><description>Which is better: flight or invisibility?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to comic artist Chris Ware, who thought about superheroes a lot of the time as a kid. He invented his own character and made a superhero costume, which he wore to school under his regular clothes.<br /><br />Act One: Invisible Man Vs. Hawkman.:<br />John Hodgman conducts an informal survey in which he asks the age-old question: Which is better: The power of flight or the power of invisibility?&nbsp;(14 minutes)John hosts the podcast <em>Judge John Hodgman</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: Wonder Woman:<br />Kelly McEvers with the story of Zora, a self-made superhero. From the time she was five years old, Zora had recurring dreams in which she was a 6'5" warrior queen, who could fly and shoot lightning from her hands.<br /><br />Act Three: The Green Team Of Superhero Boy Millionaires, The Amazing Supermonkey From Planet Krypton, And The Man From Sram:<br />Ira talks with Jonathan Morris, the amazingly funny and charming editor of the website "Gone and Forgotten," an internet archive of failed comic book characters. Jonathan explains what makes a new superhero succeed, and what makes him tank.<br /><br />Act Four: Villain and Able:<br />Of course you can’t be a superhero without a supervillain trying to destroy you. And the most interesting supervillains, of course, are the ones who think that they're the real heroes, not the guys in the capes.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Oct 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>508</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>507: Confessions</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/507/confessions</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/507/dNGJeHOZiV5iHt3NBOw0_xWJRCQZUitGVFNOte5DsG4/507.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What should a person suspected of murder say?</itunes:subtitle><description>What should a person suspected of murder say?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to Father Thomas Santa about the kind of confession that he finds among the most difficult to listen to — and not because what’s being confessed is too big or too horrible — but because, as Father Santa explains, they aren’t sins at all.<br /><br />Act One: Kim Possible:<br />Former DC police detective Jim Trainum tells reporter Saul Elbein about how his first murder investigation went horribly wrong. He and his colleagues pinned the crime on the wrong woman, and it took 10 years and a revisit to her videotaped confession to realize how much, unbeknownst to Jim at the time, he was one of the main orchestrators of the botched confession.<br /><br />Act Two: You Don't Say:<br />A person is accused of a murder he didn't commit. But in this story there is no false confession.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Oct 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>507</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>506: Secret Identity</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/506/secret-identity</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/506/jucB3OF5OgPo0uQ9Elp5AfpiOxvC2iK049ePoibogc4/506.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A teenage girl becomes a whole new person when she becomes the school mascot — a tiger — at her high school.</itunes:subtitle><description>A teenage girl becomes a whole new person when she becomes the school mascot — a tiger — at her high school.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira attempts to solve perhaps the most unsolvable mystery at the Trees of Mystery, in California: Exactly who is the voice of Paul Bunyan? (7 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: You Can't Handle The Truth:<br />If you ever think about assuming a secret identity, you may want to take a little time to consider the possible consequences. Jon Ronson tells the tale of a bank robber who absolutely does not take that advice.<br /><br />Act Two: Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright:<br />Elna Baker has a story about her teenage cousin, Navey Baker, who manages to have a secret identity while being a public figure at the same time: She's the school mascot — a tiger — at her high school.<br /><br />Act Three: The Blonde Avenger:<br />While we were putting together this week's show, we heard about a real life avenger with a secret identity in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Writer Yuri Herrera lived on the border for several years and spent a lot of time in Juarez.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>506</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>505: Use Only as Directed</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/505/use-only-as-directed</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/505/GunMaNEYqmiKBAg0zVc5fKl3s6o-yBdxuhWWm4rLOFg/505.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>More than 150 Americans die each year on average after accidentally taking too much acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol.</itunes:subtitle><description>More than 150 Americans die each year on average after accidentally taking too much acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass tells the story of Sarah Erush, a pharmacist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She was contacted by the Food and Drug Administration and encouraged to examine cases of acetaminophen overdose at her hospital.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Reporter Sean Cole tells the history of getting warning labels onto acetaminophen bottles. In 1977 an FDA advisory panel recommended a warning about liver damage.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Reporter Sean Cole explains the confusion over dosing for Infants Tylenol and Children’s Tylenol. The FDA could have mandated clearer labels that might have prevented infant deaths.</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>505</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>504: How I Got Into College</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/504/how-i-got-into-college</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/504/6dmxVde1SDgdHugGMz2CngZHDWIaXwCjRTI2C5V3OgM/504.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>How a stolen library book got one man into his dream school and changed his life forever. Or at least that's the story he tells himself.</itunes:subtitle><description>How a stolen library book got one man into his dream school and changed his life forever. Or at least that's the story he tells himself.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Students all over are starting college this month, and some of them still have a nagging question: what, exactly, got me in? An admissions officer talks about the most wrongheaded things applicants try. And Michael Lewis has the incredible story of how a stolen library book got one man into his dream school.<br /><br />Act One: The Old College Try:<br />Ira talks to Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions at the Georgia Institute of Technology, better known as Georgia Tech. Clark says the latest trend in misguided college admissions efforts: parents emailing and calling the admissions office, pretending to be their own children.<br /><br />Act Two: My Ames is True:<br />Writer Michael Lewis tells the story of a man named Emir Kamenica, whose path to college started with fleeing the war in Bosnia and becoming a refugee in the United States. Then he had a stroke of luck: a student teacher read an essay he’d plagiarized from a book he’d stolen from a library back in Bosnia, and was so impressed that she got him out of a bad high school and into a much better one.<br /><br />Act Three: Act Three:<br />Michael Lewis’ story continues, and he figures out why Emir Kamenica insists on remembering, and telling, the story of his life the way he does — even when he finds out that some of the facts may be wrong.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>504</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>503: I Was Just Trying To Help</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/503/i-was-just-trying-to-help</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/503/3oVr5bV_M4x8z2IJlcCEe7xF0_Lh5cDnh53sHq86TTI/503.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Planet Money looks at a charity that's decided to just give people money.</itunes:subtitle><description>Planet Money looks at a charity that's decided to just give people money.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira speaks with Sharon Snyder. Until recently, Sharon was a clerk for circuit court judge in Missouri.<br /><br />Act One: Money for Nothing and Your Cows for Free:<br /><em>Planet Money</em> reporters David Kestenbaum and Jacob Goldstein went to Kenya to see the work of a charity called GiveDirectly in action. Instead of funding schools or wells or livestock, GiveDirectly has decided to just give money directly to the poor people who need it, and let them decide how to spend it.<br /><br />Act Two: Nipped in the Bud:<br />Under California law, it's legal to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes if you have a doctor's recommendation. A few years ago, Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman was trying to find a way to deal with the proliferation of marijuana in his county.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Aug 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>503</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>502: This Call May Be Recorded... To Save Your Life</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/502/this-call-may-be-recorded-to-save-your-life</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/502/COG7QCShc5XoY8JQUVxnidqxn_53GRj3pA5_eAbNhNA/502.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A journalist gets a disturbing tip: a phone number to a group of refugees being held hostage in the Sinai desert.</itunes:subtitle><description>A journalist gets a disturbing tip: a phone number to a group of refugees being held hostage in the Sinai desert.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira tells the story of Meron Estefanos, a freelance journalist who in 2011 got a troubling tip: A group of Eritrean hostages was being tortured and held for ransom in the Sinai desert. Along with the tip was a phone number.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Reporter Yowei Shaw tells the story of the first group of 28 captives that Meron spoke to, the obstacles she faced in trying to publicize their plight and her decision to try to raise ransom money to free them.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Yowei’s story continues. Meron learns whether or not the kidnappers can be trusted to keep their word when she pays the ransom, and what will become of the hostages.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Aug 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>502</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>501: The View From In Here</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/501/the-view-from-in-here</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/501/X8C_EOQtXlhKQQHpGRls8Yh0ek6FR24lz8_6BPCcwxI/501.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An American woman suddenly trades her life for one in a place most people might think twice about: Juarez, Mexico.</itunes:subtitle><description>An American woman suddenly trades her life for one in a place most people might think twice about: Juarez, Mexico.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />An open letter — supposedly from the foreign media covering Nelson Mandela — to every man woman and child in South Africa.<br /><br />Act One: Weeds of Discontent:<br />A recording of a very unusual conversation that came about in an unusual way. Filmmaker named Eugene Jarecki made a documentary about the drug war, prisons and the criminal justice system called <em>The House I Live In</em>.He’s been taking it around the country and showing it in prisons, and producer Brian Reed went to one of these screenings where an inmate and a corrections staff member ended up talking face-to-face.<br /><br />Act Two: The Real Housewife of Ciudad Juarez:<br />Emily Bonderer Cruz is American. Her husband is Mexican.<br /><br />Act Three: Movin On Up:<br />In Israel, Sayed Kashua, writes a weekly newspaper column that are these very frank, entertaining conversations about his day-to-day life. A few years ago, he moved his family from East Jerusalem (where most of the Arabs in the city live) to West Jerusalem (where it’s almost all Jews, not Arabs) and that kind of blew people’s minds, his included.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>501</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>500: 500!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/500/500</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/500/k6BPrScaUc44wnydKuyYdzBixXwD2Oac2xQpzGNwQps/500.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Ira asks the producers to talk about their very favorite moments on the show.</itunes:subtitle><description>Ira asks the producers to talk about their very favorite moments on the show.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass talks with Senior Producer Julie Snyder about how it feels to get to the 500th episode. And he explains what we're doing on today's show: the producers of the program are picking their favorite moments from the previous 499 shows, which tend to be very different sorts of moments than listeners choose.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Julie Snyder talks about a favorite passage from Sarah Vowell's story in episode 107: Trail of Tears. Then she talks about Alex Blumberg's interview with Griffin Hansbury in episode 220: Testosterone.Robyn Semien talks about Ira's interview with Denise Moore, who was trapped in the New Orleans Convention Center after Hurricane Katrina.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Several producers talked about the first stories they ever heard on the show, before they worked here. Former producer Jonathan Goldstein, now host of <em>WireTap</em>, remembers the prologue to episode 27: The Cruelty of Children.Then producer Brian Reed talks about the first time he heard the show, when Ira spoke at his college and played a story by Jack Hitt from episode 188: Kid Logic.Alex Blumberg talks about an early story by Adam Davidson, Alex's current colleague at Planet Money, from episode 94: How To.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>500</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>499: Taking Names</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/499/taking-names</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/499/IOUBcQGz5IE_HYaMAfq8aocAZcnsWS9fLnnKJcrXKG8/499.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of a guy named Kirk Johnson, who started a list of Iraqis who needed to get out of their country.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of a guy named Kirk Johnson, who started a list of Iraqis who needed to get out of their country.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks with Producer Nancy Updike about when she first met Kirk Johnson in 2007. At the time he was mulling a crazy plan that involved Iraqi refugees, the Coast Guard and a boat.<br /><br />Act One: Reluctant Sailor:<br />Kirk sleepwalks through an open window and into a completely different life. He explains how he starts compiling a list of Iraqis who’d worked with the U.S. government after the invasion, whose lives were now in danger because of that.<br /><br />Act Two: Emails from a Dead Man:<br />To get a sense of what may be broken about our process for bringing these Iraqis into the US, the ones who worked with US forces and who believe their lives are now in danger because of that, Kirk Johnson tells Nancy Updike about one guy. Almost a year of his emails were forwarded to Kirk, who printed them out and started to realize that he was looking at a dead man’s attempt to immigrate to the U.S.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>499</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>498: The One Thing You're Not Supposed To Do</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/498/the-one-thing-youre-not-supposed-to-do</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/498/RRdor73zMKb7NQ0Wi4KFpkUNlR_fGLva1JVgzHvDRuo/498.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People who know something's a bad idea, but convince themselves to do that thing anyway.</itunes:subtitle><description>People who know something's a bad idea, but convince themselves to do that thing anyway.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira plays audio from a YouTube video made by Jonathan Perez. In it, 24 year old Jonathan, an undocumented immigrant, walks straight into a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, tells an officer he doesn’t have papers, and gets himself arrested.<br /><br />Act One: Breaking the Ice:<br />Reporter Michael May tells the story of activists from the National Immigrant Youth Alliance who intentionally got arrested for being undocumented. They believed if they could get inside the Broward Transitional Center in Florida, they could prevent lots of the immigrants there from being deported.<br /><br />Act Two: The Gun Thing You’re Not Supposed to Do:<br />Christine Gentry grew up in a house in Texas where there was one important rule above all others. It came from her dad: we have loaded guns in the house, and even though I’ve taught you how to shoot them, no one can ever touch them without me being there.<br /><br />Act Three: Out of the Woods:<br />Ben Loory reads his short story about an unlikely friendship that forms between a moose and a man. It's from his fiction collection <em>Stories for the Nighttime and Some for the Day</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>498</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>497: This Week</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/497/this-week</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/497/pieEyNneP53zE7uwwJrR5fLpzx68VJiQLBbkGucme7g/497.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>All of the stories in the show are things that have taken place in the last seven days.</itunes:subtitle><description>All of the stories in the show are things that have taken place in the last seven days.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Third and fourth graders from Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago get ready for an overnight camping trip. Before they set off, they review the rules: What to do if you see a bug; what to do if you have to go to the bathroom; and most important — what to do if you’re confronted with a crying friend.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />News kept coming all week about the National Security Agency collecting data on the phone numbers we dial. Government officials are saying there’s nothing to be alarmed about.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Reporter Annie Correal hangs around with Sol Saltzman, a demolition guy who’s scrambling for bids around Oklahoma City, to help clean up damage from the recent tornados. It’s a cutthroat business, and Sol explains to Annie how he works all the angles.<br /><br />Act Three: Act Three:<br />Peter Lee had his arm amputated because of cancer three years ago. On Thursday of this week, he got a new, top-of-the-line prosthetic arm.<br /><br />Act Four: Act Four:<br />At Guantanamo Bay, hearings resumed for Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, who is accused of organizing the attack on the USS Cole, in 2000. This week was the first time reporters had been back to Guantanamo since President Obama gave a speech in which he said he’d renew efforts to close the prison.<br /><br />Act Five: Act Five:<br />Science teacher Jason Pittman, who teaches pre-school through sixth grade at a school in Fairfax County, Virginia, won a big teaching award this week. In fact, during his ten years teaching, he’s won many, many awards.<br /><br />Act Six: Act Six:<br />On Wednesday, Florida executed a death row inmate named William Van Poyck. His execution came the same week that Florida’s governor signed a new law designed to speed up executions in the state. Emily Bazelon, legal affairs editor at Slate, explains that of all the states in the country, Florida is probably the last one where you’d want executions to move faster.<br /><br />Act Seven: Act Seven:<br />MaryEllen Bowman tells Ira about celebrating her 22-year-old daughter Rachel Hala’s baby shower this week. A year ago, she says, she was planning her daughter’s funeral instead.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>497</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>496: When Patents Attack... Part Two!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/496/when-patents-attack-part-two</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/496/FTXAaDcHhRgZvK7Jq4v3Wepb1RdUJpPB7dMNODUCQyM/496.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Why people say our patent system may be discouraging, not encouraging, innovation.</itunes:subtitle><description>Why people say our patent system may be discouraging, not encouraging, innovation.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass and Zoe Chace from NPR’s <em>Planet Money</em> talk with Jim Logan and Richard Baker of Personal Audio, which claims it holds a patent used by all podcasters. Podcasters, they say, owe them money.<br /><br />Act One: 2011:<br />NPR reporter Laura Sydell and <em>This American Life</em> producer/<em>Planet Money</em> co-host Alex Blumberg tell the story of Intellectual Ventures, which is accused of being the largest of the patent trolls. Executives at Intellectual Ventures insist they are not trolls, but rather, promoters of innovation.<br /><br />Act Two: 2013:<br />The dramatic conclusion to Laura and Alex's search for information about Intellectual Ventures, and the inventor they claimed they were helping, Chris Crawford. The story turns out to be different than the one Intellectual Ventures originally told.</description><pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>496</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>495: Hot In My Backyard</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/495/hot-in-my-backyard</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/495/9ESZNInvEhViKZMF8S0H3oTj2PiZXYTKsBZSCFUbcUU/495.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Why has the conversation on climate change been stuck in the same place for years?</itunes:subtitle><description>Why has the conversation on climate change been stuck in the same place for years?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass remembers Hurricane Sandy, and the feeling that we might be getting a preview of what the world would looking like as climate change continues. He talks about how stuck the country’s conversation about climate change has been, but how for the first time in a long time, it seems that might change.<br /><br />Act One: The CO2 in CO:<br />Reporter Julia Kumari Drapkin tells the story of Colorado’s State Climatologist, Nolan Doesken. Doesken has long believed that humans are driving climate change, but never connected it to his own life.<br /><br />Act Two: The Right Man for the Job:<br />Producer Ben Calhoun tells the story of a former Congressional Representative from South Carolina, Bob Inglis. Inglis is a conservative Republican who once doubted climate science.<br /><br />Act Three: Find an Enemy:<br />Host Ira Glass tells the story of writer turned activist Bill McKibben. McKibben is trying to reinvent progressive politics when it come to climate change.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>495</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>494: Hit the Road</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/494/hit-the-road</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/494/etciVRW51d_1mdiCSw06B23tEReCLMWTzrVXWXhQiqM/494.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A man decides to take a trip from Philadelphia to San Francisco—by foot.</itunes:subtitle><description>A man decides to take a trip from Philadelphia to San Francisco—by foot.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Andrew Forsthoefel sets out to do something that usually doesn't work as a radio story. After losing a job, he decided to try walking across America from his home in Philadelphia all the way to the Pacific.<br /><br />Act One: The Slowest Distance Between Two Points:<br />Andrew Forsthoefel's story continues. (30 min)Andrew produced the radio story with Jay Allison.<br /><br />Act Two: Car Pool:<br />Sierra Teller Ornelas tells a story about the time as a 10 year old she went on a very short, but memorable adventure in a car with the coolest girl she knew. Sierra's story was recorded live at the L.A. storytelling series <em>Public School</em> and aired on the CBC radio show <em>WireTap</em> with Jonathan Goldstein.<br /><br />Act Three: Let's See How Fast This Baby Will Go:<br />Gloria Harrison was pregnant and in labor when she decided that the thing she needed to do before heading to the hospital, was go to the Nissan dealership and buy a new car.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>494</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>493: Picture Show</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/493/picture-show</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/493/qhGy0uJbMHGIyd4zQHfqn7t0pvqXGRQzEYIN3S2_tMo/493.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Israeli soldiers take snapshots of Palestinian boys, one house at a time, in the middle of the night.</itunes:subtitle><description>Israeli soldiers take snapshots of Palestinian boys, one house at a time, in the middle of the night.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />In the aftermath of the Boston bombings, the Internet has been awash with images from the marathon, all in the name of trying to figure out who’s behind the attack. Ira talks to Reddit moderator Zach Barnett about how hard it is not to project suspicions onto these images.<br /><br />Act One: Photo Op:<br />Producer Nancy Updike goes to the West Bank to investigate why Israeli soldiers routinely wake up Palestinian families in the middle of the night, to take photos of the teen boys in the house.<br /><br />Act Two: A Picture is Worth A Thousand… Dollars:<br />Painter Schandra Singh usually sells her paintings to wealthy art collectors. So when she gets a letter from a father of a boy with autism, saying his son loves her work, she decides to do a trade with him, one of her sketches for one of his.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>493</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>492: Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/492/dr-gilmer-and-mr-hyde</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/492/cu_wRkMsuiIB3PS39twnetucqi1tuHilqIRnb8uUUN8/492.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Did a beloved family doctor with no criminal history suddenly up and strangle his own father?</itunes:subtitle><description>Did a beloved family doctor with no criminal history suddenly up and strangle his own father?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />As Benjamin settles in at the clinic, and people got to know him, something interesting happens. Vince’s former patients – who are now Benjamin’s patients – start talking to him about Vince.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Benjamin starts to get very curious about the murder Dr Vince Gilmer committed, so he begins asking questions and poking around. Soon he develops his own theories to explain the murder, that never came up at Vince’s trial.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Sarah Koenig’s story about the two Dr. Gilmers continues.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>492</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>491: Tribes</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/491/tribes</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/491/zkpqzE732ma_v3OC9qmntyvoZtMObAk_MqoZTE38RgM/491.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A white guy who only wants to date Asian women has to adjust to the reality of a real actual Asian woman in his life.</itunes:subtitle><description>A white guy who only wants to date Asian women has to adjust to the reality of a real actual Asian woman in his life.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Until almost 10,000 years ago, everyone literally lived in a tribe of a few hundred or a small band of a few dozen people. U.C.L.A. scientist Jared Diamond talks about how back then, you could go your whole life without ever encountering a stranger.<br /><br />Act One: I Know I Am, But What Are You?:<br />There is a Native American tribe in California called the Chukchansi that’s fighting over the most basic thing any group can fight over — who should be a member? David Ferry explains just how bitter their dispute has become.<br /><br />Act Two: A Tribe Called Rest:<br />How could whispering change your life? Andrea Seigel tells this story about finding out that she is undeniably not alone. She’s a novelist with several books including <em>Like the Red Panda</em>.<br /><br />Act Three: I Am Curious Yellow:<br />A story about a guy named Steven who wants in on a group he definitely was not born into — and seems very unlikely to be accepted by. Filmmaker Debbie Lum tells the story, which is excerpted from her documentary <em>Seeking Asian Female</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>491</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>490: Trends With Benefits</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/490/trends-with-benefits</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/490/3-sAiDm5LIubu_mTdBQpZSyRGLwZaLV8MBIZ-edxDAE/490.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The startling rise of the number of people on disability in America.</itunes:subtitle><description>The startling rise of the number of people on disability in America.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass talks with <em>Planet Money</em> reporter, Chana Joffe-Walt, about Hale County, Alabama — a place where one fourth of working age adults are on disability. That means the government has determined that due to a health issue, 25 percent of the adults in Hale County are unable to work, qualifying them for monthly payments and health care coverage.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Chana Joffe-Walt spent six months reporting on the rise in people on disability. She spends time in Hale County, Alabama, talking to the only general practitioner in town, the main person who okays so many of the county's residents for disability.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Chana Joffe-Walt continues her story about the phenomenal rise in disability payments over the last 30 years, since President Bill Clinton signed legislation pledging to "end welfare as we know it." Turns out, two private sector groups have really contributed to the growing disability roles. One is a group of people you'd probably expect, the other is a shock.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>490</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>489: No Coincidence, No Story!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/489/no-coincidence-no-story</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/489/CMMUoWOxRZGvX8MTIXxyuv7UC-Talc7URQpqgCICsXY/489.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We asked listeners to send us their best coincidence stories, and we got more than 1,300 submissions!</itunes:subtitle><description>We asked listeners to send us their best coincidence stories, and we got more than 1,300 submissions!<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Hannah Jacoby tells the story of when she and her best friend Lindsey bonded over those toy soldiers with the parachutes, called (really) Poopatroopers — and how the little jumpers perfectly bookended their high-school years. And guest host Sarah Koenig explains the very interesting trends we discovered in our listeners' coincidences.<br /><br />Act One: Grandmas:<br />A surprising number of coincidences involve grandmothers — that’s one of the things we learned doing this show. One grandma has so many coincidences happen to her, it drives her granddaughter, 16-year-old Juliana Bontrager, to try to beat her at her own coincidence game.<br /><br />Act Two: In God We Trust:<br />When it comes to love, coincidences tend to loom extra-large. Stephen Lee tells about the time his parents first met his fiance’s parents, and his future mother-in-law dropped a coincidence bomb.<br /><br />Act Three: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime:<br />Ryan Rozar told us about a confounding coincidence that was visited on him in college. We didn’t think it was a coincidence at all, so we set out to prove him wrong.<br /><br />Act Four: Don't Lift the Manhole Cover:<br />More stories of dazzling coincidences: an old boyfriend is conjured in Morocco, a jazz singer seems to rise from the dead, and three boys believe they’ve seen a corpse. Plus stories of errant fathers, lost and found.<br /><br />Act Five: What Are The Chances?:<br />Sometimes the best way to appreciate a coincidence is to look past all the rational reasons it might have happened. Other times, it’s better to face facts — even very, very large facts.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>489</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>488: Harper High School - Part Two</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/488/harper-high-school-part-two</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/488/V5tuE83AbrRbkArWPq9E3wPTFfs1qaSistDlKTtkLX4/488.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Part two of our program on Harper High School in Chicago, where in the last year 29 current and recent students were shot.</itunes:subtitle><description>Part two of our program on Harper High School in Chicago, where in the last year 29 current and recent students were shot.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Principal Leonetta Sanders is worried that in the wake of a recent shooting, some of her students at Harper might be in danger of retaliatory violence. The threat is so real, she's considering canceling the school's Homecoming football game and dance.<br /><br />Act One: The Eyewitness:<br />Most murders in Chicago happen in public places — parks, alleyways, cars. Scores of Harper students will tell you they've actually <em>seen</em> someone shot.<br /><br />Act Two: Your Name Written On Me:<br />Reporter Ben Calhoun tells the story of Terrance Green, a 16-year-old who was killed three years ago but is still an iconic presence at Harper.<br /><br />Act Three: Get Your Gun:<br />Chicago has strict gun laws but, obviously, teenagers are somehow getting their hands on guns. Lots of guns.<br /><br />Act Four: Devonte, Part Two:<br />In the first hour of our Harper High School shows, Alex Kotlowitz talked to a junior named Devonte who a year earlier had accidentally shot and killed his 14-year-old brother. Devonte was forming a strong relationship with Crystal Smith, one of the social workers, and beginning to come to terms with both his grief and guilt.<br /><br />Act Five: Reverse Turnaround Backflip:<br />Late in the semester, Principal Sanders takes a look at her budget. It doesn't look good.<br /><br />Act Six: We Are Harper High School:<br />Harper High School isn't alone.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>488</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>487: Harper High School - Part One</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/487/harper-high-school-part-one</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/487/Lc1x9bvyxvzdtInFZg2SWNrtl0aVBEqPLTwLOw08d1E/487.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We spent five months at a high school in Chicago where in the last year 29 current and recent students were shot.</itunes:subtitle><description>We spent five months at a high school in Chicago where in the last year 29 current and recent students were shot.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />At the first day assembly, the freshman seem confused and nervous while the seniors are boisterous and confident. It's exactly the kind of first day stuff you'd expect at any school.<br /><br />Act One: Rules to Live By:<br />So many of the shootings in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, the neighborhood where Harper High sits, are characterized as "gang-related." Often, the implication is that gang-related means there is a reason to the shooting — huge, established gangs shooting it out over drug territory. Gang-related often implies you must've deserved it, a certain level of 'what goes around comes around.' Reporter Linda Lutton talks to dozens of Harper students who say adults don't understand that that's not the way it works.<br /><br />Act Two: A Tiny Office on the Second Floor:<br />Reporter Alex Kotlowitz spends time in the social work office, where the effects of gun violence are most often apparent. Early on in the year, social worker Crystal Smith spends time with a junior named Devonte, talking him through his grief and guilt after Devonte accidentally shot and killed his 14 year old brother last year.<br /><br />Act Three: Game Day:<br />By early October, it's been pretty quiet at Harper, as far as gun violence goes. But on the day before the homecoming game, during a pep rally, a senior named Damoni who is both on the football team and nominated for Homecoming King, gets word that a good friend of his, James, has been shot.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>487</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>486: Valentine’s Day</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/486/valentines-day</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/486/XZsXQ4qdp39d51ATlgNUyccX7-ddTGLJNsGEiIlIofQ/486.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A couple decides to sleep with other people before they tie the knot. Plus, more stories of love making us do crazy things.</itunes:subtitle><description>A couple decides to sleep with other people before they tie the knot. Plus, more stories of love making us do crazy things.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />David Kestenbaum tells Ira about the time, when he was doing graduate work in physics, he and his other single friends decided to figure out the mathematical probability that they’d find girlfriends. They wanted to know what the chances were that there was more than one person in the world for them.<br /><br />Act One: Best Laid Plans:<br />Kurt Braunohler and his girlfriend had been together for thirteen years, and they were only 30. They wondered why they had never considered marriage, and realized that they needed to sleep with other people before they tied the knot.<br /><br />Act Two: 21 Chump Street:<br />At three high schools in Palm Beach County, Florida, several young police officers were sent undercover to pose as students, tasked with making drug arrests. And this, this is the setting for a love story, reported by Robbie Brown.<br /><br />Act Three: Cold Stone Dreamery:<br />Ben Loory wrote and tells this story, which begins with a duck falling in love with a rock.<br /><br />Act Four: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend:<br />A live performance detailing a humiliating love affair. When comedian Mike Birbiglia was in high school, he fell for a cool girl named Amanda.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>486</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>485: Surrogates</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/485/surrogates</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/485/_F7GgHtkFct_jU6OTchWq8nrTLHM2H7iEmdRmdvqDG8/485.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The proxy battle over a woman’s honor that became a presidential obsession.</itunes:subtitle><description>The proxy battle over a woman’s honor that became a presidential obsession.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass visits Claremont Middle School in Oakland, CA — a school with two principals. Principals Reggie and Ronnie Richardson are also twins.<br /><br />Act One: Petticoats in a Twist:<br />Producer Sarah Koenig talks with historian Nancy Tomes about a presidential scandal known as The Petticoat Affair. It involved Andrew Jackson and the honor of a woman who he didn't sleep with.<br /><br />Act Two: Maul in the Family:<br />Amity Bitzel was a teenager when her parents decided to adopt a 27-year-old man. And that wasn't the strange part.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>485</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>484: Doppelgängers</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/484/doppelgangers</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/484/07s5wnAaOSJ79joSx-pWwAn-3lz-HuQRmqXsSRi0Crk/484.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We got a tip about a meat plant selling pig intestines as fake calamari and decided to investigate.</itunes:subtitle><description>We got a tip about a meat plant selling pig intestines as fake calamari and decided to investigate.<br /><br />Prologue: Fred Armisen worked up an imitation of Ira and put it into a sketch on <em>Saturday Night Live</em> a couple of years ago. But when they rehearsed it with an audience, there was not a roar of recognition; it seemed like Ira might not be famous enough to be mocked on network TV.<br /><br />Act One: Dead Ringer:<br />Ben Calhoun tells a story of physical resemblance — not of a person, but of food. A while ago, a farmer walked through a pork processing plant in Oklahoma with a friend who managed it.<br /><br />Act Two: In Country, In City:<br />For decades, the writer Alex Kotlowitz has been writing about the inner cities and the toll of violence on young people. So when he heard about a program at Drexel University where guys from the inner city get counseling for PTSD, he wondered if the effect of urban violence was comparable to the trauma that a person experiences from war.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>484</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>483: Self-Improvement Kick </title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/483/self-improvement-kick</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/483/XNGG5GLh95oflC7iFrifPRwUQK-OPtaugUPE7Dq2nCA/483.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A perfectly normal guy gets rid of everything he owns, changes his name, says goodbye to his friends—and begins walking.</itunes:subtitle><description>A perfectly normal guy gets rid of everything he owns, changes his name, says goodbye to his friends—and begins walking.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Julia Lurie is an American teaching English at an all-girls high school in Gwangju, a city in South Korea. When she first got there, some things struck her as strange: On every floor of the school there was a full-length mirror, as well as a scale.<br /><br />Act One: Is that a Compass, a Map, a Toothbrush and a Bottle of Purell in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Happy To See Me?:<br />Elna Baker tells a story about her friend Daryl Watson. Daryl was a talented playwright working in New York City.<br /><br />Act Two: Some Like it Dot:<br />A young idealist named Octavio Sanchez is chief of staff to the president of Honduras. He gets an idea: What if you could cure all your country's ills by just ... starting over? In one little spot, you could create a whole new, perfect city.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>483</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>482: Lights, Camera, Christmas! (2012)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/482/lights-camera-christmas-2012</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/482/wsFvd5Ram4YGvlwbTOoWbB1Tn6QiPcPHfyK2TowKSLU/482.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A show filled with stories of people going to great lengths to throw a special Christmas for their families.</itunes:subtitle><description>A show filled with stories of people going to great lengths to throw a special Christmas for their families.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Linda Lutton and her eleven year old daughter Pirecua explain what happened the year Pirecua begged for a gift that she turned out to be allergic to. Linda is a reporter at our home station, WBEZ Chicago.<br /><br />Act One: Christmas in 3-D:<br />Maya Gurantz tells the story of Glenn and Laurie Mutchler, who go further than most parents to create a magical Christmas for their kids, Colin, Erica and Adam. Theirs included a family mythology of Santas that had its own logic, with many Santas and a family elf named Jeko, who were never jolly and often thrillingly scary.<br /><br />Act Two: Deer in the Footlights:<br />Ira talks with Connie Rex about the deer she and her sisters kidnapped and ended up putting into their school’s Christmas pageant in Woodruff, Utah, in a starring role.<br /><br />Act Three: Piddler On the Roof:<br />Ron Carlson reads from a short story — it’s fiction — about a man, his wife Drew, his daughter Elise, a Christmas sledding record, a tree, and horse manure. "The H Street Sledding Record" by Ron Carlson. Copyright © 1984 by Ron Carlson.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>482</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>481: This Week</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/481/this-week</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/481/BK9EQApAwPtgbuapiRkWguqwUpcutUxDBz4qpGkKVgk/481.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories united by one thing: They all happened in the seven days prior to broadcast.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories united by one thing: They all happened in the seven days prior to broadcast.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />A 17-year-old Ethiopian girl who is just learning English goes with her teacher to face her fears head-on: She orders tea in a local coffee shop. A woman in America talks to Ira about her husband, in Syria, who is currently negotiating with kidnappers for the release of two of his employees.<br /><br />Act One: Kabul, Afghanistan:<br /><em>This American Life</em> contributor Hyder Akbar heads into Kunar Province in Eastern Afghanistan to report back on life there this week. Things look good until he gets ambushed, shot at and his car catches on fire on his way back home.<br /><br />Act Two: Tucson, Arizona:<br />Lisa Pollak goes to the Enchanted Snowfall at La Encantada Mall, where the snow is "98 percent magic; 2 percent soap." (4 minutes)<br /><br />Act Three: Washington, D.C.:<br />Ira asks Washington-insider Norman Ornstein if we actually need to be paying attention to all of the Fiscal Cliff political news. Or can it wait until next week? Ornstein is the author of the book <em>It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: New Orleans, LA:<br />A group called NO/AIDS heads into bars to offer free HIV testing for high-risk people. Writer Nathaniel Rich tells the story of one man's test.<br /><br />Act Five: Cairo, Egypt:<br />It's been a tumultuous week of protests and demonstrations in Egypt. NancyUpdike talks to two Egyptian men whose ideologies are completely opposite,except one thing unites them: Their anger at the United States.<br /><br />Act Six: Boston, Logan Airport; Chicago, IL; Springfield, OR:<br />We hear from the people in the land of the non-working: Fred Beaton on hislast shift driving a shuttle bus at Logan Airport before he retires; LincCohen and Sandi Weisenberg talk about what chores get done once retirementbegins; and Angela Jane Evancie tries to get her boyfriend, Morgan Peach, tostop relaxing quite so much.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>481</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>480: Animal Sacrifice</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/480/animal-sacrifice</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/480/6xzKbhGq93ndQg3exi7L1j9V2w9RZM-gZG83pZ5P5bQ/480.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The This American Life staff confronts Ira about his dog, Piney.</itunes:subtitle><description>The This American Life staff confronts Ira about his dog, Piney.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira admits there is a question he’s wanted to know the answer to since he was a kid in Hebrew school: Why is it that Jews don’t sacrifice animals anymore? Especially since the Old Testament is so clear that God wants it? Ira talks to religious studies scholar Jonathan Klawans to find out. Jonathan is the author of a book covering this subject, <em>Purity, Sacrifice and the Temple</em>.<br /><br />Act One: Semper Fido:<br />Susan Orlean tells us about the moment America asked untrained household canines to make the ultimate sacrifice: to serve in World War II. Susan talks to Gina Snyder, who remembers being a teenager when her dog Tommy joined the service.<br /><br />Act Two: Run Rabbit:<br />Camas Davis tells a true story about a rabbit kidnapping that saves some rabbits' lives, kills those same rabbits' babies, and leaves students in a Portland rabbit-butchering class scratching their heads.<br /><br />Act Three: Human Sacrifice:<br />Producer Nancy Updike reveals to Ira the staff’s concern about his dog, Piney.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>480</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>479: Little War on the Prairie</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/479/little-war-on-the-prairie</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/479/yVSrwbArTUG3EqGujy6V3CFQXN6gihxwHMmWr4n0yWg/479.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Why Minnesotans don't talk much about the most important historical event ever to happen there.</itunes:subtitle><description>Why Minnesotans don't talk much about the most important historical event ever to happen there.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to John Biewen about how remarkable it is that he could grow up in a town and never learn about the most significant event in its history. This show about Native Americans and settlers was first broadcast on Thanksgiving weekend 2012, on the 150th anniversary of the war.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />John meets up with Gwen Westerman, a Dakota woman who moved to Mankato twenty years ago, also having no idea about its history. Together they travel to historic sites across Minnesota, reconstructing the story of what led to the war between the Dakota and the settlers.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />John continues the story of the Dakota War of 1862, and how it resulted in the expulsion of the Dakota people from the state of Minnesota. Then John goes back to his hometown to see how this history is being taught today.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>479</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>478: Red State Blue State</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/478/red-state-blue-state</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/478/SUJcqHTGbq-kZodGXyFe64Pnt3Ft1NSIlbbyMI213bI/478.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Not only do the two sides disagree on the solutions to the country’s problems, they don’t even agree on what the problems are.</itunes:subtitle><description>Not only do the two sides disagree on the solutions to the country’s problems, they don’t even agree on what the problems are.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass rides around with a man in the man's hometown...a man who doesn't want us to say his name on the radio. Why? Because he's secretly a Democrat, in a small town dominated by Republicans.<br /><br />Act One: I Know You Are, But What Am I?:<br />We surveyed hundreds of people around the country, from every part of the political spectrum, about the ways in which politics are interfering with their friendships and families. Producer Lisa Pollak reports.<br /><br />Act Two: Nothing in Moderation:<br />A portrait of what it looks like when politics gets polarized, and how hard it is for people in the middle to hang on. Producer Sarah Koenig explains what happened when a wave of Republican politicians swept to power with a three-to-one majority in 2010.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>478</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>477: Getting Away With It</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/477/getting-away-with-it</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/477/rILGJ7s0K7FeKrfZ2gB1cGv7hXbNAnCGPq9YoFsRQjs/477.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people breaking the rules fully, completely, and with no bad consequences.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people breaking the rules fully, completely, and with no bad consequences.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira takes a flight with travel writer Ken Hegan, to witness Ken deploying a travel gadget that keeps the seat in front of him from reclining.<br /><br />Act One: Take Your Kid to Work Day:<br />A boy rides shotgun in a memorable car ride with his mother, and in the process learns how his father earns money for their family. This story appears in Domingo Martinez’s memoir, <em>The Boy Kings of Texas</em>, which was a finalist for the National Book Award.<br /><br />Act Two: Get Away With It After the Beep:<br />We asked listeners to call in with their stories of getting away with it, and got nearly 1000 messages. Here are a handful.<br /><br />Act Three: Crime and Tutus:<br />Molly Shannon tells the story of when she and a friend evaded a whole lot of adults to travel half-way across the country, despite the fact that they were twelve years old and wearing tutus. Her story was recorded during a live taping of <em>WTF with Marc Maron</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: Pre K-O:<br />Producer Alex Blumberg tells the story of how Oklahoma, against huge odds, came to have the first and best publicly-funded pre-school system in the country, and how one businessman joined the fight because a cardboard box full of evidence convinced him that pre-school was the smartest business decision the state could make.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>477</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>476: What Doesn’t Kill You</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/476/what-doesnt-kill-you</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/476/9gXlwMxlujhHCzj92AZlDaYT7W2zp-buCViGapJWk48/476.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of how people cope after brushes with death.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of how people cope after brushes with death.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks to comedian Tig Notaro, who recently had a bunch of horrible things happen to her all in the course of 4 months.<br /><br />Act One: Too Soon?:<br />In July, Tig was diagnosed with cancer. A week later she went on stage in Los Angeles and did a now-legendary set about her string of misfortunes.<br /><br />Act Two: Just Keep Breathing:<br />A teenage girl gets bitten by a shark, rushed to the doctor's office, stitched up, and told she'll be totally fine. Crisis averted, right? Not so much.<br /><br />Act Three: A Real Nail Biter:<br />Jessica Benko tells the story of a woman named Cathy who was almost killed several times by a thought that she just couldn't get rid of.<br /><br />Act Four: The Sweet Year After:<br />Tim Kreider almost died after he was stabbed in the throat. But that wasn't nearly as interesting as the year that followed.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>476</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>475: Send a Message</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/475/send-a-message</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/475/GdEt5XPU-uN8jynWytxn-mscDa7SH3HzW9npimw0Egw/475.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People reach out in all kinds of ways to try to get their point across—messages in code, over the phone, and from beyond the grave.</itunes:subtitle><description>People reach out in all kinds of ways to try to get their point across—messages in code, over the phone, and from beyond the grave.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Reporter Josh Bearman tells Ira a story about two coded messages that Galileo sent to fellow scientist Johannes Kepler back in the 17th century. Galileo was trying to tell Kepler about some of the amazing discoveries he made with his new telescope.<br /><br />Act One: The Motherhood of the Traveling Pants:<br />For generations, the gender of babies born into one family have all beendetermined in advance. The pregnant mothers receive a package in the mail,and if a little pink dress is inside, it's a girl.<br /><br />Act Two: Message in a Bottle:<br />Comedian, performer and author Dave Hill gets the message, loud and clear, from a Gatorade bottle on a subway platform. Dave is the author of <em>Tasteful Nudes ... and Other Misguided Attempts at Personal Growth and Validation</em>.<br /><br />Act Three: Soul Sister:<br />Sonari Glinton tells the story of how a Catholic nun teaches an entire school on Chicago's South Side that we are all truly made in God's image. Sonari is a reporter for <em>NPR News</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: Not My First Time at the Rodeo:<br />A man has a very clear vision of how he always stood up to his father,protected his mother and fought hard for the truth. Until one day hediscovers actual raw data &mdash; secretly recorded conversations &mdash; thatthreaten to change his picture of everything.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>475</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>474: Back to School</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/474/back-to-school</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/474/ZJv_Tg_redH_-kr6ToymAipjTG0ecvJj6ZOLSHNoUfw/474.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A growing body of research that suggests we may be on the verge of a new approach to some of the biggest challenges facing American schools.</itunes:subtitle><description>A growing body of research that suggests we may be on the verge of a new approach to some of the biggest challenges facing American schools.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks about his experiences reporting on education and theunending question of how we can make schools better. He discusses theChicago Teachers strike and an essay by writer Alex Kotlowitz that talksabout how the strike raises questions about the severity of this challenge.<br /><br />Act One: No These Things Will Not Be on the Final Exam:<br />Ira talks with Paul Tough, author of the book <em>How Children Succeed</em>, about the traditional ways we measure ability and intelligence in American schools. They talk about the focus on cognitive abilities and conventional "book smarts." They discuss the current emphasis on these kinds of skills in American education, and the emphasis on standardized testing, and then turn our attention to a growing body of research that suggests we may be on the verge of a new approach to some of the biggest challenges facing American schools today.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Our story picks back up with the question of how non-cognitive skills can be taught to older kids who have gone much longer without learning things like self-control, conscientiousness and resilience. Ira returns to the story of Kewauna, the Chicago teenager, who talks about the dramatic ways in which she changed her life.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>474</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>473: Loopholes</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/473/loopholes</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/473/jd1TRK4nd8xJK7prIvajF0sLcRr9j3DfirvyySObRts/473.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An estate attorney discovers a financial scheme that's all reward and no risk. The only catch? You have to die to get the money.</itunes:subtitle><description>An estate attorney discovers a financial scheme that's all reward and no risk. The only catch? You have to die to get the money.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks with UC Davis Professor Kathy Stuart about a macabre trend that dates back to 17th and 18th century Europe. It seems that in order to avoid eternal damnation for the sin of committing suicide, a number of people began committing murder for the express purpose of turning themselves in, confessing their sins to a priest in order to be blessed and forgiven before being executed.<br /><br />Act One: Death Takes a Policy:<br />An estate attorney in Rhode Island discovers the investor's Holy Grail: a financial scheme that guarantees only reward and no risk. All upside with no downside.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>473</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>472: Our Friend David</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/472/our-friend-david</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/472/ZpyBpkJTXMFlYHj0JjbIccztad7plE2K-m0FozIfv-k/472.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Favorite stories by our longtime contributor and friend David Rakoff.</itunes:subtitle><description>Favorite stories by our longtime contributor and friend David Rakoff.<br /><br />Prologue: David Rakoff died on August 9, 2012. He’d appeared on <em>This American Life</em> 25 times, first in 1996, during the third month of the show; his last appearance was just a few weeks before he died.<br /><br />Act One: Who’s Canadian?:<br />David on how he tried to pass as a local once he moved from Toronto to New York. He claims that there must be a chip in his head — or something like it — that automatically tells him when someone or something famous is Canadian.<br /><br />Act Two: The Meaning Of A Bird:<br />David writes about how his life changed after a single evening spent with 5000 chickens.<br /><br />Act Three: Mister Prediction:<br />Working at an advertising agency in Japan in the early ‘80s, David scoffed at their computer “network.” From episode #241: 20 Acts in 60 Minutes.<br /><br />Act Four: I Used To Bank Here But That Was Long, Long Ago:<br />David’s first battle with cancer came at age 22. Years later, he wrote about the experience.<br /><br />Act Five: Sheetcakes In The Conference Room, Whiskey After Dark:<br />Recalling the years when he worked low-level publishing jobs, David describes the life of a writer who doesn’t actually write.<br /><br />Act Six: Rent:<br />A never-before-aired story about the Broadway musical&nbsp;<em>Rent</em>.<br /><br />Act Seven: More Animals Eating Other Animals:<br />W hear the first time David appeared on our show,&nbsp; in a courtroom radio drama in which played a cat who was also the prosecuting attorney. From epsiode #12: Animals.&nbsp;Then a story David co-wrote and performed with Jonathan Goldstein, originally for the CBC’s&nbsp;<em>Wiretap</em>, about a man who believes he’s turning into a cockroach and reaches out to a famous doctor for advice.<br /><br />Act Eight: Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace:<br />David demonstrates — in rhyme — how to make a wedding toast for people you never wanted to see married in the first place. From epsiode #389: Frenemies.The show also includes never-before-heard excerpts from David’s book,&nbsp;<em>Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish: A Novel</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>472</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>471: The Convert (2012)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/471/the-convert-2012</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/471/NOTujqRAOUoMmiU9QQp3jKHNI3-K-NNl9cXJBvd0WRw/471.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An undercover FBI informant at the mosque in Orange County starts acting very odd.</itunes:subtitle><description>An undercover FBI informant at the mosque in Orange County starts acting very odd.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />At a Muslim community center in New York, two lawyers teach a workshop on how to react when an FBI agent shows up at the door asking questions. The workshop is a project of CLEAR — Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility — at the City University of New York School of Law.<br /><br />Act One: Gym Rat:<br />In the summer of 2006, an FBI official visited a mosque in Orange County, California. His intention was to reassure the community that they weren’t being spied on.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />The story of Craig Monteilh continues: What happens when you turn someone in to the FBI who, it turns out, is working for the FBI? Trevor Aaronson, whom Sam Black interviewed for this story, has a book coming out called <em>The Terror Factory</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>471</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>470: Show Me the Way</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/470/show-me-the-way</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/470/cpYf---PS1XMWGSIidQyI9NTgnCCNd0TmKHUxEvGEhc/470.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about people in trouble who look for help in mystifying places.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about people in trouble who look for help in mystifying places.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />A man discovers that his wife is cheating on him, and turns for advice to someone he's sure will have his back: his lawyer in the separation proceedings. Unfortunately for him, this is the worst person he could be turning to for advice...because his wife is cheating with the lawyer.<br /><br />Act One: Just South of the Unicorns:<br />A teenager runs away from home to move in with someone he's never met, his idol, the person he respects most of all — a fantasy writer named Piers Anthony. Logan Hill reports.<br /><br />Act Two: Oh! The Places You Will Not Go!:<br />A man who believes he's turning into a cockroach reaches out to a world famous doctor for advice. Except the doctor will only respond in rhyme.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>470</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>469: Hiding in Plain Sight</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/469/hiding-in-plain-sight</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/469/gv4IADCo49m4qpBC52vfuVJdX9mEHV3D5W-sm9PKp-c/469.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The chief of security for a Colombian drug cartel decides to take the cartel down.</itunes:subtitle><description>The chief of security for a Colombian drug cartel decides to take the cartel down.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />For a year, Morgan Block saw her pilates instructor, Mary Archbold, twice aweek. She watched closely as Mary demonstrated moves and corrected poses.<br /><br />Act One: There's Something About Mary:<br />Mary Archbold's story continues. She talks to Ira about the tactics she uses to hide her disability, and why she goes through all the effort to do it.<br /><br />Act Two: Objects May Be Closer Than They Appear:<br />Anton DiSclafani tells the story of her desperate search to find a stranger who left something on her porch. Anton's book <em>The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls</em> comes out next summer.<br /><br />Act Three: Seven Year Snitch:<br />For years, Jorge Salcedo was chief of security for the Cali drug cartel in Colombia. He was in charge of protecting some of the most powerful criminals in the world...until he decided to take them down.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>469</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>468: Switcheroo</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/468/switcheroo</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/468/G7ht-xAhfA9cfkisUcXEdZ2J0M8MlRgdlCMQuBay80Y/468.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People pretending to be people they're not: sometimes it's harmless, sometimes it's harmful, and sometimes it's hard to tell.</itunes:subtitle><description>People pretending to be people they're not: sometimes it's harmless, sometimes it's harmful, and sometimes it's hard to tell.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Recently, host Ira Glass and his friend Etgar Keret were at an exhibit of photography by Cindy Sherman, and a woman came up to Etgar claiming to <em>be</em> Cindy Sherman. Then she said she wasn't.<br /><br />Act One: Healthy Start:<br />What if someone mistakes you for someone else, and you decide to just go with it? Actor John Conlee reads this story from Etgar Keret's book <em>Suddenly a Knock on the Door</em>. In the podcast version, Etgar returns to explain the real-life experience that inspired him to write the story.<br /><br />Act Two: Forgive us our Press Passes:<br />Producer Sarah Koenig reports on a company called Journatic, that is producing local journalism in a brand new way.<br /><br />Act Three: Runaway Groom:<br />Comedian Jackie Clarke tells this story, about parents pretending to be parents.</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>468</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>467: Americans in China</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/467/americans-in-china</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/467/IC3KonH__51ZVDoG52NzusTXXxbTFZooGmbQBpkL5q8/467.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>It used to be that the American expats in China were the big shots. But that's changed.</itunes:subtitle><description>It used to be that the American expats in China were the big shots. But that's changed.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />In preparing for this show, we started reaching out to Americans living in China and asking for their stories. A shocking amount of the expats came back with stories about different times they were on Chinese television.<br /><br />Act One: Why Do You Have to Go and Make Things So Complicated?:<br />There are about seventy thousand Americans living in mainland China today, according to the Chinese and US governments. A lot of the Americans in China only stay for a few years, but then there are others — American ex-pats who’ve lived in China for a decade or more with no foreseeable plans to come home.<br /><br />Act Two: Beautiful Downtown Wasteland:<br />There are so few farmers in the United States that in 1993, the census stopped counting the number of Americans who live on farms at the time. But in China, despite the vast migration to cities in recent years, more than half the country still lives in rural areas.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>467</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>466: Blackjack</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/466/blackjack</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/466/bNwbLqTcApfUoWu2fWPzs_AzXtGehSyF2bkes0Bni70/466.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A woman gambles away her inheritance and then sues the casino, saying they're to blame.</itunes:subtitle><description>A woman gambles away her inheritance and then sues the casino, saying they're to blame.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass and producer Robyn Semien get a blackjack lesson from Andy Bloch, who played for the MIT blackjack team. He teaches them the basics of card-counting, the technique that gives players an advantage against the house — enough of an advantage that most casinos will ask you to leave if they catch you doing it.<br /><br />Act One: Render Unto Caesar's Palace What Is Due To Caesar's Palace:<br />Jack Hitt tells the story of the Christian card counting team featured in the documentary <em>Holy Rollers</em>, and why they see no contradiction in being devout Christians who spend their days in casinos. Jack is the author of the book <em>Bunch of Amateurs</em>.<br /><br />Act 2: Part Two:<br />Ira and Robyn go to the casino to try out their newfound card counting skills.<br /><br />Act Two: Harrah's Today, Gone Tomorrow:<br />Producer Sarah Koenig tells the story of a woman who sued the casino where she lost her inheritance, saying that it was to blame, not her. The story was inspired by a chapter in <em>The Power of Habit</em>, by Charles Duhigg.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>466</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>465: What Happened at Dos Erres</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/465/what-happened-at-dos-erres</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/465/abpKrZUM5BZ8Dg9eap4aoCOoLOc7ZISCynP3-qDxGVM/465.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A Guatemalan immigrant living near Boston gets a phone call with some very strange news about his past.</itunes:subtitle><description>A Guatemalan immigrant living near Boston gets a phone call with some very strange news about his past.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira tells the story of how Oscar Ramirez, a Guatemalan immigrant living near Boston, got a phone call with some very strange news about his past. A public prosecutor from Guatemala told Oscar that when he was three years old, he may have been abducted from a massacre at a village called Dos Erres.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Reporter Habiba Nosheen tells the story of how investigators first heard of human remains at Dos Erres, and how they discovered what the Guatemalan military did there.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Habiba's story continues. Nearly 16 years after investigators first started looking into the Dos Erres massacre, a prosecutor tracks down Oscar and asks him to take a DNA test to see if he is a survivor.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>465</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>464: Invisible Made Visible</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/464/invisible-made-visible</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/464/NxdhtyLV_xThE88x4hjshadQk4ht22UNqJl1uUYbIn0/464.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>David Sedaris, Tig Notaro, Ryan Knighton, and the late David Rakoff in his final performance on the show.</itunes:subtitle><description>David Sedaris, Tig Notaro, Ryan Knighton, and the late David Rakoff in his final performance on the show.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira interviews Ryan Knighton, a blind guy who had a very peculiar experience with a hotel room telephone.<br /><br />Act One: Does a Bear Hit in the Woods?:<br />Ryan Knighton tells a story about trying to get his daughter to understand his blindness.<br /><br />Act Two: Groundhog Dayne:<br />Famous people are supposed to be somewhere else, invisible to us. Comedian Tig Notaro tells this story about repeatedly running into Taylor Dayne, who was a pop star in the late 80s and early 90s.<br /><br />Act Three: Stiff as a Board, Light as a Feather:<br />David Rakoff tells this story, about the invisible processes that can happen inside our bodies and the visible effects they eventually have. (15 minutes)David died three months after this performance, in August 2012.<br /><br />Act Four: Turn Around Bright Eyes:<br />Ira Glass's sister once met David Sedaris, and commented that he was much nicer than she thought he would be, given his writing. David replied, "I'm not nice, just two-faced." In this story, David shares the thoughts running through his head as he attempts to buy a cup of coffee.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>464</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>463: Mortal Vs. Venial</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/463/mortal-vs-venial</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/463/kzz7q5EnEw0DkQjdcCSpZgOFFozjucIJ2wCeRfAyzOo/463.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Religion makes clear the difference between mortal sins and venial ones. But in our everyday lives, it can be really difficult to determine just how bad we've been.</itunes:subtitle><description>Religion makes clear the difference between mortal sins and venial ones. But in our everyday lives, it can be really difficult to determine just how bad we've been.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass plays tape from a political rally in support of a Chicago politician named Derrick Smith, who had just been arrested for accepting a bribe. His supporters likely believed that Smith had erred...but they also believed that the other candidate was even worse.<br /><br />Act One: The Postcard Always Rings Twice:<br />Producer Alex Blumberg tells the story of Jeff Smith, a former Missouri State Senator who spent last year in federal prison. The story of how Jeff ended up there includes large sins, but begins with a relatively small one.<br /><br />Act Two: The Disenchanted Forest:<br />Lying is a sin. But what about the lies that we all collectively believe because they give us hope? Jonathan Goldstein tells this story about confronting the truth.<br /><br />Act Three: The Geeks Come Out at Night:<br />Because the line between a mortal and venial sin can be hazy, sometimes the only way to tell is to test it. And that's particularly true when you're a kid, trying to figure out if you agree with where your parents draw that line.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>463</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>462: Own Worst Enemy</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/462/own-worst-enemy</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/462/vnoQhkXgaouiNnXiS5JH17Ik2SRbdnBwq1djIX45w9Q/462.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who can’t seem to stop getting in their own way.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who can’t seem to stop getting in their own way.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass speaks with various people who regularly eat foods that give them severe allergic reactions, stomach cramping and trips to the hospital.<br /><br />Act One: Aces are Wild:<br />For a generation of baseball fans, when a pitcher suddenly stops being able to perform, it's known as "Steve Blass Disease" — after an all-star pitcher who inexplicably stopped being able to throw strikes. Ira Glass speaks with Steve Blass and others about this phenomenon.<br /><br />Act Two: The Conversation:<br />The creators of the new podcast <em>The Truth</em> are trying to re-imagine and re-invent radio drama, so it doesn't sound like an antique novelty. They created this for us.<br /><br />Act Three: Just As I Am:<br />Producer Jonathan Menjivar tells the story of John Smid, a gay man who did not want to be gay, and who tried to get other gay people to suppress their urges as well. Then...John changed.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>462</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>461: Take the Money and Run for Office</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/461/take-the-money-and-run-for-office</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/461/FZoiJT-gp9T6Xi4yhI-y9eDCPoOWnqxPPBn52bmoq3Q/461.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Discovering just how much time members of Congress spend raising money.</itunes:subtitle><description>Discovering just how much time members of Congress spend raising money.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass plays a voicemail containing something very common but veryrare to hear: an elected official directly asking a lobbyist for money.<br /><br />Act One: The Hamster Wheel:<br /><em>Planet Money</em>'s Alex Blumberg and NPR Congressional correspondent Andrea Seabrook take a tour through the world of money and politics, discovering just how much time members of Congress spend raising money and which committee assignments yield the biggest campaign donations. They also try to figure out what all this money is actually buying.For an interactive map of Washington DC fundraiser locations, charts of the best and worst types of fundraisers, and other online extras, visit Planet Money's website.<br /><br />Act Two: PAC Men:<br />Everything about political fundraising is changing right now, because of the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission.<br /><br />Act Three: The O.G.s:<br />Ten years ago, Congress voted to reform campaign finance, after Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold took up the cause. Here they reunite on the radio, to reminisce and lament how that reform failed.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>461</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>460: Retraction</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/460/retraction</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/460/uIoXkBMTqaK4wB0bdBc77fyD-yY4zeVj5UHjuYjx3hY/460.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We've discovered that one of our most popular episodes contained numerous fabrications. This week, we detail the errors in Mike Daisey's story about visiting Foxconn, which makes iPads and other products for Apple in China. Marketplace's China correspondent Rob Schmitz discovered the fabrications. Transcript. Press Release.</itunes:subtitle><description>We've discovered that one of our most popular episodes contained numerous fabrications. This week, we detail the errors in Mike Daisey's story about visiting Foxconn, which makes iPads and other products for Apple in China. Marketplace's China correspondent Rob Schmitz discovered the fabrications. Transcript. Press Release.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass tells listeners we can no longer stand behind the reporting in the recently aired episode "Mr. Daisey Goes to the Apple Factory." He explains how <em>Marketplace</em> reporter Rob Schmitz tracked down Daisey's interpreter in China — a woman named Cathy Lee — who disputes much of Daisey's story.<br /><br />Act One: Cathy's Account:<br />Rob Schmitz, a Shanghai-based reporter for <em>Marketplace</em>, tracks down and interviews Cathy Lee, Mike Daisey's interpreter on his trip to Shenzhen, China, and the Foxconn factory. In her interview with Rob, Cathy disputes much of what Daisey has been telling theater audiences since 2010 and much of what he said on the radio.<br /><br />Act Two: Mike's Account:<br />Host Ira Glass has a lot of questions for Mike Daisey, beginning with why Daisey lied to Ira and <em>This American Life</em> producer Brian Reed about how they could fact-check his story with Cathy Lee. Ira also explains <em>This American Life</em>'s fact-checking process, in general.<br /><br />Act Three: The News That's Fit to Print:<br />To get a sense of what really is true of Apple's working conditions in China, Ira talks to <em>New York Times</em> reporter Charles Duhigg. Duhigg, along with <em>Times</em> reporter David Barboza, wrote the newspaper's front-page investigative series in early 2012 about this subject.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>460</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>459: What Kind of Country</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/459/what-kind-of-country</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/459/gruWBqbkL11j_K4INp5DpYaDHSLkmZLoVUEfpUVD_PM/459.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>All across the country right now, local and state governments are finding they can't pay their bills.</itunes:subtitle><description>All across the country right now, local and state governments are finding they can't pay their bills.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />In the town of Nowthen, MN, residents held meetings to debate whether a police force is worth the cost. And in Springfield, IL, the state police motorcycle division has been cut, leading to an increase in highway fatalities.<br /><br />Act One: The Sound of Sirens:<br />New Jersey governor Chris Christie has led some of the most sweeping budget cuts in the country. Producer Sarah Koenig reports from Trenton, where one third of the police force has been laid off, leading to dramatically increased crime.<br /><br />Act Two: Dream Come True:<br />Perhaps the biggest proponent of smaller government in the United States is lobbyist and activist Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform. He envisions a government reduced in size by half, and has compelled scores of conservative politicians take pledges to never raise taxes.<br /><br />Act Three: Do You Want a Wake Up Call?:<br />After the recession hit, Colorado Springs was in rough shape. City services were being cut left and right.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>459</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>458: Play the Part</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/458/play-the-part</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/458/YCO6yl9kRUTm1Fu8D2fwX41mpViuNC0P2r3f40SwI2g/458.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who decide to flip their personalities and do the exact opposite of what they normally do.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who decide to flip their personalities and do the exact opposite of what they normally do.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira speaks with a reality TV producer named Bill Langworthy, who has noticed that people do things in front of the camera that they would never, ever do in their actual lives.<br /><br />Act One: The Audacity of Louis Ortiz:<br />2008 was a hard year for Louis Ortiz. He had lost his job and was playing in pool tournaments in The Bronx to scratch together some money.<br /><br />Act Two: Wife Lessons:<br />Kristen Finch was a speech therapist who sometimes worked with kids with Asperger Syndrome, symptoms of which include emotional distance, inflexibility and missing social cues. Kristin and her co-workers often joked that all their husbands had Asperger's, since the symptoms overlap with stereotypically male personality traits.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>458</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>457: What I Did For Love</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/457/what-i-did-for-love</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/457/iJnRescVV8uhiN7O9NXVUT3T-3pQbOJ__mQ5Gy1zEHc/457.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A couple decides they need to sleep with other people before getting married, and a teenage boy falls for an undercover cop.</itunes:subtitle><description>A couple decides they need to sleep with other people before getting married, and a teenage boy falls for an undercover cop.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass speaks with musician Kristy Kruger about the unique way she dealt with a recent breakup.<br /><br />Act One: Best Laid Plans:<br />Kurt Braunohler and his girlfriend had been together for thirteen years, and they were only 30. They wondered why they had never considered marriage, and realized that they needed to sleep with other people before they tied the knot.<br /><br />Act Two: 21 Chump Street:<br />At three high schools in Palm Beach County, Florida, several young police officers were sent undercover to pose as students, tasked with making drug arrests. And this, this is the setting for a love story, reported by Robbie Brown.<br /><br />Act Three: Cold Stone Dreamery:<br />Ben Loory wrote and tells this story, which begins with a duck falling in love with a rock.<br /><br />Act Four: Fantastic Mr. Fox:<br />Jeanne Darst tells a story about that iconic crime of passion: snooping. Jeanne is the author of the memoir <em>Fiction Ruined My Family</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>457</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>456: Reap What You Sow</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/456/reap-what-you-sow</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/456/t6WQF4b1bk1g99Zpjv35HNQrlBUNws3vHrkzDugdARA/456.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Alabama's new immigration law aims to make life so difficult for illegal immigrants that they will "self-deport."</itunes:subtitle><description>Alabama's new immigration law aims to make life so difficult for illegal immigrants that they will "self-deport."<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira plays tape of a man whose job is plowing snow. He'll plow your driveway for money...or, if you're extra nice, he'll do it for free without even mentioning it.<br /><br />Act One: Alien Experiment:<br />Last Summer, Alabama passed HB56, the most sweeping immigration bill in the country. It's an example of a strategy called "attrition through enforcement" or, more colloquially, "self-deportation"--making life so hard on undocumented immigrants that they choose to leave the country.<br /><br />Act Two: Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens:<br />Comedian Danny Lobell tells this story about the unintended consequences of bringing new residents to his Brooklyn neighborhood. Namely, a couple of chickens.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>456</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>455: Continental Breakup</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/455/continental-breakup</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/455/IVQGzPWL7ZBBLxf3jiqpW9Z23kATA2WTXZIthhqqR6k/455.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of the European debt crisis is actually very surprising and dramatic.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of the European debt crisis is actually very surprising and dramatic.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass asks guest host Alex Blumberg whether we should really care about the current European debt crisis. The answer: yes, we should, and we should WANT to care too, because this story—and it's actually the story of the Euro itself—is very surprising and dramatic.<br /><br />Act One: Currency of Dreams:<br /><em>Planet Money</em> reporters Chana Joffe-Walt and Zoe Chace tells the story of the far-fetched, 150 year-old dream of a universal European currency.<br /><br />Act Two: Eurotopia:<br />When the Euro arrived in 2002, the BBC called it "the most ambitiousfinancial and political change since money began." Here in the US we don'tthink of it as that revolutionary, but in Europe it truly changed howmillions of people lived. Adam Davidson and Chana Joffe-Walt report.<br /><br />Act Three: Ooh, I Shouldn't Have Done That!:<br />Adam and Chana tell how things turned dramatically worse for the Euro in2009, when the new government in Greece announced that its national deficitwas twice what the previous government had reported.<br /><br />Act Four: Do-Over:<br />Chana and Alex tell what happened next, when technocrats in Germany andother solvent European countries tried to fix the crisis by actuallyenforcing the original rules for Euro Zone membership. It turned out thateven determining the real deficit in Greece was no easy task.<br /><br />Act Five: What's a Greek Accountant Got to Do With Me?:<br />Chana and Alex explain that when people talk about Greece today, they're really talking about Italy...meaning, where will the crisis hit next? And is it going to hit the US? (10 1/2 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>455</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>453: Nemeses</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/453/nemeses</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/453/n5GcRXYEq41Eh0ROJbC1fIghPf1qvqEYr3eoWJ7WJ9s/453.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A college rivalry goes viral, and personal.</itunes:subtitle><description>A college rivalry goes viral, and personal.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass speaks with Columbia University professor Peter Coleman, who shares some surprising details about the battle surrounding the abortion debate in Boston during the 1990s. We learn what secret meetings between the warring groups could accomplish, and what they couldn't.<br /><br />Act One: Solidarity For Never:<br />After a 2010 plane crash killed dozens of Polish dignitaries, including the president, some thought that the country would cross the political rift and come together to mourn. Reporter Amy Drozdowska-McGuire tells what happened instead.<br /><br />Act Two: A Tale of Two Jerseys:<br />When Chris Gethard was attending a run-down Rutgers University in the late 1990s, another student down the way—at a university called Princeton—became his nemesis. This is the title story of Chris's book A Bad Idea I'm About to Do, which comes out in January.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>453</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>452: Poultry Slam 2011</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/452/poultry-slam-2011</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/452/HeT3l4EVAsqrbq_JsnsZtUTF9QncKGivYGhjcRHAyuU/452.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of what happens when humans and fowl collide.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of what happens when humans and fowl collide.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass talks with Scharlette Holdman, who works with defense teams on high profile death row cases, and who has not talked to a reporter in more than 25 years. Why did she suddenly end the moratorium on press? Because her story is about something important: Namely, a beautiful chicken.<br /><br />Act One: Witness for the Barbecue-tion:<br />Scharlette Holdman's story continues, in which she and the rest of a legaldefense team try to save a man on death row by finding a star witness &mdash; achicken with a specific skill.<br /><br />Act Two: Murder Most Fowl:<br />The number of wild turkeys in the United States has risen from 30,000 at thebeginning of the 20th century to an estimated seven million today. And it'scommon for them to get aggressive with people.<br /><br />Act Three: Latin Liver:<br />In order to make foie gras — goose liver — the birds have to be treated inhumanely, strapped down and force-fed huge amounts of food. So when a chef named Dan Barber heard about Eduardo Sousa, a Spaniard who had supposedly found a way to make foie gras without mistreating the animals, Dan didn't believe it ... until he went to Spain to investigate.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>452</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>451: Back to Penn State</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/451/back-to-penn-state</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/451/cED566EuNQKzlK8b27unUTPgi5Tdtyo3Hno77lPcOXs/451.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Penn State fans and loyalists try to make sense of the actions of Coach Joe Paterno and school officials.</itunes:subtitle><description>Penn State fans and loyalists try to make sense of the actions of Coach Joe Paterno and school officials.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass revisits some interviews done with Penn State students in 2009, long before the sex abuse scandal that's engulfed the football team and led to the resignation of its legendary coach, as well as the university's President. Back in 2009, students said that the best thing about Penn State football is the high moral standard upheld by the team and its coaches.<br /><br />Act One: Say It Ain't So, Joe:<br />Sarah Koenig attended last weekend's Penn State game, the last home game of the season, with Michael Winereb and his parents. Weinreb grew up in State College, and has written several widely circulated columns for the website Grantland about his reactions to the recent scandal.<br /><br />Act Two: Tonight We're Gonna Party Like It's 2009:<br />We hear excerpts from our 2009 episode that was recorded at Penn State. Though the focus of that episode was student drinking and partying, we hear how much of the culture of the school is organized around football and how deeply people loved the team and Coach Joe Paterno.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>451</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>450: So Crazy It Just Might Work</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/450/so-crazy-it-just-might-work</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/450/62J8XgYvBfcle_WReEEgra6bLpnLug3V-4pZ7tmAW5Q/450.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An orchestra teacher has a theory that he could kill cancer cells with electromagnetic waves.</itunes:subtitle><description>An orchestra teacher has a theory that he could kill cancer cells with electromagnetic waves.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with science writer Paul Hoffman about a mathematician named Frank Nelson Cole, who demonstrated a groundbreaking idea at a conference in 1903. Paul explains that in addition to their celebrated breakthroughs, many of the greatest thinkers in history have entertained some very crazy ideas.<br /><br />Act One: Mr. Holland's Opus:<br />One day a successful cancer researcher named Jonathan Brody gave a talk at his alma mater, about how people in his field need to think outside the box if they're going to find a cure. Afterward Jonathan's old music teacher Anthony Holland shared an idea that was way out of the box: Killing cancer cells with electromagnetic waves. Gabriel Rhodes tells what happened next.<br /><br />Act Two: Benny Takes a Jet:<br />Ira Glass speaks with a guy named Benny, who came up with a crazy idea for how to deal with a crush. And in its own way, this crazy idea worked.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>450</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>449: Middle School</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/449/middle-school</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/449/D-SWIRBBFiPhlwbctXbNKtPwhBZGZwGwr2PGIfxRUNQ/449.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories from the awkward, confusing, hormonally charged world of middle school.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories from the awkward, confusing, hormonally charged world of middle school.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass interviews a 14-year old named Annie, who emailed us asking if we would do a show about middle school. She explains why exactly the middle school years can be so daunting.<br /><br />Act One: Life in the Middle Ages:<br />In an effort to understand the physical and emotional changes middle school kids experience, Ira speaks with reporter Linda Perlstein, who wrote a book called <em>Not Much Just Chillin'</em> about a year she spent following five middle schoolers. Then we hear from producer Alex Blumberg, who was a middle school teacher in Chicago for four years before getting into radio.<br /><br />Act Two: Stutter Step:<br />We sent several correspondents straight to the epicenters of middle school awkwardness: School dances. Producers Lisa Pollak and Brian Reed, plus reporters Eric Mennel, Rob Wildeboer and Claire Holman spoke with kids across the country during the nervous moments leading up to the dances.<br /><br />Act Three: Mimis in the Middle:<br />When Domingo Martinez was growing up in a Mexican-American family in Texas, Domingo's two middle school aged sisters found a unique way of coping with feelings of inferiority. This story comes from Martinez's memoir <em>The Boy Kings of Texas</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: Anchor Babies:<br />We realized that there are already reporters on the ground, embedded inside middle schools: The kids who report the daily announcements, sometimes on video with full newscast sets. Producer Jonathan Menjivar wondered what would happen if instead of announcing sports scores and the daily cafeteria menu, the kids reported what's really on their minds.<br /><br />Act Five: Blue Kid on the Block:<br />Producer Sarah Koenig reports on a kid we'll call Leo, whose family moved away from Rochester, NY, leaving behind all of Leo's friends andstranding him in a new &mdash; and in his opinion, much worse &mdash; middle school.<br /><br />Act Six: Grande with Sugar:<br />Ira speaks with Shannon Grande, a teacher at Rise Academy in Newark, about a seventh grader who had all sorts of problems with behavior and hygiene and schoolwork. In order to help turn him around, Grande had to harness the power of peer pressure for good.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>449</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>448: Adventure!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/448/adventure</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/448/3eEaKeflbt034KVFmhhmW2LskedakVmYQIQosoK43lw/448.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories that pinpoint when people's boring old lives turn into something wildly unfamiliar.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories that pinpoint when people's boring old lives turn into something wildly unfamiliar.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />We sent a reporter named Dan Grech to the Hundred Year Starship Public Symposium, which aims to tackle the technological problems related to interstellar space travel. And as host Ira Glass explains, Dan found this gathering to be way more adventurous than your average scientific conference.<br /><br />Act One: Chinese Checkmate:<br />Some adventures you seek out on purpose, and others hunt you down. Producer Alex Blumberg tells this story, about the experience a guy had in China...which started out as first kind of adventure, then quickly turned into the second kind.<br /><br />Act Two: Oh the Places We'll Go:<br />Any adventure show would be incomplete without some swashbuckling, dinosaur-chasing, time-traveling madness. So we asked a few of our favorite writers to offer up short stories. Dave Eggers, Jeanne Darst, Wendy McClure, Fiona Maazel and Neil Gaiman answered the call.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>448</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>447: The Incredible Case of the P.I. Moms</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/447/the-incredible-case-of-the-pi-moms</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/447/VSjp3IT05HxXprTlbZA40mrLB5UitDRoDx1ZYW6U2rg/447.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What do you get when you take a P.I. firm, then add in a bunch of sexy soccer moms, official sponsorship from Glock, a lying boss, and delusions of grandeur? This week's show.</itunes:subtitle><description>What do you get when you take a P.I. firm, then add in a bunch of sexy soccer moms, official sponsorship from Glock, a lying boss, and delusions of grandeur? This week's show.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira explains how a man named Chris Butler created a private detective agency where the investigators were good-looking soccer moms. Their publicist invited a reporter named Pete Crooks from Diablo magazine to do a ride-along with the P.I.<br /><br />Act One: A Pretty Dame Walks In:<br />Joshuah Bearman tells the story of Pete's ridealong with the PI Moms, and how strange things started to happen. As he dug deeper into their operations, he learned about cases like the Candyman, where everything gets oddly and unnecessarily complicated.<br /><br />Act Two: His Partner Drops a Dime:<br />Joshuah Bearman's story continues. Chris Butler makes a transition into true criminal behavior.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>447</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>446: Living Without (2011)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/446/living-without-2011</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/446/JcCAWDyyWyxj0o9VsAhMv4U2O4ChgCkYlbH0KxCIJ9I/446.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A man has to give up parts of his life as he learns to live hearing a tone in his head all the time.</itunes:subtitle><description>A man has to give up parts of his life as he learns to live hearing a tone in his head all the time.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />It's hard to give things up. Host Ira Glass tells the story of Walter, a three-year-old boy who had to give up his pacifier, and then, wanting comfort, asked all the adults around him to tell the stories of when <em>they</em> gave up <em>their</em> pacifiers.<br /><br />Act One: Do You Hear What I Hear?:<br />Nubar Alexanian was forced to give up one thing—and then gave up another thing by choice. This story was put together by Nubar and his daughter Abby, with help from Jay Allison, for Transom.org, with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.<br /><br />Act Two: Yerrrrr Out!:<br />Ira with former baseball player Bobby Morris, on leaving baseball.<br /><br />Act Three: The Call Of The Great Indoors:<br />Every week, Chelsea Merz has lunch with a homeless man named Matthew, in the same restaurant. Matthew's been on the street for seven years, but once or twice a year, he housesits for a friend.<br /><br />Act Four: Tin Man:<br />Sometimes it's hard to figure out if you're doing something of your own choice or because someone wants you to do it. Actor Matt Malloy reads "Guilt," a short story by Judith Budnitz.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>446</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>445: Ten Years In</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/445/ten-years-in</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/445/pWOnwU5dorYcAd45mCzaSRXK8e3GLkBtnlNOqbGYCdU/445.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We return to people who have been on the show in the last ten years, and whose lives were drastically altered by 9/11.</itunes:subtitle><description>We return to people who have been on the show in the last ten years, and whose lives were drastically altered by 9/11.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to someone who escaped from the twin towers with a minute to spare and someone who lost her husband on 9/11. Both say they try to avoid 9/11 commemorations.<br /><br />Act One: Kabul Kabul Kabul Kabul Chameleon:<br />Hyder Akbar was a teenager living with his family in the Bay Area when president Hamid Karzai asked Hyder's dad to return to Afghanistan and become an official in the new government. Hyder recorded audio diaries that became two episodes of our show, in 2002 and 2003, both produced by Susan Burton.<br /><br />Act Two: In the Garden of the Unknown Unknowns:<br />Marian Fontana, whose husband was a firefighter who died on 9/11, originally appeared on our show in 2005. Ira talks with Marian today, about what has changed for her over the last 10 years.<br /><br />Act Three: Put on a Happy Face:<br />In 2008, reporter Chris Neary told the story of John, a soldier who returned from tours of Iraq and Afghanistan with severe PTSD, and ended up attacking his fiancee and her mother. Chris finds out how John is coping today.<br /><br />Act Four: What's Arabic for Fjord?:<br />The podcast and stream versions of the show include a story here that is not included in broadcast. It catches us up with an Iraqi translator named Basim, who fled the country to Norway after his life was threatened because he aided the American forces.<br /><br />Act Five: Bad Teacher:<br />Alix Spiegel revisits a story she reported in 2006 - which caused more listeners to email us than any other story we've broadcast. It was about a Muslim American girl named "Chloe," who was tormented at school after the students had a lesson on 9/11.<br /><br />Act Six: Clutter:<br />On 9/11, Lynn Simpson escaped from the 89th floor of the World Trade Center. Ira talks with her about what's changed since she first appeared on the show, just a week after the attacks in 2001.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>445</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>444: Gossip</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/444/gossip</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/444/BLtcuCRm1jJ2sNaXN_mz70qtqjtrYMTNLUakprHYvso/444.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A sociologist collects journals filled with gossip about AIDS in Malawi.</itunes:subtitle><description>A sociologist collects journals filled with gossip about AIDS in Malawi.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Senior producer Julie Snyder and her husband Jeff talk to guest host Sarah Koenig about gossip that takes place&mdash;where else?&mdash;in a beauty salon.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />In Malawi, in southeast Africa, not gossiping can be worse than gossiping. Sarah interviews a young Malawian woman named Hazel Namandingo, who explains that because so many people have HIV and AIDS in Malawi, they often rely on gossip to figure out who's safe to date or marry.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Chicago writer Rebecca Makkai bring us the story of a reality television producer attempting to gossip love into existence—and just how complicated that gets. This fiction story originally appeared in the journal <em>Crazyhorse</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>444</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>443: Amusement Park</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/443/amusement-park</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/443/9-Ct8t_PSGkAMqTUhg3M4cDyfH1GjMTueaWsL9QzrV8/443.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We head to some of the happiest places on earth: amusement parks!</itunes:subtitle><description>We head to some of the happiest places on earth: amusement parks!<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass walks through a Kansas City Missouri amusement park called Worlds of Fun with Cole Lindbergh, who had a season pass to the park as a little kid, starting working there summers at 14, and then just stayed. Now he's a full-time, year-round employee, running the games department.<br /><br />Act One: Gameboy Grows Up:<br />Ira continues with Cole Lindbergh and the hundred teenagers who work for himin the games department at Worlds of Fun. We watch them compete againsteach other to see who can do the most business, in Cole's Sweet Sixteenbracket tournament, which pits all 32 games in the park against each other.<br /><br />Act Two: Great Adventures:<br />We asked for your stories about amusement parks. Three hundred of youcalled in, with stories of fear, floating carnies and, um, vomit.<br /><br />Act Three: What I Didn't Do on My Summer Vacation:<br />Jonathan Goldstein returns to Wildwood, New Jersey, where he spent one not-fateful summer when he was sixteen. Jonathan's the host of the podcast <em>Heavyweight</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>443</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>442: Thugs</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/442/thugs</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/442/DCKPh_xCbqiWUCllQ0sZrUAqDYPfCNVYSMip7wqmThM/442.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Like a lot of Mexican towns, Florencia has had its share of problems dealing with drug gangs. Until recently, when new narcos rolled into town.</itunes:subtitle><description>Like a lot of Mexican towns, Florencia has had its share of problems dealing with drug gangs. Until recently, when new narcos rolled into town.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass tells the story of Florencia de Benito Juarez, a small town in Mexico where a new drug gang recently took over. They promised peace and tranquility, and for the most part, they're making good on those promises.<br /><br />Act One: Thug Me? No. Thug You.:<br />"Thug" is a very imprecise word. And as producer Nancy Updike explains, the subjectivity of its meaning has been particularly apparent during the recent revolution in Egypt.<br /><br />Act Two: Lifers:<br />Reporter Laura Beil tells the story of a kid named Kenneth Williams and an adult named Ton'Nea Williams (who share a last name but are not related).</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>442</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>441: When Patents Attack!</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/441/when-patents-attack</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/441/1SFdDnY27uovd33e8NkEW1oe--4jRuryBUoF6t-3MDQ/441.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Why would a company rent an office in a tiny town in East Texas, put a nameplate on the door, and leave it completely empty for a year?</itunes:subtitle><description>Why would a company rent an office in a tiny town in East Texas, put a nameplate on the door, and leave it completely empty for a year?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />There's a derogatory term in Silicon Valley for companies that amass huge troves of patents and make money by threatening lawsuits: "patent trolls." When Jeff Kelling's Internet company Fototime was sued - along with more than 130 other companies - for violating someone's patent, he wondered if it was a troll (which the company denies), and then settled out of court.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />NPR reporter Laura Sydell and <em>This American Life</em> producer/<em>Planet Money</em> co-host Alex Blumberg tell the story of Intellectual Ventures, which is accused of being the largest of the patent trolls. The investigation takes them to a small town in Texas, where they find a hallway full of empty companies with no employees.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Laura and Alex continue their story about Intellectual Ventures and the practice of patent trolling. They learn why the buying and selling of patents is likely to continue being a huge, controversial business that affects the entire tech industry.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>441</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>440: Game Changer</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/440/game-changer</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/440/5I_SpDhWr0XLV6vcPxJw53p8fYBoxyuCavPoZeK2UB0/440.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Two professors each make a calculation that no one had made before.</itunes:subtitle><description>Two professors each make a calculation that no one had made before.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass tells the stories of two professors, each making a calculation that no one had made before. One gets acclaim.<br /><br />Act One: You've Got Shale:<br />Producer Sarah Koenig continues the story Terry Engelder and Dan Volz, their rival calculations about natural gas in Pennsylvania, and how each was treated by his university. She explains how Pennsylvania's universities, politicans and industry have united to develop natural gas.<br /><br />Act Two: Ground War:<br />Sarah takes us to Mt. Pleasant, PA, where a gas exploration company called Range Resources has leased 95% of the township's land.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>440</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>439: A House Divided</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/439/a-house-divided</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/439/xGzq6O4uRn9c7i0_8wrH3OeLdvo-9I48K3QPCnjzn8I/439.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about people who find themselves either unexpectedly being singled out or doing the singling out.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about people who find themselves either unexpectedly being singled out or doing the singling out.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />A few years back, when he and his family were driving home from a vacation in Texas, John Nova Lomax realized that the police were aggressively tailing him. And he was definitely not prepared for the reason they pulled him over.<br /><br />Act One: War of Northern Aggression:<br />Producer Ben Calhoun heads to his home state of Wisconsin, a place currently turned against itself in the form of Senate recall elections. Ben found that the old way of doing politics in Wisconsin has been flipped completely upside down.<br /><br />Act Two: Split a Gut:<br />One night on stage, comedian Julian McCullough had an intense pain in his stomach, which he assumed was food poisoning. But it turned out to be a much more serious internal battle.<br /><br />Act Three: Don't Make Me Separate You:<br />Jeanne Darst was 16 when her parents split up. But it turned out they just weren't too skilled at the whole divorce thing.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>439</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>438: Father's Day 2011</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/438/fathers-day-2011</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/438/LtSWifrCkWfEAeik1ugtiIEfowrlbvK7he8NpjwGJUk/438.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Surprising stories of fathers trying to be good dads.</itunes:subtitle><description>Surprising stories of fathers trying to be good dads.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass plays clips of interviews with several people whose dads have tried reach out to them the best way they know how, which often means...awkwardly.<br /><br />Act One: Astro Boy Meet Robot Dad:<br />Michael Ian Black reads an excerpt from his book <em>You're Not Doing It Right</em>, about his dad and about being a dad. Michael hosts the podcast How To Be Amazing.<br /><br />Act Two: I Just Called To Say—Something That's Hard to Say, That I Really Should Say More Often...:<br />Producer Jonathan Menjivar tells this story about Naomi Azar and her father Shaul. Shaul had trouble saying a certain phrase to his children, and one day he was put to the test.<br /><br />Act Three: Mister Baby Monitor:<br />Ira Glass speaks with a woman named Angie, who never understood why her dad got so excited about thermoses and phone books... until she happened to see this one movie. &nbsp;Then Jonathan Goldstein tells a story about his friend Josh Karpati, who has two-year-old twins, and who never leaves the house. Jonathan hosts <em>Wiretap</em> on CBC Radio.<br /><br />Act Four: Bring Your Child to Work Detail:<br />Michael May tells this story about two prison inmates in Texas—Daniel Johnson and Jesse Johnson—and the unusual bond they formed. Michael is managing editor at the podcast Life of The Law.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>438</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>437: Old Boys Network</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/437/old-boys-network</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/437/2LRRuWnXQNyr-8X1IsqIN-l81ETAFaRK5-w1lv6ToUE/437.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Nurses at a small Texas hospital report a well-connected doctor for dangerous medical practices, and find themselves under arrest.</itunes:subtitle><description>Nurses at a small Texas hospital report a well-connected doctor for dangerous medical practices, and find themselves under arrest.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass speaks with former FBI agent Bill Tobin about police collusion with organized crime in 1970s Chicago. It turns out that old boys networks like the mob pull in good and bad cops alike.<br /><br />Act One: Messing with the Bull:<br />In a small west Texas town called Kermit, two nurses were accused of harassment after they complained to the medical board that a doctor was putting patients in danger. The nurses were fired and then arrested, facing ten years in prison.<br /><br />Act Two: Donkey See, Donkey Do:<br />In this act: judge wannabes working with the old boys network.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>437</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>436: The Psychopath Test</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/436/the-psychopath-test</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/436/skm6CBw0vYaZsn465bfSaNuBe9xSgsLZ5jKP0auvXGE/436.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We heard about a test that could determine if someone was a psychopath. So, naturally, our staff decided to take it.</itunes:subtitle><description>We heard about a test that could determine if someone was a psychopath. So, naturally, our staff decided to take it.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira explains that when the radio staff decided to take a test that reveals who is a psychopath, very quickly everyone came to believe that the highest score would go to either Robyn, Jane, or him.<br /><br />Act One: Underachievement Test:<br />Alix Spiegel tells the story of Robert Dixon, who's in a maximum security prison in Vacaville California and is unlikely to ever get parole because of his score on the psychopath test. The test also is called "the checklist" or, more formally, the PCL-R, which stands for "Psychopathy Check List—Revised." Alix tells the story of its creation and reports that the man who created the test, Bob Hare, is concerned at how it's being used today in the criminal justice system.<br /><br />Act Two: King of the Forest:<br />Jon Ronson investigates whether corporate leaders can, in fact, be psychopaths by visiting a former Sunbeam CEO named Al Dunlap. This is an excerpt from Ronson's book, <em>The Psychopath Test</em>.<br /><br />Act Three: The Results Are In:<br />Ira and the radio show staff get their results on the psychopath test from Dr. David Bernstein, of Forensic Consultants, LLC., who administered the test to them.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>436</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>435: How To Create a Job</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/435/how-to-create-a-job</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/435/RjX3aozinbvcSy2EsaliZ0XZyb07UJyNcYpHCZXEm6Q/435.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Can politicians truly create many jobs?</itunes:subtitle><description>Can politicians truly create many jobs?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri on a press conference he held to announce the creation of just one job.<br /><br />Act One: Can the Government Move My Cheese?:<br />Chana Joffe-Walt visits a governor who first became famous for promising hisstate he'd create jobs: Scott Walker of Wisconsin. (Yes, he's famous forsome other things since.) Walker promised 250,000 new jobs and 10,000 newbusiness in his state by the end of his first term.<br /><br />Act Two: This Story Might Be Recorded for Training and Quality Assurance:<br />In this terrible economy, we wanted to hear the sound of someone actually getting a job, and producer Lisa Pollak recorded it in the Holland Michigan office of Novo 1. On Tuesday of this week, Deborah Ozga was interviewing applicants for 15 new call center jobs.<br /><br />Act Three: Job Fairies:<br />For a look at the nuts and bolts of government job creation, <em>This American Life</em> Senior Producer Julie Snyder and Planet Money correspondent Adam Davidson attend a meeting of the International Economic Developers Council in San Diego.<br /><br />Act Four: Be Cool, Stay in School:<br />Unemployment is 9 percent, but it's worst among high school dropouts andpeople with only a high school education. Adam went to a place that'strying to help them find jobs: an organization called Pathstone, inRochester, NY.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>435</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>434: This Week</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/434/this-week</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/434/Y_QlkX-qaCQqKub6dZUsGSnb3-0GrhBWya1w7P-lrPo/434.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An hour of stories about...this week.</itunes:subtitle><description>An hour of stories about...this week.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira tells what happened this week to Dan Curry in Odessa Texas on Wednesday, to eight-year-old Ruby Melman on Sunday in New Jersey, to Beau O'Reilly at a bike store in Chicago on Saturday, to Theodosha Alexander at the World Trade Center site on Thursday, to Dr. Wade Gordon in Afghanistan on Thursday, to a high school class at the Grand Canyon on Wednesday, and at a bar in New York City on Saturday.<br /><br />Act One: Sunday Night, State College PA:<br />Sarah Koenig talks with Lexi Belculfine, who tries to explain why she and her peers had such a loud, excited reaction to the news of Osama Bin Laden's death, a much more visibly emotional reaction than people over thirty.<br /><br />Act Two: Monday, Cairo Egypt:<br />Nancy Updike reports from Cairo, Egypt about what people were doing there this week, namely: going to meetings to create their new democracy.<br /><br />Act Three: Monday, Tucson AZ:<br />Ira plays a recorded example of American-style democracy, a school board meeting in Tucson, recorded by a high school teacher, Sarah Bromer.<br /><br />Act Four: Saturday to Wednesday: CA, NY, WI, ME:<br />Ira tells what happened this week to Shirley Everett-Dicko in Oakland on Sunday, to Gabe and Kevin in Brooklyn on Saturday, to Eric and Roz in Stevens Point, Wisconsin on Wednesday night at midnight, and (in the podcast version of the show) to Eugene Rand and Bill True, on Monday in South Portland, Maine.<br /><br />Act Five: Wednesday, Tuscaloosa AL:<br />This week Southerners were still digging out in the wake of last week's tornados. David Kestenbaum, from our Planet Money team, heads to Tuscaloosa, Alabama where he finds that facts are not so easy to hold onto.<br /><br />Act Six: Thursday, Greenville SC:<br />Thursday night was a make-or-break evening for candidate Herman Cain at the first Republican Presidential debate. Robert Smith from our Planet Money team talked to him about his strategy.<br /><br />Act Seven: Saturday and Sunday, Gainesville and Coral Springs FL:<br />On Saturday, Laura Hucke graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>434</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>433: Fine Print 2011</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/433/fine-print-2011</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/433/IzFOdhoYHpCtz5LGsi93dPLtPqUHOsOVDtXgGkOCCMU/433.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories where the fine print changes everything, whether you read it or not.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories where the fine print changes everything, whether you read it or not.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks about the infamous line in the band Van Halen's contract insisting that the groups' dressing room include a bowl of M&amp;Ms with all the brown M&amp;Ms removed. Ira used to think this request was just petulant rock-star behavior.<br /><br />ACT ONE: ONE PILL TWO PILL, RED PILL BLUE PILL:<br />Planet Money's Chana Joffe-Walt explains why prescription drug coupons could actually be increasing how much we pay, and prevent us from even telling how much drugs cost.<br /><br />Act Two: Occupancy May Be Revoked Without Notice:<br />David Rakoff tells the story of a contract between a son and his visiting mother. David Rakoff is the author of several books including <em>Half Empty</em>.<br /><br />Act Three: Side Effects May Include...:<br />In Tehran in 2004, Omid Memarian confessed to doing things he'd never done, meeting people he'd never met, following plots he'd never heard of. Why he did that, and why a lot of other people have confessed to the same things, is all in the fine print. <em>This American Life</em> producer Nancy Updike tells the story.<br /><br />Act Four: May Be Hazardous To Children:<br />Susan Burton rereads her parents' divorce papers—the fine print that changed her life forever.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>433</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>432: Know When To Fold ‘Em</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/432/know-when-to-fold-em</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/432/0Wrqao5iMnRHFH-DROLmngqvAMQAB-TQUSCkiwkJeUk/432.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of an entire country deciding whether to give up on just one of its citizens.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of an entire country deciding whether to give up on just one of its citizens.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass speaks with Jim McManus, whose book <em>Positively Fifth Street</em> inspired Ira to start playing poker. Jim talks about holding and folding, why a poker novice is sometimes the toughest player to beat...and the Cuban Missile Crisis.<br /><br />Act One: Is This War or Is This Hearts?:<br />David Ellis Dickerson tells the story of heading home to Tucson after six years away, having rejected the evangelical Christianity of his family. David came prepared for war, armed with new beliefs.<br /><br />Act Two: Kings Do Not Fold:<br />Producer Nancy Updike shares a pattern that she's noticed recently: eleven steps that Middle Eastern dictators have been taking on the path to losing power.<br /><br />Act Three: Gin Rummy:<br />One of the principles of treating alcoholism is that there's hope for everyone. You never fold your cards.<br /><br />Act Four: Solitaire and Everything's Wild:<br />There's a part of Brazil that was almost all rainforest until the 1970s, and over the next few decades a million people moved in, cutting down the forest and building towns and cities. Monte Reel was the South American correspondent for the Washington Post in the mid 1990s, when he started hearing rumors of a "wild man," the last member of a tribe, who lived completely alone in this area's remaining forest. Reel's book about the quest to find and save this man is called <em>The Last of the Tribe</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>432</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>431: See No Evil</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/431/see-no-evil</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/431/qxaVxrC4ETpdDQIfB5Ejkb_KgCK7A7ogJWKO7fvs0pk/431.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people pretending that everything is okay and ignoring the awful stuff that's staring them straight in the face.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people pretending that everything is okay and ignoring the awful stuff that's staring them straight in the face.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira speaks with Middle East specialist Michelle Dunne to answer this question: Before the recent Arab uprisings, just how hard was the US pushing the government of Egypt to enact human rights reforms? (7 1/2 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Blood Brothers:<br />When he was a kid, Josh Martin's mother Nancy told him that if anythingever happened to her, he needed to take care of his brother Ben. This confusedJosh, because Ben was his older brother, and he felt that if anything heshould be the one taken care of.<br /><br />Act Two: Denying the Invisible:<br />In the wake of the tsunami and nuclear disaster at Fukushima, some people suspected that Japanese government officials have not been forthcoming about the actual level of danger from radiation. No one, however, is suggesting a cover-up as extreme as what happened in the Soviet Union after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.<br /><br />Act Three: I Worked at the Kennedy Center and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt:<br />In the 1970s, Dave Kestenbaum's cousin Dan Weiss got promoted from stocker to gift shop manager at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. It was a good job... except for the fact that the place was bleeding cash because of apparent embezzlement.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>431</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>430: Very Tough Love</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/430/very-tough-love</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/430/5hre4Rsc41ron8VjKMvKPcJF6F-OhU39ZsESgco7-As/430.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A drug court program in Georgia where people with offenses that would get minimal or no sentences elsewhere sometimes end up in the system five to ten years.</itunes:subtitle><description>A drug court program in Georgia where people with offenses that would get minimal or no sentences elsewhere sometimes end up in the system five to ten years.<br /><br />Act One: Part One:<br />Ira reports from Glynn County Georgia on Superior Court Judge AmandaWilliams and how she runs the drug courts in Glynn, Camden and Waynecounties. We hear the story of Lindsey Dills, who forges two checks on herparents' checking account when she's 17, one for $40 and one for $60, andends up in drug court for five and a half years, including 14 months behindbars, and then she serves another five years after that&mdash;six months of itin Arrendale State Prison, the other four and a half on probation.<br /><br />Act Two: Part Two:<br />We hear about how Brandi Byrd and many other offenders end up in Judge Williams' drug court. One reason drug courts were created was to save money by incarcerating fewer people.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>430</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>429: Will They Know Me Back Home?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/429/will-they-know-me-back-home</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/429/ifUtrYIVINhhU4OE8YYHT9ykKVtdwtaedWjTQrQqpt0/429.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who've grown so accustomed to wartime that the lives they've left behind no longer make sense.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who've grown so accustomed to wartime that the lives they've left behind no longer make sense.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Show host Nancy Updike also hosts a radio movie night.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Ever wondered what you might do with 18 days of rest after serving 15 months in combat? Reporter David Finkel followed one group of soldiers in Iraq for 15 months, and reported all of it in his book <em>The Good Soldiers</em>. Here is our radio version of one of the chapters in his book, where we hear actors read aloud what soldiers and families of soldiers told David about their break.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Last summer when Nancy Updike was reporting in Iraq, Sarah, an Iraqi woman in her 40s, was her interpreter. But it wasn't the first time Sarah had had that gig.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>429</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>428: Oh You Shouldn't Have</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/428/oh-you-shouldnt-have</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/428/VBYyYS_NwgwEXea8wP8m68VyvdOTw8OiHtk4Brm0OKw/428.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about the perils of giving and receiving gifts.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about the perils of giving and receiving gifts.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass hands off the show to guest host Nancy Updike, via a quick cell phone call, as he heads out of town to report a story. Nancy isn't quite sure how how she feels about being given this new role... ambivalence not uncommon for the receivers of gifts.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Allison Silverman reports on <em>This Is Your Life</em>, a show from the 1950s where unsuspecting—and often famous—audience members would have their biographies created on the spot for 40 million viewers. But is that really a present you'd want to receive? Allison is an Emmy Award-winning writer who has worked on <em>The Daily Show</em>, <em>The Colbert Report</em>, and <em>Late Night with Conan O'Brien</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Nancy Updike follows up on a Haaretz newspaper story about a sting operation against a medical marijuana supplier in Israel—a case where being giving was not the best idea.<br /><br />Act Three: Act Three:<br />Nancy speaks with Nazanin Rafsanjani about the Iranian custom Tarof, which leads people to constantly offer things they may not want to give, and to refuse things they really want. Nazanin is a producer for the public radio show <em>On The Media</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: Act Four:<br />Actor Michael Chernus reads Etgar Keret's short story "What Of This Goldfish Would You Wish?" in which a young man decides to make a documentary about the secret longings of everyday Israelis. But he's not prepared for what he sees in the house of a man named Sergei.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>428</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>427: Original Recipe</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/427/original-recipe</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/427/Rr2ScfmydlDaTBkhyfS0NOqJ-V4EnNwC2o2_LhBnDmo/427.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We think we may have found the original recipe for Coca-Cola, one of the most guarded trade secrets in the world.</itunes:subtitle><description>We think we may have found the original recipe for Coca-Cola, one of the most guarded trade secrets in the world.<br /><br />Act One: Message In a Bottle:<br />The formula for Coca-Cola is one of the most jealously guarded trade secrets in the world. So we were surprised to come across a 1979 newspaper article with what looked like the original recipe for Coke.<br /><br />Act Two: Ask Not What Your Handwriting Authenticator Can Do for You; Ask What You Can Do for Your Handwriting Authenticator:<br />Jake Halpern tells this story about document expert John Reznikoff, who came into possession of some materials which—if authentic—would change history. Then things got complicated.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>427</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>426: Tough Room 2011</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/426/tough-room-2011</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/426/S36A-0tMgUGVjKlcY-LNPaokLwOzuTzoT16lQWwlMHo/426.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We go backstage with comedy writers at The Onion.</itunes:subtitle><description>We go backstage with comedy writers at The Onion.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Thanksgiving 2002, the Ohm family's dinner conversation turned to the recent terrorist attacks. Alexis Ohm, the youngest daughter, made a comment that in retrospect she admits was probably the wrong thing to say with her conservative, military-veteran dad at the table...that Osama bin Laden was hot.<br /><br />Act One: Make 'em Laff:<br />Host Ira Glass spends time in perhaps the toughest room on earth, the editorial meeting at the satirical newspaper, <em>The Onion</em>, where there's one laugh for every 100 jokes.<br /><br />Act Two: Bar Car Prophesy:<br />Writer Rosie Schaap tells the story of how she ingratiated herself into the adult society of the Metroliner commuter train bar car as a teenager. She would cast Tarot card prophesies for riders, in exchange for beer.<br /><br />Act Three: Mission: Impossible:<br />Producer Jane Feltes spends a day with two young Mormons, on mission to possibly the least receptive environment they could find...the Upper West Side of Manhattan.<br /><br />Act Four: Contrails Of My Tears:<br />Brett Martin documents a previously unnoticed human phenomenon, one that involves airplanes...crying...and Reese Witherspoon.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>426</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>425: Slow To React</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/425/slow-to-react</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/425/8zMquto2X_7a2rc5VTe_aJi-xkKf5EJvMBlmhidrsxo/425.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of a wedding 17 years in the making.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of a wedding 17 years in the making.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass explains that, like the rest of America, we at <em>This American Life</em> are not tired of those stories of women who have no idea they're pregnant and then—poof—one day a baby pops out. Ira and several of our producers speak with Jennifer Lyne, who found out just a few days before giving birth and even appeared on the TV show <em>I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant</em>.<br /><br />Act One: When I Grow Up:<br />Back in 2004, a reporter named David Holthouse published a remarkable story in the weekly paper he worked for, Westword. It's about something he waited his entire life to do...since childhood.<br /><br />Act Two: Isn't It Slow-Mantic:<br />In Sean Lewis’ family, there is a legendarily romantic love story. It’s famous in his family partly because the story unfolded over decades and across continents, but also because no one can quite believe that out of everyone in their family, the one with the epic, swoon-inducing love story…is Mark.<br /><br />Act Three: I'm Still Here:<br />"Slow to react" is usually an insult. But in this case the things that are slow...are cancer cells.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>425</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>424: Kid Politics</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/424/kid-politics</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/424/4eZij-Jaws3QAtCwHFQ87YpTnDxno0zLsRij3icHzj0/424.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>When it comes to governing, can kids do any better than grown-ups?</itunes:subtitle><description>When it comes to governing, can kids do any better than grown-ups?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass plays clips from a documentary film called <em>Please Vote for Me</em>, by Weijun Chen. It follows a third grade class in central China in the very first election they've ever had or witnessed.<br /><br />Act One: Trickle Down History:<br />Reporter Starlee Kine observes what would have happened if the U.S.-led invasion of Grenada in 1983 had been decided not by Ronald Reagan, but by a bunch of middle schoolers...and she remembers a class trip to the Nixon library, where Nixon aide HR Haldeman spoke.<br /><br />Act Two: Climate Changes. People Don't.:<br />As adults battle over how climate change should be taught in school, we try an experiment. We ask Dr Roberta Johnson, the Executive Director of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, who helps develop curricula on climate change, to present the best evidence there is to a high school skeptic, a freshman named Erin Gustafson.<br /><br />Act Three: Minor Authorities:<br />Jyllian Gunther visits The Brooklyn Free School, where there are no courses, no tests and no homework, and where the kids decide everything about how the school is run, including discipline.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>424</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>423: The Invention of Money</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/423/the-invention-of-money</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/423/B4VCrF8HFeG6fUzmApVPWClG0tRmqQTv1qRdnzNWj54/423.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Five reporters stumbled on what seems like a basic question: What is money?</itunes:subtitle><description>Five reporters stumbled on what seems like a basic question: What is money?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass speaks with several members of the Planet Money team, who all found themselves—in the course of their reporting—independently asking the same stoner-ish question: What is money? Ira and Planet Money producer Jacob Goldstein discuss a pre-industrial society on the island of Yap that used giant stones as currency. The book that Jacob read about Yap is called <em>The Island of Stone Money</em>.<br /><br />Act One: The Lie That Saved Brazil:<br />A trip to a country where the fiction that is money completely fell apart. And in this same country, through a truly incredible piece of policy making, the government tricked a 150,000,000 people into believing their money had value again.<br /><br />Act Two: Weekend At Bernanke's:<br />Though the name of the Federal Reserve includes the word "federal," it's not actually part of the government. It's an independent institution tasked with something very simple, but very huge: Creating money out of thin air.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>423</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>422: Comedians of Christmas Comedy Special</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/422/comedians-of-christmas-comedy-special</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/422/y2OX8cXUZBz_5f8C6Rkv5pgNy_48sjofsFPIWY54su0/422.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The holidays are stressful so we booked a seasonal pick-me-up: an hour of comedy.</itunes:subtitle><description>The holidays are stressful so we booked a seasonal pick-me-up: an hour of comedy.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass plays Christmas jokes told by third graders, collected by producer Jonathan Menjivar. It turns out there really aren't many holiday jokes (although see our blog post for more), but kids are happy to invent them.<br /><br />Act One: Jesus Has Prison:<br />Wyatt Cenac tells this story about spreading Christmas cheer in Texas. Wyatt is a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.<br /><br />Act Two: Stocking Stuffers:<br />Two very, very short stories by Edith Zimmerman. Edith is the editor of TheHairpin.com.<br /><br />Act Three: Little Altar Boy:<br />Despite our nation's attempts to make Christmas all about toys and shopping, it is still a religious holiday. Mike Birbiglia tells this story about Catholicism and his mother. Mike is author of the memoir <em>Sleepwalk With Me</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: One Lord A-Leaping:<br />Comedy duo Gabe Liedman and Jenny Slate disagree about the awesomeness of Hanukkah... and about the nature of their relationship. Gabe contributes to videogum.com.<br /><br />Act Five: The Fight Before Christmas:<br />Stand-up comedian Julian McCullough tells this story about heading to someone else's home for the holidays. You can watch Julian's <em>Comedy Central Presents</em> special at his website, julianmccullough.com.<br /><br />Act Six: The Best Christmas Song Ever, By Dave Hill:<br />We end our program with an original song by comedian Dave Hill. Dave is backed up on guitar by Doug Gillard of the bands Guided by Voices and Nada Surf.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>422</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>421: Last Man Standing</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/421/last-man-standing</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/421/TcUKWH8U5d9zBG7SrnX4cMe63ghAFMa92nDTKb_xhDw/421.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about people who feel compelled to keep going, especially when everyone else has given up.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about people who feel compelled to keep going, especially when everyone else has given up.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Ira Glass speaks with JoAnn Chiakulas, the only Juror on the trial of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich who believed he was innocent of trying to sell Barack Obama's senate seat.<br /><br />Act Two: Last Man Stand-Up:<br />Producer Sarah Koenig tells the story of Duke Fightmaster, who refused to give up his simple dream: to replace Conan O'Brien.<br /><br />Act Three: My Own Private U.F.O.:<br />A story about God and extraterrestrials, told by Elna Baker.</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>421</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>420: Neighborhood Watch</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/420/neighborhood-watch</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/420/0Zatnkyla_UIjEspvusUsSDKkMBILwJE21DI3MiPLdo/420.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of neighbors watching out for each other, for better and worse.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of neighbors watching out for each other, for better and worse.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass Host talks to Paul Gereffi, a letter carrier in Ft. Lauderdale who helped save the life of a stabbing victim who saw Gereffi's mail truck and flagged him down.<br /><br />Act One: Wary Home Companions:<br />Reporter Ruth Padawer tells the story of a woman goes to her neighbors with an incredible request—to help care for her son after she dies—and is shocked by their response. Ruth Padawer writes for the <em>New York Times Magazine</em> and teaches at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.<br /><br />Act Two: Baby Steps:<br />The story of a father who relies on the help of his neighbors in order to take his baby daughter out on a walk. Actor Daniel Beirne reads this excerpt from Ryan Knighton's book <em>C'mon Papa: Dispatches From a Dad in the Dark</em> (which is not yet available in the US).<br /><br />Act Three: Witness for the Poo-secution:<br />Ira Glass tells the story of how science is being used to fight the ultimate neighborhood plague: Dog poop.<br /><br />Act Four: There Go The Neighbor Hoods:<br />In the midst of a real estate dispute, Jim O'Grady becomes the target of an unusual neighborhood watch group. He told this story onstage at the Moth.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>420</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>419: Petty Tyrant</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/419/petty-tyrant</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/419/k2KSmQ6DZpGAZkw6EYSojJsR2O2gWqO21lAXFFAmYek/419.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The rise and fall of a school maintenance man in Schenectady, New York who terrorized his staff and got away with it for decades.</itunes:subtitle><description>The rise and fall of a school maintenance man in Schenectady, New York who terrorized his staff and got away with it for decades.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass introduces the story of Steve Raucci, by way of an anecdote about a contraband space heater. It seems that everyone who knew Raucci experienced something he did that was just a bit...off.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Sarah Koenig tells Raucci's story—the story of a virtuoso tyrant and bully, a man who made himself feared and untouchable, in a place where no one thought to look for a tyrant.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Sarah Koenig's story continues. This is the 'fall' half of the rise and fall of Steve Raucci, including secret recordings of the man himself.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>419</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>418: Toxie</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/418/toxie</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/418/dOS9rLndcyLQCIrdQT5tKXGwxu8A-q1P6NH4jdQq2ic/418.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Reporters from Planet Money bought a toxic asset that turned out to be an encyclopedia of the financial crisis.</itunes:subtitle><description>Reporters from Planet Money bought a toxic asset that turned out to be an encyclopedia of the financial crisis.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass explains how the Planet Money team spent a thousand dollars of their own money to buy a toxic asset, and introduces Planet Money reporters David Kestenbaum and Chana Joffe-Walt. Their stories about "Toxie" have appeared on the Planet Money podcast and daily public radio news shows, and are collected here for the first time, into one epic, Dickensian tale.<br /><br />Act One: Fire Sale in Kansas City:<br />David and Chana buy a toxic asset, from a guy named Wit Solberg, who used to work on Wall Street and now helps small banks who've been saddled with toxic assets. Turns out...it's hard to buy a toxic asset.<br /><br />Act Two: An Old Man Chooses Between Logic and Morals. Logic Wins.:<br />David and Chana try to track down the actual homeowners in their toxic asset. The toxic asset is made up of 2000 mortgages all over the country.<br /><br />Act Three: Flipper. Not the Dolphin.:<br />David and Chana discover a dark criminal plot inside their toxic asset.<br /><br />Act Four: Villains And How To Sue Them:<br />David and Chana meet another toxic asset owner, like themselves. Only difference, David and Chana bought theirs after it was already toxic, for a steep discount, 99% off.<br /><br />Act Five: Toxie In a Coma. I Know. It's Serious.:<br />David and Chana's toxic asset, which has acquired the nickname Toxie, gets sick. And the payments that it's supposed to provide them every month stop.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>418</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>417: This Party Sucks</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/417/this-party-sucks</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/417/Oo4HbGrKMjHK5Ob82Mj2lOPZYfgKiIAowDaZqBNeU1E/417.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Two best friends get tired of yelling at their TVs and decide to form a Tea Party chapter to effect political change.</itunes:subtitle><description>Two best friends get tired of yelling at their TVs and decide to form a Tea Party chapter to effect political change.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Republican Bill Jerke, a very conservative former Colorado State Legislator known as a tax "enemy," has a surprising job this election season. He's going around to lots of different conservative groups and urging voters NOT to vote for three Colorado ballot initiatives that would cut state taxes so severely, they'd essentially strangle state government from here on out.<br /><br />Act One: Patriot Games:<br />Rich Carlson and Tom Swenor, two best friends in Michigan, got so fed up with the political process in the country, they decided to form their own Tea Party chapter in Petoskey, Michigan. But as election season revved up and push came to shove, Rich and Tom had very different ideas about how to advance a conservative agenda.<br /><br />Act Two: Mr. Hitt Goes To Washington.:<br />Jack Hitt has spent the last two years watching the Obama administration lose the news cycle and war of soundbites to Republicans day after day. Watching the Democrats run away from issues like health care reform and middle class tax cuts, Hitt wonders if there is some secret long-term master plan the Democrats are deploying, or if they're just incompetent.</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>417</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>416: Iraq After Us</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/416/iraq-after-us</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/416/wZV_i4MQn9Sf3spcpgdr0GfQ4p7Txux8VIS9m4dhbHQ/416.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We spend a month in Iraq talking to Iraqis and Americans about the war that tore the country apart.</itunes:subtitle><description>We spend a month in Iraq talking to Iraqis and Americans about the war that tore the country apart.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass speaks with reporter Larry Kaplow and producer Nancy Updike, who spent a month in Iraq as the US combat mission was ending, in August 2010, talking to Iraqis. They play excerpts from a conversation they had with a Shiite professor&mdash;who had pizza recently with a Sunni friend, and realized just how tense things still are in Iraq.<br /><br />Act One: What Just Happened?:<br />To understand where we are today in Iraq, we tell the story of one Iraqi, Saad Oraibi Ghaffouri Al-Obeidi, also known as Abu Abed&mdash;a man who fought alongside the US during the surge, and is now in exile&mdash;and what he saw, and was part of, over seven years of the war.<br /><br />Act Two: Politics as Usual:<br />Larry and Nancy head to Diyala Province north of Baghdad, and meet with a mayor and a member of the provincial council&mdash;like a state legislature&mdash;to see why is politics in Iraq utterly stalled.<br /><br />Act Three: Today in Babylon:<br />The worst violence ended two years ago. Iraq is stable.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>416</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>415: Crybabies</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/415/crybabies</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/415/2QHTxsmA_X2UDMSOjCaQrCJLa1YHUpO9y3LJLX90zW4/415.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of crybabies in sports, in politics, on Wall Street, on the streets of California.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of crybabies in sports, in politics, on Wall Street, on the streets of California.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass with Dave Weigel, political reporter for Slate.com, about manufactured outrage in American politics, and how it's an effective way to bring in cash and mobilize your followers, as Christine O'Donnell and former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer have demonstrated.<br /><br />Act One: Wall Street: Money Never Weeps:<br />Ira with Planet Money economics correspondent Adam Davidson on why—even after everything President Obama has done to save Wall Street, actions which have led to record profits and bonuses—Wall Street seems ungrateful. Adam and producer Jane Feltes head out to a Wall Street bar where they're told by three finance guys that there's no reason to thank the President for saving their jobs. Planet Money is a co-production of <em>This American Life</em> and NPR News.<br /><br />Act Two: Foul Play:<br />Ira with <em>This American Life</em> producer Alex Blumberg, about a kind of institutionalized crybabying in pro basketball called "the flop." Alex started to wonder if the story basketball fans tell themselves about the origins of the flop is true, and turned to Tommy Craggs at the sports blog Deadspin.com.<br /><br />Act Three: The Squeaky Wheelchair Gets the Grease:<br />In California, a kind of crybaby cottage industry has popped up around, of all things, the Americans with Disabilities Act—the federal law that requires all public places to meet a minimum level of accessibility. Some people make a living by suing business owners for not being up to code.<br /><br />Act Four: Cry Me a Liver:<br />A fable about being a crybaby, from David Sedaris' new book of animal fables, <em>Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>415</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>414: Right to Remain Silent</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/414/right-to-remain-silent</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/414/9LnhmPDfZBX3RoRoN9l0MBDjE9o17h1V-NuG-T_l79U/414.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A New York police officer secretly records his supervisors ordering officers to do all sorts of things that police aren't supposed to do.</itunes:subtitle><description>A New York police officer secretly records his supervisors ordering officers to do all sorts of things that police aren't supposed to do.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira introduces this week's show, which includes two stories of people who speak up when most people would keep quiet.<br /><br />Act One: The First Rule of the Apple Store: Don't Talk About the Apple Store:<br />One day, Joe Lipari had a frustrating encounter with a worker at the Apple Store. And then Joe did what a lot of us would do: He vented.<br /><br />Act Two: Is That a Tape Recorder in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Unhappy to See Me?:<br />For 17 months, New York police officer Adrian Schoolcraft recorded himself and his fellow officers on the job, including their supervisors ordering them to do all sorts of things that police aren't supposed to do. For example, downgrading real crimes into lesser ones, so they wouldn't show up in the crime statistics and make their precinct look bad.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>414</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>413: Georgia Rambler</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/413/georgia-rambler</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/413/JIoIo3aLPT2G2J1RyAN8dx3P7dVgkkK7_OXrdmgmods/413.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Nine of us go to small towns in Georgia to ask around until we find stories.</itunes:subtitle><description>Nine of us go to small towns in Georgia to ask around until we find stories.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass speaks with Charles Salter, the original Georgia Rambler, about his column from the 1970s.<br /><br />Act One: Meriwether County:<br />David Kestenbaum finds that the most unforgettable person in this county is a dead guy. A guy named Franklin Delano Roosevelt.<br /><br />Act Two: Hall County:<br />Comedian Eugene Mirman meets three friends all named Matt who claim they are the most unforgettable people in this county: Quiet Matt, Big Matt and Artist Matt.<br /><br />Act Three: Pickens County:<br />Allen Wigington, former Chief Deputy at the Pickens County Sheriff's department, now magistrate judge, tells the story a soldier killed in Iraq&mdash;Specialist David Collins&mdash;arriving back home in Georgia to be buried.<br /><br />Act Four: Chattooga County:<br />Producer Lisa Pollak learns some of the things people in Chattooga are talking about, thanks to a Summerville News column called "Soundoff." (7 minutes)<br /><br />Act Five: Coffee County and Bacon County:<br />Producer Jane Feltes speaks with Adam Vickers, one of the owners of Vickers Music in the town of Douglas.<br /><br />Act Six: Twiggs County:<br />Sarah Koenig drives to Jeffersonville, a town of about 1200, and when she asks who is the most interesting person in town, she's led to Sonya Mallory.<br /><br />Act Seven: Elbert County:<br />Chuck Salter, son of Georgia Rambler Charles Salter, Sr., visits a man named Windell Cleveland, who was interviewed by his father 33 years ago. Chuck is a senior writer at <em><em>Fast Company Magazine</em></em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>413</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>412: Million Dollar Idea</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/412/million-dollar-idea</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/412/EpD1yrBr9ZegPKEDzyPU6hIcgYN7HjeHuxF9NxdPXWw/412.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Michael Larson made the most money ever on the game show Press Your Luck. And it was no accident.</itunes:subtitle><description>Michael Larson made the most money ever on the game show Press Your Luck. And it was no accident.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Hanco's and Henry's are two restaurants in Brooklyn that sell Vietnamese sandwiches and bubble tea. Their menus are identical, down to the order of the items, the layout, the fonts.<br /><br />Act One: Going Up?:<br />In the world of engineers and investors, there's something called the "elevator pitch." It's what you'd say if you ran into a rich investor in an elevator, and had only 60 seconds to sell your product. The concept is so common that MIT actually hosts a contest for the best elevator pitch.<br /><br />Act Two: The Invention of Cheese:<br />Comedian Kumail Nanjiani makes his pitch for a product you may have heard of. His story was recorded at Comix in New York.<br /><br />Act Three: Get Rich or Die Trying:<br /><em>Planet Money</em>'s Chana Joffe-Walt has this story about a really ambitious million dollar idea: Getting people to see the good side of death. Planet Money is a collaboration between NPR and <em>This American Life</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: Don't Hate The Player:<br />Shawn Allee tells a story of the oldest kind of million dollar idea, the scam. Or was it an honest venture? Back in the 1980s Michael Larson made the most money ever on the game show Press Your Luck.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>412</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>411: First Contact</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/411/first-contact</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/411/nQSSMOoMpTJZ9pnGjCAYt5ID7GbbdpenSOjBnruP7hQ/411.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of first encounters with unknown and distant beings—girls, foreigners, and perhaps even aliens.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of first encounters with unknown and distant beings—girls, foreigners, and perhaps even aliens.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira speaks with Scott Krepel—via his interpreter Marc Holmes—about what happened when Scott got cochlear implants as a kid and could suddenly hear for the first time.<br /><br />Act One: Error at First Base:<br />Ira Glass mentions a very silly mistake he made with a girl when he was in junior high. Then comedian Mike Birbiglia tells the story of his rocky foray into the world of making out with girls.<br /><br />Act Two: Brothers from Another Planet:<br />Sara Blaisdell tells the story of a group of Iraqi brothers whom her husband Sam befriended over the internet, and has been speaking with weekly for almost seven years. Their surprisingly intimate relationship has pulled Sam into a world that few Americans can access.<br /><br />Act Three: Intergalactic Cold Call:<br />Ira Glass speaks with Paul Davies, chair of the Post-Detection Task Force of SETI. That stands for the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, and Paul’s task is to figure out what to say to space aliens if we find them.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>411</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>410: Social Contract</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/410/social-contract</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/410/fvxQfi6bGD6YZU_z2U58L8wqVdaf74WaOIps-xo0_1s/410.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Richard Ravitch has helped fix three governmental crises, so what makes it so much harder for him to solve the state's current financial crisis?</itunes:subtitle><description>Richard Ravitch has helped fix three governmental crises, so what makes it so much harder for him to solve the state's current financial crisis?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />We hear recordings from all over the country&mdash;and the world&mdash;of politicians arguing over budgets.<br /><br />Act One: Mister Fix It:<br />Richard Ravitch has helped fix three governmental crises, including when New York City nearly went bankrupt in 1975. What's changed, to make it so much harder for him to solve the state's current financial crisis? Host Ira Glass reports.<br /><br />Act Two: If You Were Stranded on a Desert Island and Could Only Bring One Economic Plan...:<br />Why is it that Barbados and Jamaica faced almost identical financial crises, but now Jamaica is incredibly poor and Barbados is prospering? Alex Blumberg reports on the surprising strategy Barbados used to survive its crisis. Alex first learned about this story from a paper by Peter Blair Henry, the dean of the Stern School of Business at New York University.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>410</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>409: Held Hostage</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/409/held-hostage</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/409/iR7XkM_HakEan5YvQdbz_8gYkHEJhZzMxSDuj6KEBgY/409.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people held captive — by criminals, by paperwork, and in one man's case, his own body — and the ways they try to cope.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people held captive — by criminals, by paperwork, and in one man's case, his own body — and the ways they try to cope.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass speaks with a man named Daniel Johnson, who is in the K&amp;R business. That's the kidnap and ransom business, where a company helps you negotiate to get back your loved one.<br /><br />Act One: Captive Audience:<br />So much kidnapping happens in Colombia that the biggest radio station in the country has a show aimed specifically at an audience of kidnapping victims. Reporter Annie Correal tells the story.<br /><br />Act Two: Misdeeds:<br />An angry man in New Orleans seeks revenge against people who bought property that he formerly owned and that was seized by the city. The homeowners find themselves trapped in a morass of paperwork, court visits...and worse.<br /><br />Act Three: I've Fallen In Love and I Can't Get Up:<br />Four years ago, Matt Frerking started having attacks where he simply couldn't move his body.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>409</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>408: Island Time </title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/408/island-time</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/408/OZi4Zf0ZTOWPEYZNVSwY6paWBqSig6FfhZuXN3akqdA/408.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Blanketing a country in aid and money has never really worked so well. Is there a chance things could be different in Haiti?</itunes:subtitle><description>Blanketing a country in aid and money has never really worked so well. Is there a chance things could be different in Haiti?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Four months after the earthquake in Haiti, Ira Glass talks to Haitian reporter Joseph-Romuald Felix while Romuald tours a tent camp in the Petionville suburb of Port au Prince. Romuald talks to four children—two of them have eaten this day, two have not.<br /><br />Act One: 10,000 Brainiacs:<br />Adam Davidson and Chana Joffe-Walt from Planet Money follow one Haitian farmer, with the modest crop of two mango trees, through a byzantine system of aid agencies, NGOs, and government bureaucracy as the farmer tries the impossible—to get some plastic milk crates to store and transport her mangoes. Planet Money is a co-production with NPR News.<br /><br />Act Two: Compound Fracture:<br />Apricot Irving grew up on a missionary compound in Limbe, in the north of Haiti, and visits the missionary hospital there. It's pretty well stocked and staffed but, oddly, kind of a ghost town.<br /><br />Act Three: Haiti is Destiny:<br />Short story writer Ben Fountain tours Port au Prince with his best friend—one of the few eye doctors in the country—and glimpses a cautionary future for us all. Ben Fountain is the author of the short story collection <em>Brief Encounters with Che Guevera</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>408</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>407: The Bridge</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/407/the-bridge</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/407/uFsRMmWcWXnoP2IoKMUwSFQoHC_16J3giI9KDGJEQJU/407.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of bridges from three different countries, including one in China that's famous for its massive size and its high suicide rate.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of bridges from three different countries, including one in China that's famous for its massive size and its high suicide rate.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira speaks with Richard Dorsay, who became famous in 2004 when police learned that for years Richard and a friend had been living inside of a Chicago bridge. And this was no ordinary bridge.<br /><br />Act One: Troubled Bridge Over Water:<br />There is a four mile long bridge in Naan-jing China, famous for how many people jump off to commit suicide. In 2003, a man named Chen Sah began spending all of his weekends on the bridge, trying to single handedly stop the jumpers.<br /><br />Act Two: Bridge and Tunnel:<br />In the Middle East, hundreds and hundreds of tunnels connect the Gaza strip and Egypt, allowing supplies to bypass the Israeli blockade against Hamas-controlled Gaza. Producer Nancy Updike speaks with Ira about the tunnels, and plays tape from an interview she conducted with a tunnel owner.<br /><br />Act Three: Throw the Book at Them:<br />Isaiah Thompson tells the story of the Julia Tuttle Causeway in Miami, a bridge that became home to a population of sex offenders, after a powerful lobbyist named Ron Book helped make it illegal for them live almost anywhere else in the city. Isaiah Thompson is a reporter and columnist for the <em>Philadelphia City Paper</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>407</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>406: True Urban Legends </title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/406/true-urban-legends</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/406/ZbyGQEKbgYphfnpRDBaEplFSWA0C9nVPXHNWl5yokio/406.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Can a rat crawl through your plumbing and end up in your toilet?</itunes:subtitle><description>Can a rat crawl through your plumbing and end up in your toilet?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass investigates two urban legends&mdash;alligators in the sewer, rats in the toilet&mdash;to find out if they're true.<br /><br />Act One: What's That Smell?:<br />A retired millionaire tries to understand the reality of a tough, seedy, inner city neighborhood. But what if the neighborhood is none of those things? Ira Glass evaluates the claims of this millionaire, Steve Poizner, who is also running for governor of California.<br /><br />Act Two: Fleeing is Believing:<br />Foreigners arrive in the United States believing all kinds of misinformation about us...misinformation that turns out to be true. Mary Wiltenburg tells the story.<br /><br />Act Three: Sleeper Cell:<br />Do cell phones give people brain tumors? Ira speaks with Christopher Ketcham, who wrote an article on this subject for GQ magazine.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>406</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>405: Inside Job</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/405/inside-job</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/405/FdmGXFtdC6yZkpr_Sm45MfzQD5yS2VcZpyKOpYiuux8/405.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The inside story of one company that made hundreds of millions of dollars for itself while worsening the financial crisis for the rest of us.</itunes:subtitle><description>The inside story of one company that made hundreds of millions of dollars for itself while worsening the financial crisis for the rest of us.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks about a friend who for years had a very trusted business partner and bookkeeper, until one day when he ran away with all of her money.<br /><br />Act One: Eat My Shorts:<br />A hedge fund named Magnetar comes up with an elaborate plan to make money. It sponsors the creation of complicated and ultimately toxic financial securities...while at the same time betting against the very securities it helped create. Planet Money's Alex Blumberg teams up with two investigative reporters from ProPublica, Jake Bernstein and Jesse Eisinger, to tell the story.<br /><br />Act Two: Taking a Big Pink Eraser to the Thin Blue Line:<br />Michael May tells the story of Barry Cooper, a former crooked narcotics cop who has turned his interest elsewhere...to busting crooked narcotics cops. But after Cooper and a rich benefactor team up to set a trap for the police, Barry's plans are put in jeopardy—including his dream of creating a reality show called "Kop Busters." Michael May is the Culture editor at the Texas Observer.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>405</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>404: Enemy Camp (2010)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/404/enemy-camp-2010</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/404/8rVQDbTSIEmF2qffrtx-es4Pde1LRJ31lUZ5N3-FKKo/404.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Living behind enemy lines, among the enemy, it's sometimes hard to remember why you're fighting in the first place.</itunes:subtitle><description>Living behind enemy lines, among the enemy, it's sometimes hard to remember why you're fighting in the first place.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Behind enemy lines, sometimes people get confused about whose side they're on...and how to fight the enemy.<br /><br />Act One: Confession:<br />Patrick Wall was a special kind of monk. He was a fixer.<br /><br />Act Two: Blood Agent:<br />You can divide all living creatures into two camps. We humans are in one camp, along with lots of other things like dogs and birds and trees and caterpillars.<br /><br />Act Three: As The Worm Turns:<br />Another story about parasites. When Jasper Lawrence learned that hookworms might lessen the effects of his allergies, he set out on a unique mission: To travel to West Africa and purposefully become infected with the parasite.<br /><br />Act Four: Sleeping With The Enemy:<br />A short story, "Fatso," by Etgar Keret from his collection "The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God." A woman reveals to her boyfriend that she's not always what she seems, especially at night. Matt Malloy reads.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>404</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>403: NUMMI (2010)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/403/nummi-2010</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/403/faM01HEy1suf20MjOLe5e-Ej-zzVqXiquiTa-0ZsjAc/403.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A car plant in Fremont California that might have saved the U.S. car industry.</itunes:subtitle><description>A car plant in Fremont California that might have saved the U.S. car industry.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass introduces the story of the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., aka NUMMI. In 1984, General Motors and Toyota opened NUMMI as a joint venture.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />The rise of NUMMI, or how one of the worst auto plants in America started producing some of its best cars, thanks to lessons learned from the Toyota production system.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Why did it take so many years for GM to begin implementing the lessons of NUMMI across the company? NPR Automotive Correspondent Frank Langfitt continues his story.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>403</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>402: Save the Day</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/402/save-the-day</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/402/gDYAlE-Nya0yqBIEaLCUi7Sxc_aT4X2D2jGxfQGoY7E/402.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about one person single-handedly taking charge of a situation gone wrong.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about one person single-handedly taking charge of a situation gone wrong.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />When Luke Davies was 11 years old in Australia, his family moved from the boring suburbs to an incredibly fun place: a tourist park full of attractions, where his dad had gotten a job. There, he was considered kind of a wimpy kid, until he got his chance to save the day.<br /><br />Act One: Midlife Cowboy:<br />James Spring had hit his late 30s, and found his life utterly unremarkable. He needed to do something big.<br /><br />Act Two: I'd Like To Spank The Academy:<br />For the last 13 years, the University of Montevallo in Alabama has held an event called "The Life Raft Debate," where several professors take the stage and each tries to convince the students that his or her discipline—chemistry, say, or communications—is the most essential field of study. But in 2007, a professor named Jon Smith decided that the debate itself needed saving.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>402</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>401: Parent Trap</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/401/parent-trap</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/401/24bxVAs444KvhngkcWfipZJ_2-QS54ZHSVgAkE47hLk/401.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A chimp is raised twice—once as a human child, and again as a chimp.</itunes:subtitle><description>A chimp is raised twice—once as a human child, and again as a chimp.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />When Dave Hill was in his late 20s and still basically living at home, he hung out with his mom a lot. But once she used particularly sneaky tactics to get him to attend a church fundraiser.<br /><br />Act One: Letter Day Saint:<br />Rebecca was 16 years old when her mother Elizabeth died of cancer. But before she died, she wrote letters to Rebecca, to be given to her on her birthday each year for thirteen years.<br /><br />Act Two: Opposite Of Tarzan:<br />Lucy was a chimpanzee raised in captivity, who adopted a surprising number of human traits. But this proved problematic—in quite unexpected ways—when her adoptive human parents decided that Lucy should be released in the wild.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>401</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>400: Stories Pitched by Our Parents</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/400/stories-pitched-by-our-parents</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/400/Hegt-rOY9tlK1yb05FQuoBJnIyWbX1noMNDqSeMzyKc/400.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We try to turn their random ideas into actual stories.</itunes:subtitle><description>We try to turn their random ideas into actual stories.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to his dad and stepmom about a story his dad thought might be good for the radio, concerning a mishap with a lost suit on a train. Ira then gathers the&nbsp;producers and announces a contest: Whoever makes the best story out of their parent's&nbsp;pitch wins.<br /><br />Act One: Lisa's Mom's Story:<br />Funny Funerals.<br /><br />Act Two: Nancy's Dad's Story:<br />The Erie Canal.<br /><br />Act Three: Alex's Dad's Story:<br />Corporate Personhood.<br /><br />Act Four: Robyn's Dad's Story:<br />One Switch.<br /><br />Act Five: Alissa's Mom And Sarah's Mom:<br />Two short ideas that didn't work out so well as full stories.<br /><br />Act Six: Jane's Dad's Story:<br />Harry Brakeman University.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>400</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>399: Contents Unknown</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/399/contents-unknown</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/399/ACvPtopF1yMi6wtkWLWUY_XdyprI3iqeECDMEAZ2UE4/399.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A man finds himself in a train station in India, with no idea how he got there or who he is. That, and other stories of filling in the blank.</itunes:subtitle><description>A man finds himself in a train station in India, with no idea how he got there or who he is. That, and other stories of filling in the blank.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />On every British nuclear submarine, there is a safe. Inside that safe is another safe.<br /><br />Act One: Needle In A Crapstack:<br />If you don't pay the rent on a self storage unit, eventually all of your stuff can go up for auction. But the people bidding aren't allowed to dig around.<br /><br />Act Two: He Shapes Ship Shapes By The Sea Shore:<br />Fred van Doorninck and George Bass were unlikely candidates for pioneering underwater Byzantine archaeology—Fred hates water, and George found the Byzantine era boring. But that's exactly what they did, when they devoted 50 years to uncovering the mysteries of a shipwreck.<br /><br />Act Three: The Answer To The Riddle Is Me:<br />On October 13, 2002, David MacLean woke up in India with no memory of who he was or how he got there. He had no choice but to let the people who recognized him—and even strangers—fill in his identity.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>399</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>398: Long Shot</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/398/long-shot</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/398/nj18fmRUQNos07aipEuphVW4hQSag9-i_1N-BOGbc9E/398.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people betting on something with very bad odds.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people betting on something with very bad odds.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to Leo Paur, coach of a high school football team in Utah that hasn't won a game in two and ahalf seasons, about how he motivates his team to keep going after so many crushing defeats. Namely: You decide that you're about to turn things around.<br /><br />Act One: Hasta La Vista, Maybe:<br />In California, Maryland and Oklahoma, the governors can over-rule parole boards' decisions to free prisoners serving life sentences. In all three states this has evolved to the point where very few prisoners get released.<br /><br />Act Two: House Dutiful:<br />When Wells Tower started to try to fix up and save his dad's house, he knew it'd be incredibly hard. Lots of people told him not to.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>398</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>397: 2010</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/397/2010</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/397/BDoSx1AXGJBvPGxUHnCBMZsJj-r8PKZk5az8mofSAlA/397.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We asked our contributors to predict real events that will happen to them and the people they know in 2010.</itunes:subtitle><description>We asked our contributors to predict real events that will happen to them and the people they know in 2010.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass goes with Ashli Lewis to a San Francisco psychic to find out if a longstanding prophecy about her is going to come true in 2010.<br /><br />Act One: Chronicle Of A Death Foretold:<br />Shalom Auslander knows his next door neighbor will die in 2010. He's the author, most recently, of the memoir <em>Foreskin's Lament</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: Lewis Time:<br />Ira with teachers Shraddha Subramaniam and Samantha Cato, and their 2010 predictions for their sixth grade students at Intermediate School 303 in the Bronx, especially a student named Lewis de la Cruz.<br /><br />Act Three: Potus Operandi:<br />Jonathan Menjivar has been thinking a lot about 2010 lately, especially about one upcoming event: The birth of his daughter. Jonathan's one of the producers of NPR's <em>Fresh Air</em>.<br /><br />Act Four: Nostra-mom-us:<br />When it comes to predictions, Etgar Keret only trusts one person in his family: His mom. She's amazingly accurate.<br /><br />Act Five: Funny You Don't Look Two-ish:<br />Adam Davidson and Alex Blumberg from our Planet Money team report on economic forecasts for 2010 and what they can and cannot accurately predict. Planet Money is a co-production of <em>This American Life</em> and NPR News.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>397</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>396: #1 Party School</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/396/1-party-school</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/396/VJJ1h995JYIAkH25mPoK0Deb9Sk6NU4X3Z9ALq59ono/396.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The show goes to Penn State to report on tailgating, frat parties, and other alcohol-induced mayhem.</itunes:subtitle><description>The show goes to Penn State to report on tailgating, frat parties, and other alcohol-induced mayhem.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass visits <em>This American Life</em> producer Sarah Koenig at her house in State College PA, a few blocks from Penn State's campus, on a weekend night near one in the morning. They witness all kinds of alcohol-induced mayhem.<br /><br />Act One: I'm Not As Think As You Drunk I Am:<br />Most of the <em>This American Life</em> production staff spent the weekend at Penn State, and found that drinking is the great unifier at the school. Ira Glass, Sarah Koenig, Lisa Pollak and Jane Feltes report on tailgating parties, frat parties, an article of clothing known as a "fracket," and a surprising and common drunken crime.<br /><br />Act Two: If God Isn't A Penn State Fan, Then Why Is The Sky Blue And White?:<br />Because of the University, State College is in the only county in Pennsylvania where GDP grew in 2008. Producer Nancy Updike visited with local businesses and learned several tips for thriving at the nation's top party school.<br /><br />Act Three: Talk To The Paw:<br />The same year Penn State was named #1 party school, State College was named the safest metropolitan area in the country. Producer Aaron Scott goes out with a State College police officer to see what it takes to keep it safe.<br /><br />Act Four: A Drinking School With A Football Problem:<br />Administrators have tried everything to curb drinking at Penn State, and nothing has worked. Producer Sarah Koenig reports on why this issue is so hard to tackle, and on how students react when a student dies from alcohol poisoning.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>396</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>395: Middle of the Night</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/395/middle-of-the-night</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/395/PD95GgrSWq-v8I9ATUk1gNIDpi2z0q1_IQO-X-iLohA/395.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who are up while the rest of us are sleeping.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who are up while the rest of us are sleeping.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass remembers one of his favorite jobs, as a temp typist working at night in New York City. And we hear from a group of teenagers who create unique fun during the middle of the night when none of their classmates are awake.<br /><br />Act One: Orange You Glad I Didn’t Say Banana?:<br />Adam Davidson and Chana Joffe-Walt from Planet Money head to the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx, a bustling area of vegetable and fruit commerce that only comes alive at night. Planet Money is a co-production of NPR News and <em>This American Life</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: It Was A Dark And Smoky Night:<br />Jenifer Hixson tells the story of walking alone at night, and meeting a woman who was out for the very same reason. Jenifer performed the story live in front of an audience at the storytelling series The Moth.<br /><br />Act Three: The Early Bird Catches The Chicken:<br />When a new Chick-Fil-A sandwich shop opens, people line up 24 hours in advance to be one of the hundred people to get a free year's worth of chicken sandwiches. Comedian/musician Dave Hill and writer Shaina Feinberg headed down to Orlando, Florida to experience the night before an opening.<br /><br />Act Four: Midnight Run:<br />Producer Nancy Updike speaks with Specialist Lindsay Freeland of the Oregon National Guard about the trips Freeland takes at night in Iraq, providing security for convoys heading to forward operating bases.<br /><br />Act Five: Bump In The Night:<br />Producer Jane Feltes talks with her parents about staying up at night with a sick child—specifically, after Jane had a serious injury when she was six.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>395</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>394: Bait and Switch</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/394/bait-and-switch</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/394/-qHfJll8Rmd0WYXZgClJKqk7NmW-tB9t44_om6acG3Y/394.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The story of man who tries to investigate a neighborhood crime and ends up in jail himself.</itunes:subtitle><description>The story of man who tries to investigate a neighborhood crime and ends up in jail himself.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />A Holiday Inn comes up with a brilliant scheme to increase their roomservice orders. Former room service waiter Cliff Doerksen says there was only one problem with the plan...and it came down to a big, ridiculous, floppy hat.<br /><br />Act One: Neighborhood Watch:<br />A couple in Texas find a seemingly abandoned car and think they've stumbled across a crime scene. And they're right...but not in the way they imagined.<br /><br />Act Two: Raw Sex:<br />Ira talks with David Ellis Dickerson about some of the bait and switch techniques David used when he was an evangelical trying to bring converts to the Church. Then Ira talks with author and evangelical Jim Henderson, who argues that evangelicals should follow Jesus's example not through conversion, but by simply befriending non-believers.<br /><br />Act Three: Friends With Economic Benefits:<br />Anna Boiko Weyrauch talks with a woman in the West African country of Ghana about the internet dating scams she has pulled on white Americans. The woman says she felt guilty about the scams and eventually came clean to her marks.<br /><br />Act Four: Me And Cherry:<br />A few years back, Bill Cotter was a rare book binder who decided to get into the rare book selling business. To do this, he financed his business on a bunch of low-interest credit cards.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>394</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>393: Infidelity</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/393/infidelity</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/393/DJd4cURisOoHRF6w4T9rSzfOFdEBXGfVueuQ5PjaLXU/393.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of cheating, cheaters and the cheated.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of cheating, cheaters and the cheated.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks with Jessica Pressler, who writes the Daily Intel blog for <em>NewYork Magazine,</em> about a phenomenon she noticed in the wedding notices in <em>The New York Times</em>. Couples were cheerfully telling—as part of their "meet cute" stories—how their relationships began with one of them cheating on a spouse or long-time partner.<br /><br />Act One: Let Me Kiss Your Stiff Upper Lip:<br />From England, Ruby Wright has a story of an affair where—even years after it ended—it wasn't much discussed. Ruby Wright's radio show <em>Ruby's Chicky Boil-Ups</em> airs every other Sunday on Radionowhere.<br /><br />Act Two: The Italian Job:<br />Ira reviews some infidelity stats from his mother's book on the subject, <em>Not Just Friends</em>. And author James Braly tells a story of temptation at The Moth.<br /><br />Act Three: How Did I Get Here?:<br />Act two showed us a moment before infidelity occurs. In this act, Dani Shapiro has a story about the confusing mess things can be during an affair.<br /><br />Act Four: The Man Who Knew What I Was About To Say:<br />Etgar Keret describes the moment in the immediate aftermath of an affair. Actor Matt Malloy reads.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>393</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>392: Someone Else's Money</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/392/someone-elses-money</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/392/tpAhXirta028frdBMIwCQjbyVJYYmeeRSBJGJVE0LyI/392.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A deeper look inside the health insurance industry and the dark side of prescription drug coupons.</itunes:subtitle><description>A deeper look inside the health insurance industry and the dark side of prescription drug coupons.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to Rob Lamberts, a doctor and blogger in Georgia, who describes the crazy world of medical billing, where armies of coders use several contradictory different systems of codes...and none of it makes us healthier.<br /><br />Act One: One Pill Two Pill, Red Pill Blue Pill:<br />Planet Money's Chana Joffe-Walt explains why prescription drug coupons could actually be increasing how much we pay, and prevent us from even telling how much drugs cost.<br /><br />Act Two: Let's Take Your Medical History:<br />Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson recount how four accidental steps led to enacting the very questionable system of employers paying for health care.<br /><br />Act Three: Insurance? Ruh Roh!:<br />Planet Money correspondent David Kestenbaum investigates the growing popularity of pet insurance, and what it reveals about insurance for people.<br /><br />Act Four: Sorry Johnny... It's Only Business.:<br /><em>This American Life</em> producer Sarah Koenig reports on a very surprising reason why insurance companies dump members, and how this reasoning contradicts President Obama's argument for what will lower health care costs.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>392</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>391: More Is Less</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/391/more-is-less</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/391/HIfCnznnUcN3VY742Kox2NKzgQfZVUbSOhmwdA7UG9M/391.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>An hour explaining the American health care system—specifically, why it is that costs keep rising.</itunes:subtitle><description>An hour explaining the American health care system—specifically, why it is that costs keep rising.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Former Bush Administration official David Frum explains a very surprising fact about Bush's economic failure, as it relates to health care. Frum is a regular contributor to the radio show Marketplace.<br /><br />Act One: Dartmouth Atlas Shrugged:<br />Are doctors to blame for the rising costs? NPR Science Correspondent Alix Spiegel reports on the shocking results of studies about varied health care spending. Hear more health care stories this week from Alix at npr.org.<br /><br />Act Two: Every Cat Scan Has Nine Lives:<br />Or is the problem the patients? Producer Lisa Pollak reports.<br /><br />Act Three: Who Would Win In A Fight Between A Polar Bear And An Insurance Company?:<br />Or maybe the insurance companies are to blame? Producer Sarah Koenig reports.<br /><br />Act Four: Now What?:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with Susan Dentzer, editor of the journal <em>Health Affairs</em>, about what current health reform proposals do to fix the rising costs of healthcare...And points at a surprising, kind of heartening phenomenon happening within the current debate.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>391</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>390: Return To The Giant Pool of Money</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/390/return-to-the-giant-pool-of-money</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/390/GL2Mv9LbIxe4sbNEzvtyAtc0JZLPVX0pP83X0QuyFyw/390.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We mark the anniversary of the economic collapse.</itunes:subtitle><description>We mark the anniversary of the economic collapse.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with NPR correspondent Adam Davidson about a black tie event he attended in the spring of 2008. The event was an awards dinner for finance professionals who created the mortgage-based financial instruments that nearly brought down the global economic system.<br /><br />Act One: Spring 2008:<br />We replay sections from the original "Giant Pool of Money," in which <em>This American Life</em> producer Alex Blumberg teams up with NPR's Adam Davidson to tell the story of how the U.S. got itself into a housing crisis. They talk to people who were actually working in the housing, banking, finance and mortgage industries, about what they thought during the boom times, and why the bust happened.<br /><br />Act Two: Fall 2009:<br />We catch back up with the people we met in 2008, to see how they've fared over the last 18 months. We talk to Clarence Nathan, who in 2008 received a half million dollar loan that he said he wouldn't have given himself; Jim Finkel, a Wall Street finance guy, who put together and managed complicated mortgage-based financial securities; Richard Campbell, the Marine who was facing foreclosure; and Glen Pizzolorusso, the mortgage company sales manager who led the life of a b-list celebrity.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>390</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>389: Frenemies</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/389/frenemies</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/389/SlppGczkdpG52b4XDOmV2hQo_aZNtOQ9TnytoH2vHR0/389.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Tales of estranged sisters, BFFs breaking up, and how reality stars walk the fine line between making friends and getting famous.</itunes:subtitle><description>Tales of estranged sisters, BFFs breaking up, and how reality stars walk the fine line between making friends and getting famous.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass plays tape of two women who ended up as frenemies.They kept trying to be friends, but couldn't help themselves from fighting. Ira then speaks with psychologist Julianne Holt-Lunstad who has run scientific studies to answer the question: Why don't we simply end these troubling kinds of friendships? Holt-Lunstad's research also shows that these relationships are much more common than you might think.<br /><br />Act One: Chasing Amy:<br />Family members can easily be frenemies. You're stuck with them.<br /><br />Act Two: I Am Here To Make Frenemies:<br />We head to deep inside the natural habitat of frenemies: Reality TV. Rich Juzwiak is a full-time blogger for VH1 and his own pop-culture blog which means he's spent a lot of time watching and dissecting reality TV shows.<br /><br />Act Three: The Word Frenemy:<br />Ira talks with lexicographer Erin McKean about the origin of the word frenemy.<br /><br />Act Four: Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace:<br />David Rakoff demonstrates—in rhyme—how to make a wedding toast for people you never wanted to see married in the first place. Rakoff is the author of several books, most recently <em>Half Empty</em>.<br /><br />Act Five: The Case Of The Long Lost Frenemy:<br />Ira talks to a woman about a childhood friend of hers who mysteriously shows up after decades, for reasons that are only revealed as their correspondence unfolds.</description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>389</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>388: Rest Stop</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/388/rest-stop</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/388/RSV73A068soXoB0hMfovdmsJW8LXRvECEzmDWusxioI/388.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Nine radio reporters. Two days. One rest stop on the New York State Thruway.</itunes:subtitle><description>Nine radio reporters. Two days. One rest stop on the New York State Thruway.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Host Ira Glass describes scenes from a rest stop on the New York State Thruway, the Plattekill Travel Plaza, and the kind of people you might meet if you ever stayed long enough to talk with them. These include Robert Woodhill, the general manager, who needs a good sales day so he can beat his friend Andy, who manages a rest stop in Maine, in their weekly competition.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />More stories of travelers and workers at a highway rest stop. The competition between Plattekill and Maine continues.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>388</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>387: Arms Trader (2009)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/387/arms-trader-2009</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/387/xWQogNtyShDhnvldt1W9qDeV2luu7s-Y4QZlHkq7WMc/387.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The U.S. government spent two years on a sting operation trapping an Indian man suspected of being an illegal arms dealer.</itunes:subtitle><description>The U.S. government spent two years on a sting operation trapping an Indian man suspected of being an illegal arms dealer.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass describes a recent terrorism case in Newburgh, N.Y., in which four men were arrested after planting bombs in front of a synagogue and Jewish community center. Ira discusses the case with Aziz Huq, assistant professor at the University of Chicago Law School and co-author of <em>Unchecked and Unbalanced: Presidential Power in a Time of Terror.</em> Huq says the Newburgh case isn't what it seems, because without the help of a government informant, the four men probably wouldn't have been able to organize an act of terrorism.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Hemant Lakhani, an Indian-born British citizen, had been a salesman all his life. Clothing, rice, oil...it didn't matter to him what, as long as he could spin a deal.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Our story about Hemant Lakhani's case continues, through the sting and the trial.<br /><br />Act Three: Act Three:<br />Ira talks to Aziz Huq about whether cases like Lahkani's will continue to be pursued under the Obama administration, and why that's problematic.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>387</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>386: Fine Print</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/386/fine-print</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/386/WzpcY3pDFaK8SiDbCCVpELjJL5Taco9WRZdVmJBqNxc/386.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories where the fine print changes everything, whether you read it or not.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories where the fine print changes everything, whether you read it or not.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks about the infamous line in the band Van Halen's contract insisting that the groups' dressing room include a bowl of M&amp;Ms with all the brown M&amp;Ms removed. Ira used to think this request was just petulant rock-star behavior.<br /><br />Act One: Side Effects May Include...:<br />In Tehran in 2004, Omid Memarian confessed to doing things he'd never done, meeting people he'd never met, following plots he'd never heard of. Why he did that, and why a lot of other people have confessed to the same things, is all in the fine print. <em>This American Life</em> producer Nancy Updike tells the story.<br /><br />Act Two: Occupancy May Be Revoked Without Notice:<br />David Rakoff tells the story of a contract between a son and his visiting mother. David Rakoff is the author of several books including <em>Don't Get Too Comfortable</em>.<br /><br />Act Three: Restrictions May Apply:<br />Ira goes to one of the nation's great manufacturers of fine print: The U.S.Congress. He reports on a recent House subcommittee hearing on a practice in the health insurance industry—buried in that industry's own fine print—called rescission.<br /><br />Act Four: May Be Hazardous To Children:<br />Susan Burton rereads her parents' divorce papers—the fine print that changed her life forever.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>386</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>385: Pro Se</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/385/pro-se</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/385/TieVi2KDgSNLqkua56Fnec6Af88h4jZ3agz63BBt6a4/385.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>It's tempting to act as your own lawyer, to argue your own cause.</itunes:subtitle><description>It's tempting to act as your own lawyer, to argue your own cause.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass describes the scene at a courthouse resource center in lower Manhattan where people learn how to represent themselves in civil court. Attorney Ruth Sharfman, who assists at the center, tells Ira that some of the pro se litigants are more prepared for the job than others.<br /><br />Act One: Psycho Dabble:<br />From London, <em>TAL</em> contributor Jon Ronson tells the story of a man who has spent more than a decade trying to convince doctors that he's not mentally ill. But the more he argues his case, the less they believe him.<br /><br />Act Two: Disorder In The Court:<br />Earlier this year, admitted drug user Jorge Cruz decided to act as his own lawyer in an Albany, New York criminal court. Impossibly, he won.<br /><br />Act Three: Swak Down:<br />Jeff Simmermon tells a story from his days as a student teacher, about a time when he decided to forgo all the rules, and administer frontier justice on the fly. This story was recorded in front of an audience at the Moth storytelling series.<br /><br />Act Four: Underling Gets An Underling:<br />Stef Willen tells Ira about a time that she took matters into her own hands, even though she was only a lowly production assistant on a reality show.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>385</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>384: Fall Guy</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/384/fall-guy</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/384/eCog-xAevE3A6QAbAx3pgOxUxWCEVQ6TQGL25cZv4Dw/384.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>When things go wrong, it's easy to pin it all on one person and watch them go down in flames.</itunes:subtitle><description>When things go wrong, it's easy to pin it all on one person and watch them go down in flames.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to Rich Farrell, writer and former addict, about the code of silence he learned as a kid, and the times he took the fall for his friends' misdeeds.<br /><br />Act One: Beat It:<br />Mike Birbiglia explains the chain of events that resulted in him becoming the fall guy for his entire high school, and how it took him a while to catch on to what was happening. This story was recorded live in front of an audience in Cambridge, Mass.<br /><br />Act Two: Be Careful Who You Love:<br />The story of a famous but not well-understood political fall guy, someone who became a scapegoat for American policies worldwide. Philip Gourevitch writes about listening to nine hours of interviews with Lynndie England, the American servicewoman photographed at Abu Ghraib prison holding a leash with a naked, Iraqi prisoner on the end of it.<br /><br />Act Three: Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough:<br />Planet Money's Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson talk to Ira about the lawsuit phase of the economic crisis, and the ongoing search to find someone to take the blame. So far at least 196 lawsuits are simply banks suing other banks.<br /><br />Act Four: Man In The Mirror:<br />In big families, there's often one kid who always gets blamed when something goes wrong. But Shalom Auslander came from a small family, so the role of fall guy was up for grabs.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>384</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>383: Origin Story (2009)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/383/origin-story-2009</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/383/Y1uMuOLsxBwN2ZbHnEbqKZJeTtf83-AHMEfkSNsiiwA/383.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Little-known and surprising stories of how all sorts of institutions began.</itunes:subtitle><description>Little-known and surprising stories of how all sorts of institutions began.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to business professor Pino Audia and <em>Fast Company</em> magazine columnist Dan Heath about corporate creation myths, and why so many of them involve garages.<br /><br />Act One: Mad Man:<br />Producer Sarah Koenig tells the story of her father, Julian Koenig, the legendary advertising copywriter whose work includes the slogan "Timex takes a licking and keeps on ticking" and Volkswagen's "Think Small" ads. For years Sarah has heard her dad accuse a former partner of stealing some of his best ideas, but until recently she never paid much attention.<br /><br />Act Two: The Secret Life Of Secrets:<br />Ira tells the story of the 1953 U.S. Supreme Court case that formed the basis for the controversial state secret privilege—the precedent that allows the United States government to stop lawsuits by claiming that national security secrets might be revealed in court.<br /><br />Act Three: Wait Wait...Don’t Film Me.:<br />Peter Sagal, host of NPR's <em>Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me</em>, tells Ira the origin story of one of the worst movie sequels ever made.<br /><br />Act Four: Bill Clinton’s 7-year-old Brother:<br />Reporter Mary Wiltenburg tells the story of a little boy stymied by the question "Where do you come from?" (8 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>383</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>382: The Watchmen</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/382/the-watchmen</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/382/eYreRf5yNNUnYYHmpdRIpijabtIG9ufrMi2Icj6rYVE/382.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Where were the regulators and watchdogs who were supposed to be overseeing the banks and the finance industry?</itunes:subtitle><description>Where were the regulators and watchdogs who were supposed to be overseeing the banks and the finance industry?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with Michael Perrino, a law professor at St Johns University School of Law in New York, who wrote a book about Ferdinand Pecora called <em>The Hellhound of Wall Street</em>. Pecora was the lead attorney in the Senate Banking Committee hearings in the 1930s looking into wrongdoing in the banking industry.<br /><br />Act One: Investigation Report #1:<br />Planet Money reporter Chana Joffe-Walt asks a simple question: Who was the federal regulator who was supposed to be regulating AIG? The answer turns out to be far from simple.<br /><br />Act Two: Investigation Report #2:<br />Alex Blumberg and NPR correspondent (and "Planet Money" reporter) Dave Kestenbaum examine what went wrong with the credit ratings agencies. When all these financial instruments that brought down our economy—the mortgage backed securities, the derivatives—were originally issued, the rating agencies (Standard and Poors, Moody's and Fitch) gave many of these things their top rating of triple-A.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>382</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>381: Turncoat</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/381/turncoat</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/381/tfZgMsvl0hU-wyyAn83rIA0fncsXNFb3h687A7NB09k/381.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A well-known activist is accused of spying on other activists for the FBI.</itunes:subtitle><description>A well-known activist is accused of spying on other activists for the FBI.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira talks with reporter My Thuan Tran of <em>The Los Angeles Times</em> about how San Jose City Councilwoman Madison Nguyen went from being the "golden child" of the Vietnamese community to someone who faced weekly protests and a hunger striker. Turns out red-baiting is alive and well in the Vietnamese-American community.<br /><br />Act One: Code Red:<br />The story from the prologue continues.<br /><br />Act Two: My Way Or The FBI Way:<br />Brandon Darby was a radical activist and one of the founders of the incredibly effective relief organization Common Ground. Michael May reports on how Darby changed from a revolutionary who wanted the overthrow of the U.S. government into an informant working with the FBI against his former radical allies.<br /><br />Act Two: Part Two:<br />Michael May's story about Brandon Darby continues.<br /><br />Act Four: If The Shoe Fits:<br />Actor Matt Malloy reads a short piece of fiction called "Shoes," about a boy trying not to be a turncoat. It's from Etgar Keret's book of short fiction <em>The Busdriver Who Wanted to Be God, and Other Stories</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>381</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>380: No Map</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/380/no-map</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/380/sB1tNxM8DEJPZupveIqdj-raUd1-Pom6wnOCv9jgnB8/380.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who find themselves in situations far from the beaten path, without guidelines or useful precedents.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who find themselves in situations far from the beaten path, without guidelines or useful precedents.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks a veteran police officer about a time in his 20s when he gets sent to a car accident—and it turns out the driver at fault was a nicely dressed chimpanzee. The chimp seemed harmless enough until the other police officer on duty tries to arrest the chimp&amp;'s owner.<br /><br />Act One: The Mod Squad:<br />Reporter Chris Arnold visits a foreclosure prevention event to find out the painful truth about the mortgage crisis: 90% of foreclosures are being enforced by servicing companies not because it helps the banks to foreclose, and not because home owners aren't interested in renegotiating their loan terms, but because there's just no system in place to handle the sheer volume of loans that need help.<br /><br />Act Two: Where’s King Solomon When You Need Him?:<br />Reporter Ted Gesing interviews Mike Nyberg about adopting a little girl from Samoa, only to learn over time that her Samoan family had no intention of giving her up for adoption. The US adoption agency had told the Nybergs that their adoption would be closed, and that their little girl Elleia had been living in a foster home waiting for adoptive parents; but in Samoa, Elleia's parents were told that their daughter could come to the US and receive a better education, and that the adoptive family would send money and regular updates on their daughter's progress.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>380</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>379: Return to the Scene of the Crime</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/379/return-to-the-scene-of-the-crime</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/379/1Qq3_TjSQADE6wvgJLgs1_GFBYnPd3ERFpCSaPpkCWc/379.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A live episode of the radio program, including stories told on stage by Dan Savage and Mike Birbiglia.</itunes:subtitle><description>A live episode of the radio program, including stories told on stage by Dan Savage and Mike Birbiglia.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />There's a town in Florida where if you shoplift, and get caught, a judge will send you back to the scene of your crime to stand in front of the store, with a large sign that reads "I stole from this store." Ira and producer Lisa Pollak talk to one such teenager who was caught stealing from a convenience store, the supervisor overseeing her punishment, and the judge who sends her there.<br /><br />Act One: D-u-why?!:<br />Mike Birbiglia recalls being in a car accident with a hit and run drunk driver. In the weeks that follow, Mike's brush with death turns into a full blown nightmare when the police report is so poorly filled out that somehow Mike winds up owing the drunk driver 12 thousand dollars&#8230;not because it's fair, but because he can't get anyone to listen to him.<br /><br />Act Two: Return To The Scene Of The Scene:<br />Ira invites <em>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</em> creator Joss Whedon to perform a song from his <em>Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog</em> DVD extra commentary, which is a musical satire that pokes fun at the idea of DVD commentary.<br /><br />Act Three: Our Man Of Perpetual Sorrow:<br />Dan Savage points a finger at the Catholic Church for being the kind of criminal organization that drives him to atheism—despite the fact that he still wants to believe he'll see his mom in heaven someday. Dan writes the sex advice column Savage Love and is the author of several books including <em>The Commitment</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>379</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>378: This I Used to Believe</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/378/this-i-used-to-believe</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/378/hZ8CmQzBoW15GdHewAPM6v6psMYqfipnnzcPJTNdLzg/378.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people forced to let go of their firmly held beliefs.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people forced to let go of their firmly held beliefs.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to Jay Allison, who is in charge of the team at This I Believe, an essay series. Jay wonders why Ira's never contributed an essay about what he believes.<br /><br />Act One: Scrambled Nest Egg:<br />One day in January Alex French got a call from his mom, saying that she'd been laid off. A few hours later she called to say that so had his dad.<br /><br />Act Two: Team Spirit In The Sky:<br />This past Christmas a story swept the internet about a football coach at a Christian high school in Texas who inspired his team's fans to root for the opposition: A team from the local juvenile correctional facility. Among the thousands of emails that the coach received in response to his actions, one stood out to him.<br /><br />Act Three: Methinks Thou Dost Protest Too Much:<br />When Molly Antopol was in 7th grade she learned what abortion was—and it sounded to her like murder. Her mom, a pro-choice activist made it her mission to change her daughter's mind.<br /><br />Act Four: Pants Pants Revelation:<br />Joel and Kate were both working in a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. They both like each other, and she tries to impress him by always wearing her favorite pair of jeans.</description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>378</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>377: Scenes From a Recession</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/377/scenes-from-a-recession</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/377/Egja8jzRWNDzI1AzGfPnDvViJRufInWqGWlGQmGQzMQ/377.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We highlight the unusual circumstances our economic drought has left us in.</itunes:subtitle><description>We highlight the unusual circumstances our economic drought has left us in.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass notes the sub-industry in journalism right now of reporting anything that looks like a sign of the recession. He then goes on to list a handful of his own favorites, including a dentist who's seen an increase in broken teeth from grinding, and a decrease in shark attacks.<br /><br />Act One: Is The Condo Half Empty, Or Is The Condo Half Full?:<br />Ira goes to Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood to talk to some condo owners who are in a precarious situation—since the housing market crash, the developer who renovated and sold them their units—Haso Meseljevic—has all but disappeared. He's in foreclosure on half of their building's units.<br /><br />Act Two: Unbreaking The Bank:<br />NPR reporter and Planet Money contributor Chana Jaffe-Walt reports this story of what it really looks like when a bank fails and is taken over by the FDIC. She talks to the former employees and a handful of FDIC staff about the Friday night when the Bank of Clark County was interrupted and closed by 80 FDIC employees, who had every step of their secret operation down to a science.<br /><br />Act Three: Short-circuit City:<br />We hear 5 employees of different Circuit City store locations read their accounts of what it was like when the largest electronics chain in the US had less than 2 months to liquidate its entire inventory and close its doors.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>377</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>376: Wrong Side of History</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/376/wrong-side-of-history</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/376/3j1aiyz1q-0DR1lUIVRkYiFDbbEjoH7jRvkuW6DdsCc/376.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people with wildly popular or unpopular views for one moment in time, and how those views stand up years later.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people with wildly popular or unpopular views for one moment in time, and how those views stand up years later.<br /><br />Madoff:<br />Host Ira Glass speaks with Harold Wilshinsky about a piece of advice he gave to his daughter and son-in-law over 15 years ago: Take your money out of the hands of Bernie Madoff, and diversify. Reluctantly, they listened to Harold, even though his son-in-law's family was making a fortune investing with Madoff.<br /><br />Act One: Hey Mister Dj:<br />For NPR's Adam Davidson, dropping out of college is the worst thing any young person can do in this economy. So when Adam's favorite cousin DJ does just that, Adam brings in a professor of economics from Georgetown University to help persuade DJ to get back on the right track.<br /><br />Act Two: Does This Suit Make Me Look Terrorist To You?:<br />Rany Jazayerli was thrilled when one of his closest friends, Mazen, was hired by the Obama campaign as the liaison to the Muslim community, in the months before the presidential election. It only took 3 weeks for a newspaper to attack his character, and for Mazen to resign from the job of a lifetime.<br /><br />Act Three: Family Feudalism:<br />Sketch comedy troupe Kasper Hauser performs a radio game show, where a race car driver, a guy fluent in middle English, and a teacher take turns cramming all the 21st century wisdom they can into a 30 second phone call to the 14th century.<br /><br />Act Four: The Other Guy:<br />When Bernie Epton ran for mayor of Chicago in 1983, he was a long shot—Chicago historically voted in democrat mayors, and Bernie himself didn't think he stood a chance. Beyond that, Bernie was a moderate republican, with some liberal tendencies: He was a opponent of McCarthyism, he marched in Memphis after Dr.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>376</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>375: Bad Bank</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/375/bad-bank</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/375/4lwNrUdtVvsPEKMc6D3sgr0lv7fuAMZ48wOL6kiai3E/375.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We tackle a very tough subject: Trying to explain exactly what a bank is and does.</itunes:subtitle><description>We tackle a very tough subject: Trying to explain exactly what a bank is and does.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass plays clips from TV in a recent senate hearing and talks about how confusing the current banking crisis is.&nbsp; But fortunately today, we have the team that brought us our show that explained the mortgage crisis a year ago, back to explain entire the banking system in 40 minutes.<br /><br />Act One: The Collapse Of The Us Banking System Explained In Just 39 Minutes:<br />Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson tackle a very tough subject: Trying to explain exactly what a bank is and does. They talk to a number of experts about what has gone wrong in banking, but not before bringing us all up to speed on some banking basics, like understanding a bank balance sheet, and a bank's assets and liabilities, and the squishy business of what banks say about their balance sheets compared to what they are.Alex and Adam walk us step by step through the complications of the US government buying up bad assets from banks, and explain why, when it comes to footing the bill, the government might just prefer to not be in charge of the very banks it is having taxpayers bailout.<br /><br />Act Two: Clean Up Crew:<br />Not everyone hates the idea of "toxic assets." Reporter Lisa Chow goes to New Jersey to follow two guys on their quest to clean up some of America's bad mortgages—by buying them, and going straight to the homes themselves to have a look at how dire the situation really is.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>375</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>374: Somewhere Out There</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/374/somewhere-out-there</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/374/DVImUqZj2Ime3-UrBChTewo63CwLSJxwui1Ro4uSfpA/374.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Of the billions of people in the world, what are the odds that any two people are a real match?</itunes:subtitle><description>Of the billions of people in the world, what are the odds that any two people are a real match?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />NPR reporter David Kestenbaum tells host Ira Glass about the time, when he was doing graduate work in physics, he and his other single friends decided to figure out the mathematical probability that they'd find girlfriends. They wanted to know what the chances were that there was more than one person in the world for them.<br /><br />Act One: It’s Not Over Til The Fat Man Sings:<br />When Eric Hayot was 23, he went on an exchange program to China one summer. He took an opera class on a lark, and before he knew it, he was on stage, singing the part of a famous judge.<br /><br />Act Two: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend:<br />A live performance detailing a humiliating love affair. When comedian Mike Birbiglia was in high school, he fell for a cool girl named Amanda.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>374</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>373: The New Boss</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/373/the-new-boss</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/373/K9RkhUJVdjAR1Fp8tPEoNiKbX4SsjRgF02nirEwqcYs/373.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about what happens when someone new takes over—someone with a vision of how things ought to be.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about what happens when someone new takes over—someone with a vision of how things ought to be.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Dave Hill tells us about his job at a homeless shelter in New York. He liked the job—even the most menial parts.<br /><br />Act One: New Guy on the Job:<br />Dave Hill continues his story. When he talked to a co-worker the morning after his first shift as a night supervisor, he learned that the place isn’t quite what he thought it was.<br /><br />Act Two: A Trust Without Trust:<br />An accountant, Bruce Wisan, is hired by the state of Utah to clean up a very complicated mess in a complicated place: Short Creek, home to hundreds of members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints—or FLDS, which practices polygamy. The community had been run by the notorious Warren Jeffs, now in prison for rape.<br /><br />Act Three: President's Vice:<br /><em>This American Life</em> Senior Producer Julie Snyder talks to Ira about her rather alarming theory regarding the new president's smoking habits.<br /><br />Act Four: The Fifteen Trillion Dollar Dismal Science Project:<br />Our crack economics duo, Producer Alex Blumberg and NPR International Economics Correspondent Adam Davidson, on how a dead, slutty, elitist British man, John Maynard Keynes, is about to take over the American economy. President Obama's new stimulus plan relies on Keynes'; theory, which says that government can spend its way out of a downward economic spiral.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>373</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>372: The Inauguration Show</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/372/the-inauguration-show</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/372/Q1uZ-oQ8yfj3RM9RvriEkOgCSdLBgOHHgzOxt8Ys1MM/372.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>On the eve of Obama's inauguration, we sent reporters out to talk to people about how they're feeling.</itunes:subtitle><description>On the eve of Obama's inauguration, we sent reporters out to talk to people about how they're feeling.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Back in November, two weeks after he was elected president, Barack Obama delivered a pre-taped speech to an international conference on global warming that was convened in Los Angeles by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. It wasn't Obama's most important speech, but the effect it had on the audience was profound&mdash;mostly because they heard it through the haze of the last eight years.<br /><br />Act One: All Your Base Are Belong To Him:<br />The newspaper <em>Military Times</em> did a survey of 2000 active duty servicemen and women, asking them about the new president. Presented with the statement, "As president, Barack Obama will have my best interests at heart," 36 percent agreed...43 percent disagreed.<br /><br />Act Two: Playground Politics:<br />In this act, kids from the after-school literacy program "826" in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Chicago and Ann Arbor read letters they wrote to Barack Obama. The letters are part of a book the kids published, called <em>Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country</em>.<br /><br />Act Three: Lions And Lambs:<br />When Barack Obama chose Rick Warren of Saddleback Church to give a prayer at his inauguration, gay and lesbian groups cried foul, because of Warren's past remarks about homosexuality and gay marriage. But Rick Warren's constituents—Christian conservatives—also got angry.<br /><br />Act Four: Punching the Clock in the Enthusiasm Factory:<br />Well over two years ago, long before the country chose Barack Obama...a company called Tigereye Design in Greenville, Ohio chose him. The owners liked Obama as a candidate and they approached him and asked if they could make buttons and posters and yard signs for the campaign and its online store.<br /><br />Act Five: On the Court With the Clock Running Down:<br />Barack Obama's transition team made it clear this week that the incoming president plans to order the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp on his first full day in office. It's also likely that he'll immediately suspend the military commissions held there—the special courts the military set up in Guantanamo that have been widely criticized as unfair to the detainees. <em>This American Life</em> Producer Sarah Koenig talked to one of the military lawyers currently defending a Guantanamo detainee about all this—what's going on there, and what should happen next.<br /><br />Act Six: Vox Obamali:<br />We asked reporters all over the country to go out and talk to people about what they're thinking as Barack Obama gets ready to take office. We got dozens of hours of interviews.</description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>372</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>371: Scenes From a Mall</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/371/scenes-from-a-mall</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/371/xl__5BRSkA6I4iYii-ZAng801r_5JQKnzM1jHEyPGV4/371.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We document life in a mall in Tennessee during the run-up to Christmas.</itunes:subtitle><description>We document life in a mall in Tennessee during the run-up to Christmas.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Most media stories set in shopping malls don't really tell you much about what it feels like for the people who work in a big retail operation, or for the people who hang out at the mall. Because the mall's more than just sales.<br /><br />Act One: Love Line:<br />We meet Russell, 19, the best mobile phone salesman in the mall &mdash; and possibly anywhere. His talent for sales is matched only by those of his girlfriend, Chandler, 18, a waitress.<br /><br />Act Two: Not Dead Yet:<br />Yes, some stores are going out of business in the Cool Springs Galleria, but it's just two stores. We talk to staff at one store that’s closing down, and at another, in the food court, where business is great.<br /><br />Act Three: Santa Fight Club:<br />A tale of two Santas. There's Tim Conaghan, a full-time professional Santa with a big belly and a real flowing white beard.<br /><br />Act Four: Job: Security:<br />In a part of the mall no shoppers ever see, there's a snug, dark little room with 43 TV screens, one for each of the cameras in the hallways and parking lots, the roof and the loading dock. We hang out with the security people who work in there, seeing what they see.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>371</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>370: Ruining It for the Rest of Us</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/370/ruining-it-for-the-rest-of-us</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/370/3uyJkyoda4VbABI1izv-E6O17xn2Lv_H4BE1wl5qtKE/370.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people who ruin things for everyone else, or who are accused of that.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people who ruin things for everyone else, or who are accused of that.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />A bad apple, at least at work, can spoil the whole barrel. And there's research to prove it.<br /><br />Act One: Shots In The Dark:<br />Measles cases are higher in the U.S. than they've been in a decade, mostly because more and more nervous parents are refusing to vaccinate their kids. Contributing Editor Susan Burton tells the story of what happened recently in San Diego, when an unvaccinated 7-year-old boy returned home from a trip to Switzerland, bringing with him the measles.<br /><br />Act Two: Tragedy Minus Comedy Equals Time:<br />Comedian Mike Birbiglia talks about the time he ruined a cancer charity event, by giving the worst performance of his life. (Here's a hint: He improvised.<br /><br />Act Three: Disturbing The Peace Train:<br />There's this haven on the U.S. railroad—the Amtrak Quiet Car. You can't yammer on your cell phone in the Quiet Car, or yuck it up with your friends, or even talk above a murmur.</description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>370</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>369: Poultry Slam 2008</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/369/poultry-slam-2008</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/369/feNVvdgbhtEbBDE7-WjvKOzB97Fph0MSekdmdgyasRQ/369.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A man in Pakistan buys an amulet with the power to protect anyone from harm. He tests it out on a chicken.</itunes:subtitle><description>A man in Pakistan buys an amulet with the power to protect anyone from harm. He tests it out on a chicken.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass point out that it's not enough this time of year that we eat millions of turkeys. Someone also went to the trouble to make up a song about turkeys getting the supernatural power to play baseball.<br /><br />Act One: You Gotta Ask Yourself One Question: Do You Feel Clucky? Well...do Ya, Punk?:<br />Greg Warner was living in Pakistan, on the border of Afghanistan, when he met a man—a tough guy, former smuggler—who wanted to break his friend out of prison. He'd bought an expensive amulet, to keep his friend safe during the breakout.<br /><br />Act Two: Winged Migration:<br />Kathie Russo's husband was Spalding Gray, who was best known for delivering monologues onstage—like "Monster in a Box," and "Swimming to Cambodia." On January 10, 2004, he went missing. Witnesses said they saw him on the Staten Island Ferry that night.<br /><br />Act Three: A Pastor And His Flock:<br />Working in a poultry processing plant is one of the most unpleasant jobs you can get in this country. It's low-paid, dangerous and difficult.<br /><br />Act Four: Twistery Mystery:<br />Wayne Curtis has been puzzling over an unexplained meteorological phenomenon involving chickens...a riddle that's nearly two centuries old. Wayne is the author, most recently, of <em>And A Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails</em>.<br /><br />Act Five: Chicken Coop For The Soul:<br />A short story about an orthodox Jewish man who dies on the operating table and goes to heaven. Where he meets God.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>369</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>368: Who Do You Think You Are?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/368/who-do-you-think-you-are</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/368/JgI83vzjiCg-7JXYnaem3OHFUY7CpGQ7wvstrpK4DBE/368.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of privilege and the lengths some will go to to maintain it.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of privilege and the lengths some will go to to maintain it.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to Kathy from Hoboken, NJ, who has become obsessed with people who get away with parking violations in her town—where parking is scarce and parking laws are enforced vigilantly. Except when they aren't.<br /><br />Act One: Hard Times:<br />Studs Terkel, the Chicago reporter who recorded oral histories of ordinary Americans, died last week. We assembled a collection of his work from his <em>Hard Times</em> radio series, in which people talk about their experiences during the Depression—how everyone simultaneously became poor, regardless of their class.<br /><br />Act Two: What A Difference An Election Day Makes:<br />Ira talks to Rev. Donald Sharp, of Faith Tabernacle Church in Chicago.<br /><br />Act Three: Putting The Cart Before The Porsche:<br />Sara was raised in a fancy suburban neighborhood with strict parents who liked to flaunt their wealth—with his and hers Porsches, for instance. But when Sara was 12, her mother and father sat her down in the den with her siblings, and told them that their father had done a terrible thing, and their lives were about to change forever.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>368</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>367: Ground Game</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/367/ground-game</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/367/T0rdBOP2s2sghXckBPOB9G9ve7PL5Fzn6guEECQBO5M/367.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We go to Pennsylvania to figure out why both McCain and Obama think they can win there.</itunes:subtitle><description>We go to Pennsylvania to figure out why both McCain and Obama think they can win there.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass goes to a McCain rally in Lehigh, PA, outside of Allentown. Obama has double-digit leads over McCain in almost every poll.<br /><br />Act One: Scranton:<br />In Scranton, there's a "Citizens for McCain" office. But really, it's a "Democrats for McCain" office; flipping Democrats is vital if McCain is going to win.<br /><br />Act Two: State College:<br />While McCain gathers stray Democrats, Obama is trying to find new ones—in the reddest part of the state. To do that, his campaign has launched enormous registration drives, especially among college students.<br /><br />Act Three: Union Halls:<br />No one much likes to talk about it out loud, but everyone knows it's true: There are a lot of people out there who say they won't vote for Obama because he's black. To fight this problem, Richard Trumka, secretary treasurer of the AFL-CIO, has been traveling around the country giving a speech to fellow union members.<br /><br />Act Four: State College, Part Two:<br />We continue our story about voter registration in State College, where there are only a few days left until the registration deadline.<br /><br />Act Five: Scranton, Part Two:<br />Nancy Updike's story about Democrats for McCain continues.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>367</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>366: A Better Mousetrap (2008)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/366/a-better-mousetrap-2008</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/366/QxRXI3Erfo6YON01EmB9_e1ByAI5VpCIrydbYMsxIro/366.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about people trying to find new solutions to age-old problems.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about people trying to find new solutions to age-old problems.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with Andy Woolworth, an executive vice president in charge of new product development at the world's largest manufacturer of mousetraps, Woodstream Corporation, in Lititz, Pennsylvania. About once a month, Andy is contacted by someone who thinks he's invented a better mousetrap.<br /><br />Act One: Mother Of Invention:<br />Karen Sosnoski's one-year-old son, Anton, was born with what's known as Mosaic Down Syndrome, a rare condition where some of his cells have the extra chromosome that causes Down syndrome and other cells don't. So as he grows, he could end up having all the health risks and challenges of Down syndrome...or just a few of them.<br /><br />Act Two: Financial Mousetrap:<br />Looked at one way, the current flailing economy is a victim of invention—Wall Street invention. Investors and banks and brokers created all sorts of stuff the world would've been better off without.<br /><br />Act Three: Everything Must Go:<br />Nellie Thomas sold ammunition illegally on the South side of Chicago. He made a good living—in cash.<br /><br />Act Four: The Not-for-profit Motive:<br />To deal with the financial crisis, our own government has also had to reinvent itself, with questionable consequences. <em>This American Life</em> producer Alex Blumberg and NPR's financial reporter Adam Davidson talk to Brad Setser, an economist at the Council on Foreign Relations who used to work at the U.S. Treasury.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>366</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>365: Another Frightening Show About the Economy</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/365/another-frightening-show-about-the-economy</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/365/CHngN1Cmy139PSCdpSHxDjlBXjtyKUs1vG0D8iASqbM/365.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A look at what regulators could've done to prevent the financial crisis from happening in the first place.</itunes:subtitle><description>A look at what regulators could've done to prevent the financial crisis from happening in the first place.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass goes to Union Square, a 15-minute subway ride from Wall Street, where it doesn't look like we're on the edge of an economic abyss.<br /><br />Act One: The Day The Market Died:<br />Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson recount the 36-hour period, two weeks ago, when the credit markets froze. Plus, what it's like now for businesses to get short-term loans, and how the hardship is spreading to every sector of the economy.<br /><br />Act Two: Out Of The Hedges And Into The Woods:<br />One more confusing financial product that's bringing down the global economy. And one of way to think about this product is this: If bad mortgages got the financial system sick, this next thing you're about to hear about, helped spread the sickness into an epidemic.<br /><br />Act Three: Swap Cops:<br />Ira talks with Michael Greenberger, a former commodities regulator, who tells the story of when it was decided not to regulate credit default swaps. And how that decision was emblematic of the way we didn't regulate a lot of the toxic financial products we're hearing about now.<br /><br />Act Four: What's Next?:<br />Ira and Adam answer the question: Was the $700 billion bailout bill signed into law today a good idea or a bad one? (10 minutes)</description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>365</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>364: Going Big</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/364/going-big</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/364/RvtnkXIf23bShTnoMrgRc40-25cmQdWou126rxTWkSo/364.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about people who take grand, sweeping approaches to solving problems of all sorts.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about people who take grand, sweeping approaches to solving problems of all sorts.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass introduces a story on the most ambitious and hopeful solution to urban poverty in the country—the Harlem Children's Zone. The project's goal is nothing less than changing the lives of thousands of children in Harlem, starting at birth and continuing until they go to college.<br /><br />Act One: Harlem Renaissance:<br />Paul Tough reports on the Harlem Children's Zone, and its CEO and president, Geoffrey Canada. Among the project's many facets is Baby College, an 8-week program where young parents and parents-to-be learn how to help their children get the education they need to be successful.<br /><br />Act Two: Lonely Hearts Club Band...Of One.:<br />Musician David Berkeley has gotten a lot of requests in his life, but none quite like the offer his agent got last year. A fan wanted Berkeley to come to his house and help save his relationship by serenading the troubled couple with a personal concert.<br /><br />Act Three: Prisoner Of The Heart:<br />Writer Doug McGray tells the story of a daughter who wanted to be closer to her mom, and went to extremes to do it. Doug McGray is a fellow at the New America Foundation.</description><pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>364</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>363: Enforcers</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/363/enforcers</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/363/3wSsFL2TGYCt1Sa9PJtPqBBaWGG78Pdyw61yPyImqdI/363.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about people who take the law into their own hands.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about people who take the law into their own hands.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Joe Kocur was a hockey enforcer for the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers, back in the heyday of hockey's tough guys. Kocur talks to host Ira Glass about how a good enforcer keeps other players in line.<br /><br />Act One: Hanging In Chad:<br />Three guys who go by the names Professor So and So, Jojobean and YeaWhatever spend part of each day running elaborate cons on Internet scammers. They consider themselves enforcers of justice, even after they send a man 1400 miles from home, to the least safe place they can bait him: The border of Darfur.<br /><br />Act Two: Now You SEC Me, Now You Don't:<br /><em>TAL</em> producer Alex Blumberg reports on a peculiar Wall Street practice with a dirty-sounding name—naked short selling—and how one of Wall Street's main regulators, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, doesn't seem all that interested in regulating anything. (20 minutes) Alex's story is also going to be on NPR's new Planet Money podcast...which came about after our Giant Pool of Money show, the show Alex did on the mortgage;crisis with NPR's Adam Davidson.</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>363</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>362: Got You Pegged</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/362/got-you-pegged</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/362/TQAsU2mT5NUOBEw3uvYitepZJ54vnh0-5N0BSVLvHP8/362.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Shalom Auslander goes on vacation with his family, and suspects the chatty old man in the room next door is an imposter.</itunes:subtitle><description>Shalom Auslander goes on vacation with his family, and suspects the chatty old man in the room next door is an imposter.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Amy Roberts thought it was obvious that she was an adult, not a kid, and she assumed the friendly man working at the children's museum knew it too. Unfortunately, the man had Amy pegged all wrong.<br /><br />Act One: The Fat Blue Line:<br />While riding in a patrol car to research a novel, crime writer Richard Price witnessed a misunderstanding that for many people is pretty much accepted as an upsetting fact of life. Richard Price told this story—which he describes as a tale taken from real life and dramatized—onstage at the Moth in New York.<br /><br />Act Two: Stereotypes Uber Alles:<br />When writer Chuck Klosterman got back from a trip to Germany, friends asked him what Germans were like. Did nine days as an American tourist make him qualified to answer? In this excerpt of an essay he wrote for <em>Esquire</em> magazine, Chuck explains why not.<br /><br />Act Three: Yes, No or Baby:<br />There are some situations where making judgments about people based on limited amounts of information is not only accepted, but required. One of those situations is open adoption, where birth mothers actually choose the adoptive parents for their child. <em>TAL</em> producer Nancy Updike talks to a pregnant woman named Kim going through the first stage of open adoption: Reading dozens of letters from prospect parents, all of whom seem utterly capable and appealing.<br /><br />Act Four: Paradise Lost:<br />Shalom Auslander tells the story of the time he went on vacation, pegged the guest in the room next door as an impostor and devoted his holiday to trying to prove it. Shalom Auslander is the author, most recently, of the novel <em>Hope: A Tragedy</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>362</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>361: Fear of Sleep</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/361/fear-of-sleep</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/361/jaLtYD06pHOW3DlHWpd67-X0VzEQMWxTv7oV9yjC2ps/361.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Mike Birbiglia talks about the sleepwalking that nearly killed him.</itunes:subtitle><description>Mike Birbiglia talks about the sleepwalking that nearly killed him.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks about his fear of sleep, and reports on other people who have very strong reasons of their own to fear bedtime. (8 minutes)We also hear the sounds of troubled sleepers from a video&nbsp;put together by Doctors Carlos Schenck and Mark Mahowald of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center.<br /><br />Act One: Stranger in the Night:<br />Mike Birbiglia talks about the sleepwalking that nearly killed him. (13 minutes)This story is an excerpt of Mike's one-man show, "Sleepwalk with Me," which also became&nbsp;feature film, produced and co-written by Ira Glass.<br /><br />Act Two: Sleep's Tiniest Enemies:<br />Producers Nancy Updike and Robyn Semien report on critters that can kill sleep: cockroaches and bedbugs.<br /><br />Act Three: The Bitter Fruits Of Wakefulness:<br />Joel Lovell explains why, as an 11-year-old, he trained himself not to fall asleep, and how that had some unintended consequences.&nbsp;(10 minutes)<br /><br />Act Four: Hollywood-Induced Nightmare:<br />Seth Lind explains how he ended up watching Stanley Kubrick's <em>The Shining</em> when he was six years old, and how it led to two years where every night he had trouble falling asleep and nightmares.<br /><br />Act Five: A Small Taste Of The Big Sleep:<br />For some people, the fear of sleep is linked to the fear of death. We hear from some of them.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>361</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>360: Switched at Birth</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/360/switched-at-birth</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/360/TVQ6aCdWbiv9llbOIv6EIyzLGxevIOtIR_jgsvg5vQU/360.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Two babies switched at birth. One of the moms knew but kept it a secret for 43 years. Then she told everybody.</itunes:subtitle><description>Two babies switched at birth. One of the moms knew but kept it a secret for 43 years. Then she told everybody.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass introduces four characters: Kay McDonald, who raised a daughter named Sue, and Mary Miller, who raised a daughter named Marti. In 1994, Mary Miller wrote letters to Sue and Marti, confessing the secret she'd kept for 43 years: The daughters had been switched at birth and raised by the wrong families.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Reporter Jake Halpern tells the story of Marti Miller and Sue McDonald, the daughters who were switched at birth, and the many complications that came with learning the truth.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Jake Halpern tells the mothers' sides of the story. At 69, Kay McDonald had to cope not only with the news that her daughter wasn't her own, but that another mother had known the whole time.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>360</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>359: Life After Death</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/359/life-after-death</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/359/-8J_85yMMT_XbBS_SpZyFwZFpr9lkCHsnF98EywlOa0/359.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people haunted by guilt over their role in others' deaths.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people haunted by guilt over their role in others' deaths.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />One day at church camp, David Maxon challenged the devil to show himself. Just then, a huge thunderstorm started, and David felt sure the devil was behind it.<br /><br />Act One: Guilty As Not Charged:<br />Everyone told Darin Strauss that there would have been no way to avoid hitting the bicyclist who swerved into the path of his car. When the girl died, the police said Darin wasn't at fault.<br /><br />Act Two: Soldier Of Misfortune:<br />When John came back from fighting in Iraq, he refused to leave his house. He was paranoid.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>359</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>358: Social Engineering</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/358/social-engineering</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/358/HNzYvmf0EYBuAx_VVtfNcsq1hqScqFRUs2xcvkuTMIA/358.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of social engineering on a small scale.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of social engineering on a small scale.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Tim White used to be a gang leader in Chicago, but now he's a "violence interrupter" for a program called CeaseFire. Host Ira Glass talks to Tim about his work, and why he thinks it can keep young gang members from killing each other.<br /><br />Act One: Choosers, Not Beggars:<br />Gregory Deloatch and Daniel Canada dreamed of being writers, but normal life—marriage, jobs, paying the rent—always got in the way. To pursue their dream, the two friends embarked on an unusual experiment.<br /><br />Act Two: Take My Bike...please.:<br />When David Ellis Dickerson was 12, he got a new bike, and his father decided to use the occasion to teach David a lesson. But the lesson David learned wasn't the one his father intended.<br /><br />Act Three: Educated Guess:<br />When Amy Silverman's daughter was born with Down syndrome, she followed the advice of all the parents she met: She signed her daughter up for "early intervention" therapy. But her daughter's progress had unexpected consequences, forcing Amy to make a choice she'd never predicted.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>358</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>357: The Truth Will Out</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/357/the-truth-will-out</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/357/fWlGNmK4Oz6HaKPU310BQuvvWvEICDjs-D4UGULISrA/357.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of concealed truths bubbling to the surface, including a new story by Etgar Keret.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of concealed truths bubbling to the surface, including a new story by Etgar Keret.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with a high school senior about the lies she tells her mom, and if she'll ever reveal the truth.<br /><br />Act One: Lieland:<br />Actor Dermot Mulroney reads a new short story by Israeli writer Etgar Keret. Etgar Keret's most recent book is the short story collection, <em>The Girl on the Fridge</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: The Spy Who Bugged Me:<br />Lawrence Wright is a reporter for the <em>New Yorker Magazine</em>, and an author of the bestselling book on Al Qaeda, <em>The Looming Tower</em>. He's also one of the few people in America who can say definitively that he was targeted by the U.S.<br /><br />Act Three: Rosa In The Study With The ATM Card:<br />A woman's elderly father has several hired caretakers who help him throughout the day. When one of the caretakers accuses another one of stealing from father, it's up to his daughter to figure out the truth.</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>357</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>356: The Prosecutor</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/356/the-prosecutor</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/356/pTFJxeVej35InIsANrynSthWPEcfwVwaXcjvzDkdnEU/356.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Things go badly for the lead prosecutor in one of the first high-profile terrorist cases since 9/11.</itunes:subtitle><description>Things go badly for the lead prosecutor in one of the first high-profile terrorist cases since 9/11.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass recalls the case of the so-called Detroit Sleeper Cell—four men, arrested in the weeks after 9/11, accused of plotting terrorist attacks. Ira explains that the entire program will be devoted to the story of the man who prosecuted the case...an up-and-coming prosecutor in the Department of Justice, Richard G.<br /><br />Act One: Conviction:<br />Reporter Petra Bartosiewicz tells the first half of Rick Convertino's story. The Detroit Sleeper case was one of the earliest Justice Department victories in the war on terror.<br /><br />Act Two: Retaliation:<br />Reporter Petra Bartosiewicz's story continues. Tensions between Rick and his bosses at the Justice Department escalate: They demote him, he sues them, they put him on trial for criminal misconduct, in the very same federal court house where we won the Sleeper Cell case.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>356</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>355: The Giant Pool of Money</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/355/the-giant-pool-of-money</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/355/slHR-L5Irb1zEQQA8ruNaKgzdTZcim_6AGsE9Y5E7yQ/355.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>The surprisingly entertaining story of how the U.S. got itself into a housing crisis.</itunes:subtitle><description>The surprisingly entertaining story of how the U.S. got itself into a housing crisis.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with an NPR business and economics correspondent about two gatherings he attended—one at the Ritz Carlton and one at a community college in Brooklyn. The first was an awards dinner for finance professionals who created the mortgage-based financial instruments that nearly brought down the global economic system.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br /><em>This American Life</em> producer Alex Blumberg teams up with NPR's Adam Davidson for the entire hour to tell the story—the surprisingly entertaining story—of how the U.S. got itself into a housing crisis. They talk to people who were actually working in the housing, banking, finance and mortgage industries, about what they thought during the boom times, and why the bust happened.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Alex and Adam's story continues.</description><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>355</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>354: Mistakes Were Made</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/354/mistakes-were-made</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/354/YO4F76SyWiq1kS5OOCHl6fbcyUiR7wghRa9W8JFgawo/354.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Freezing dead people so scientists can reanimate them in the future is a lot harder than it sounds.</itunes:subtitle><description>Freezing dead people so scientists can reanimate them in the future is a lot harder than it sounds.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks about the way most political apologies go, and chats with a man named Derek Jones about similar sorts of apologies among preteen girls and King David, in the Old Testament.<br /><br />Act One: You’re As Cold As Ice:<br />In the late 1960s, a California TV repairman named Bob Nelson joined a group of enthusiasts who believed they could cheat death with a new technology called cryonics. But freezing dead people so scientists can reanimate them in the future is a lot harder than it sounds.<br /><br />Act Two: You’re Willing To Sacrifice Our Love:<br />There's a famous William Carlos Williams poem called "This is Just to Say."&nbsp;It's about, among other things, causing a loved one inconvenience and offering a non-apologizing apology. It's only three lines long, you've probably read it...the one about eating the plums in the icebox.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>354</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>353: The Audacity of Government</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/353/the-audacity-of-government</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/353/K5oGAK54EI-SbHseHSyg8YqKCnLdQd5YH44-hTqz-GE/353.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of the Bush Administration's quest to redefine the limits of presidential power.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of the Bush Administration's quest to redefine the limits of presidential power.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with Yale law professor Jack Balkin about what he calls the Bush Administration's "lawyering style," a tendency to fight as hard as it can, on all fronts, to get what it wants. Ira also plays tape from a news conference with New York Senator Charles Schumer, in which he takes the Justice Department to task for refusing to pay death benefits to the families of two auxiliary policemen who were killed in the line of duty, even though federal law grants those benefits.<br /><br />Act One: The Prez Vs. The Commish.:<br />Ira Glass tells the story of a little-known treaty dispute with far-reaching ramifications for our understanding of executive power. The dispute is between the President and one of his appointees...to the International Boundary Commission with Canada.<br /><br />Act Two: This American Wife:<br /><em>This American Life</em> contributor Jack Hitt uncovers a strange practice within the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.<br /><br />Act Three: 44:<br />Ira Glass interviews Charlie Savage, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the <em>Boston Globe,</em> who's written a book called <em><em>Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy</em></em> about the ways the Bush Administration claims executive powers that other presidents haven't claimed. Charlie talks with Ira about the current candidates for President and their views on the scope of executive power.</description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>353</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>352: The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/352/the-ghost-of-bobby-dunbar</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/352/vnYbXXcDtOZEYxgyZgrT42KiFVtnzOxsg1ddmK-dHr0/352.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>In 1912, a four-year-old boy went missing in Louisiana. Eight months later, he was found. But two grief-stricken mothers both claimed the same boy as their own.</itunes:subtitle><description>In 1912, a four-year-old boy went missing in Louisiana. Eight months later, he was found. But two grief-stricken mothers both claimed the same boy as their own.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />The song "Mystery of the Dunbar's Child" describes Bobby Dunbar's disappearance.<br /><br />Act One: Part One:<br />Margaret Dunbar Cutright starts looking into her grandfather's disappearance.<br /><br />Act Two: Part Two:<br />Margaret meets the living relatives of her grandfather's kidnapper and finally arrives at an incontrovertible truth.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>352</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>351: Return to Childhood</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/351/return-to-childhood</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/351/c05w2bIbKTtKoRph9wwalhl5TgZ25sCA8SQl1H-u-MU/351.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People who try to revisit their childhoods—what they find and what they do not find.</itunes:subtitle><description>People who try to revisit their childhoods—what they find and what they do not find.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with Kayla Hernandez, a seventh-grader who likes to reminisce about when she was a child, back in fifth grade. She visits Room 211 in her school, where her fifth grade class met, and looks at her old books, thinks about what happened there.<br /><br />Act One: Ich... bin... ein... mophead.:<br />Alex Blumberg sets out to find a woman named Susan Jordan, who babysat him and his sister for a year when he was nine. He discovers that each of them remembered something about the other that the other would just as soon forget.<br /><br />Act Two: Punk In A Grey Flannel Suit:<br />A mortgage broker named David Philp discovers that his old punk band from the 1970s is hot in Japan. He decides to leave corporate life and revisit his teenage years by going back on tour, playing music for the first time in two decades.<br /><br />Act Three: Ariel Sharon, Shimon Peres, David Ben Gurion, And Me!:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with contributor Adam Davidson about how Adam's teenage diaries are filled with his dream of someday becoming the prime minister of a country where he does not even reside.<br /><br />Act Four: When We Were Angels:<br />The most innocent possible student uprising imaginable...documented by an actual student, Hillary Frank, using the crude tools of a telephone answering machine and a shiny red boom box.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>351</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>350: Human Resources</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/350/human-resources</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/350/481A76ztoJWo0rpuF5S6-N15QB_c8LzaxomShsNL9pA/350.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Teachers tell us about a secret room in the New York City Board of Education building called "the rubber room."</itunes:subtitle><description>Teachers tell us about a secret room in the New York City Board of Education building called "the rubber room."<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks with a veteran Human Resources administrator about what it's like to fire people, and why it helps if you don't actually use the word "fire." (7 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Rubber Room:<br />We hear from New York City school teachers about a secret room in the New York City Board of Education building. Teachers are told to report there, and when they arrive, they find out they're under investigation for something.<br /><br />Act Two: The Plan:<br />American cities have gone through a massive wave of gentrification in the last few decades. To some people, it's not a natural ebb and flow of the real estate market, but a plot, by rich, mainly white people, to take over the neighborhoods of poor, mainly black people. <em>This American Life</em> producer Jon Jeter reports on how, in neighborhoods all over the country, the plot has a name, "The Plan," and most people you talk to know about it.<br /><br />Act Three: Almost Human Resources:<br />Reporter Charles Siebert talks with Ira about retirement homes for Chimpanzees. Yes, retirement homes for Chimpanzees.</description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>350</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>349: Valentine’s Day 2008</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/349/valentines-day-2008</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/349/z6xEvrRINfxoyv89SrIAnYFRY23fhOynKqaOH34uJEI/349.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about couples that happen decades after the moment their eyes meet.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about couples that happen decades after the moment their eyes meet.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Richard Klein of Cornell University explains that the way we view love really began with love poems in the 13th century—an illusion.<br /><br />Act One: Before And After:<br />Richard Bausch reads his story "Letter to the Lady of the House" from his book, <em>Selected Stories of Richard Bausch</em>. His latest book is called <em>Thanksgiving Night</em>.<br /><br />Act Two: The Over-Protective Kind:<br />Veronica Chater's mother wants to go to a resort in Mexico with a friend. Her father, a former cop with an extravagant sense of security, prepares as if she's headed for a war zone.<br /><br />Act Three: Istanbul:<br />Ian Brown of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on the normal struggle most people experience when they try to stay monogamous. Parts of Ian's story are excerpted from his book, <em>Man Medium Rare</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>349</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>348: Tough Room</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/348/tough-room</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/348/9-dWm7bNQE7QEw5jOQA9VLzIqntiyWwae0tLui95K_M/348.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>We go into the writers' room at The Onion, where they start with over 600 potential headlines for their fake-news newspaper each week.</itunes:subtitle><description>We go into the writers' room at The Onion, where they start with over 600 potential headlines for their fake-news newspaper each week.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Thanksgiving 2002, the Ohm family's dinner conversation turned to the recent terrorist attacks. Alexis Ohm, the youngest daughter, made a comment that in retrospect she admits was probably the wrong thing to say with her conservative, military-veteran dad at the table...that Osama bin Laden was hot.<br /><br />Act One: Make 'em Laff:<br />Host Ira Glass spends time in perhaps the toughest room on earth, the editorial meeting at the satirical newspaper, <em>The Onion</em>, where there's one laugh for every 100 jokes.<br /><br />Act Two: Bar Car Prophesy:<br />Writer Rosie Schaap tells the story of how she ingratiated herself into the adult society of the Metroliner commuter train bar car as a teenager. She would cast Tarot card prophesies for riders, in exchange for beer.<br /><br />Act Three: Mission: Impossible:<br />Producer Jane Feltes spends a day with two young Mormons, on mission to possibly the least receptive environment they could find...the Upper West Side of Manhattan.<br /><br />Act Four: Tough News Room:<br />Malcolm Gladwell is a best-selling author and famous journalist at the <em>New Yorker</em> magazine. But not always.</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>348</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>347: Matchmakers</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/347/matchmakers</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/347/AgN2bUfBotKKDcVLUkHSr46yf-axcYunO7kCqHte0DM/347.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Making a lasting love match isn't as simple as writing a check.</itunes:subtitle><description>Making a lasting love match isn't as simple as writing a check.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Ira Glass talks to <em>This American Life</em> Producer Jane Feltes abouta recent date she was set up on by a friend. The date was awful—the guyseemed stoned the whole time.<br /><br />Act One: A Good Year For Grand Gestures:<br />Miriam and her husband were development workers in Afghanistan. They'd had a whirlwind romance themselves, so when they heard that their driver was in love, but didn't have enough money to propose to the girl, they made a grand romantic gesture: They gave him $10,000 to pay for the dowry and the wedding.<br /><br />Act Two: Part Of Me, Why Not Take Part Of Me?:<br />Chaya Lipschutz, an Orthodox Jewish woman from Brooklyn, donated her kidney to a stranger. After that, she decided to spend all her time trying to match up potential donors with kidney patients.<br /><br />Act Three: Babies Buying Babies:<br />Elna Baker reads her story about the time she worked at the giant toy store, FAO Schwarz. Her job was to sell these lifelike "newborns" which were displayed in a "nursery" inside the store.</description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>347</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>346: Home Alone</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/346/home-alone</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/346/js2JnqqUfWYxbfOkk7ze5HCyZ8bBL1IzL1-l259vNkw/346.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A 79-year-old woman dies alone in Los Angeles. No one knows her—or her next of kin.</itunes:subtitle><description>A 79-year-old woman dies alone in Los Angeles. No one knows her—or her next of kin.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Yvonne has lived by herself for 12 years, ever since her last child moved out. She eats dinner by herself, takes care of the house on her own, and usually spends most holidays alone.<br /><br />Act One: Plot Without A Story:<br />Mary Ann was an elderly woman living by herself in Los Angeles County. She wasn't married, didn't have children, wasn't in touch with any of her family.<br /><br />Act Two: Boy Interrupted:<br />Growing up, Clevins Browne moved all over New York with his mother, in different apartments and homeless shelters. But that all changed when he was 12, and they got an apartment in a public housing complex in Brooklyn.<br /><br />Act Three: The Man Who Came To Dinner:<br />When she was in kindergarten, Jennifer, along with her brother and mother,was held hostage by an armed gunman for four days. Their father was a drugdealer and had disappeared with a bunch of cocaine that belonged to someoneelse.</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>346</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>345: Ties That Bind</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/345/ties-that-bind</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/345/2bMok88x0dMRUOujgnVqygjKm-tSbhaVY8VI2dWUn3Q/345.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>A girl receives a heart transplant from a boy her age, and her mother sets off to find out more about the kid who saved her daughter's life.</itunes:subtitle><description>A girl receives a heart transplant from a boy her age, and her mother sets off to find out more about the kid who saved her daughter's life.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Katya and Alla are introduced to each other shortly after moving from Russia to a small town outside of Flint, Michigan. The mutual friend who introduces them figures they're both from Russia, they'll obviously hit it off.<br /><br />Act One: Fred And Barney:<br />Jonathan Goldstein's story about trouble in the Town of Bedrock. One day, when he's backing out of his driveway, Barney accidentally runs over and kills a dinosaur that belongs to his neighbor and best friend, Fred.<br /><br />Act Two: Lucas And Sarah:<br />When Sarah was 10 years old, she got a heart transplant. Soon after, her mother decided to find out more about the person who saved her daughter's life.<br /><br />Act Three: Lucy And The Bike Girl:<br />Lucy, a 28-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis, meets the "Bike Girl," who has the same disease, in an Internet chatroom. They are both, against the advice of friends and doctors, trying to get pregnant, and they find that they have a lot in common.<br /><br />Act Four: David And Andi:<br />Dr. David Kalenberger is the head of a fertility clinic in Oklahoma City.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>345</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>344: The Competition</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/344/the-competition</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/344/UMIjal-WhzlE4LyPkDWHtR-n5PqlQWPaHL4yaidYyXU/344.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of the unintended consequences of market forces.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of the unintended consequences of market forces.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to reporter John Bowe about the story of John Nash Pickle, who ran a company in Tulsa, Oklahoma that made steel tanks used in the oil industry. According to 52 Indian men whom Pickle hired and brought to America, Pickle was trying to compete with foreign companies, doing something most companies never try.<br /><br />Act One: Cowboys And Indians:<br />We continue the story of John Pickle. He hires skilled, experienced welders in India and brings them to the United States.<br /><br />Act Two: The Race For Second Place:<br />Thanh Tan was a TV reporter in Boise, Idaho, when her boss passed along what seemed like a hot news tip: A sex offender was working with kids at a local ice rink, as a hockey referee. But when she looked into it, she found out the crime was more than a decade old.</description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>344</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>343: Poultry Slam 2007</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/343/poultry-slam-2007</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/343/_Pv6vg2JvIjGArQzCmWAuiyHpAJZK-19KHl3amc86L4/343.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Our annual program about turkeys, chickens, and fowl of all types.</itunes:subtitle><description>Our annual program about turkeys, chickens, and fowl of all types.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />When is a chicken your friend? When is he your dinner? <em>TAL</em>'s former webmeister Elizabeth Meister talks with Kamiko Overs, an 11-year-old girl at the annual poultry exhibition run by the American Poultry Association in Columbus, Ohio.<br /><br />Act One: Still Life With Chicken:<br />Food writer Jonathan Gold tells what it's like to panfry a chicken—with a live chicken watching you the entire time.<br /><br />Act Two: Last Meal:<br />When Francois Mitterand knew he was about to die, he decided that the last food to cross his lips would be poultry...a tiny bird that is actually illegal to eat in France. It's a bird that, by tradition, is eaten with a napkin covering your head.<br /><br />Act Three: Chicken Diva:<br />Yet another testimony to the power chickens have over our hearts and minds. Contributing editor Jack Hitt reports on an opera about Chicken Little.<br /><br />Act Four: The Meaning Of A Bird:<br />Writer David Rakoff explains how his life was changed—in a single evening—in a room of 5000 chickens.</description><pubDate>Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>343</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>342: How to Rest in Peace</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/342/how-to-rest-in-peace</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/342/ultQQQO_4VAdHFrxC6cBHNK2qs0Isz5NSlaxi3Djfik/342.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>What happens to the people left behind after the detectives close the case?</itunes:subtitle><description>What happens to the people left behind after the detectives close the case?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to Rachel Howard, whose father, Stan, was murdered when she was 10 years old. His case was never solved.<br /><br />Act One: Dry Eyes And Videotape:<br />Jason Minter lived through the worst trauma you could imagine: He was at a friend's house, a gun pressed to his head, while his mother and another woman were raped and shot to death in the next room by robbers. He was six.<br /><br />Act Two: The Good Son:<br />A story about a mother who wants to commit suicide and a son who dutifully helps her do it—even though his mother is a happy, healthy, independent person. How did they manage to pull it off? Practice, practice, practice.</description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>342</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>341: How to Talk to Kids</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/341/how-to-talk-to-kids</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/341/46vkq0XBYrqjyDG2SAk9jmRL6jzupx3yVXNw7wPqUOs/341.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of adults taking very different approaches to communicating with children.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of adults taking very different approaches to communicating with children.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass asks fifth-grade kids to explain what adults do wrong when talking to children.<br /><br />Act One: So, Kids: A Priest, A Rabbi, And A Hooker Walk Into A Bar...:<br />Sean O'Connor&nbsp;and&nbsp;Nick Maritato are professional comedians, and their job usually involves saying things that kids aren't supposed to hear. But last summer they got booked on a tour of kids' summer camps.<br /><br />Act Two: Age Of Consent:<br />Ira talks to the teen editors of <em>Sex, Etc.</em>, a national magazine for teenagers, about the mistakes parents make when talking—or not talking—to their kids about sex.&nbsp;Then, the story of what happened when one anonymous mother learned that her daughter was having sex. All the names in this essay have been changed, and it's read on the air by producer Julie Snyder.<br /><br />Act Three: Use Your Words:<br />Dan Savage makes the case for yelling at children. He also reflects on how his views on how to talk to kids have changed over the years.</description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>341</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>340: The Devil in Me</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/340/the-devil-in-me</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/340/FIwqFqm5h4W82KoZACPCp0y89HS3FlxKVv8RDIjk37Q/340.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people trying to exorcize their inner demons.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people trying to exorcize their inner demons.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks about not being able to admit when he's wrong, as well as other traits he's not proud of, but can't seem to change.<br /><br />Act One: And So We Meet Again:<br />Sam Slaven is an Iraq War veteran who came home from the War plagued by feelings of hate and anger toward Muslims. <em>TAL</em> producer Lisa Pollak tells the story of the unusual action Sam took to change himself, and the Muslim students who helped him do it.<br /><br />Act Two: Vox Diaboli:<br />Sometimes the inner voice telling us to do the wrong thing actually sounds like a voice. <em>TAL</em> producer Nancy Updike talks to people about the voices in their heads that persuade them to go astray.<br /><br />Act Three: The Devil Wears Birkenstocks:<br />Some people battle inner demons, but contributor David Ellis Dickerson went one step further. David tells the story of the time he took on an actual demon in his college classroom.</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>340</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>339: Break-Up</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/339/break-up</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/339/PNL8uUc2rzN1wZcQ7xrm6906QVAPyXcjLCuqA_rgKeo/339.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories from the heart of heartbreak.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories from the heart of heartbreak.<br /><br />Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks with Lauren Waterman, who's in the middle of a break-up right now and grappling with totally contradictory feelings.&nbsp;(5 minutes)<br /><br />Act One: Dr. Phil:<br />In the wake of a break-up, writer Starlee Kine finds so much comfort in break-up songs that she decides to try and write one herself—even though she has no musical ability whatsoever. For some help, she goes to a rather surprising expert on the subject: Phil Collins.<br /><br />Act Two: But Why?:<br />Eight-year-old Betsy Walter goes on a campaign to understand her parents' divorce.<br /><br />Act Three: Let No Court Put Asunder:<br />Ira talks with divorce mediator Barry Berkman about why it's bad when the justice system gets involved in a break-up.<br /><br />Act Four: Divorce Is Rrruuffff!:<br />What divorce looks like from the dog's point of view. (5 minutes)This monologue was performed by Merrill Markoe and recorded at Un-Cabaret in Los Angeles.</description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>339</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>338: The Spokesman</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/338/the-spokesman</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/338/uEbAgoHenTPJXqEiJgso5kjxsom4Jl49En5Fq8b75T0/338.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of what can happen when you go from being a private person to a public face.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of what can happen when you go from being a private person to a public face.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />David Iserson tried to lay low in junior high, staying out of sight to keep from getting teased and bullied. But then he starred in a local TV commercial for his father's furniture store, and all of a sudden everyone knew about him...in a bad way.<br /><br />Act One: What Part Of "Bomb" Don't You Understand?:<br />Rachel North was on a train that got blown up during the London subway bombings. After writing a very popular blog about her experience and her recovery afterward, Rachel became a spokeswoman for a survivors' group.<br /><br />Act Two: Mr. Successful.:<br />Anthony Pico was a foster kid for most of his life. His mother was a crack addict who abandoned him, and he bounced around from house to house, relative to relative.<br /><br />Act Three: Impeachment Day:<br />Joe Lockhart was press secretary for President Bill Clinton. He recently told stories from his time on the job—live onstage at a performance space in New York City called <em>The Moth</em>, where regular people share stories about their lives—in front of a boisterous crowd.</description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>338</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>337: Man vs. History</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/337/man-vs-history</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/337/hf7WuNBPuC_8S2g1CR-gbsSiNk8xcC_oueq5ziEUIXw/337.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about people taking history into their own hands.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about people taking history into their own hands.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Dal LaMagna, millionaire and creator of the Tweezerman tweezer, prepares to go to Iraq on a diplomatic mission he invented for himself—despite concern (and mocking) from his own sister.<br /><br />Act One: Man Of Lamagna:<br />Dal LaMagna made a fortune selling high-quality grooming products. And after retiring, he wanted to do some good in the world.<br /><br />Act Two: Wenceslas Square:<br />Arthur Phillips reads an abridged version of his short story "Wenceslas Square," which takes place in Czechoslovakia at the end of the Cold War. (31 minutes) This story was first published in a collection of essays and fiction called <em>Wild East: Stories from the Last Frontier</em>.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>337</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>336: Who Can You Save?</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/336/who-can-you-save</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/336/8fMkVcyhyT3BUxemEoLS36W5B9GuwVZpO9ahCYM_h_4/336.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories about the pitfalls of trying to do the right thing.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories about the pitfalls of trying to do the right thing.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to Tim Jaccard, who used to be a police medic. The calls he hated most were all the same: "Baby not breathing." So in 1998, he helped write the first "safe haven" law, which allows mothers to safely abandon their babies without getting into trouble.<br /><br />Act One: Kill One, Save Five:<br />Say there's a group of five people standing on a train track, and you're on a train coming toward them. You can save the whole group by pulling a lever and switching to another track, but the catch is that you'll kill another person who's standing on that other track.<br /><br />Act Two: Rescue You, Rescue Me:<br />When the U.S. government sent out a call for volunteers—regular, non-military people—to go to Iraq and help rebuild the country, Randy Frescoln signed up. He believed in the cause of the war and in the promise of its mission.<br /><br />Act Three: Act Three:<br />Brady Udall tells the story of the time he helped a stranger get his car out of a ditch. In exchange, the man promises to help him any time, for any reason—legal or not.</description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>336</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>335: Big Wide World</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/335/big-wide-world</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/335/DYL-CTXjZSJa9FLkF8kKoylVTXDX_JmXgJvxyWGb0Ko/335.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>When he was a teenager, Haider worked in the Iraqi Ministry of Information. He was treated like a celebrity.</itunes:subtitle><description>When he was a teenager, Haider worked in the Iraqi Ministry of Information. He was treated like a celebrity.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass tells a story about how, when he was in seventh grade, he was over at his best friend's house and saw beer in the fridge. He'd only ever seen beer in fridges on TV; he didn't think it existed in real life.<br /><br />Act One: Teen Wolf...blitzer:<br />When he was a teenager, Haider Hamza worked in the Iraqi Ministry of Information. He was specially trained to talk to visiting dignitaries and foreign reporters, and he loved his job.<br /><br />Act One, Continued: Act One, Continued:<br />Haider's story continues.<br /><br />Act Two: A Sense Of Place:<br />Filmmaker Tony Hill took his friend Sally Goode, who was born blind, to a place she'd never been before, then taped her trying to figure out where she was. We first heard Hill's story care of our colleagues at the Third Coast International Audio Festival.</description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>335</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>334: Duty Calls</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/334/duty-calls</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/334/whqC-FPZAnx_GZ-tS_bi0ncM5zBX7dTyiSx2lPcapFo/334.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Josh's family didn't play much of a role in his daily life—until duty called, and they took over his life.</itunes:subtitle><description>Josh's family didn't play much of a role in his daily life—until duty called, and they took over his life.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass talks to Vincent Homenick and Norman Goodman, the court officials who hear all the excuses from New York City residents trying to get out of jury duty.<br /><br />Act One: Act One:<br />Josh Bearman grew up in California with his dad, stepmom, and brother. But they're not his whole family.<br /><br />Act Two: Act Two:<br />Josh Bearman continues his story by looking at how things got so bad for his mother and David in the first place.</description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>334</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>333: The Center for Lessons Learned</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/333/the-center-for-lessons-learned</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/333/-fpwq9N0ImvOIz8jwShcbhP3m3fEJcVL1B1WcvEO8Aw/333.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Four years into the Iraq War, what have we learned?</itunes:subtitle><description>Four years into the Iraq War, what have we learned?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />There's a 200-person operation based out of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas called the Center for Army Lessons Learned. Host Ira Glass speaks with Colonel Steve Mains, who runs the Center, and with Craig Hayes and Lynn Rolf, two men who answer soldiers' requests for information.<br /><br />Act One: Cassandra:<br /><em>This American Life</em> producer Nancy Updike tells the story of Conrad Crane, the head of the U.S. Army Military History Institute.<br /><br />Act 2: Second Half Prologue:<br />Ira speaks with Milt Hileman of the Center for Army Lessons Learned about the single most-requested publication they put out, <em>Soldiers' Handbook: The First 100 Days: Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures</em>. It explains how to avoid getting killed in your first hundred days in Iraq, which is when a disproportionate number of U.S. casualties occur.<br /><br />Act Two: Am Not. Are Too. Am Not. Are Too.:<br />What lessons are civilians taking from the War? One journalist has said that Americans seem condemned "to relive the prewar debates over and over because they were never thrashed out in the sunlight." In Salt Lake City on May 4, the prewar arguments—and some other arguments as well—were re-argued, on stage, by Salt Lake's liberal mayor Rocky Anderson and conservative radio and TV host Sean Hannity. Scott Carrier attended the event.<br /><br />Act Three: The Lessons Of Tomorrow, Today:<br />For all the discussion in Congress about withdrawing troops, there seems to be very little serious discussion about why, about what'll happen to Iraq once we leave, about responsible ways to withdraw. To understand better these and other rarely-discussed questions about the war, we turned to <em>Washington Post</em> reporter Thomas Ricks in Baghdad.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>333</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>332: The Ten Commandments</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/332/the-ten-commandments</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/332/PBfpAuEG1C6pTHyZhmMYWsxdXFHTDfp6B92EDhWMPeI/332.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>People struggling to follow the Ten Commandments from the book of Exodus.</itunes:subtitle><description>People struggling to follow the Ten Commandments from the book of Exodus.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Host Ira Glass reads from the Ten Commandments. Not the original Ten Commandments, but some of the newer, lesser-known ones.<br /><br />Commandments One, Two and Three: Honor God:<br />As a boy in religious school, Shalom Auslander is informed that his name, Shalom, is one of the names of God, and so he must be very careful not to take his own name in vain.<br /><br />Commandment Four: Keep The Sabbath Holy:<br />Six houses of worship in six different cities, each with its own way of honoring the Sabbath.<br /><br />Commandment Five: Honor Your Father And Your Mother:<br />When Jack Hitt was 11, he did the worst thing his father could have imagined. Neither Jack nor his four siblings will ever forget the punishment.<br /><br />Commandment Six: You Shall Not Murder:<br />Alex Blumberg talks to Lt. Col.<br /><br />Commandment Seven: You Shall Not Commit Adultery:<br />In the book of Matthew, Jesus says that looking lustfully at a woman is like committing adultery in your heart. Contributor David Dickerson was raised as an evangelical Christian, and for many years tried not to have a single lustful thought.<br /><br />Commandment Eight: You Shall Not Steal:<br />Ira talks to a waiter named Hassan at Liebman's Deli in the Bronx about some audacious thefts he's witnessed in his years in the restaurant business.<br /><br />Commandment Nine: You Shall Not Bear False Witness:<br />Chaya Lipschutz wanted to donate one of her kidneys to a stranger. But to save a stranger's life,&nbsp;she had to break the commandment against lying.<br /><br />Commandment Ten: You Shall Not Covet:<br />Ira talks to seventh-graders about the things they covet most.</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>332</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>331: Habeas Schmabeas (2007)</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/331/habeas-schmabeas-2007</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/331/v8Yt1vMcZDqyBPwP46FIQN8vh-9AfcFCKu-LpPOsXEY/331.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Is Guantanamo Bay a camp full of terrorists, or a camp full of our mistakes?</itunes:subtitle><description>Is Guantanamo Bay a camp full of terrorists, or a camp full of our mistakes?<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Joseph Margulies, a lawyer for one of the detainees at Guantanamo, explains how the detention facility there was created to be an ideal interrogation facility. Any possible comfort, such as water or natural light, is controlled entirely by the interrogators.<br /><br />Act One: There's No U.s. In Habeas.:<br />Jack Hitt explains how President Bush's War on Terror changed the rules for prisoners of war and how it is that under those rules, it'd be possible that someone whose classified file declares that they pose no threat to the United States could still be locked up indefinitely—potentially forever!—at Guantanamo.<br /><br />Act Two: September 11th, 1660:<br />Habeas corpus began in England. And recently, 175 members of the British parliament filed a "friend of the court" brief in one of the U.S.<br /><br />Act Three: We Interrogate The Detainees:<br />Although more than 200 prisoners from the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay have been released, few of them have ever been interviewed on radio or on television in America. Jack Hitt conducts rare and surprising interviews with two former Guantanamo detainees about life in Guantanamo.</description><pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0400</pubDate><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType><itunes:episode>331</itunes:episode><itunes:explicit/></item><item><title>330: My Reputation</title><link>https://www.thisamericanlife.org/330/my-reputation</link><enclosure type="audio/mpeg" url="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/sites/default/files/audio/330/cESnthUqRsgpqUNKRm2-RfVIKtHL__kOtu6I4Y9Lrsc/330.mp3"/><itunes:subtitle>Stories of people trying to recover from damage to their reputations.</itunes:subtitle><description>Stories of people trying to recover from damage to their reputations.<br /><br />Prologue:<br />Robyn Forest thought she'd gotten her big break when a magazine assigned her to write about a famous Japanese pop singer. Instead, Robyn ended up on Japanese television denying that she and the singer were having an affair.<br /><br />Act One: Not Everybody Loves Raymond:<br /><em>This American Life</em> producer Sarah Koenig tells a story of the rise and fall of a politician's reputation. Raymond Buckley, a Democratic operative from New Hampshire, was instrumental in his party's success in last fall |
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