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Culture

Sunday

From Tea To T-Shirts: The History Of U.S.-China Trade

Author Interviews

From Tea To T-Shirts: The History Of U.S.-China Trade

From pirates to tea to opium, Eric Jay Dolin's new book, When America First Met China, describes the long and complicated history of the trade relationship between the two countries.

From Tea To T-Shirts: The History Of U.S.-China Trade

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The 'Future' Of Movies? Critic Says It's Not So Bright
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Author Interviews

The 'Future' Of Movies? Critic Says It's Not So Bright

In his new book, New Yorker film critic David Denby bemoans what digital and global filmmaking has done to the industry. "[Movies] have to play in Bangkok and Bangalore ... as well as Bangor, Maine," he says. "The local flavor has gone out of them."

The 'Future' Of Movies? Critic Says It's Not So Bright

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Inverting 'King Lear' In 'Goldberg Variations'
Scribner

Author Interviews

Inverting 'King Lear' In 'Goldberg Variations'

Susan Isaacs' latest novel revolves around Gloria Garrison, a 79-year-old CEO with a multimillion-dollar makeover business. Isaacs says her female characters don't need to be likable, but they should "fight for something beyond themselves."

Inverting 'King Lear' In 'Goldberg Variations'

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'Looper' Director: Memory A Form Of Time Travel

Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play different versions of the same character in the time-travel thriller Looper. Alan Markfield/Sony Pictures hide caption

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Alan Markfield/Sony Pictures

Movies

'Looper' Director: Memory A Form Of Time Travel

Director Rian Johnson is known for his 2005 high school noir flick Brick. His new movie, Looper, jumps 30 years into a grim future for a twisty thriller involving time traveling assassins. Johnson says time travel stories are intensely relatable, because everyone wonders about their past.

'Looper' Director: Memory A Form Of Time Travel

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Saturday

Sunday Puzzle

Seeing Double

Every answer today is a six-letter word or name that has a repeated two-letter pair, like "eraser," which has E-R twice, or "regret," which has R-E twice. The repeated pair of letters can appear anywhere in the word. You'll be given the pair of letters and a clue, and you provide the words.

Seeing Double

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Actor Robby Benson Is 'Not Dead ... Yet!'

Author Interviews

Actor Robby Benson Is 'Not Dead ... Yet!'

The former teen heartthrob is best known for his roles in such films as Ode To Billy Joe, Ice Castles, and The Chosen. But he's also survived four open heart surgeries. His journey is the subject of his new memoir, I'm Not Dead ...Yet!

Actor Robby Benson Is 'Not Dead ... Yet!'

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Three-Minute Fiction Round 9 Stories: 'Butterflies'
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Three-Minute Fiction Round 9 Stories: 'Butterflies'

Round 9 of Three-Minute Fiction has closed and the judging process is now under way. Susan Stamberg reads an excerpt from one standout story, Butterflies, written by Jennifer Dupree. Listeners can read the story in its entirety along with other stories online at www.npr.org/threeminutefiction.

Three-Minute Fiction Round 9 Stories: 'Butterflies'

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Bouillabaisse: From Humble Beginnings To High-Class Tourist Meal

The ingredients for a vrai bouillaibaisse at Le Miramar in Marseille, France. Eleanor Beardsley/NPR hide caption

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Eleanor Beardsley/NPR

The Salt

Bouillabaisse: From Humble Beginnings To High-Class Tourist Meal

Once the sustenance of humble fishermen, the famous Marseille fish stew has become one pricey dish. It involves a two-part meal, starting with a basic broth made from shellfish and small fish, and incorporating four to six high-quality larger fish, plus exotic seasonings.

Bouillabaisse: From Humble Beginnings To High-Class Tourist Meal

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'Listening In' To JFK's Secret White House Recordings

Listening In, a new book and CD set, includes more than 260 hours of transcribed conversations and 2.5 hours of audio from inside the Kennedy White House. Evening Standard/Getty Images hide caption

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Evening Standard/Getty Images

Author Interviews

'Listening In' To JFK's Secret White House Recordings

The new trove of recordings covers everything from the Cold War to civil rights to Vietnam to the U.S. ice hockey team. Listening In, a new book and CD set, includes more than 260 hours of transcribed conversations and 2.5 hours of audio from inside the Kennedy White House.

'Listening In' To JFK's Secret White House Recordings

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Damian Lewis On The Conflicts And Complexities Of 'Homeland'

Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody in Showtime's Homeland. Bob Leverone/Showtime hide caption

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Bob Leverone/Showtime

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Damian Lewis On The Conflicts And Complexities Of 'Homeland'

Damian Lewis is a newly minted Emmy winner for his role as Nicholas Brody on Showtime's tense spy thriller Homeland.

Damian Lewis On The Conflicts And Complexities Of 'Homeland'

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Friday

Vikings Punter Chris Kluwe Plays Not My Job
AP

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Vikings Punter Chris Kluwe Plays Not My Job

We're pretty sure Kluwe is either the nerdiest player in the NFL, and/or the most athletic nerd in history. We've invited him to answer three questions about the Ig Nobel awards, which honor some of the more ridiculous breakthroughs in science.

Vikings Punter Chris Kluwe Plays Not My Job

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NewsPoet: Philip Schultz Writes The Day In Verse

Philip Schultz visits NPR headquarters in Washington on Monday. Ryan Smith/NPR hide caption

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Ryan Smith/NPR

Opinion

NewsPoet: Writing The Day In Verse

NewsPoet: Philip Schultz Writes The Day In Verse

Each month, NPR's All Things Considered invites a poet into the newsroom to see how the show comes together, and to write an original poem about the news. This month, our NewsPoet is Philip Schultz.

NewsPoet: Philip Schultz Writes The Day In Verse

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Pop Culture Happy Hour: The State Of Television And The Tweed Set
NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: The State Of Television And The Tweed Set

On this week's show, we talk about the state of television and the Emmy Awards, and then we explore academia in the form of our favorite pop-culture professors and teachers.

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'Flight': A Few Million Little Creatures That Could

"Supergenerations" of monarch butterflies migrate over 2000 miles from Canada to Mexico. SK Films hide caption

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SK Films

Movies

'Flight': A Few Million Little Creatures That Could

More than 30 years ago, a couple answered a scientist's newspaper ad — and spent two years searching for a monarch butterfly sanctuary in Mexico. The new IMAX film Flight of the Butterflies chronicles how they helped solve the mystery of the monarch's migration.

'Flight': A Few Million Little Creatures That Could

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