Rebecca Lavoie

Word of Mouth 05.18.2013

Rebecca Lavoie — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Our freshest and tastiest content, wrapped up in one zesty hour of radio. This week, "A New View."

A political scientist believes that Jane Austen may have been a master of Game Theory. And the surprising, twisted artistry and uses of Victorian-era walking canes.

and...

Word Of Mouth 05.11.2013

Rebecca Lavoie — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

In this special edition of Word of Mouth: Girl Power Interrupted.

Word Of Mouth 05.04.2013

Rebecca Lavoie — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:47:19 +0000

In this special edition of Word of Mouth: are we catching up with technology? This week we'll explore the very human way we interact with technology; resistance is futile.

Word Of Mouth 04.27.2013

Rebecca Lavoie — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:21:59 +0000

“Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.”

-Fyodor Dostoyevsky from Crime and Punishment

In this fearless edition of Word of Mouth, we take new steps and utter new words about crime, punishment and everything in between.

Word Of Mouth 04.20.2013

Rebecca Lavoie — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:00:20 +0000

Behold! This week's Saturday show focuses on a bevy of our favorite segments that investigate "Art in the Real World."

CAB Pre-Meeting Listening/Survey For 04.27

Rebecca Lavoie — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:05:41 +0000

Hello Community Advisory Board Members,

I am really looking forward to our discussion on April 27, and hearing feedback about NHPR's Word of Mouth. In preparation for our discussion I would love to have you listen to a few short pieces of sound and then share your impressions in a very brief survey (link below).

Thank you so much, and I look forward to meeting you all.

Rebecca Lavoie

Senior Producer, Word of Mouth

Question 1

Word Of Mouth 04.06.2013

Rebecca Lavoie — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:48:04 +0000

We bring you a collection of tasty segments we know you'll love, using the powers of public radio telepathy.

Eating Trader Joes' Trash: A Documentary About Dumpster Diving

Rebecca Lavoie — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:32:49 +0000

Just about everybody who’s ever shopped at the grocery store has instinctively checked produce for bruising or blemishes, or put aside a can of soup because the can was dented… but there are many people willing to eat for free what paying customers will not – even if they have to dig through a dumpster to find it. New Hampshire native Alex Mallis is head of Analect Films – and the director of the short documentary Spoils: Extraordinary Harvest. The film follows a diverse group of so-called ‘dumpster-divers’ on their late night journey to a New York City Trader Joes. You can catch Spoils this Saturday at 11 am at the Colonial Theater as part of the Monadnock Film Festival - and Alex joins us to explain the philosophy and logistics behind reclaiming discarded food from the dumpster.

Fight For Your Long Day

Rebecca Lavoie — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:21:01 +0000

Alex Kudera published Fight for Your Long Day, in 2010, but it’s still gaining traction because of its unflinching look at the swelling academic underclass that is adjunct faculty, recently getting notice from the chronicle of higher education. We spoke with him about the book and the perception of adjuncts in higher education today.

Reality TV Gets A Dose Of Reality

Rebecca Lavoie — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:13:51 +0000

The reality television industry could be in for a rude awakening – a lawsuit filed last year by David Hester could threaten to change the foundations of the immensely popular genre. Still functioning after its explosive success near the turn of the century, reality TV has begun to face declining ratings in many of its shows. Last December, Hester filed a lawsuit against A&E after producers of “Storage Wars” allegedly rigged the outcome of the show’s competitors – with damaging results. Eriq Gardner is senior editor for the Hollywood Reporter and joins us to discuss the suit.

Sex And The Elderly

Rebecca Lavoie — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:06:45 +0000

According to a 2010 AARP survey, 85% of men and 61% of women over fifty said sex is important to their quality of life. This number, coupled with increasing rates of sexually transmitted diseases among adults over fifty, clashes with our societal taboo surrounding the elderly libido. Jessica Gentile wrote about that conflict, and the value of embracing sexuality at all ages for an Atlantic piece called “The 87 Year Old Virgin.”

Who Owns Your Genes?

Rebecca Lavoie — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:21:03 +0000

As of last month, over forty-thousand patents on DNA molecules have been submitted by private research companies –essentially claiming the entire human genome sequence for profit. The Supreme Court will review the matter at hearing on April 15th, and the outcome could have a significant impact on personalized medicine and scientific research. Joining us is Doctor Christopher Mason of Weill Cornell Medical College’s department of Physiology and Biophysics. He’s co-author of a new study that got our attention, on the issue of genomic liberty.

The Anthropology of Trash

Rebecca Lavoie — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:39:32 +0000

Thanks to thousands of sanitation officials working around the clock, millions of New York City residents walk the streets without being overwhelmed by the overpowering stench and volume of the tons of garbage produced by that city each day. Robin Nagle has been the anthropologist-in-residence at New York City’s Department of Transportation since 2006; combining traditional field work techniques with hand-on social science. She examines the often-ignored issues behind the city’s elaborate—and under appreciated—system of refuse collection. Robin's new book is called “Picking Up”.

Cosplay In Wild Places

Rebecca Lavoie — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:31:51 +0000

Since its name was first coined in 1984, cosplay has grown in popularity from a fringe convention pastime to a performance art form... Inspiring thriving real-world and social networks, and even competitions, like the World Cosplay Summit. Now, photographer Anna Fischer is looking to take the role playing subculture even further outside the convention-center walls of comic-con to a whole other level - the great outdoors. Her Kickstarter-fueled project is called “The Wild Places.”

Poisonous Potatoes

Rebecca Lavoie — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:22:33 +0000

A good potato is hard to find – at least for potato chip makers, who require the exactly the right balance of sugar, starch, and color to produce a perfect chip. In the late 1960’s, chip companies aimed to engineer these tricky variables to their liking using conventional plant cross-breeding. Researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture, Penn State University and the Wise potato chip company embarked upon a scientific quest to create the perfect potato for chips – and ended up with poisonous results. We spoke to Maggie Koerth-Baker, science editor at Boing-Boing and columnist for the New York Times magazine, about the failed quest.