Stories of Loss

#193 - 14 September 2001

In the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a collection of stories in which people try to make sense of loss.

Meet the Pros

#192 - 31 August 2001

The story of one man's journey from obscurity to international professional celebrity—aided only by his own hard work, a sneaker commercial, and mad handles. And other stories of amateurs hurtling themselves at the pros whose jobs they covet.

I Know What You Did This Summer

#191 - 17 August 2001

Stories for the stultifying, torpor-inducing, hottest heat of summer.

Living the Dream

#190 - 3 August 2001

There's a deep impulse in American culture that says that you can make yourself into anyone. Today, three stories about people who tried to do just that.

Hitler's Yacht

#189 - 13 July 2001

Nearly this entire show is devoted to the story of the boat known as "Hitler's Yacht." It's a modern-day fable about what happens when the free market, the media, the World War II buffs, the Neo-Nazis, and the Jews all collide over a huge Nazi tourist trap.

Kid Logic

#188 - 22 June 2001

Stories of kids using perfectly logical arguments, and arriving at perfectly wrong conclusions.

Father's Day '01

#187 - 15 June 2001

For Father's Day, stories of dads who are utterly human in scale.

Prom

#186 - 8 June 2001

While the seniors danced at Prom Night 2001 in Hoisington, Kansas—a town of about 3,000—a tornado hit the town, destroying about a third of it. When they emerged from the dance, they discovered what had happened, and in the weeks that followed, they tried to explain to themselves why the tornado hit where it did. Plus other stories that happen on Prom Night.

Golden Calf

#185 - 25 May 2001

Stories of people worshiping false idols...and if that's always a bad thing.

Neighbors

#184 - 11 May 2001

Stories of people trying to love their neighbors...and failing.