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3.10.16: Maritime Repo Men, the Illusion of Taste, & Weenie Royale

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The life of a 'repo man' is always intense; just imagine the stakes on the high seas. On today’s show, we’ll dive into the murky world of maritime "repo men", hired to recover ships stolen and scrubbed to hide their identity by gun runners, human traffickers, and pirates.

Plus, does a crunchier-sounding potato chip taste better? Scientists are exploring how the senses are heightened by working together. 

Listen to the full show. 

Maritime Repo Men

Ian Urbina is an investigative reporter for The New York Times. He's uncovered stories of slavery, summary executions, stealing and selling organs, all taking place on the high seas...his most recent report is on maritime 'repo men’. “Maritime ‘Repo Men’: A Last Resort for Stolen Ships.”

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Maritime Repo Men

The Illusion of Taste

While it’s long been known that the smell and color of food greatly shapes taste, turns out sound also plays a big role. Nicola Twilley delved into the world of multi-sensory perception in an article for The New Yorker, “The Illusion of Taste”.  

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The Illusion of Taste

Weenie Royale

After Pearl Harbor, about 120,000 Japanese-Americans were uprooted and forced to live for years in remote federal camps around the country. The Kitchen Sisters, [follow them on Twitter: @kitchensisters] producers Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson, explore the impact of internment on Japanese cooking and culture in America.

You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.

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