On todays episode of Modern Notion, we visit the salon in New York that originated Brazilian waxing. Jonice Padilha, one of the seven sisters behind Manhattans J Sisters salon, speaks to reporter Renee Gross about how the salon came up with the idea of taking it all off. From there, the trend took off—youll have to listen to find out why.

Music this hour:

“Forgiven Not Forgotten” by Jahzzar, from the album Kuddelmuddel

“What True Self? Feels Bogus, Let’s Watch Jason X” by Chris Zabriskie, from the album Reappear

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What if we looked at the human body as a landscape, and mapped its features using a cartographers eye? Thats what Dr. Gavin Francis does in his new book, Adventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour from the Cranium to the Calcaneum (Basic Books, October 2015). On this episode of Modern Notion we dive into some of the case studies from Dr. Franciss book, from electro-shock therapy to vertigo.

Music this hour:

“Oceanica” by Avaren, from the album For Others’ Use

“Theme S” by Steve Combs andamp; Delta Is, from the album Themes (Vol. 1)

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Our guest on todays (new! improved! weekly!) Modern Notion is Gordon Edgar, the longtime cheesemonger at Rainbow Cooperative Grocery in San Francisco. Gordon turns his attention to a specific kind of cheese in his new book, Cheddar: A Journey to the Heart of Americas Most Iconic Cheese (Chelsea Green, October 2015). In the midst of a cheese renaissance, Gordon wants to understand cheddars place in American culture.

Music this hour:

“Chicken and Cheese 2 (Foot Village cover)” by Tussle

Listen for a quick update on whats happening at Modern Notion.

On todays show, were talking with author Simon Read about Winston Churchill—but probably not the Winston Churchill you already know. In his book, Winston Churchill Reporting: Adventures of a Young War Correspondent (Da Capo Press, October 2015), Read explores the five years Churchill spent as a war correspondent, which took him around the world, from Cuba to Sudan. In those five years, Churchill had experiences that impacted his later life as a world leader, and he solidified his feelings that he was destined for greatness.

Music this hour:

“get out” by Jahzzar, from the album Sketches

“Soldiertype (militarised)” by Ketsa, from the album What’s Without’s Within

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On todays show, our guest is Dave Goulson, a professor of biological sciences and the founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in the UK. Goulson recently wrote a memoir of sorts about a farm he bought in France, called A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm (Picador, April 2015). For the last decade, Goulson has been turning the farm into a bug-friendly wildflower meadow, and along the way hes recorded what species live there and conducted experiments on them, too.

Music this hour:

“Soldiertype (militarised)” by Ketsa, from the album What’s Without’s Within

“Take Me Higher” by Jahzzar, from the album Tumbling Dishes Like Old-Man’s Wishes

Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

On todays episode of Modern Notion Daily, our guest is David Talbot, the former CEO and editor-in-chief of Salon.com. Talbot has written a new book, The Devils Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of Americas Secret Government (Harper, October 2015). Dulles was the director of the CIA until President John F. Kennedy fired him; and now theres evidence to suggest that Dulles might have been behind the plot to kill the president. But perhaps even more persistent in Dulless legacy is his role in creating a deep government, operating outside the bounds of democracy within our country.

Music this hour:

“Forgiven Not Forgotten” by Jahzzar, from the album Kuddelmuddel

“Soldiertype (militarised)” by Ketsa, from the album What’s Without’s Within

eCommerce by BoxCat Games, from the album Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack

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Jamie Holmes is our guest today, talking about his new book Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing (Crown, October 2015). Holmes argues that embracing ambiguity can help us lead more productive and happier lives. Also on the show, reporter Lila Cherneff visits a zebrafish lab on Mount Desert Island in Maine to learn about the science of resilience. Plus, contributing editor Mark Hay tells an alternate history of the dodo bird.

Music this hour:

“Soldiertype (militarised)” by Ketsa, from the album What’s Without’s Within

“Take Me Higher” by Jahzzar, from the album Tumbling Dishes Like Old-Man’s Wishes

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On todays show, novelist and English professor Eileen Pollack is discussing her new book, The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science Is Still a Boys Club (Beacon Press, September 2015). Pollack graduated from Yale with a bachelors degree in physics, but she believes that a lack of encouragement, and even active discouragement, led her to pursue a career in the humanities instead of male-dominated STEM fields. This book is a response to Larry Summerss famous comments about women in science, urging us as a society to foster womens increased participation in STEM.

Music this hour:

“Forgiven Not Forgotten” by Jahzzar, from the album Kuddelmuddel

“Flutter” by Jahzzar, from the album Onus

“Soldiertype (militarised)” by Ketsa, from the album What’s Without’s Within

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On todays show, our guest is Clint Emerson, author of 100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operatives Guide to Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation (Touchstone, October 2015). Emerson uses his experiences a Navy SEAL to give tips on how to stay ahead of the bad guys—mostly by using bad guy tactics. He gives detailed instructions on how to make an improvised Taser with a disposable, plus many other ways to be prepared for the worst. Later in the hour, well, we hear about the worst: when several severed feet washed up on the shores of the Salish Sea. (Thats from contributing editor Mark Hay.)

Music this hour:

“Soldiertype (militarised)” by Ketsa, from the album What’s Without’s Within“

Forgiven Not Forgotten” by Jahzzar, from the album Kuddelmuddel

“Oceanica” by Avaren, from the album For Others’ Use

“2.2.05” by BOPD, from the album 2005 Stayin Alive InstruMentals