Arts & Life

German Comedian's Crude Poem About Turkish President Sparks Controversy

4:56pm April 13, 2016

German police are providing protection for the controversial comedian Jan Boehmermann after he performed a crude poem criticizing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on German TV. Investigators are also looking into whether Boehmermann may have violated German speech laws. NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Anton Troianovski of the Wall Street Journal about the controversy.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tries his hand at some racial humor at the 94th annual Inner Circle Dinner in New York.

When It Comes To Terms Like 'Colored People's Time,' Context Matters

3:48pm April 13, 2016

by Karen Grigsby Bates

Bill de Blasio's been getting dragged for joking about "CPT." Once more, with gusto: When it comes to terms like this, context matters. Who's saying it, where and to whom?

WATCH: Marbles Fight To The Bitter End For Victory

2:28pm April 13, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Take a break from the news for a totally compelling, entirely gravity-driven race that captured hearts and minds on the Internet this week. Plus: literary parodies, because this is NPR.

'Door To Door' Reveals The Magnificent — And Maddening — Story of Traffic

2:25pm April 13, 2016

Edward Humes describes his new book as a "transportation detective story" that chronicles the hidden characters, locations and machinery driving our same-day-delivery, traffic-packed world.

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Books
Arts

'A Fierce And Subtle Poison' Ventures Into A Strange And Troubled Garden

1:37pm April 13, 2016

by Caitlyn Paxson

Samantha Mabry's novel riffs on authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Isabel Allende to create a story that's both an atmospheric glimpse at a Caribbean island and a self-aware critique of colonialism.

The renowned Bangkok Market, located in Los Angeles, is a longtime supermarket for retail and wholesale Thai produce, spices, chili pastes and household products.

The Family-Run Thai Market That Feeds LA's Eclectic Food Scene

10:34am April 13, 2016

by Mandalit del Barco

The Tilakamonkul family opened Bangkok Market in 1972. It became a magnet for Asian immigrants and chefs looking for rare ingredients. Their own son, Jet Tila, is now a celebrity chef.

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In 1997, Pablo Picasso's Women of Algiers (Version O) — shown here at Christie's in Hong Kong — was part of a groundbreaking art auction that sent prices soaring.

Arts

Panama Papers Provide Rare Glimpse Inside Famously Opaque Art Market

6:34pm April 12, 2016

by Elizabeth Blair

The leaked documents tell the backstory of a groundbreaking Christie's auction, and the purchase of a painting one man claims was seized from his grandfather during World War II.

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Nadia Manzoor and Radhika Vaz star in the Web sketch-comedy show Shugs & Fats. Season 3 of the show will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 14 and will be available online on April 15.

Arts

A Web Comedy Series Is 'Walking The Line Between Hipsters And Hijabis'

5:17pm April 12, 2016

Comics Nadia Manzoor and Radhika Vaz play Muslim immigrants dealing with speed dating, catcalls and other aspects of life in secular New York in their sketch-comedy series Shugs & Fats.

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Robert McCloskey was still a young artist when he brought a crate of ducks back to his studio apartment to do some sketches. Since then, the plucky Mallard family (Jack, Lack, Mack, et al.) has charmed its way into our hearts.

Books
Arts

Make Way For Celebration: These Ducklings Are Turning 75

4:00pm April 12, 2016

by Lynn Neary

Robert McCloskey was a young artist when he brought a crate of ducks back to his studio apartment. Since then, the plucky Mallard family (Jack, Lack, Mack, et al.) has charmed its way into our hearts.

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Books
Arts

#NationalPoetryMonth: Verses That Celebrate Life On The Farm

3:02pm April 12, 2016

by Maria Godoy

Poet Tess Taylor's new book, Work & Days, is a lyrical meditation on food and farming and our "fragile and ultimately, necessary relationship we have with the earth." Download her illustrated poems.