High tech can sometimes mean hand stitching. We discuss the production of World Cup soccer balls in Siaklot, Pakistan with Atlantic assistant editor, Joe Pinsker. Next, a conversation about the intricacies of teaching high school English with writer and teacher Nick Ripatrazone. Then, Dr. Jordan Ellenberg takes us through the most unread books of summer using his formula, the Hawking Index. And, we talk to "Joyland" author Emily Schultz about the strange events that followed the release Steven King's book of the same title. Plus, a look into the history of the “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster.
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Sialkot Soccer Balls
This year the Adidas Brazuca soccer ball replaced the Adidas Jubulani as the official match ball of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Though one might expect it to be made in a high tech factory, it is actually produced, along with all other World Cup balls since 1982, in the city of Sialklot, Pakistan. We talked to Joe Pinkser, an assistant editor for The Atlantic, about Siaklot’s soccer industry. Read his article on the topic here.
NBA Referee
Not all childhood dreams revolve around fame and riches. For Marat Kogut, his dream was to be an NBA referee. At StoryCorps, Marat and his father Leon talked about his path to achieving his goal.
Thoughts for English Teachers
All of us remember that one high school teacher who seemed to teach us more than a subject – one who knew how to teach us about ourselves. Nick Ripatrazone is certainly one of those teachers. We spoke with him about his beautifully written article “55 Thoughts for English Teachers.”
The Unread Books of Summer
How many books have you put down, never to be picked up again? University of Wisconsin mathematics professor, Dr. Jordan Ellenberg, has created a completely unscientific but entirely engaging formula for determining the most unfinished books of summer. He wrote about his formula, called the Hawking Index, in the Wall Street Journal.
Kingly Confusion
It is just pure probability that two authors will inevitably release books with the same title. However, the chance that they will be confused is far less. Author Emily Schultz tells us about her strange experience of her work colliding with a Steven King novel. Check out her blog here.
Keep Calm and Carry On: A History Lesson
On Tumblr, outside stores and littering the walls of college dorm rooms, the “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster has become so prevalent and its versions so numerous. We talked to Henry Irving about his article for theconversation.com in which he explores the suprising World War II origins of this slogan.
