How Would Forgiveness Change Your Life? There was a time not so long ago when my relationship with my brother was strained at best. I’m talking 5 minutes in a room together and we were both gritting our teeth and ready to bolt. I would go to his home each Thanksgiving because “that’s what families do.” And as soon as I parked my car in his driveway, the countdown clock to my departure would begin in my head.
On World Cafe’s Sense Of Place trip to North Carolina, we discussed the DIY beginnings and subsequent growth of Durham, N.C.’s Merge Records with co-founders Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. Founded in 1989 as a way to release their band Superchunk’s music — and, later, albums by their friends — the label has become a powerhouse thanks in part to artists like Spoon and Arcade Fire.
Now that Big Bird’s original puppeteer Caroll Spinney is leaving Sesame Street after 50 years, people are wondering who can possibly step in to fill his big orange shoes.