The Leonard Lopate Show
Shaping Up and Shipping Out
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Guest host Julie Burstein takes an in-depth look at how box boats revolutionized the shipping industry, and reshaped the world economy. Then, novelist Reynolds Price describes the spiritual lessons that have shaped him. And we’ll find out how cutlery has evolved in the West over the past 500 years. Plus, an industrial designer offers tips on revamping everything from your work space to your love life.
Underreported: Box Boats
In the last 50 years, technological innovations—from the internet to cell phones—have completely changed the way many of us live and do business. On today’s Underreported, we’ll take an in-depth look at a relatively unsung innovation—the box boat. While the shipping container itself is fairly low-tech, it has revolutionized the world economy—without box boats there might not be globalization or WalMart. Marc Levinson, author of The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, joins us.
Spiritual Life Lessons
In 2000, novelist Reynolds Price became a godfather. He took this new role seriously, and decided to write a letter to his godchild outlining the different spiritual lessons he had learned throughout his life. Now, he’s expanded that letter into a kind of spiritual autobiography about his faith: Letter to a Godchild.
Feeding Desire
For 500 years, forks, spoons, and knives have been important tools in Western civilization. And they've served as works of art and status symbols--reflecting changes in diet and etiquette. One example: as table manners evolved, oval spoon bowls were designed to help cut down on slurping. We'll talk to food historian Darra Goldstein, a guest curator for the Cooper-Hewitt’s current exhibit Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500–2005. Ms. Goldstein is also the editor-in-chief of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture.
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