EP 904 Black Capitalists Amassing Wealth for the Common Good

EP 904 Black Capitalists Amassing Wealth for the Common Good

To many, the term “Black Capitalists” tips an equation upside down.  Black people were the labor force that built the infrastructure of American capitalism through the violent dictates of legalized slavery, so is it possible in this moment to see Black people as beneficiaries of this system?  And if they are starting to amass capital, …

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EP 903 Is Anyone Paying Attention to Children in Middle Childhood? We Should

EP 903 Is Anyone Paying Attention to Children in Middle Childhood? We Should

Oh, the times they are a changing’.  While the focus in a slew of parenting books has been on infancy, adolescence and the teenage years, little has been focused on as it relates to ages 6-12, which is deemed middle childhood.  To many parents there’s a sense that the heaviest lifting for them is over.  …

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EP 902 The Long Tail Effects of Being a Foster Child

EP 902 The Long Tail Effects of Being a Foster Child

 There are over 400,000 children in foster care in America, costing the state and federal government over $30 billion a year.  So, is the system working?  It’s hard to say the system is failing, but perhaps it’s more accurate to say that adults all along the way–from the biological families to a host of caregivers–are …

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EP 901 The Current State of Higher Education

EP 901 The Current State of Higher Education

 Most of what we hear lately about higher education relates to the legal battles between the Trump Administration and Harvard, the nation’s oldest university.  And while prior to this the leading issue in the news was student debt and overall affordability of college, there are a number of issues that have come to the fore.  …

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EP 900 The Flames of California Will One Day Affect Most Americans Wherever You Live

EP 900 The Flames of California Will One Day Affect Most Americans Wherever You Live

  We like to imagine that we are safe and immune from much of what we see on the news.  In the case of wildfires, people on the east coast might see it as a west coast phenomenon.  Yet, there have been such fires in New Jersey and the Carolinas recently.  Even those living outside …

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EP 899 Animal Festivals and Other Human Behaviors: When Do the Animals Have Their Say?

EP 899 Animal Festivals and Other Human Behaviors: When Do the Animals Have Their Say?

As a dog parent, I bristle at doggie dress-ups at the local pet supply store, yet I still eat meat.  Call me a hypocrite.  I accept the critique.  And yet when it comes to animals, there is a stratification as to how we treat them and the title of a book published a few years …

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EP 898 Are Forever Chemicals a Forever Problem?

EP 898 Are Forever Chemicals a Forever Problem?

 Let’s start with the basics.  What are ‘forever chemicals?’  And so this podcast begins with Professor Matt Simcik, an environmental chemist from the University of Minnesota, trying to explain to me, a layman, what they are.  They have been in the news lately and there are now efforts around the country to limit their use …

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EP 897 Why Noise Pollution Isn’t Just Annoying but Bad for Our Health

EP 897 Why Noise Pollution Isn’t Just Annoying but Bad for Our Health

 Pneumatic drilling from building sites.  The dull roar of planes overhead.  Your fellow worker’s phone conversations in an otherwise silent office.  The suburban drone of lawn mowers and blowers.  Noise seems to be everywhere, and it can disrupt our sleep, ratchet up our stress, destroy our concentration–yet it’s a problem we shrug off once the …

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EP 896 Gerrymandering Is on Full Display and Ahead of Schedule in Texas

EP 896 Gerrymandering Is on Full Display and Ahead of Schedule in Texas

While both parties have long histories with gerrymandering Congressional districts for partisan advantage, it’s fair to say Republicans have taken it to a new low by interrupting the every ten -year process, based on the census, and doing it at halftime of this cycle.  In the process, they are encouraging Democrats to do the same.  …

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EP 895 Independent Voters are Little Discussed and Yet the Key to Many of Our Elections

EP 895 Independent Voters are Little Discussed and Yet the Key to Many of Our Elections

 When political discussions take place, they are often focused on how Democrats or Republicans, conservatives versus liberals or red in relation to blue look at an issue.  They leave out a component of the electorate which grows in number and importance year after year–the independent or unaffiliated voter.  In fact, if you really analyze the …

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