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The story of Harold Washington and the white backlash that was set off when he became Chicago's first black mayor.

Ira Glass talks to three teenage boys who buy computer equipment using stolen credit card numbers. And other stories.

The mob as portrayed in movies, and as it is in real life. And its hold over us.

What happens when people with a common interest gather in fluorescent-lit halls? Sometimes they drive each other crazy, sometimes they fall in love.

The story of two Americans—one white, one black—who go to South Africa and have very different opinions about what they find.

Listeners sent us samples of what they're finding on the internet, including postings from Usenet groups, favorite web pages, and their own email.
A man tries to run for President as a utopian nudist, and other stories of people whose lives are organized around one thing.

Twenty-four people put one hand on a Hardbody pickup truck and wait...until only one person is left standing. Plus other stories of people trying to get rich quick.

Stories about people who are not afraid of fire, though perhaps they should be.

Stories about the delivery business and the people in it: UPS men, bike messengers, FedEx dispatchers.

Name changes are particularly American stories: they're the dream of starting over with a clean slate.

Stories about the animalness of animals, the irreducible ways in which they are not human.