Comments from our listeners
Listeners let us know what they think of our coverage of checkout-line charity, Detroit supermarkets, New York City's Garment District, "The Tao of Wu" and shock advertising.
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Kai Ryssdal: One of the great things about listener e-mails is that they really give you a sense of what resonates. Which stories strike a nerve. Clearly, being asked to give to charity as you buy your groceries bugs a very good many of you.
We ran a story last week about being hit up for a dollar donation to one cause or another in the checkout line. Most of you gave the practice a big thumbs down. Marlene Athie of Rockville, Md., feels just the opposite, though. She says it helps her avoid weekly petitions for more.
MARLENE ATHIE: The organization cannot trace your gift!
A note about a story we ran a couple of weeks ago. We were telling you about urban farming in Detroit and said there are no grocery stores in the city. Our listeners there beg to differ. They say although there are no major chains, there are still plenty of great places to buy food.
I talked to designer Nanette Lepore a couple of weeks ago about Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plans to re-zone New York's Garment District and open it up for restaurants and hotels.
Fashion industry blogger Brandon Graham of Brooklyn says people ought to vote with their wallets.
BRANDON GRAHAM: When the consumer buys from a designer that keeps their supplier and dollar in the U.S. or New York City that is sending a powerful "vote" in what will happen to the district.
We had The RZA on the show last week. He's the founder of the hip hop group Wu Tang Clan. We didn't talk so much about his music, even though a lot of hip hop is about money and the good life. Mostly we explored his thoughts on how to live a good life. A lot of people were apparently surprised to hear the RZA on our show, among them Ken Reed, who works at the United States Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan.
KEN REED: Pieces like this are definitely needed to make people understand that money isn't the tool to happiness -- the mind is.
Finally, shock advertising and a story we ran last week highlighting New York City's latest public health campaign. The city's trying to cut back on the consumption of sugary drinks, so it has put up posters showing soda being poured into a glass and then turning into globs of veiny, disgusting fat.
Julie Feldman is a dietician from Farmington Hills, Mich. She says what shocks her is the attempt to solve obesity with an ad campaign alone.
JULIE FELDMAN: These ads may convince some people to give up their favorite sweetened beverages, but that doesn't mean they will make healthier food choices or balance their caloric intake with adequate physical activity.
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