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Cat Bohannon Rewrites the History of the Female Body in ‘Eve’ Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

What does it really mean biologically to be a woman? That’s one of the central questions Cat Bohannon explores in her new book “Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution.” Bohannon makes the case that until recently scientists have effectively ignored women: the majority of subjects in clinical drug trials are male, and too many researchers still mistakenly assume that sex differences are mainly about sex organs, rather than a panoply of biological and physiological features that evolved in the female body over millions of years. We talk to Bohannon about her new book, at once an evolutionary history and a call to action to “tear down the male norm and put better science in its place.”

Guests:

Cat Bohannon, researcher; author, "Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution"

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How Kaiser Permanente Strike is Impacting the Bay Area Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in five states —including 22,000 in the Bay Area — went on strike Wednesday after the company and unions failed to resolve a dispute over wages and staffing levels. The union says the strike, set to last three days, is the largest in the healthcare sector in U.S. history. We’ll look at how the walkout is affecting patient care and how it fits into the recent trend of labor actions targeting a range of industries across the country.

Guests:

Jeannifer Key, licensed clinical social worker at Kaiser Oakland; member, SEIU-UHW

Ken Jacobs, chair, Center for Labor Research and Education at UC Berkeley

Farida Jhabvala Romero, reporter, KQED

Dr. Robert Pearl, former CEO, The Permanente Medical Group; author, "Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors and Patients"

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Taylor Lorenz on the ‘Extremely Online’ Influencers Who Shaped the Internet Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

Most histories of social media focus on Big Tech: the inventors, the investors and the innovations they made. But Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz writes in her new book “Extremely Online” that “tech founders may control the source code, but users shape the product.” Providing a “social history of social media,” Lorenz looks at how influencers — the content creators, bloggers and uploaders who amassed followings just from their online posts — drove change on the platforms we use and guide how we post today. We’ll talk with Lorenz about the influence of influencers.

Guests:

Taylor Lorenz, columnist covering technology and online culture, The Washington Post; author, "Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet"

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What’s Next for San Francisco’s Slavery Reparations Plan? Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

In September, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors reviewed a 400-page report outlining more than 100 recommendations on how to provide reparations for the city’s African-American residents. Proposals include establishing a city office dedicated to reparations, programs to support Black-owned businesses, and cash payments to individuals, a suggestion that has stirred controversy. A city commission developed the plan after nearly three years of work, which mirrors a statewide reparations study that is ongoing. We’ll talk about San Francisco’s recommendations, the harms they are meant to repair and what San Franciscans think about it.

Guests:

Otis R. Taylor Jr., managing editor of news, KQED

Don Tamaki, member, California Reparations Task Force; partner, Minami Tamaki LLP

Eric McDonnell, chair, San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee

Alison Ford, Bay Area native; descendant of people who were enslaved

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Laphonza Butler is “Ready to Serve” as California’s Newest Senator Oct 03, 2023

Show notes

Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Democratic strategist Laphonza Butler to the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Dianne Feinstein, who died on Thursday. Butler is the president of Emily’s List, a political action committee that helps elect women who support abortion rights. She’s also a former labor leader, advisor to vice-president Kamala Harris, and University of California regent. When she is sworn in, Newsom will have fulfilled his promise to appoint a Black woman, and Butler will be the first openly LGBT senator from the state. We’ll learn more about Butler – who tweeted Monday that she is “ready to serve” – and what her appointment means for the U.S. Senate race currently underway.

Guests:

Aimee Allison, founder and president, She the People - A national organization dedicated to building the political power of women of color

Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown show

Melanie Mason, senior political correspondent covering California politics, Politico

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San Francisco's Steinhart Aquarium Turns 100 Oct 03, 2023

Show notes

The Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences turned 100 this fall. It’s just eight years older than Methusaleh, the 92-year-old lungfish that arrived in 1938. The aquarium is home to 60,000 animals representing 1,000 species. Steinhart was the first public aquarium to display flashlight fish and coconut octopuses and found innovative ways to showcase the ocean’s mysterious “twilight zone.” As the Steinhart celebrates its century mark, questions remain about the role aquariums play in wildlife research, conservation, and education. We’ll talk to the aquarium’s director about its history and future. And we hear from you: what’s your favorite aquarium memory?

Guests:

Bart Shepherd, senior director, Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences

Rebekah Kim, head librarian, California Academy of Sciences

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Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key on the Personal, Collective and Humorous ‘History of Sketch Comedy’ Oct 02, 2023

Show notes

The new book “The History of Sketch Comedy,” based on Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key’s award-winning podcast of the same name, explains how sketch comedy works and how we arrived at the sketch comedy landscape we enjoy on our phone, laptop and TV screens today. Weaving in the authors’ own history — from watching sketches to scripting jokes themselves — the book analyzes why we love the Monty Python and late-night sketches we do, where the greats drew inspiration and why unexpected escalations can make us laugh so hard we need to leave the room. We’ll talk about the sketches that make us giggle days, months, years and decades after watching them — and why and how they work.

Guests:

Elle Key, author, producer, writer co-creator of "The History of Sketch Comedy" podcast and book

Keegan-Michael Key, actor, producer, writer and co-creator of "The History of Sketch Comedy" podcast and book

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Daniel Gumbiner’s New Novel ‘Fire in the Canyon’ Looks at Life After Wildfire Oct 02, 2023

Show notes

In Daniel Gumbiner’s latest novel, “Fire in the Canyon,” wildfire acts as a plot catalyst and a character. The story follows Ben Hecht, a former pot farmer turned grape grower in California’s Gold Country, who is just getting by when wildfire sweeps through. Both the Hecht family and the land they live on exist in a “state of fragile equilibrium,” in which security is both hard-earned and precarious. We’ll talk to Gumbiner about the emotional costs of climate change and wildfire in California.

Guests:

Daniel Gumbiner, author, "Fire in the Canyon"

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Trailblazing California Senator Dianne Feinstein Dies at 90 Sep 29, 2023

Show notes

Senator Dianne Feinstein died Thursday night. Her death was confirmed by family members Friday morning. The Senate’s oldest serving member, and California’s first female senator, Feinstein had announced that she would retire at the end of her term. Her long and storied political career began in San Francisco. She came to national prominence in the midst of tragedy: as the president of the Board of Supervisors, it was Feinstein who announced to the world that Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been assassinated. Feinstein served as mayor of San Francisco for 9 years.

Feinstein was elected to the Senate in 1992. During her tenure she championed the 1994 assault weapons ban and in 2014, as chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a damning report on the use of torture by the CIA post 9/11.

We’ll talk about Feinstein and her legacy.

Guests:

Jim Lazarus, longtime aide to Senator Feinstein

Jackie Speier, former Democratic Congresswoman who represented California's 14th Congressional District (parts of San Francisco and most of San Mateo County) and served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Oversight committee

Jerry Roberts, author of "Dianne Feinstein: Never Let Them See You Cry" and former managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle

Barbara Boxer, former Democratic Congresswoman who represented California's 6th Congressional District and also served as California Senator

Willie Brown, former San Francisco Mayor

Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government desk and co-host of Political Breakdown

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

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All You Can Eat: How To Pack A Better School Lunch Sep 29, 2023

Show notes

School is back in session and that means a daily struggle for many parents to figure out what to pack their kids for lunch. As palates have evolved so have school lunches. Nowadays, bento boxes are all the rage, largely replacing paper sacks as the container of choice. Kids are as likely to dine on sandwiches as they are wraps, musubi, and salads. We’ll dish on healthy and tasty options that kids will want to eat and hear your tips on how parents can manage the load.

Guests:

Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, a cookbook author, children’s book author, New York Times columnist, and restaurateur. He's also host of "Kenji's Cooking Show" on YouTube. His books include "The Food Lab," "The Wok: Recipes & Techniques" and "Every Night is Pizza Night."

Namiko Hirasawa Chen, founder and CEO, Just One Cookbook, a web site and video series focused on Japanese cooking

Monique Lopez Feybesse, chef and owner, Tarts de Feybesse

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