James Finney Boylan had gender re-assignment surgery in his 40s and is now Jennifer Finney Boylan.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Should the Star Spangled Banner really be our national anthem? John Hasse gives a short history of patriotic songs, and suggests alternatives for the national anthem.
According to Nathaniel Philbrick, Melville’s classic “Moby Dick,” will always be worth our time and attention, no matter the age. He makes the case for reading what he calls a kind of "American Bible."
We made some particular choices about the music in hour four. Here's a note from Charles about the thinking that went into the score, and a Spotify playlist to explore.
Chandra McCormick and Keith Calhoun have been photographing life in the Louisiana State Penitentiary for 30 years. They talk about the conditions in the prison - nicknamed Angola, for the plantation that was formerly on the site - and how they've changed over time. When they see the inmates working in the fields, they say, it looks a lot like slavery.
Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky are the celebrated husband and wife team who've translated many of the great Russian writers. They've just come out with a new version of Tolstoy's "War and Peace."
Nidhal Guessoum, an Algerian born astrophysicist agrees that contemporary science in the Arab word is abysmal, but he looks back with great pride at the Golden Age of Islam.
"Everything You Know About Indians Is Wrong"
Pages
