After he and his girlfriend were swarmed by fire ants one day, writer Justin Nobel set off to figure out how they got to the U.S. and why they’re spreading farther north each year. Also in this show: In a patch of eastern Ecuador's Amazon rain forest, a researcher has been looking for treehopper insects that communicate using sound; and we have another nice piece from the Memory Palace, this one on what inspired one man to invent the telegraph.

Fire Ants Taking Over [8.17.2013]

The Story with Dick Gordon brings the news home - through passionate points of view and personal experiences. The program brings together ordinary and extraordinary people to provide perspective on the issues which affect us all. Our goal is to inspire conversation, thinking and understanding. Produced at North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC.

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Guest host Phoebe Judge speaks with writer Alexandra Fuller about growing up in Africa. She captures her fierce, resilient mother, whom she calls "dangerously imaginative." Fuller says Africa and her mother taught her self-reliance and tenacity.

Alexandra Fuller [11.01.2013]

Anna Bliss and Linda Lehmann both lost their jobs last year. They went to unemployment support groups but found the groups to be all about networking, not helping one another get through the anxiety and sadness of being jobless. So started the Dung Sisters—a small group of unemployed women who meet weekly to share their highs and lows as they try to lift themselves out of unemployment. 

The Dung Sisters [07.08.09]

Stacy Nakell has one of the toughest jobs there is. She's a social worker. But she has an extra edge when she tells women that they can find the courage to stand up to a violent person in their lives. Stacy is a boxer in her off-hours. Also in this episode, Lucy Carnaghi about her favorite job, we couldn't resist. For a time, Lucy drove a horse-drawn carriage through the streets of Chicago. 

Knock Out Therapy [3.27.2009]

Andrew Chin, a.k.a. Brushy One-String, has crafted a unique style playing a one-string guitar and singing in an utterly original voice. Also in this show: A sculptor recreates Rome’s Trevi Fountain - in cardboard.

One String Makes Big Music [10.24.2013]

 The recession has made new jobs few and far between, and applicants for entry-level positions can range in age from baby boomers to current college grads.  In 2008, Liam Daniel Pierce had an offer to intern at The New Yorker and a degree from an Ivy League school in hand. But then he got the news that his internship had been cut under new budget restraints. Undeterred, he moved to New York anyway and began a several month stretch of temp work and odd jobs. But this former college newspaper editor has more than a proficiency in Microsoft Word on his resume: he is a trained gondolier. Also in this episode, Deb Burgess operates what's thought to be the last pack station of its kind in the United States.  And every time the price of gold heads towards $1000 an ounce, Debra Graham is reminded of the adventure she had back in the 80s. It all began when she was unemployed and took out an ad offering a reward for information leading to a job.

Fire Ants Taking Over [8.17.2013]

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