There's a nagging question at major sporting events: Are the athletes cheating? Steroids, human growth hormones and blood doping techniques are extending the outer limits of performance, and athletes can use them if they want -- unless they're professionals or Olympic athletes. But is doping really a problem? Australian philosopher and bioethicist Julian Savulescu has a simple litmus test: What contribution is coming from the technology and what is coming from the athlete?
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Rob Tannenbaum and Sean Altman wrote and perform the music and comedy show called “What I Like About Jew.”
Writer Michael Pollan tells Steve Paulson that a lot of what's on supermarket shelves isn't food and that Americans have many options if they want to improve the quality of their diet.
Marcella Hazan is a chef and teacher of cooking. She thinks Americans totally misunderstand Italian food.
Historian Rebecca Spang tells Judith Strasser that "restaurant" originally meant a cup of broth and explains how it evolved into the culinary paradise we know today.
Mohsin Hamid is having a big year. His last novel, “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” just opened as a film by Mira Nair. He's got a new novel out too, called “How To Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia.” In this EXTENDED interview, Anne talks with him about that get-rich scheme...
What's the best piece of reporting you encountered this year? TTBOOK listeners recommend these stories. We'll add new suggestions as they come in.
Katha Pollitt is a celebrated feminist writer and columnist for The Nation magazine. Her new book is "Learning to Drive."
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