feed.thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life

https://www.thisamericanlife.org Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. 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. en https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml Copyright 1995-2024 Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. 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. rich@thislife.org 829: Two Ledgers https://www.thisamericanlife.org/829/two-ledgers pFor years, Majid believed that if he could testify in court about what happened to him when he was held in a CIA black site, a judge and jury would give him a break. Finally, he got a chance to see if he was right. /pulliPrologue: Ira talks about the exciting new series that Serial is doing about Guantánamo Bay. We’re airing two of those episodes on the show – one this week and one next. (2 minutes)/liliAct One: 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. He did bad things. But are the things that the U.S. Government did to him worse than his actual crimes? (38 minutes)/liliAct Two: Majid finally gets his day in court. At his sentencing hearing, he describes to the jury what his interrogators did to him. (20 minutes)/li/ulpTranscripts are available at a href="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/829/transcript"thisamericanlife.org/a/p Sun, 12 May 2024 18:00:00 -0400 45602 at https://www.thisamericanlife.org 01:04:16 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? For years, Majid believed that if he could testify in court about what happened to him when he was held in a CIA black site, a judge and jury would give him a break. Finally, he got a chance to see if he was right. Prologue: Ira talks about the exciting new series that Serial is doing about Guantánamo Bay. We’re airing two of those episodes on the show – one this week and one next. (2 minutes) Act One: 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. He did bad things. But are the things that the U.S. Government did to him worse than his actual crimes? (38 minutes) Act Two: Majid finally gets his day in court. At his sentencing hearing, he describes to the jury what his interrogators did to him. (20 minutes) 186: Prom https://www.thisamericanlife.org/186/prom pWhile the seniors danced at Prom Night 2001 in Hoisington, Kansas—a town of about 3,000—a tornado hit the town, destroying about a third of it. When they emerged from the dance, they discovered what had happened, and in the weeks that followed, they tried to explain to themselves why the tornado hit where it did. Plus other stories that happen on Prom Night. /pulliPrologue: A high school boy explains how prom is the culmination of his effort to get in with a cool group of people. (5 minutes)/liliAct One: Susan Burton reports on Prom Night 2001 in Hoisington, Kansas, a town of about 3,000. While the seniors danced, a tornado hit the town, destroying about a third of it. When they emerged from the dance, they discovered what had happened, and in the weeks that followed, they tried to explain to themselves why the tornado hit where it did. (25 minutes)/liliAct Two: Host Ira Glass talks with Francine Pascal, who’s written or invented the plot lines for over 700 books for teenagers in the various Sweet Valley High series....Sweet Valley Kids, Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley University, Sweet Valley Senior Year. She explains why a prom story is a must for teen movies and TV shows. (6 minutes)/liliAct Three: For a more typical view of prom night, we hear prom night at Chicago’s Taft High School. (9 minutes)/liliAct Four: In this act, we argue that the epicenter of prom genius—the place where America’s prom future is being born—is the town of Racine, Wisconsin. In Racine, they’ve added one ingredient to prom that takes it to a whole new level of intensity. Reported by Wendy Dorr. (10 minutes)/li/ulpTranscripts are available at a href="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/186/transcript"thisamericanlife.org/a/p Sun, 05 May 2024 18:00:00 -0400 37487 at https://www.thisamericanlife.org 00:59:40 While the seniors danced at Prom Night 2001 in Hoisington, Kansas—a town of about 3,000—a tornado hit the town. While the seniors danced at Prom Night 2001 in Hoisington, Kansas—a town of about 3,000—a tornado hit the town, destroying about a third of it. When they emerged from the dance, they discovered what had happened, and in the weeks that followed, they tried to explain to themselves why the tornado hit where it did. Plus other stories that happen on Prom Night. Prologue: A high school boy explains how prom is the culmination of his effort to get in with a cool group of people. (5 minutes) Act One: Susan Burton reports on Prom Night 2001 in Hoisington, Kansas, a town of about 3,000. While the seniors danced, a tornado hit the town, destroying about a third of it. When they emerged from the dance, they discovered what had happened, and in the weeks that followed, they tried to explain to themselves why the tornado hit where it did. (25 minutes) Act Two: Host Ira Glass talks with Francine Pascal, who’s written or invented the plot lines for over 700 books for teenagers in the various Sweet Valley High series....Sweet Valley Kids, Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley University, Sweet Valley Senior Year. She explains why a prom story is a must for teen movies and TV shows. (6 minutes) Act Three: For a more typical view of prom night, we hear prom night at Chicago’s Taft High School. (9 minutes) Act Four: In this act, we argue that the epicenter of prom genius—the place where America’s prom future is being born—is the town of Racine, Wisconsin. In Racine, they’ve added one ingredient to prom that takes it to a whole new level of intensity. Reported by Wendy Dorr. (10 minutes) 568: Human Spectacle https://www.thisamericanlife.org/568/human-spectacle pGladiators in the Colosseum. Sideshow performers. Reality television. We’ve always loved to gawk at the misery or majesty of others. But this week, we ask the question: What’s it like when the tables are turned and all eyes are on you? /pulliPrologue: 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. (6 minutes)/liliAct One: 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. Until he found out the premise: he had to sit in an empty apartment with no food, clothes or contact with the outside world, enter sweepstakes from magazines… and hope that he won enough sustenance to survive. (23 minutes)/liliAct Two: 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...