"Middle-aged"
is kind of a loaded phrase in American culture that conjures up different
things for different people. For some, there’s the fear that it’s all downhill from here. For others, there’s
the feeling that these are the best years, a time rich with freedom, success,
and influence. New York Times reporter Patricia Cohen has a new book out about
the social history of middle age-In Our
Prime: The Invention of Middle Age. We talk to her about how the definition
and experience of middle age has changed over the years.
Also on the program, Tropical
Storm Irene damaged hundreds of roads and a few dozen bridges across the state
last August. Almost immediately, VTRANS crews went into overdrive, repairing
and replacing roads. They were hurrying to restore access to towns and crucial
corridors – and they were also racing winter. So not all of those fixes were
intended to be permanent. With the return of warm weather, the Agency of
Transportation is surveying the hundreds of sites they repaired last summer and
fall to find out how all that construction is holding up. We talk to Wayne Gammell, maintenance administrator for VTRANS, about what the scan tour has revealed so far.
And we open up our mailbag and read from your letters.