#603 - Once More With Feeling

Act Two:

In this episode, I learned that when you meet someone how has experienced something horrible, like witnessing friends being killed in battle, its best to just listen.

"My best friend Brock asked me about recovery of bodies on the battlefield so I told him how that worked and when I was done I realized it was fine. I was fine. What Brock did that was some important and so good is that he didn't say anything about it, he just looked at me in the eye until I was done. When you see a monster, you look away but he just kept looking at me in the eye."


Act Three:

What do you do when a bomb disposal robot learns more about what happened than it should have.

"I am having some trouble keeping Mr. Owen Jackson reclassified as unsecured ordinance ... my processor is struggling because a person is not ordinance and a person is now ordinance. I see now, I have to make things simple."

#557 - Birds & Bees

How do you talk to young children about difficult subjects, sex, rape, death, suicide, racism? Now that I have two beautiful adult daughters, I want to ask them some of the same questions that were raised in this wonderful episode. Listening to #557 was difficult. I heard children speak in ways I had never heard before. I can't wait to share this episode with my girls to get their perspective.

As a young parent, my heart always told me to be transparent, to give children all the information they needed so that they could make their own informed decisions and opinions. But did I? Was I over protective? Should I have given them more? Could they handle it? Would I damage their young beautiful minds. As I learned today, I may have been over protective. Yes, like I was taught, I passed on the cliche phrases, "Be respectful", "Do unto others...", and "Don't judge others until you walk in their shoes." But was that enough? Did I miss an opportunity to create better people, to create advocates. If you are a parent, listen to #557, and ask yourself some of these questions. If you are a child, walk in the shoes of these children. Thank you TAL.

#579 - My Damn Mind

For some reason, changes, events, work and life gets in the way of many of the things that you enjoy. It appears that over the last 5+ years, life got in the way of these blog posts. Although I continued to listen to TAL sporadically, I forgot how much I enjoyed sharing my favorite episodes with others. My township built a new walking trail in Chester County Pennsylvania. In the early days of this blog, I walked on the local roads braving the blind curves listening to the TAL podcast. That was on my old iPod, which by the way still works but have no use for since it is now stuck in IOS version 4.1.2 and won't accept new apps worthy of downloading. I'm on an iPhone now and semi-retired and walk the new trail.

I listened to #579 and realized how much has changed in these 5 years. I can't understand why many hospitals across our country have made conscious decisions to put the hospital employees first and the public second. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around. The statistics are staggering. Listen to this story about a young man who needed serious help and got the opposite. Then read about what you heard in the New York Times.

I have some podcasts to catch up on some my next few posts may be our of order as I work backward.

#402 Save the Day

Listened to Act 1 riding into work yesterday morning. I have about a 12 mile ride to and from work. 18 years ago when I started working for the company I work for now that ride would take me about 15 minutes. With the growth in our area since, that ride takes about 25 now. Pretty often when I pull into the parking lot the story I'm listening to hasn't finished so I sit in the parking lot glued to the radio. I was so engrossed with Midlife Cowboy, I didn't realize I had pulled into the parking lot. Everyone in the midterm of their life should escape into this ACT from TAL.

Two recommendations

I have not heard these two episodes yet but they come highly recommended from my friend Beth. I plan to catch them soon.

"The House at Loon Lake #199 and Settling the Score #301. Enjoy"

Don't forget to send TAL few dollars to keep the podcast alive.

#368 - Who Do You Think You Are?

Amazingly, two of my grandparents are still alive. I'm looking forward to my next visit so that I can discuss last year's death of Studs Terkel and the Great Depression. I hope you enjoy some of the Terkel interviews of hardship and personal experiences available in Act One of #368.

#375 - Bad Bank

Great explanation of our economic melt down and the mortgage details behind it. You could hand this podcast to anyone and they would understand why the US Government MUST take over these banks sooner rather than later. I am 49 and my retirement nest egg is crumbling before my eyes. What the $%#!@#!!!

# 374 - Somewhere Out There

I hope the novelty of my new USA Spec iPod interface for my Toyota is not influencing this post. This new device has jump started my access to my favorite radio show, This American Life. I baptized my new interface with show #374 and although I had a hard time tonight explaining the acts to my family at dinner, they seemed engrossed in the terribly long, to them, yet, to me, brief synopsis of the show.

I tried to relate the experience of Eric and Yen Yen to my daughter who happened to be home from college on spring break. Eric, the young American, and Yen Yen, the beautiful Chinese dancer, tried to build their marriage in the United States on a fairy tale story of how they met during Eric's early visits in China. People always ask, "How did you meet?" They never ask, "How did you two stay together?" How does a couple, who hardly know each other, learn to love and stay together? This act does not answer the question but tells the fairy tale story that builds the couple's foundation.

Act 2, how does a parent raise trans-gender children? Being gay is easy. It's accepted. What do you do when your 5 year old boy wants to wear a dress to school and change their name. Fascinating look into a world I knew nothing about. This is why I listen to Ira Glass and his coleagues.

Thanks to This American Life and the after-market electronics automobile part industry for increasing my standard of living.

7 Weeks

Congratulations David! Seven weeks on the NYT best seller list. Life is good.

#359 - Life After Death

I'm an avid TAL listener. Haven't posted in some time but not becuase I haven't been listening. When I finish a TAL story, I usually want to talk about it. #84 was one of those stories for me. I never knew Harold Washington, only headlines on the news. I wanted to talk about Harold for a week after #84. #359 was a story that I wanted to keep to myself.

I usually walk when I listen usually the entire hour, mornings mostly. 6:00 am is quiet. I have the world and nature to myself except for an occasional bicyclist. I remember this morning's 3 mile walk was humid. I was in a bit of a hurry. I had an 8 am meeting. That is all I remember of my walk. I was riveted. I was glued to the full hour. Every man wonders what life would be like after killing another human being. #359 gave me a glimpse. My thoughts I will keep to myself. I can only say listen to the story and listen to your heart.

To those who share their stories, who expose their inner deamons with TAL, I'm so sorry for what this world has done to you. I wish I could fix it. Thanks for sharing.

#345 - Ties That Bind

Can a child learn to live with the guilt of receiving another child's heart? Sarah makes a strong case that it is possible. Listen to this show and you will be proud of Sarah like I was.

My childhood was almost lost while listening to the crumbling relationship between Barney and Fred. I understood the relationship was fragile but not this twisted. Dino is a friendly pet but is a pet worth breaking up a friendship?

#84 - Harold

I sorely miss a time in our American history when public figures inspired us. TAL reminds us of one of the last pubic figures who was able to inspire Chicago to come together after turbulent times. Harold Washington flew under my radar during his time as Mayor. I remember hearing about him but now I feel like a know him. Hear what some have to say about him after he was gone. "He was fairer than fair".

#218 - Act V

I never believed in capital punishment. Act V is the reason why.

#341 - How to talk to kids

Any experienced parent would love the highs and lows created by this cleverly produced show. Act 1 opens your eyes with a smile. Look into the mirror as your jaw drops during Act 2. You'll like Alec Baldwin again after Act 3.

What, you don't remember the tape Alec's daughter released in April of this year. You may need some background after hearing the clips.

#118 - Kid Logic

Martin Luther King's birthday prompted a child to ask a question that reminded me of how much hate we live with every day. Listen to Kid logic for this one segment alone. "Daddy, Did they kill him too?" Sometimes it takes a child to remind us that human civilization we're not.

#326 - Quiz Show

ACT I - Game show contestants come from all walks of life. This story is about a shy man who lived with his Mom. He comes out of his shell on Britain's version of "Who Want's to Be a Millionaire". Were you happy or sad when you heard this story? This poor simple man had grand ideals.

#325 - Houses of Ill Repute - thumbs down

Sorry, no favorite this week. I can't say a story, prostitutes taking over an old man's row home in New York did not make my favorites list, heroin needles hanging out of her neck, no running water, rats running through out the second floor and piss pots. Sad yes, but favorite no.

Act II was not much better. Sorry kid, my violin did not feel your pain.

Get the weekly TAL podcast from ITunes

This American Life shows are available from ITunes. The current week's show is free. Archived shows are 99 cents. Follow these steps to configure ITunes to download the weekly show.

Step 1. You will need an RSS aggregator. For podcasts that I play on my IPod, I use ITunes. You don't need an IPod to listen to This American Life (TAL). You can listen to TAL shows on your computer. Goto the ITunes website and download and install the ITunes software. Launch ITunes.

Step 2. Clicking here will take you to the TAL store where you can subscribe to the show. Select subscribe. You may get the an intermediate screen that says I can't find ITunes. Click the "I Have ITunes" button.

Step 3. ITunes will automatically download this weeks show. In ITunes, in the left navigation page click on podcasts. You will see your TAL subscription.

Step 4. After the episode is downloaded, highlight the title of this week's show and hit play on the ITunes toolbar.

Step 5. Launch ITunes once a week to make sure your TAL ITunes library is up to date.

Email me nprlisner if you need help configuring ITunes for TAL shows.

Enjoy!

#342 - My Brilliant Plan

Act II. Listen to a story about a man who devotes his entire life to seeing his dead father again. Ron Mallet, author of Time Traveler, kept his life's work a secret.

#309 - Cat and Mouse

Act I is the story of a pest control guy who grabs a tape recorder and heads for the Mexican border. He spends a few nights hanging with the Minutemen as they patrol for illegal immigrants. Learn about the Minuteman project from the inside and the games they play. This is democracy at work on the front lines. Cheers to those Americans who love both homelands.

As the pressure of our world economy tightens the screws on the U.S, we need our Mexican neighbors as much as they need us. The energy spent on this cat and mouse game at the border is a distraction to much bigger problems at home.

Act II. David Sedaris tells the story of an alcoholic cat who befriends a mink and is confronted by a mouse at the prison AA meeting. David's imagery and wit will put a smile on your face.