Culture

a woman receives makeup

The beauty biz is booming. The image conscious consumer can choose between a full-service menu of make-over options: laser facial resurfacing, liposuction, eyelid enhancing, breast implants and even a nip and tuck – wherever. And reality TV makes the whole process downright seductive. But why...

gas masks

Every good story comes to an end, but in some stories the End is just the beginning. It takes a special kind of writer to create a believable Apocalypse in the pages of a novel, and right now there are a lot of them. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, Apocalyptic Fiction – new stories...

a California road

It's been fifty years since Jack Kerouac's groundbreaking novel, "On The Road" was published. But there's still a lot we can learn from the book. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, John Leland on the lessons of "On The Road" and why Kerouac still matters. Also, Joyce Johnson shares...

traditional tacos

There's no question – we crave authenticity. You want "real" Chinese or Mexican food? Then make sure you find a restaurant that makes food the way it's made in the old country. Music lovers are also obsessed with authenticity - from folk and blues to rap...just consider the mantra of hip hop - "...

palm trees

"Middle age is when you're sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you." That's according to Ogden Nash. Saturday night is definitely a special night. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, Susan Orlean tells us about some of the Saturday...

music albums on a wall

It's been described as many things -- a battlefield, a tender trap, a drug. But according to Rob Sheffield, love is a mix tape. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, Sheffield will tell us how music was a big part of his marriage to Renee… and how it helps him to cope with her loss. Also...

pen and paper

William Faulkner, Earnest Hemingway, Virginia Wolfe: they were unknown writers at some point. But, who are the world’s next literary lions? In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, the young writer. We'll talk with the next generation of novelists about to come into their own. And, a re-...

the slate on a movie set

These days, everybody wants to make a movie. And with today's technology, just about anyone can. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, the rise of the indie film. Chris Gore talks about "My Big Fat Independent Movie." And we'll meet a former waitress who spent her life-savings to make a...

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