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Doing Democracy: Are Elections Overrated? Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Political corruption. Government shutdown battles. Legislative gridlock. Sometimes, it seems like ordinary citizens picked at random might do a better job governing than elected officials. In fact, that’s exactly the kind of lottery-like political system that is now gaining traction in academia. As part of Forum’s “Doing Democracy” series, we’ll talk about “lottocracy” and other ideas that seek to improve democracy and put ordinary citizens at the center of political power.

Guests:

Alexander Guerrero, professor of philosophy, Rutgers University - New Brunswick; author of the forthcoming book, "Lottocracy: Democracy Without Elections"

Hélène Landemore, professor of political science, Yale University; author, "Open Democracy: Reinventing Popular Rule for the Twenty-First Century"

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California Communities React to the Israel-Hamas War Oct 11, 2023

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Communities across California with connections to Israel and Gaza are bracing for more violence, death and devastation after President Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday officially declared war on Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. On Saturday Hamas unleashed a deadly attack that Israel characterized as the “worst massacre of Israeli civilians” in history. Now almost 2,000 people are dead and thousands more wounded after Israel in turn launched unrelenting retaliatory strikes in the Gaza strip. We’ll learn more about what’s happening and how Jewish and Arab communities in California are responding to and processing the conflict.

Guests:

Manny Yekutiel, owner of Manny’s in San Francisco; currently in Israel visiting his family

Janine Zacharia, visiting lecturer, Stanford University; former Jerusalem Bureau Chief and Middle East correspondent for the Washington Post

Steven Erlanger, chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe, New York Times; reporting from Israel

Wael Buhaissy, Palestinian American who lives in San Ramon

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All You Can Eat: What’s in Your Pantry? Ingredients You Need to Cook the Food You Love Oct 11, 2023

Show notes

Curating a well-stocked pantry can feel like a never-ending grocery list. Where to draw the line between different types of oil or salt? And what about recipes from countries around the world, with ingredients you may use once and never again? For our next installment of All You Can Eat, our collaboration with the KQED Food Team, we talk to chefs and recipe magicians about how to make the most of your pantry space — whether in the cupboard or the freezer — and how to maximize your food budget without sacrificing the flavor and authenticity of the cuisines you love.

Guests:

Ali Slagle, creator, the newsletter "40 Ingredients Forever" on Substack; author, the cookbook "I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To)"; contributor, New York Times Cooking

Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture

Linda Tay Esposito, chef; teacher, 18 Reasons, Milk Street Kitchen, and The Civic Kitchen - Esposito specializes in Southeast Asian cuisine

Viola Buitoni, author, "Italy by Ingredient: Artisanal Foods, Modern Recipes"

Sarah Kirnon, chef; former owner of Miss Ollie's

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Forum From the Archives: How Do We Live in an Ever More Fire-Prone World? Oct 10, 2023

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Every wildfire has at least two stories, according to writers Justin Angle and Nick Mott. One story is about the devastation exacted on humans, their lives and property. The other story, sometimes at odds with the first, is about fire’s positive impacts on ecosystems. Fire is “something we need to suppress and control,” they write, “yet it’s a natural force we need more of.” Angle and Mott’s new book “This is Wildfire” is about reconciling those perspectives and finding practical ways to live healthily and sustainably in an increasingly fire-prone world. We’ll learn about advances in U.S. forest management and get tips for protecting yourself, your home and your community.

Guests:

Justin Angle, professor, University of Montana College of Business; co-author, "This is Wildfire: How to Protect Yourself, Your Home and Your Community in the Age of Heat"

Nick Mott, journalist; podcast producer; co-author, "This Is Wildfire: How to Protect Yourself, Your Home, and Your Community in the Age of Heat"

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Poet Mimi Tempestt Defies And Reclaims Her Identity In New Book Oct 10, 2023

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In her new collection of poems, Mimi Tempestt wrestles with both intensely personal struggles and injustices across the globe. In one of the poems in “the delicacy of embracing spirals” she writes,

Every day i wake up & watch my old renditions steal

my heart away from my mother’s wildest dream

you keep asking me to tell my story

i’m too busy creating the world

Tempestt, who grew up in Los Angeles and now lives in Berkeley, is known for poetry that blurs convention and questions everything from gender to gentrification. We’ll talk with Tempestt about how she employs poetry to reclaim her identity and live out loud.

Guests:

Mimi Tempestt, multidisciplinary artist; poet and author "The Delicacy of Embracing Spirals"

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Fake Meat isn’t the Answer to the Climate Crisis, Says Alicia Kennedy Oct 09, 2023

Show notes

From oat milk at coffee shops, to cashew cheese at Target, to McDonald’s McPlant burger, it’s becoming easier to consume fewer animal products. That’s a win for the environment, given a livestock sector that’s responsible for about 15 percent of global greenhouse emissions, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. But simply offering substitutes to the American diet won’t be enough to stop climate change or the exploitation of food workers, land and animals, argues food and culture writer Alicia Kennedy’s new book “No Meat Required.” Kennedy joins us to share how the counter-cultural history of veganism, vegetarianism and plant-based eating can help us rethink American food norms and still uphold the cultures, flavors and joys of food.

Guests:

Alicia Kennedy, food and culture writer; author, "No Meat Required: The Cultural History and Culinary Future of Plant-Based Eating" - Kennedy also has a popular food newsletter on Substack

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Bay Area Suburbs Struggle With Rising Homelessness Oct 09, 2023

Show notes

In September, Alameda County declared a state of emergency on homelessness to address growing numbers of unhoused people. Suburban and rural areas throughout California are seeing more homelessness, according to a recent study from UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation. Homelessness outside of big cities can be less visible and requires a different approach since towns and suburbs often lack the resources and infrastructure that larger cities have to help unhoused people. We’ll talk about what’s driving homelessness in Bay Area suburbs and what’s being done about it.

Guests:

Kerry Abbott, director, Office of Homeless Care and Coordination for Alameda County

Ryan Finnigan, associate research director, Terner Center for Housing Innovation - helping design and execute the center’s research agenda. His research has focused on homelessness in California, and poverty and social policy both in the United States overall.

Jennifer Loving, executive director, Destination: Home - a public-private partnership focused on ending homelessness in Santa Clara County.

Aubrey Merriman, CEO, LifeMoves - a homeless services provider for San Mateo County

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FORUM IN FOCUS: Keegan-Michael and Elle Key + Daniel Clowes Oct 07, 2023

Show notes

Each week we bring you a selection of interviews we don't want you to miss - in 30 minutes or less! This week Mina Kim speaks with comedian Keegan-Michael Key and writer/director Elle Key about the couple's new book "The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor," and we hear Alexis Madrigal's conversation with Oakland-based graphic novelist, Daniel Clowes on his new book "Monica."

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Why Having a Crush is Good For You Oct 06, 2023

Show notes

Romantic crushes: we’ve all experienced that feeling of intense yearning for someone we know we’d never end up with. But while crushes may bring heartache, they also carry benefits, according to Atlantic editor Faith Hill, author of the article “A Crush Can Teach You a Lot About Yourself.” Hill says crushes can offer a happy escape from reality, help us figure out what we like in our partners and make us feel more alive. We’ll talk about crushes and the biology that underlies them, and we’ll hear about the crushes you’ve had, and what you’ve learned from them.

Guests:

Faith Hill, senior associate editor, The Atlantic; author of the article "A Crush Can Teach You a Lot About Yourself"

Helen Fisher, biological anthropologist and senior research fellow, The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. Her books include "Why We Love" and "Anatomy of Love"

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Forum From the Archives: Immersive Documentary “32 Sounds” Encourages Us to Feel the Noise Oct 06, 2023

Show notes

The hushed thrum of the womb. The warble of the last living species of a now-extinct bird. The fury and thrust of a jet engine in flight. These are some of the sounds that populate filmmaker Sam Green’s immersive documentary “32 Sounds.” The movie is not just a collection of sounds, but rather a meditation on the strange power that sound has on us, whether it is voices, music, the natural world or sounds that we are trying to tune out. Watching the movie, even on a tiny screen, can be a full-body experience in which you’re encouraged by Green, who narrates the film, to feel the sound. We’re bringing this segment out of the Forum archives as 32 Sounds returns to Bay Area theaters later this month for more screenings at:

Roxie Theater, San Francisco, Oct. 28

Rialto Cinemas Elmwood, Berkeley, Oct. 29

Rialto Cinemas Sebastopol, Sebastopol, Oct. 30

Guests:

Sam Green, filmmaker, "32 Sounds"

Mark Mangini, Sound designer, "32 Sounds." Magini has won two Oscars in sound design for his work on the movies "Dune" and "Mad Max Fury Road. He has received multiple Academy Award nominations for his sound design work on films including, "Blade Runner 2049" and "Star Treks I, IV and V."

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