A Little Bit of Knowledge

#293 - 22 July 2005

Stories about the pitfalls of knowing just a little bit too little.

The Arms Trader

#292 - 8 July 2005

The U.S. government spent two years on a sting operation trapping an Indian man named Hemant Lakhani, whom they suspected of being an illegal arms dealer. It's one of the few cases that has gone to trial in the War on Terror, and one the Justice Department has pointed to as one of their big successes. In the end, they got Lakhani, red-handed, delivering a missile to a terrorist in New Jersey. The only problem was, nothing in the sting was what it appeared to be. Including the missile.

Reunited (And It Feels So Good)

#291 - 1 July 2005

Stories about getting back together with your spouse, your country, your...Brahman bull. And how it never goes the way you think it's going to.

Godless America

#290 - 3 June 2005

At a time when House Majority Leader Tom Delay calls for enacting a "Biblical world view" in government, when Christians are asserting their ideals in the selection of judges, in public school science classes and elsewhere, This American Life spends an hour trying to remember why anyone liked the separation of church and state in the first place.

Go Ask Your Father

#289 - 13 May 2005

In this show, sons and daughters get to find out the one thing they've always wanted to know about their father. The answers aren't always what they hope for.

Not What I Meant

#288 - 6 May 2005

Stories about how easy it is for communication to go awry, and what the consequences can be after it does.

Backed Into A Corner

#287 - 15 April 2005

Stories about people who end up making choices they'd rather not make, when their options begin to run out. Sometimes this works out great; sometimes not so great.

Mind Games

#286 - 8 April 2005

Stories of people who try simple mind games on others, and then find themselves way in over their heads.

Know Your Enemy

#285 - 25 March 2005

Stories about trying to understand who's on your side. The defense minister of Israel visits would-be suicide bombers in prison, only to find out that in at least one case, he feels sorry for the terrorist. A prosecutor tries to censor a punk rock star. He takes him to court, but never bothers to listen to his lyrics. During the trial, he begins to think twice about his mission. Plus other stories.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

#284 - 11 March 2005

Stories about people teetering on the edge of this question: Should they stay or go? A software writer loses his job, but refuses to go away. He continues to show up at work, sneaking in the door each day and putting in long hours on a project the company canceled. A student from Pakistan finishes four years of college in Philadelphia and has to decide whether to move back home. And other stories.