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How Is Toxic Medical Culture Hurting Doctors and Patients? Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

In his new book “Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors and Patients,” Dr. Robert Pearl offers an indictment of physician culture -- a culture he argues leads to doctor burnout and bad patient outcomes. For 18 years, Pearl served as the CEO of the Permanente Medical Group, the largest medical group in the country, and that experience led him to realize that to improve care for patients, doctors needed to re-evaluate the cultural norms they had been trained to accept. We’ll talk to Pearl about how fixing healthcare in America means also fixing its doctors.

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What to Consider if You’re Ready to Travel This Summer Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

Travel-deprived Americans are snapping up airline tickets and hotel reservations, heralding a summer 2021 vacation boom. Photos from destinations ranging from campgrounds to Caribbean islands are popping up in social media feeds. But how safe is travel and what do vacationers need to consider as the economy reopens? Many Americans are opting for domestic travel, leading to rental cars and hotels booking up in popular cities. We discuss where people are heading this summer and what’s changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Living Kidney Donation: 'The Greatest Gift' Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

When Carol Offen’s son needed a kidney, she did not hesitate to offer her own, but she still had a lot of questions. In the United States, nearly 100,000 people are waiting for a kidney transplant with waitlists as long as five years or more, and every day 12 people die of kidney disease. As a result, living kidney donations have become increasingly popular. We talk to Offen, co-author of the book “The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation,” and Dr. Nancy Ascher, an organ transplant expert who is also a kidney donor, about organ transplants and what it takes to make what organ recipients call, “the greatest gift.”

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“It’s a Moonscape” — 10% of the World’s Giant Sequoias Wiped Out By One Wildfire Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

One tenth of the world's mature giant sequoias were killed by the Castle Fire that scorched the southern Sierra Nevada late last year after a flurry of lightning strikes according to a new draft report prepared by the National Park Service. That’s an estimated 7,500 to 10,000 trees that had previously survived thousands of years of wildfires. Giant sequoias capture carbon dioxide from human pollution, provide critical habitat for wildlife and protect the watershed that communities rely on. We’ll talk about how far-reaching the consequences of losing these trees could be, the impact of this year’s extreme drought conditions on sequoia seedling regrowth and the outlook for sequoias in a changing climate.

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The Societal Taboos of Child-Free Lives, Parental Regret and Eschewing Motherhood Jun 03, 2021

Show notes

A growing number of adults are choosing to not become parents, a lifestyle described as “child-free.” Yet many people, especially women, say they feel judged by their families, friends — and even their own doctors — when they vocalize not wanting children. By the same token, some parents say that to express regret — for the age at which they had kids, for their partner choice or for becoming a parent at all — is entirely taboo. As birth rates decline in the U.S. and globally, we’ll talk about the societal taboos around parenthood, why they’re so pervasive and how the conversation may be shifting.

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Lab-Grown Food: Good for the Planet, Healthy for You? Jun 03, 2021

Show notes

Could biologists be America’s next generation of farmers? By now, we are all familiar with plant-based burgers, but dozens of Silicon Valley start-ups are hoping to transform what we eat by using ingredients like algae, mycelium and pea protein to create a wide range of foods. Tech-driven food has been lauded as good for the environment, but what exactly are we eating? Is lab food like fake eggs and seafood from a petri dish healthy and sustainable? We’ll talk to author and investigative reporter, Larissa Zimberoff, about her new book - “Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What We Eat.”

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Some Californians Turn to Hired Help to Reach EDD Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

More than a year into a pandemic that's left millions of Californians jobless, it's harder than ever to reach the state’s Employment Development Department. That's according to a new San Francisco Chronicle analysis which found that in May, nearly a third of callers couldn’t get through to EDD, and each caller averaged more than 10 tries. The frustrating situation has led some to hire intermediaries, like Autodial and Claimr, to help them break through jammed lines. We’ll talk about how those services work and hear about your experiences dealing with EDD.

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‘Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment’ Unravels the Clothing Industry’s Sustainability Myths Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

In her new book “Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment,” author and sustainability advocate Maxine Bédat explores the complex world of how clothes end up on our bodies. While clothing has become cheaper and more plentiful overall, the clothing industry’s productivity comes at a great cost to garment workers and the environment, Bédat argues. By chronicling the life cycle of a garment, from cotton seed to a finished pair of jeans, Bédat demonstrates the need to rethink our obsession with “fast fashion,” low prices and overstuffed closets.

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What Naomi Osaka’s Withdrawal from the French Open Says about Athletes and the Media Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

When four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open on Monday, her decision set off a flurry of reaction well beyond the world of tennis. Before the tournament began, Osaka announced she would not be doing any post-match press conferences, a decision that cost her $15,000 in fines and resulted in threats from other Grand Slams of future punishment and possible expulsion for failure to talk to the media. In response, Osaka issued a statement withdrawing from the tournament, saying she has been suffering from “long bouts of depression.” Her sponsors and athletes like NBA star Steph Curry have lauded her candid response. Critics have argued that press is part of the game. What obligations do professional athletes have to the press, and what responsibility does the press have to them?

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The Challenges Of Creating a Vaccine Passport Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

As the vaccinated shed their masks and rejoin the world, they may be required to prove their vaccination status to enter events or to travel. But while many countries are developing a federal vaccine passport, the Biden administration says the U.S will not. That’s left private companies and some cities and states to develop systems for digital proof of vaccination. We’ll check in on the progress of vaccination passports and when and where you may need one.

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