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Story Archives of 'Society and Culture'
The Muslim Teenager's Handbook
By Virginia Prescott on Monday, November 23, 2009.Books for Christian teens are plentiful and popular, but for Muslim teen? Not so much. Dilara Hafiz watched her two children Yasmine and Imran growing up in post 9-11 America surrounded by some clueless and some suspicious neighbors, and a good dose of schoolyard taunts.
Unwilling to play victims, the family decided to be proactive. They collaborated on The American Muslim Teenager’s Handbook, a guide for Muslims and non-Muslims that aims to dispel myths, resist peer pressure, addressing the misconceptions about Islam and terrorism that Muslim youth and adults encounter in America.
We’re picking up the subject this week, as Americans of every stripe prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday; Muslims commemorate the holiday of Eid al-Adha, and while questions over the alleged Fort Hood shooter’s connection to radical Islamists have revived fears of an anti-Muslim backlash. Joining us with more is Dilara Hahiz, her daughter Yasmine, and son Imran to talk about The American Muslim Teenager's Handbook, which was chosen as a Top 10 Religion Books for Youth by Booklist.
(Photo by Roslan Tangah via Flickr/Creative Commons)
Circuit Bending for Sound's Sake
By Jen Nathan on Monday, November 23, 2009.
Musicians, hackers, coders and geeks from around the world converged on Boston this weekend for the first ever Music Hack Day in the U.S. There was plenty of wire, soldering irons, and electronic sounds. Word of Mouth’s Jen Nathan picked up a microphone to uncover the appeal of pulling toys apart to make music.
(Photos by Rich Orris via Flickr/Creative Commons)
Oh, To Be in Asheville, NC
By Jen Nathan on Saturday, November 21, 2009.Amanda Palmer played a ninja show in the beautiful Southern mountain town of Asheville, NC Saturday afternoon. Here's a video her dramatic cover of Radiohead's Creep at Malaprops, one of the best book stores around.
Why Weezer, Why?
By Jen Nathan on Saturday, November 21, 2009.Okay, I get it. Snuggies are funny. We even had a Brookstone catalogue featuring a camel-colored "elegant snuggie" lying around the Word of Mouth cube farm. But does the world really need a Weezer snuggie? Watch this infomercial and help us decide:
Mr. T Likes Apples, How 'Bout You?
By Jen Nathan on Friday, November 20, 2009.I pity the fool that doesn't know a Gala from a Golden Delicious. Thanks to Word of Mouth's internet sherpa Brady Carlson for the perfect Friday afternoon diversion.
New Challenges for Body Image
By Laura Knoy on Friday, November 20, 2009.For decades many Americans have struggled with how their bodies look, even to the point of danger. But in 2009, new challenges have come up, like cyber-anorexia clubs, the rise of eating disorders in men and boys and the tension between the "big is beautiful" movement versus America’s war against obesity.
Guest
- Barbara Jago, director of the Communication Arts program and associate professor of communication arts at UNH Manchester; she teaches about gender and body issues
- Suzanne Sonneborn, nutrition educator at the University of New Hampshire and coauthor of the cookbook Good Eats: Quick and Easy Food for Busy College Students
We'll also hear from
- Cass Mercer, senior at the University of New Hampshire majoring in women's studies, and director of a UNH production called "The Mind-Body Dialogues"
Photographer Kept Alive by Deadly Leopard Seal
By Jen Nathan on Thursday, November 19, 2009.National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen wanted to photograph one of the most dangerous animals on Antarctica, the Leopard Seal.
The seal put his entire camera and head in its mouth, inches from its razor sharp teeth. As soon as it saw that Nicklen wasn't a threat, the seal started bringing him penguins. The seal did this for four days, as if it was trying to prevent Nicklen from starving.
The video is stunning, both for its content and artistry. Watch it in full screen to get the full effect!
Recession Civics
By Jon Greenberg on Thursday, November 19, 2009.This week, as part of our series on the economy, Working It Out, we’re asking the question, has this recession changed us. The Carsey Institute at the University New Hampshire just released a study that examines a particular slice of that question. It looks at the impact of the recession on civic life. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Jon Greenberg has more.
Bringing the Bronx to New Hampshire
By Virginia Prescott on Thursday, November 19, 2009.
Adrian Nicole LeBlanc broke ground when her award-winning book Random Family: Love, Drugs,Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx was published in 2003. She spent more than a decade closely observing three generations of a Puerto Rican family to create an intimate portrait of street life that was anything but pretty.
Random Family was a New York Times bestseller and was recently named one of The 50 Books for Our Times by Newsweek magazine. Tomorrow afternoon, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc and two of the subjects of Random Family will travel to ConVal High School in Peterborough, NH for a day-long workshop with New Hampshire students. It’s part of the MacDowell Colony’s Community Outreach Program in the schools, and we’re catching up with Adrian Nicole LeBlanc before the workshop. We also spoke with Jill Lawler, an English teacher at ConVal, about what her students are learning from random family.
Moosewood for the new Millennium
By Virginia Prescott on Thursday, November 19, 2009.
Mollie Katzen is a legend in my kitchen. The Moosewood Cookbook and the Enchanted Broccoli Forest were the first cookbooks I owned. Their hand drawn illustrations and folksy writing guided me through Moussaka and Swedish Cabbage Soup from college and on through adulthood.
My copies are now splattered with sauces and split at the bindings. But like many people, I find myself cooking the stuff I know over and over again, and I don't find myself in the kitchen as often as I used to. So I'm thrilled that Mollie has a new book and a new imperative: to "Get Cooking!"
She'll be visiting with University of New Hampshire students enrolled in the eco-gastronomy program this weekend, and signing copies of Get Cooking at River Run Bookstore in Portsmouth on Saturday.
Gourmet Dinner: Simply Southern with Mollie Katzen
The New York Times: Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch
Photo: Brady Carlson, NHPR
