Arts & Life

Sandip Roy and his great-aunt, Debika Ghosh, took this picture after she told him about her great romantic escapade.

Arts

An Affair To Remember In Pre-Independence India

3:05am February 15, 2013

by Sandip Roy

It began like a typical Bollywood story. Boy meets girl in pre-independence India. They fall in love. Her family says no way. So one night, she escapes. NPR commentator Sandip Roy recounts how his great-aunt jumped off a moving train for love, and went on to have a happy 60-year-long marriage.

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More than 550 people churned out 78 apps in one day as part of Fashion Week's "hackathon."

Arts
Economy

When It Comes To Fashion, Shouldn't There Be An App For That?

3:05am February 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

In fashion's first hackathon, developers had just 24 hours to build an app for the industry — the finalists will be presented on the runway at New York's Fashion Week. "Right now the industry could really use some innovation," says Decoded Fashion founder Liz Bacelar.

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A typical Nigerian film market in Lagos. Though physical distribution of Nollywood films is booming, the digital market has also grown, thanks to a plugged-in African diaspora.

Hooray For Nollywood: Nigerian Distributor Casts Wide Net Online

5:56pm February 14, 2013

by Wills Glasspiegel

Although access to the Web is still limited in many parts of Africa, "Nollywood" films — movies produced in Nigeria — are booming on the Internet. Startup iROKOtv is a part of that boom, and their audience is a global one.

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'Klansville, U.S.A.' Chronicles The Rise And Fall Of The KKK

5:30pm February 14, 2013

by NPR Staff

Author and sociologist David Cunningham speaks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the origins of cross burnings and white hoods, and why North Carolina had more Klan members during the height of the civil rights movement than all other Southern states combined.

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A part of the Isaiah Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, is seen inside the vault of the Shrine of the Book building at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

'Dead Sea Scrolls' Live On In Debate And Discovery

4:42pm February 14, 2013

In a new book, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Biography, religious scholar and author John J. Collins tells the history of the scrolls and the controversies they have prompted, and explores the questions they ask and answer about Judeo-Christian history.

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A businesswoman and businessman shake hands.

Books
Arts

A Soured Student-Teacher Friendship Threatens 'Everything'

2:55pm February 12, 2013

by Maureen Corrigan

In a new memoir, James Lasdun describes how a former-student-turned-friend stalked and slandered him online. Give Me Everything You Have is a meditation on what it means to control your reputation on the Internet — and the book is Lasdun's attempt to fight back.

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"All you have to do is walk in or stand on the balcony and watch people move, and you'll recognize the genius of the people who built Grand Central," says Metro-North President Howard Permut.

Arts

Grand Central, A Cathedral For Commuters, Celebrates 100

11:26am February 12, 2013

by Jeff Lunden

The largest railroad terminal in the world opened its doors for the first time in 1913. And while Grand Central Terminal, in the heart of New York City, no longer serves long-distance trains, it is still a vibrant part of the city's ecosystem.

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Books
Arts

Netflix Moves Back Into Content Production With 'Cards'

11:26am February 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

House of Cards is a $100 million adaptation of a British television show. Starring Kevin Spacey, the first two episodes are directed by The Social Network's David Fincher — and all 13 episodes will be available at once.

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Books
Arts

An 'Autopsy' Of Detroit Finds Resilience In A Struggling City

10:36am February 12, 2013

To some, Detroit may be a symbol of urban decay; but to journalist Charlie LeDuff, it's home. In Detroit: An American Autopsy, he says the city's heart beats on. "We're still here trying to reconstruct the great thing we once had," he tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies.

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A typical scene from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, the latest in the series of wildly popular video games.

Arts

Video Game Violence: Why Do We Like It, And What's It Doing To Us?

9:57am February 12, 2013

by Sami Yenigun

As the gun-violence debate ratchets up to include mental health and violent pop culture, video games have become frequent targets of concern. But do violent games influence their players? Experts aren't clear, but violent games remain remarkably popular.

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