This American Life

Most weeks "This American Life" is the most popular podcast in the country, with around 2.5 million people downloading each episode. When you subscribe to the free weekly podcast, episodes automatically download to your computer or smartphone. Episodes are available for exactly one week, beginning the Monday after broadcast. Podcast content is the same as the radio broadcast, except on occasion when they include extra material on the podcast that had to be cut for time.

Click here for links to a video on what a podcast is and how to get one, to subscribe to "This American Life," and to get to their homepage.

A Personal Sort of Time Travel: Ancestry Tourism

By Amy Zipkin, New York Times, July 29, 2016

Old stories send younger generations around the world.  Click here to see the article.

Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness

Click here to see a TED talk on the fascinating results of a study of men from ages 19 to 94.

Watch a Year on Earth as Seen From Space

Click here to see photos and text.  There may be a brief ad first.

Zapping Their Brains at Home

By Anna Wexler, New York Times, July 22, 2016.

Neuroscientists have published an open letter to practitioners of do-it-yourself brain stimulation.  These are people who stimulate their own brains with low levels of electricity, largely for purposes like improved memory or learning.  Click here to read the article. 

The Right Way to Bribe Your Kids to Read

By KJ Dell'Antonia, New York Times, July 23 2016.

Studies show rewards backfire.  But what if they don't come in cold, hard cash?  What do you think?  Click here to read the article.

‘Divine Pleasures’ Celebrates the Colors of Desire in Indian Paintings

Art Review by Jason Farago, New York Times, July 15, 2016.

For the article and more lovely color pictures of the art, click here.

How Excessive Executive Pay Hurts Shareholders

By the Editorial Board of the New York Times, July 14, 2016.

Excessive executive pay not only contributes to rising income inequality, it also means shareholders are losing money.  Click here to read the editorial.

Helpless to Prevent Cancer? Actually, Quite a Bit Is in Your Control

By Aaron E. Carroll, New York Times, July 5, 2016.

Americans seem very afraid of cancer, with good reason. Unlike other things that kill us, it often seems to come out of nowhere.

But evidence has increasingly accumulated that cancer may be preventable, too. Unfortunately, this has inflamed as much as it has assuaged people’s fears.  To read the article, click here.

Thedogist

If you like dogs, don't miss these photos of them on the streets of New York.  Click here to see the blog and photos.  

Wisdom of the Ages

I was sitting at breakfast this morning with my granddaughter, Rose. The New York Times headline “Truck Attack on French Crowd; Scores Die” sat ominously on the counter next to us. I was trying to explain to a brilliant nine year old that a man had driven a truck through a crowd of people in France and killed at least 80, many of them children. Rose’s question was simple, “Didn’t anyone teach him the Golden Rule?” And all I could say was, “probably not”.

To read the complete post from Medium, click here.

Too Old for Sex? Not at This Nursing Home

By Winnie Hu, New York Times, July 12, 2016.

A nursing home in the Bronx aids residents seeking love.  Click here to see the full article.

Infans economicus: Is There Something Disturbing About How Babies Respond to Incentives?

By Samuel Bowles, Santa Fe Institute.  Click here to read the article from thepsychreport

Nordic politicians are debating making school mandatory for senior citizens

By Anne Quito, July 10, 2016, in Quartz.

To see why and what you think about it, click here.

The Paradox of Disclosure

By Sunita Sah, New York Times, July 8, 2016.

Paradoxically, revealing your bias often makes others more likely to take your advice.  Click here for the full column.

The Power of Altruism

By David Brooks, New York Times, July 8, 2016.

Click here to see his full column on the limitations of economic rationality.

Dennis Oppenheim, a Sculptor Who Moved Heaven and Earth

By Ken Johnson, New York Times, July 7, 2016.

For the review and more pictures of the new exhibit at Storm King, click here.

For Effective Brain Fitness, Do More Than Play Simple Games

By Constance Gustke, New York Times, July 8, 2016.

Click here to read the article.

Philadelphia Offers a Full-Fledged Summer of African Art

By Holland Carter, July 7, 2016, New York Times.  

Exhibitions at two museums add richness and beauty to summer in Philadelphia.  Click here to read the article.

Photos from NASA's Jupiter Satellite

Click here to see more of the beautiful pictures Juno has taken of Jupiter.