Arts & Life

American-born British poet and playwright T.S. Eliot received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948.

Books
Arts

On Eliot's 125th, His 'Waste Land' Hasn't Lost Its Glamour

9:55am October 03, 2013

by NPR Staff

This year marks the 125th birthday of Nobel Prize-winning poet T.S. Eliot. To celebrate, a re-issue of the first edition of his seminal poem has just been published, with an introduction by New Yorker poetry editor Paul Muldoon. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Muldoon about the poem's lasting influence.

Queue Listen Now

Jamie Moyer, shown above pitching for the Colorado Rockies in May 2012, made his major league debut back in 1986. He says that after decades in the major leagues, he'd occasionally have to remind himself that "in baseball terms, I really was old, but in e

At 49, Jamie Moyer's Pitching Career Goes Into Extra Innings

12:57pm October 02, 2013

In a new memoir called Just Tell Me I Can't Moyer explains how he became a better pitcher in his 40s than his 20s. Moyer's story isn't just the tale of a talented guy who hung on a little longer than others; with the help of a sports psychologist, he managed to gain control of the mental side of his game.

Queue Listen Now

Shutdown signs have been posted at the National Museum of American History and other Smithsonian Institution museums, which will remain closed as long as the government is.

Congressional Impasse Leaves Museums Empty, Monuments Shut

6:38pm October 01, 2013

by Elizabeth Blair

In addition to the shuttered federal agencies affected by the government shutdown, cultural institutions including the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo have been closed indefinitely, disappointing tourists and D.C. locals alike.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Chris Matthews Looks Back On A Time 'When Politics Worked'

2:49pm October 01, 2013

In his new book Tip and the Gipper, MSNBC's Hardball host Chris Matthews reflects on his time as a top aide to Democratic House Speaker Tip O'Neill during Ronald Reagan's presidency. He compares O'Neill and Reagan's unlikely friendship to today's approach of "government by tantrum."

Queue Listen Now

McDonald's posted its slowest drive-through performance times in 15 years, according to a new industry study.

Arts
Economy

Study: Fast Food Has Gotten A Bit Slower

1:36pm October 01, 2013

by Wendy Kaufman

It may be fast food, but it's taking longer than ever in the drive-through lane. A study conducted by an industry trade magazine finds the major chains are offering more complicated menu items that take longer to assemble and are tougher to get right.

Queue Listen Now

How Our Stone Age Bodies Struggle To Stay Healthy In Modern Times

10:00am October 01, 2013

In The Story of the Human Body, evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman explains how our bodies haven't adapted to modern conditions. The result is "mismatch diseases" — ailments that occur because our bodies weren't designed for the environments in which we now live.

Queue Listen Now

Burden of Proof is Bob Schneider's third album.

Don't Feel Too Bad For Sad-Sack Bob Schneider

3:40pm September 30, 2013

by Ken Tucker

Schneider's Burden of Proof is a frequently beautiful, often morose, downcast album. You get the sense that, when he sings about not connecting with someone he loves, he's also singing about not connecting with a bigger audience.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Writing Noir Poetry, With LA As A Backdrop

2:31pm September 30, 2013

Suzanne Lummis is the granddaughter of a California pioneer, a local legend and a woman who has turned her life's misadventures into edgy poetry. She speaks with host Jacki Lyden about noir poetry set in her beloved city of Los Angeles.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

How Two Brothers Waged A 'Secret World War' In The 1950s

6:30pm September 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

Sharing power in the Eisenhower administration, John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles were the forefathers of using covert operations to upset foreign governments. Journalist Stephen Kinzer, who wrote a book on the siblings, says Americans are still paying the price for them.

Queue Listen Now

Taste Of Grandma's Kitchen: We Hack An Old Ketchup Recipe

3:23pm September 29, 2013

by Melissa Gray

Jim Ledvinka grew up outside of Chicago watching his grandmother make ketchup from scratch once a year. As a kid, he hated the stuff. As a man — and now a grandfather — he became desperate to re-create it. That's where All Things Considered's Found Recipes project comes in.

Queue Listen Now