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Latest Episodes:

Elizabeth Kolbert on What Happens "When the Arctic Melts" Oct 23, 2024

Show notes

As the Greenland ice sheet melts, more freshwater is pouring into the oceans and that’s triggering feedback loops that could mean disastrous coastal sea level rise and drought. New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert reported from the summit of the Greenland ice sheet for her new piece, “When the Arctic Melts.” “If we cross the tipping point for the Greenland ice sheet,” she writes, “we may not even notice. And yet the world as we know it will be gone.” Kolbert joins us.

Guests:

Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer, The New Yorker

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Coexisting with California’s Urban Coyotes Oct 22, 2024

Show notes

Native to California, coyotes are common in urban green spaces up and down the state. Once eradicated from San Francisco, they’ve made a comeback in the city, with sightings on the rise and reports of pet attacks, including an incident involving a 5-year-old child. We’ll talk about best practices to keep you and your pets safe and learn about the essential role coyotes play in California’s ecosystem. Have you had a recent encounter with a coyote?

Guests:

Tali Caspi, urban ecologist, PhD Candidate at UC Davis

Christopher J Schell, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley

Christine Wilkinson, conservation scientist, carnivore ecologist, research associate at California Academy of Sciences - manages www.bayareacoyote. org

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Sonoma’s Contentious Measure J Aims to Disrupt Meat Production Oct 22, 2024

Show notes

Measure J in Sonoma County wants to ban “factory farms” and force major poultry and dairy farms to downsize or shut down by limiting the number of animals a single farm can raise. The issue has been hotly contested in Sonoma, a major producer of milk, eggs, beef and poultry for the region and state. The measure specifically targets “concentrated animal feeding operations,” known as CAFOs, which backers claim are inhumane and detrimental to the environment. But opponents say the measure does nothing to improve animal welfare and would instead drive humane and ecologically-friendly farms out of business. We’ll talk about Measure J and how it could impact farming in Sonoma County and beyond.

Guests:

Mike Weber, farmer, Weber Family Farms - a poultry farm in Petaluma

Cassie King, spokesperson, Direct Action Everywhere Bay Area - a group that advocates for animal rights and is part of the Coalition to End Factory Farming, the group that started Measure J in Sonoma

Phil Barber, reporter, Santa Rosa Press Democrat

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How Harris and Trump Would Differ on Foreign Policy Oct 21, 2024

Show notes

The Middle East crisis and Russia’s war in Ukraine are among the critical foreign policy issues the next U.S. president will have to confront on day one. The stakes are high, after hundreds of defense and national security officials from both parties in an open letter last month called Donald Trump “unfit” for office. We look at how a Harris administration would compare to a Trump administration on foreign policy.

Guests:

Jen Kirby, foreign and national security reporter

Fred Kaplan, national security columnist, Slate; author, “The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War" and the novel "A Capital Calamity"

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on Why Voters Should Reject the Recall Oct 21, 2024

Show notes

In the first mayoral recall vote in Oakland in more than a century, voters will decide in the November election whether mayor Sheng Thao should be removed from office. After two years as mayor, Thao is contending with a historic budget deficit, widespread public safety concerns, large homeless encampments and the loss of the city’s last major professional sports team. All this in the shadow of an FBI raid on her home earlier this year. Mayor Thao joins us to talk about her approach to the city’s challenges and why voters should let her finish out her term.

Guests:

Sheng Thao, mayor of Oakland

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Synthesized Voices Just Got More Realistic Oct 18, 2024

Show notes

When ChatGPT launched advanced voice mode last month – inserting accents and ‘umms’, even taking breaths – some users called it surreal. Humans have been trying to make synthesized voices sound more natural for nearly a century. We talk about why and look at the history and evolution of synthesized voices, from robots of film like HAL and C3PO to digital assistants like Alexa.

Guests:

Kyle Orland, senior gaming editor, Ars Technica

Sarah A Bell, associate professor of digital media, Michigan Technological University; author, “Vox ex Machina: A Cultural History of Talking Machines"

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How to Design a Park That Brings a Community Together Oct 18, 2024

Show notes

Parks are meant for everyone, but they don’t always feel that way. A lack of transportation, paths that are not easily navigated, or elements that are not responsive to a community’s wants or needs can make a park unwelcoming. But park planners today are trying to change that by bringing residents, neighbors, and stakeholders into the planning process. Case in point: San Francisco’s newest park India Basin, located in Bayview-Hunters Point. The park, which opens this Saturday, relied heavily on a community input process that resulted in designs responsive to the people it serves. We’ll talk to park experts about efforts to make urban landscapes more inclusive and rooted in the history of their communities.

Guests:

Philip Ginsburg, general manager, San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department

Jacqueline Bryant, executive director, A. Randolph Institute San Francisco, nonprofit based in Bayview-Hunters Point, advocating for underserved communities

Mr. Michael Boland, former chief park officer, The Presidio Trust

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More American Workers are Calling in Sick – Especially Gen Z Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

Thirty percent of all employees working in the professional services industries with an active PTO policy took sick leave in the first 10 months of 2023 — up 42% from 2019. That’s according to new research from the HR platform Gusto, which also found that workers aged 25 to 34 are the most likely of all groups to take sick days. We’ll look at why Gen Z and young millennials are less likely to work while under the weather and more likely to take mental health days – and whether older generations might have something to learn from them.

Guests:

Emily Stewart, senior correspondent, Business Insider

Malissa Clark, associate professor of industrial-organizational psychology, University of Georgia

Adam Leibow, editor, Calling in Sick Magazine

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Election 2024: What Will Our Economy Look Like Under Trump or Harris? Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

The economy is the top issue influencing voters’ choice for president in this election, according to a recent Gallup poll. But “the economy” can mean many things to voters. In his campaign, Donald Trump has promised to lower taxes, remove regulations and raise tariffs while Kamala Harris wants to make housing more affordable, increase the corporate tax rate, and regulate grocery prices. We’ll talk about how Americans are experiencing our economy and analyze the candidates’ economic policy proposals.

Guests:

Peter Coy, economics writer, opinion, The New York Times

Kathryn Anne Edwards, a labor economist, independent policy consultant, and contributor, Bloomberg Opinion

Casey Mulligan, economics professor, University of Chicago

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Kamala Harris Zones in on Ground Game in Final Weeks Campaign Oct 16, 2024

Show notes

Vice President Kamala Harris is in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin this week as part of a battleground state campaign blitz to turn out the vote and to marshal support from independent and undecided voters. KQED’s Marisa Lagos was embedded with the Harris campaign on a recent stop in Arizona. We talk to her and other political reporters about the strategies informing the candidates’ ground game as this consequential presidential race enters its final stretch.

Guests:

Marisa Lagos, correspondent, KQED - co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown

Theodoric Meyer, national political reporter and co-author, Early Brief newsletter, Washington Post

Mara Liasson, national political correspondent, NPR

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