We have a problem in our society. Too many people don't understand science or the importance of the scientific method. Many children aren't learning the basics of math and science, which closes off a broad range of career opportunities. It's also a problem in our civil society. A broader understanding of how science works would help parents know why they need to vaccinate their kids or what's going on with climate change. Science evangelist Ainissa Ramirez has some great fixes. She's the author ...
Mar 30, 2016•28 min
This episode looks at the simple, highly personal way that living room conversations allow people of different viewpoints to really hear each other. A progressive activist, Joan Blades was deeply involved in starting MoveOn.org in the late 90's. More recently she has also worked on ways to encourage respect and dialog among liberals, independents and conservatives. She is the cofounder of LivingRoomConversations.org. In part one last week (episode 43), we looked at why Americans need to find new...
Mar 22, 2016•18 min
How can you talk to people you disagree with? We Talk to Joan Blades, the founder of MoveOn.org about how to bridge the partisan divide. This show is another response to the deep partisan divide in America - part one of a fascinating conversation with Joan Blades. Much of our political campaign has been dominated by personal insults, name-calling and dogma. Voters have rewarded politicians who use anger and blame others for the country's problems. Individual citizens are part of the problem and ...
Mar 16, 2016•21 min
Let's face it. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have won far more votes than almost any "expert" forecast. The reason may well be that emotions and learned behavior from others play a far bigger role in our decision making than most of us realize. Our "Fix It" guest Mark Earls - the HERDMeister - is an award-winning British writer and consultant on marketing, communications and human behavior. In his latest book, " Copy, Copy, Copy, " Mark shows how we vote and buy stuff by copying others - our f...
Mar 09, 2016•27 min
More than any time in recent decades, American politics aredeeply divided. Compromise is a dirty word. "The way that we're running the country is that we're notrunning the country," says our guest Mark Gerzon, author of the newbook, " TheReunited States of America. " As President of Mediators Foundation, the group he founded 25years ago, Mark has brought people together in conflict zonesaround the world Concerned about increasing polarization in theU.S., Mark is working on the ideological fronti...
Mar 02, 2016•28 min
From the AmericanRevolution and the Founding Fathers - through wars, economic changeand the struggle for civil rights, American history isoverwhelmingly dominated by the achievements and errors ofmen. Women - because they were largely excluded from public andprofessional life for most of our history - play a relatively smallrole in the established narrative of our past. "Role models have a hugeimpact on the way young girls and women in general think aboutthemselves," says Joan Wages, President a...
Feb 24, 2016•21 min
For its opponents, Obamacare is a disaster - a classic exampleof over-reach by an Administration that wants to expand the sizeand scope of the Federal government. Supporters say The Affordable Care Act is a triumph, benefitingcountless millions of Americans, while reducing the threat ofpersonal bankruptcies in medical emergencies crippling healthcarecosts. "We have decreased the rate ofthe uninsured by about a third," says our guest Megan McArdle, acolumnist at Bloomberg View. But Obamacare pose...
Feb 17, 2016•34 min
Debbie Galant talks about what it's like to livewith breast cancer. What she learned along the way amount tosolutions for what can be a desperate, lonelyexperience. From the shock of herfirst diagnosis to sometimes wrenching, sometimes funnyconversations with her doctors and family, Debbie gives us valuablelessons about how to survive and recover, physically andemotionally. "You are pitched intothis world of fear... this incredible world of fear," she tells us."You're making a lot of decisions i...
Feb 10, 2016•26 min
Anti-lock brakes make many motorists drive faster. Introducing helmets and face masks in football raised the risk of concussions. Financial regulators and central bankers played a role in creatingconditions that led to the 2008 mortgage meltdown. The illusion of safety can lead to reckless behavior. These fascinating insights are part of "Foolproof - Why SafetyCan Be Dangerous and How Danger Makes Us Safe", the recentlypublished book by Greg Ip, chief economics commentator at The WallStreet Jour...
Feb 03, 2016•22 min
Before The U.S. and other nations can be successful againstIslamic State (ISIS) and other global jihadists, we must understandthe difference between Islam and Islamism. That's the argument fromour guest on this week's episode, Maajid Nawaz. "It happens to be that today we are dealing with an insurgencythat's rising and growing within my own Muslim community," he says.It doesn't help to deny it." A Sunni Muslim and a former Islamist fundamentalist, who isfounding chairman of the London-based coun...
Jan 26, 2016•24 min
We'd like to think that science should exist outside of politics and researchers follow the truth wherever it goes. But the ideal of rational non-ideological science is under attack at many colleges and universities, says our guest, Alice Dreger. An historian who studies human sexuality and the ethics of medical research, Alice is the author of the provocative new book, "Galileo's Middle Finger." "I'm really looking at how activists go after scientists who have ideas that the activists don't lik...
Jan 20, 2016•26 min
The armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the dry prairies of Southeast Oregon by members a small militia group is the most recent chapter in the very long-running dispute over land in The West. Our guest is environmental historian Nancy Langston, author of “Where Land and Water Meet. A Western Landscape Transformed.” In some western states the Federal Government owns more than half the land. This set the stage for impassioned arguments between ranchers, conservationists, c...
Jan 13, 2016•29 min
It's easy to make resolutions to improve our lives, but how do we boost our chances of following through? The first two guests on this New Year's Resolutions special are Dave McRaney of the podcast, "You Are Not So Smart" and Dr. Peter Whybrow,Director of the Semel Institute at U.C.L.A., author of The Well-Tuned Brain: Neuroscience And The Life Well Lived."Dave dives in to confirmation bias, when we seek out information that confirms our world view, rather than challenging ourselves with the tru...
Dec 31, 2015•24 min
If you want to get of sense of what we're about, this highlights show may be a good place to start. We've put together a "best of" podcast that reflects our values and makes the argument for why we're worth listening to. From Episode 4, released in June, reformer Philip K. Howard made the case for better government and simpler, shorter laws, instead of all the red tape and tangled mess that we have today. In his Ted Talk lecture and his latest book, “The Rule of Nobody,” Philip argues passionate...
Dec 29, 2015•30 min
We love our smartphones, tablets, and laptops. But what is the explosion in mobile technology doing to our brains?Our guest, Professor Abigail Baird,is a developmental psychologist,expert on the teenage brain and mother of two young children. She says technology has great benefits, but also could have a negative impact on our conversations, memory and social life. The brain's craving for novelty - for constant stimulation and instant gratification - makes our tech toys seem irresistible. So how ...
Dec 23, 2015•25 min
From angry scenes over Halloween costumes at Yale to protests against racism at the University of Missouri, student activism is back. More than at any time since the late 1960's, America is in the middle of a wave of college unrest. To what extent do students today have genuine grievances? Are at least some of them rebels without a cause - angry because their feelings have been hurt? “ Step by step colleges are being transformed into something more akin to mental health wards rather than citadel...
Dec 15, 2015•24 min
From Paris to San Bernardino, terrorist attacks have sparked an outcry from many politicians in Europe and the U.S. - including calls for new controls on immigration, refugees and the free movement of labor across national borders.The leading Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, called for a total and complete ban on Muslims entering the United States.Our guest in episode 29, Peter Coy, Economics Editor for Bloomberg Businessweek, makes a strong case for more - not less - immigration...
Dec 07, 2015•27 min
How can we get more sleep? If you have at least seven hours of interrupted sleep each night, consider yourself very lucky indeed. Problems with sleep are remarkably widespread. Many millions of adults and children either don't spend enough time in bed or suffer from sleep disorders, resulting in illness, obesity, depression, mood swings and loss of creativity.Our guest is Jeff Koyen, Editor-in-Chief of Van Winkle's, a new website "obsessed with sleeping, waking and everything in between. He shar...
Dec 01, 2015•24 min
The holiday shopping season is underway and finding the right toy or game for his or her kids is the goal of every parent. A vast range of new toys has been introduced in recent months. Joining us in this episode to look at the recent changes is consultant and branding expert, Richard Gottlieb, of Global Toy Experts . "The toy industry is a nineteenth century industry that's trying hard to break into the twenty first," says Richard. "It's had a lot of difficulty dealing with the digital aspect o...
Nov 24, 2015•25 min
The demand for energy around the world continues to grow each year. And so does the amount of carbon dioxide that's pumped into the earth's atmosphere. What happens if the world fails to bring down CO2 emissions in the coming decades? What if all the treaties and negotiations over climate change don't succeed in reducing the threat of global warming?Our guest is Peter Kelemen, Chair of Columbia University's Earth and Environmental Sciences Department and Arthur B. Storke Professor of Geochemistr...
Nov 16, 2015•23 min
The Federal Reserve plays a fundamental role in our economy. But many Americans loathe The Federal Reserve - furious that The Fed bailed out banks and other huge financial firms during the 2008 financial crisis.Our guest, Roger Lowenstein, is the author of "America's Bank - The Epic Struggle to Create The Federal Reserve." His book is a dramatic account of the chaotic years before The United States became the last major industrialized nation to form a central bank.Our podcast features a lively d...
Nov 09, 2015•23 min
More than ever America is divided into political tribes. One person's truth is somebody else's lie. This show is about confirmation bias and filter bubbles: How our brains play tricks on us as we try to make sense of the world.David McRaney, host of the entertaining and popular podcast, "You Are Not So Smart", is our guest. His show is "a celebration of self-delusion." David, who calls himself a psychology nerd, is passionate about the need for all of us to have some understanding of how our bra...
Nov 04, 2015•26 min
Women in the workplace face huge challenges, including discrimination and low pay. The Pew Research Center says women's hourly wages are 84% those of men. The White House says the true number is lower. Many firms insist on rigid working hours, making it hard for many employees to balance work and family life. How Do We Fix It? Enter time management and productivity expert Laura Vanderkam, author of "I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time" and "What The Most Succ...
Oct 28, 2015•26 min
If you had a 10% of facing a flood or getting into a fatal car accident, you'd make sure you bought first-rate insurance coverage. That's what our guest Gernot Wagner says we should do about climate change. Science tells us that if we do nothing, there is the risk of a global catastrophe. We hear the argument for climate insurance. Gernot is the co-author of "Climate Shock - The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet," and lead senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund.Even if climate...
Oct 21, 2015•28 min
Many of us make potentially disastrous mistakes with insurance. Either we don't have nearly enough coverage or pay through the nose for duplicate options that we don't need. Insurance expert Laura Adams has easy-to-follow solutions and smart buying tips to save you money. The author of several personal finance books, Laura hosts the popular "Money Girl" podcast. She is Senior Insurance Analyst for InsuranceQuotes.com. To find out more: http://lauradadams.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...
Oct 14, 2015•30 min
Do helicopter parents need to come in for a landing? Lenore Skenazy, host of the cable TV show, "World's Worst Mom", says yes. The founder of the parenting movement Free Range Kids is Jim and Richard's expert guest. Skenazy argues society fills parents with fear about what might happen to their children. www.freerangekids.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 06, 2015•28 min
With recent worries about the global economy and stock market panic, investment expert Susan Schmidt, Senior Portfolio Manager at Westwood Holdings Group, has a simple message: keep calm. 55% of Americans have money in the market. Most are long term savers. She says the basic rules of investing are surprisingly simple. Building wealth means savers should resist emotion and act as investors, not traders, ignoring the day-to-day changes in the market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...
Sep 30, 2015•30 min
TV host, writer, author and producer Mike Rowe says America needs to change its understanding about work and face up to the widening skills gap. Many manufacturers can't fill find workers to do well-paid skilled technical and labor one jobs. Mike argues that stereotypes about blue-collar work must change. He's launched the mikeroweWORKS foundation to raise awareness and help young workers. The third season of his popular CNN show, "Somebody's Gotta Do It," starts September 27th. Hosted on Acast....
Sep 23, 2015•26 min
We look at threats to free speech on college campuses with Greg Lukianoff, a constitutional lawyer and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Greg says there's been an alarming rise in trigger warnings and hypersensitivity, with a growing number of students demanding protection from words, ideas and emotions that they don't like. Is this a disaster in the making for education and for students themselves? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 16, 2015•26 min
"Protecting Our Kids?: How Sex Offender Laws Are Failing Us" is the provocative title of the new book by sociology professor Emily Horowitz. She argues that America is in the grip of panic, saying that sex offender laws enacted over the past twenty years have failed to protect children and promote vigilante justice against alleged offenders. Professor Horowitz is chair of sociology and criminal justice at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more ...
Sep 09, 2015•26 min
