Arts

As The Ebola Outbreak Worsens, A Book About Compassion

6:59pm September 26, 2014

by Alaya Dawn Johnson

This week, the CDC predicted there could be tens of thousands of Ebola cases if the disease is not controlled soon. Author Alaya Dawn Johnson turns to a favorite novel for wisdom amid this epidemic.

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The cast of Gilligan's Island (clockwise from top left): Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Alan Hale Jr., Dawn Wells, Bob Denver, Russell Johnson

Arts

Gilligan's Island At 50: A Goofy Show From A Time Of TV Innocence

6:23pm September 26, 2014

by Eric Deggans

As classic sitcom Gilligan's Island celebrates its 50th birthday, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says it is an example of a show much loved by fans despite widely acknowledged mediocrity.

This grocery store packet of porcini mushrooms contained a surprise: three species of fungi never before named or described.

Before You Take A Bite Of That Mushroom, Consider This

6:03pm September 26, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

Guess what scientists found lurking inside a common-looking packet of supermarket porcini? Three entirely new species of fungi. That's what happens when you sequence the DNA of your dinner.

Faye Marsay, George MacKay, Joseph Gilgun and Paddy Considine play a group of London activists who march in support of Welsh miners.

Arts

Coal Miners And Gay Activists Partner In 'Pride'

5:51pm September 26, 2014

by Bob Mondello

The film offers a rousing, true-life take on a British coal miners' strike that led to an unusual union. Critic Bob Mondello says the storyline blends Norma Rae with sillier, Kinky Boots-ish stuff.

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Derek Boogaard of the Minnesota Wild (left) and Wade Brookbank of the Vancouver Canucks exchange punches during a fight in the first period of a November 2005 game in Vancouver, Canada.

'Boy On Ice' Explores The Emotional And Physical Toll Of Dropping The Gloves

5:51pm September 26, 2014

by NPR Staff

In 2011, 28-year-old Derek Boogaard — one of the NHL's most fearsome fighters — was found dead of an accidental overdose of painkillers and alcohol. He also showed signs of serious brain injury.

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Arts

British Coalminers Strike With A Gay Coalition In 'Pride,' A Crowd-Pleaser

4:32pm September 26, 2014

by David Edelstein

The film is based on a true story about the '80s strike Margaret Thatcher vowed to break. It's full of the Britain's best actors, and nearly every line makes you cackle or puts a lump in your throat.

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Books
Arts

What's Mittens Thinking? Make 'Sense' Of Your Pet's Behavior

4:32pm September 26, 2014

Animal behaviorist John Bradshaw's books Cat Sense and Dog Sense detail what cat and dog owners should expect from their animals. Cat Sense originally aired Sept. 5, 2013. Dog Sense originally aired May 26, 2011.

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Belgium Likes Underground Beer. No, Literally

3:52pm September 26, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

The historic city of Bruges is getting a 2-mile-long underground beer pipeline. Too bad it's from brewery to factory, not brewery to your door.

Arts

25 Humble Suggestions For 'The Equalizer' Brand Extensions

3:36pm September 26, 2014

by Linda Holmes

Sure, you've seen The Equalizer. But what about The Weakqualizer?

Sweet or salty? Historically among Eastern European Jews, how they liked their gefilte fish depended on where they lived. This divide created a strictly Jewish geography known as "the gefilte fish line."

The Gefilte Fish Line: A Sweet And Salty History Of Jewish Identity

1:41pm September 26, 2014

by Deena Prichep

Gefilte fish can be a hard sell even in its standard savory form. But some European Jews like it sweet, a preference that, surprisingly, overlaps exactly with a geographic and linguistic divide.