KQED's Forum

According to relationship experts, Drs. Julie and John Gottman, it is perfectly OK to go to bed angry. Sometimes a couple needs time to calm down and reset. As they note, “Fights can get intense and messy…We get hijacked by our emotions, our pasts, our old hurts. But if you can get at what’s underneath, there’s so much compassion and understanding.” In their latest book, “Fight Right,” the Gottmans explode misconceptions about fighting and share ways to get through conflict and find connection. We talk to the Gottmans and hear from you: how do you handle conflict in your relationship? Guests: Julie Schwartz Gottman, co-author "Fight Right: How Successful Couples Turn Conflict into Connection" - Schwartz Gottman is a clinical psychologist, therapist and researcher and with her husband Dr. John Gottman, is the co-founder and president of the Gottman Institute. John Gottman, co-author "Fight Right: How Successful Couples Turn Conflict into Connection" - Gottman is a psychologist, researcher, therapist, and with his wife Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, he is the co-founder, The Gottman Institute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grass-roots groups like Moms for Liberty have turned school boards into battlegrounds in California and nationwide, fighting for control over kids’ classroom discussions and reading materials – often at the expense of marginalized communities. But is this a new battle, or the latest in a line of conservative parenting movements? We talk with journalists and historians about previous education showdowns – from the “red scare” of the 1950s to sex education – and examine the lasting role that Republican women have played in shaping school and state politics. Guests: Kathleen Quillian, producer of "Bedrock, USA" podcast; co-host and producer of podcast mini-series "The School Board Queen" Michelle Nickerson, professor of history at Loyola University Chicago; author of "Mothers of Conservatism: Women and the Postwar Right" and "Spiritual Criminals: How the Camden 28 Put the Vietnam War on Trial" Ishani Desai, breaking news reporter, The Sacramento Bee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Jose, the Bay Area’s largest city, grew at the peak of car-heavy, sprawling urban planning. Most of its nearly one million residents live in single-family homes. These days, many California cities are looking for ways to concentrate more residents near transit to reduce carbon emissions, improve livability and address the Bay Area’s housing crisis. But even with the best intentions and a new mentality, can cities reinvent sprawl into dense, walkable neighborhoods? We’ll talk about San Jose’s attempt to shift toward density and what other cities can learn from it. Guests: Adhiti Bandlamudi, housing reporter, KQED Chris Elmendorf, housing professor, University of California, Davis, School of Law Michael Brilliot, deputy director of planning, city of San Jose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cold water therapy has been around for a long time, as part of spiritual traditions and physical recovery programs for athletes. But a commercialized version known as “cold plunging” has become the latest wellness craze. Enthusiasts who embrace it as a daily practice say it has benefits ranging from boosting immunity to combating depression and improving sleep. But are these claims backed by science? We talk about what’s driving the urge to plunge and how to do it safely, and we’ll hear from you: Have you tried cold water therapy? Has it worked for you? Guests: Charlie Warzel, staff writer, The Atlantic; author, "Galaxy Brain" a newsletter about the internet and big ideas. Dr. Mark Harper, anesthesiologist; researcher; author, "Chill: The Cold Water Swim Cure"; co-creator, Chill UK - a nonprofit committed to providing courses in cold-water swimming to improve mental health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to a recent report from GoFundMe, the site has raised $30 billion, since 2010, for fundraising campaigns around the world. Crowdfunding, as a concept, is not new. One of the first crowdfunders was an 1885 appeal to pay for the base of the Statue of Liberty, resulting in thousands of donations, some just mere pennies. Today, donors can help pay for disaster relief, medical treatments, classroom supplies, and more with a click of a button. But are these donations going to those who need the most help? And what does it say about our society that people need to create campaigns to pay for basic needs? We’ll talk to experts about crowdfunding, and hear from you: Have you run a crowdfunding campaign or benefitted from one? Guests: Tony Cookson, professor of finance, Leeds School of Business at University of Colorado Boulder Jeremy Snyder, professor of health sciences, Simon Fraser University; author, "Appealing to the Crowd: The Ethical, Political, and Practical Dimensions of Donation-Based Crowdfunding" Una Osili, associate dean, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“A little more than 10 years ago, I began looking back at the diaries I had kept over the previous decade. I wondered if I’d changed. So I loaded all 500,000 words of my journals into Excel to order the sentences alphabetically.” That’s how author Sheila Heti describes the origins of the decade-long project that would become her latest book, “Alphabetical Diaries.” When she reviewed those sentences sorted on a spreadsheet, Heti says she found a constant self — one preoccupied across time with the same worries about writing, money and love. We talk to her about what revisiting and reorganizing her diary entries revealed about her own consistencies and contradictions. And we’ll hear from you: What have you learned from re-reading your diaries? Guests: Sheila Heti, author, “Alphabetical Diaries,” “Motherhood,” “Pure Colour” and “How Should A Person Be?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oakland’s Brontez Purnell is so many things. As he writes in “Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt,” his new memoir in verse, “I am a troubled Negro youth in his 40s neglecting self care.” He’s also the frontman for the punk band the Younger Lovers, a dancer, a performance artist, a queer zine-maker, the author of the critically acclaimed “100 Boyfriends,” as well as a raconteur and truth seeker. He joins us to talk about his life and his art. Guests: Brontez Purnell, author, "Ten Bridges I've Burnt: A Memoir in Verse" and "100 Boyfriends"; musician Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether Colorado can keep former President Trump off of the state primary ballot for his actions on January 6. Meanwhile, Trump faces 91 felony counts across multiple jurisdictions in cases involving election subversion, hush money payments and the illegal handling of classified documents. We’ll talk about the legal and political implications of it all for Trump, who by a wide margin remains the GOP primary frontrunner. Guests: Shanlon Wu, criminal defense attorney; legal analyst, CNN; former federal prosecutor who also served as counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno David Graham, staff writer, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sonoma County’s airport, jail, and social services office, among other county services, are suffering from severe understaffing. According to a six-month investigative report by Sonoma’s Press-Democrat, vacancy rates for key county positions range from 25% to 41%. Burnout, turnover and early retirements are contributing to the crisis. Meanwhile, frustrated county residents seeking assistance face long lines, interminable hold times, and busy phone signals. We’ll talk about how Sonoma is trying to address these problems, which are common to many Bay Area counties. Guests: Emma Murphy, Sonoma County government and politics reporter, Santa Rosa Press-Democrat - Murphy co-authored the newspaper's investigative series on understaffing across Sonoma County departments Martin Espinoza, senior reporter of investigations team, Press Democrat - Espinoza co-authored the paper's investigation of understaffing across Sonoma County departments Janell Crane, director of human resources, Sonoma County Travis Balzarini, president, SEIU Local 1021 Sonoma County Chapter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, more than 20 states considered or approved legislation to limit or ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education. These efforts, supported by a network of activists, political groups and Republican operatives, are centered at the Claremont Institute, a conservative California-based think tank with ties to the Trump movement. New York Times investigative reporter Nicholas Confessore gained access to thousands of documents and emails shedding light on the national anti-D.E.I. campaign orchestrated by the Claremont Institute’s leaders. We’ll hear what he learned… Guests: Nicholas Confessore, political and investigative reporter, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 49ers faithful are gearing up for another Super Bowl appearance facing the Kansas City Chiefs – a rematch from 2019 when the Chiefs won. The stakes are high for San Francisco which hasn’t claimed a Super Bowl win in 29 years. Meanwhile, Kansas City wants to clinch dynasty status with a third victory in five years. And, somehow amid all the usual talk of strategy and quarterbacks, pop princess Taylor Swift has become a central player in this game off the field. We’ll talk about what this game means for the Bay and how the faithful plan to show up for their team. And, we want to hear from Niner fans: what does this Super Bowl mean to you? Guests: Ann Killion, sports columnist, San Francisco Chronicle Joel Anderson, staff writer, Slate - where he also hosts the Slow Burn and Hang Up and Listen podcasts. Former reporter on sports, culture, and politics for ESPN and BuzzFeed News. Paul Nyakatura, announcer, KCUR - lifelong Kansas City Chiefs fan Nisa Khan, Audience Engagement Reporter, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s only one proposition on California’s March 2024 ballot, but it deals with some of the state’s biggest challenges: homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health. Proposition 1, backed by Governor Gavin Newsom, is a two-part measure: It asks voters to approve nearly $6.4 billion to increase mental health and substance abuse services and build supportive housing. It also makes big changes to how existing funds are spent under the 2004 Mental Health Services Act, which imposed a 1% tax on personal incomes above $1 million. But critics say Prop. 1 would actually hurt the mentally ill by forcing people into treatment and diverting funding for local services. We’ll break down the measure, and take your questions. Guests: Guy Marzorati, reporter and producer, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Kristen Hwang, health reporter, CalMatters Clare Cortright, policy director, CalVoices Darrell Steinberg, mayor, city of Sacramento Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The human longing for connection – to be heard and understood – is what Rabbi Sharon Brous calls the “amen effect.” It’s the idea that we can awaken our shared humanity when we learn to talk across differences with curiosity and empathy. Rabbi Brous has for decades been ministering to members of IKAR, shepherding the Los Angeles Jewish community she co-founded as they navigate celebration and sorrow, both personal and collective. We talk to Rabbi Brous about spirituality, community and how she is grappling with the war between Israel and Hamas. Her new book is “The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In many Asian families, the highest compliment you can offer a dessert is, “it’s not too sweet!” Bringing in flavor profiles from Asian cultures like pandan leaves, black sesame, and ube, bakers around the Bay are reimagining Asian- American dessert offerings. There’s choux pastry covered in almond crunch and filled with durian cream or a thumbprint cookie with an umeboshi plum center. On the next edition of All You Can Eat with KQED food editor Luke Tsai, we’ll talk to bakers and cookbook authors about Asian-American desserts and the role they play in Lunar New Year celebrations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States is in the middle of a massive modernization effort of its nuclear weapons, as tensions rise globally, from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to expanding arsenals in China and North Korea. Journalist Sarah Scoles set out to understand the U.S.’s biggest reinvestment in its atomic infrastructure in decades by talking with the people who work on them daily, scientists at nuclear labs. In the process, as she documents in her new book “Countdown,” she interrogates our need for these weapons and their impact on war — and peace. She joins us to share more about the science, technology and philosophy of nuclear weaponry. Guests: Sarah Scoles, journalist; author, "Countdown: The Blinding Future of Nuclear Weapons" and "Making Contact: Jill Tarter and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price was elected into office in 2022 on a reform platform to root out racial and socioeconomic disparities in the county justice system and end mass incarceration. But as Oakland contends with a surge in crime and as brazen robberies and assaults shake residents, Price has become the target of a well-funded recall campaign from those who say criminals are emboldened by a lack of consequences. We talk with Price about her vision for the office and the recall campaign against her. Guests: Pamela Price, district attorney, Alameda County, California; civil rights attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The vibes around the return to office are not good,” says the New York Times’ Emma Goldberg, a business reporter covering workplace culture. Tens of millions of Americans — one-fourth of the workforce — are in hybrid work limbo four years after the pandemic’s onset. Across white-collar sectors, the expectations around how often workers are in-office vary workplace by workplace and even team by team. While many are grateful for the flexibility and routines they’ve formed working from home, managers are feeling the strain of near-empty offices on innovation and team morale. And when workers do go in, they navigate the uncertainty of commutes, which co-workers will be there and whether they’ll find a quiet place to work. We’ll talk about the strife between workers and managers and how different workplaces are addressing this. And we’ll hear from you: Are you a hybrid worker? What’s your experience been? Guests: Emma Goldberg, business reporter covering workplace culture, The New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of thousands of people lost power in the Bay Area, streets were flooded and trees were uprooted, crushing houses and cars as winds gusts reached as high as over 100 mph in Sunday’s storm. But some of the most feared impacts, such as flooding from the Guadalupe River in San Jose, didn’t happen. We check in on how the Bay Area fared in the storm. Guests: Ezra David Romero, climate reporter, KQED The nation’s largest grower of stone fruit, Prima Wawona, is shutting down leaving 5,400 workers out of a job. Four years ago, a private equity firm bought up two major stone fruit growers in Fresno to create the peach power house, which claimed it produced five times more peaches than the entire state of Georgia. Last fall, Prima Wawona shocked the Fresno community by declaring bankruptcy, blaming too much debt, bad weather, and rising costs among other factors. The former CEO has since sued the company claiming the failure was caused by poor management and unnecessary spending on consultants. We’ll talk about what the company’s stunning demise means for Fresno and what the increased interest from private equity in agriculture means for the future of farming in California. Guests: Antonio De Loera-Brust, director of communications, United Farm Workers Daniel Gligich, senior reporter, The San Joaquin Valley Sun Rod James, reporter covering private equity, The Wall Street Journal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More and more TV households are cutting the cord and moving to streaming. In 2023 alone, pay-TV providers lost more than 5 million subscribers. But now that streaming companies have a robust subscriber base, rates are rising and commercials are making their way back into programming. Historian Kathryn Cramer Brownell says that when cable companies tried similar tactics in the 1980s, the government stepped in to protect consumers. So why hasn’t that happened with streaming? We’ll take a look at the history of cable with Brownell to understand how the cable tv model set the foundation for our current media landscape and what consumers can do about it. Guest: Kathryn Cramer Brownell, associate professor, Purdue University - author of “24/7 Politics: Cable Television and the Fragmenting of America from Watergate to Fox News” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a visit to her grandmother’s house, journalist Maya Lin Sugarman unexpectedly discovered a trove of screenplays written by her uncle Galen. She was shocked to learn that one of the screenplays was turned into a gangster movie starring Rob Lowe, and even more shocked to learn that it was based on Galen’s real life experiences as a young gang member in Oakland’s Chinatown. Maya’s podcast “Magnificent Jerk” explores the shadows of family history, spotlights a slice of the Bay Area’s past that few seem to want to discuss, and searches for understanding in the gaps between fact and fiction. We talk with Maya about her uncle’s wild screenplay and what she learned trying to excavate buried secrets. Guests: Maya Lin Sugarman, journalist, host and executive producer of the podcast “Magnificent Jerk” William Gee Wong, journalist; author of “Sons of Chinatown: A memoir rooted in China and America” Brian Wong, Oakland Chinatown resident; friend of Galen Yuen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wearing blue vests labeled “Press,” journalists in Gaza risk their lives to document and publicize a war that’s killed more than 28,000 people. At least 85 journalists are among the dead – 78 of whom were Palestinian. Because Israel and Egypt have denied foreign journalists entry into Gaza, the burden of on-the-ground reporting falls predominantly to Palestinian journalists, who work amid airstrikes, intermittent cell and internet service and an abiding fear for the safety of their loved ones. In December, the Committee to Protect Journalists labeled the post-Oct. 7 conflict deadlier for media workers than any full year of conflict, anywhere, since it began keeping track in 1992. We’ll speak with journalists from Gaza about what it means to report, amid trauma and loss, a story they’re part of. Guests: Rushdi Abualouf, Gaza correspondent reporting from Istanbul, BBC Mai Yaghi, correspondent based in Gaza, AFP Adel Zaanoun, bureau chief in Gaza, AFP Youmna ElSayed, English Correspondent in Gaza now speaking from Egypt, Al Jazeera Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco resident Kristin Urquiza has spent the past two years advocating for a national Covid memorial for the million-plus people who died from the disease, including her father. She co-founded Marked By Covid to push for a memorial that will not only speak to our grief, but also encapsulate the conditions and decisions that led to so many deaths. Urquiza shared her journey with the podcast 99 Percent Invisible for a recent episode called, “Don’t Forget to Remember.” We’ll talk about what it means to memorialize our collective traumas and what a Covid memorial should say. Guests: Chris Colin, Bay Area-based journalist - his recent story, "Don't Forget to Remember," appeared on the podcast, 99 Percent Invisible Kristin Urquiza, co-founder, Marked by Covid - daughter of Mark Urquiza, who died from Covid June 30, 2020 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom pledged this month to veto a bill that would ban tackle football for children under 12. Sponsored by Sacramento assemblymember Kevin McCarty, the bill was designed to protect children from the potentially debilitating long-term effects of repeated head injury. But even as evidence of its potential harm mounts, youth football culture in California is deeply ingrained, with the state producing talented players and successful teams year after year. Advocates for youth tackle football say that it fosters community and camaraderie, and provides access to education and upward mobility. We’ll look at the culture – and future – of youth tackle football in California. Guests: Kate Wolffe, health care reporter, Cap Radio Albert Samaha, investigative reporter, Washington Post; author, "Concepcion: Conquest, Colonialism, and an Immigrant Family’s Fate" and "Never Ran, Never Will: Boyhood and Football in a Changing American Inner City" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonnie Ora Sherk began her career as a landscape painter, but then realized she wanted to be in the landscape herself. From the nucleus of that idea, her 1970 installation “Portable Park,” a popup farm complete with sod, trees, and farm animals situated under a San Francisco freeway overpass, was born. As she observed, “Freeways are beautiful, but they need to be softened. Why use them just for cars?” Sherk, who died in 2021, spent her career transforming “dead spaces” into lived experiences like gardens, farms, and trails, all meant to engage audiences by showing them the wonders of the overlooked world around them. Today she is considered the godmother of urban reinvention, gardens, and the parklet. We’ll talk about a new retrospective of her work with curators and artists who have been inspired by her. Guests: Tere Almaguer, environmental justice organizer, Poder - Almaguer works with Hummingbird Farms, a seven-acre urban farm in San Francisco Frank Smigiel, director of arts programming and partnerships, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture; former curator, SF MOMA - Smigiel helped bring the Bonnie Ora Sherk retrospective to Fort Mason Tanya Zimbardo, curator, "Bonnie Ora Sherk: Life Frames Since 1970" John Bela, urbanist; artist - Bela has created a garden space in conjunction with the Bonnie Ora Sherk retrospective at Fort Mason. Bela is also a partner at Urban Field Studio, a Bay Area urban design collective Rae Alexandra, staff writer, KQED Arts & Culture; creator and author, "Rebel Girls from Bay Area History" series Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2002, California became the first state to pass its own voting rights act with the aim of increasing minority representation at the local level. But as a recent San Francisco Chronicle investigation found, the California Voting Rights Act has produced mixed results— and the state does not track its outcomes. In some localities, the law has led to better community representation and more people of color sitting on city councils and school boards. But in others, it had no effect — and even caused more no-contest or canceled elections. And the financial penalties it allows for have hurt cash-strapped smaller municipalities — without necessarily changing the demographics of elected officials. We’ll talk about the three-part investigative series into how the California Voting Rights Act changed community elections and local governments — and its unintended effects. Guests: Jason Fagone, narrative writer, San Francisco Chronicle Daniel Lempres, criminal justice reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalism in America was a highly profitable business for more than a century until the internet – and other factors – disrupted the traditional business model resulting in decades of declining advertising and subscription revenue. Last week, the Los Angeles Times cut about 20 percent of its staff, adding to a growing list of news organizations making cuts in the past few months: The Washington Post, Business Insider, Sports Illustrated and NBC News. Meanwhile, hedge funds and private equity firms buying up newspapers has also changed the industry – a trend Bay Area filmmaker Rick Goldsmith examines in his new documentary, “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink.” We’ll talk about the demise of local newspapers, efforts to revive the news business, and what it means for democracy. Guests: Rick Goldsmith, documentary filmmaker; director, "Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink" (2023), "Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press" (1996) and "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" (2009) Julie Reynolds, freelance journalist; producer, Gray Area - a podcast about justice and redemption; part-time associate editor, The Imprint S. Mitra Kalita, CEO, URL Media - a network of Black and Brown community news outlets that share content and revenue; publisher, Epicenter-NYC; veteran journalist; media executive; prolific commentator and author Ramona Giwargis, co-founder and CEO, San Jose Spotlight Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago, President Volodymyr Zelensky knew that the Russian military would be hard to defeat – not only because of its strength but because for years “the Kremlin had waged its war through propaganda, seeking to convince anyone who speaks the Russian language that Ukraine does not exist.” That’s according to Time Magazine senior correspondent Simon Shuster, who says that Zelensky’s former life as an entertainer made him both acutely aware of the power of persuasion and effective at winning support for Ukraine from abroad. We talk to Shuster about Zelensky’s rise from stage actor to wartime leader and how his art informed his politics. Shuster’s new book, based on years of reporting and interviews with Zelensky and his inner circle, is “The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky.” Guests: Simon Shuster, senior correspondent, TIME; author, "The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 1.5 million homes have been destroyed in Russia’s war on Ukraine, and rebuilding the country could cost more than $400 billion, according to the United Nations. Despite the ongoing fighting, Ukrainian leaders say they urgently need to start rebuilding homes, factories, and other structures, so that the millions of Ukrainians who fled the war – and who are key to redeveloping the country – can return. To that end, a delegation of Ukrainian officials and leaders are visiting the Bay Area to seek local expertise and support for their efforts. We’ll talk to several of them about their experiences since the Russian invasion and the financial and logistical challenges they face. Guests: Margie O'Driscoll, executive director, Center for Innovation - a San Francisco-based non-profit Andrii Lakshtanov, construction professional, Hilti Ukraine; leader, Dobrobat Konstiantyn Demenkov, chief advisor for reconstruction, the city council of Kharkiv Volodymyr Kreidenko, member of Ukraine's parliament Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California regulators approved new rules last month to enable water suppliers to treat wastewater and redistribute it as drinking water. The state says that the new standards, which took years to craft, are the most advanced in the nation for treating wastewater and will add millions of gallons of additional drinking water to state supplies. But hurdles, including stigmas that surround what’s known as “direct potable reuse,” persist. We talk about California’s new approach to wastewater recycling and its potential to address shortages and ensure a consistent water supply in the face of increasing demand and climate challenges. Guests: Heather Cooley, director of research, Pacific Institute Sean Bothwell, executive director, California Coastkeeper Alliance Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the division of drinking water, California State Water Resources Control Board Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You don’t just smell an aroma; you fall into it,” writes artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel. And entering her exquisite small museum, the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents, tucked into a backyard in Berkeley, is to fall into an ancient, mysterious world. Amid centuries-old books, bottles and curios are natural fragrances that come from the secretions of civets and the bowels of sperm whales, as well as from resins, rare flowers, roots and so much more. We talk to Aftel about her collection, the art of building a fragrance, and her new book, “The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance”. Guests: Mandy Aftel, artisan perfumer and founder, Aftelier Perfumes and the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley; author, "The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As winter rains descend, mushrooms are blooming across California — in oak and conifer forests, along riverbanks and even in your own garden. You can forage for “the winter trio:” yellow-footed chanterelles, black trumpets and hedgehogs. And you may even come across our new state mushroom, the massive (and delicious) California golden chanterelle. We’ll talk about how to identify California’s mushrooms, where to find them and how to forage ethically. Guests: Jess Starwood, author, "Mushroom Wanderland: A Forager's Guide to Finding, Identifying and Using More Than 25 Wild Fungi"; founder, The Wild Path School Gordon Walker, PhD biochemist, mushroom educator and fermentation consultant; host, Fascinated By Fungi podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Millennial writer Kyle Chayka longs for the good old days of the Internet, when online forums and MP3 piracy helped him define his own personal sense of style and taste. You had to work at it: Wake up early to catch that anime you wanted to watch and record on a VHS tape, find the MySpace page devoted to your favorite show, search out the music magazine featuring cool bands. But today, he observes, the algorithm has flattened culture by constantly feeding us media that it thinks we will like because a lot of other people like it too. According to Chayka, we’re now living in “Filterworld,” which is the title of his new book. We talk to Chayka about how we can reclaim our technological and cultural autonomy and find ourselves. Guests: Kyle Chayka, author, "Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture"; staff writer, The New Yorker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In most of the world, “salvage” is a hopeful word, writes journalist Patricia Evangelista. But in Philippine English, to salvage is also to execute a suspected criminal without trial. The salvages of suspected drug users and dealers encouraged by former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte are the subject of Evangelista’s new book “Some People Need Killing,” which draws its title from the words of a vigilante she interviewed. According to human rights organizations, more than 30,000 people were extrajudicially executed in the Philippines for alleged narcotics offenses by the time Duterte left office in 2022. Evangelista interviewed the families of victims, and we talk to her about the impact Duterte’s terrifying war on drugs had on them and on the country. Guest: Patricia Evangelista, journalist; author, “Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. expanded its bombing campaign of Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen this week, as the group continues to attack ships in the Red Sea. But Yemen is just one of the Middle East flashpoints raising concerns about a wider conflict in the region spreading from the Israel-Gaza war. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah at the Israel-Lebanon border is also ramping up. Meanwhile, violence has spilled over into Iraq, Iran and Syria. We’ll talk with two Middle East experts about the risks of a broader war in the region, the role the U.S is playing in the conflicts and prospects for peace. Guests: Robin Wright, joint fellow, U.S. Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; contributing writer, the New Yorker; author, "How Ten Middle East Conflicts Are Converging Into One Big War" Firas Maksad, senior fellow, Middle East Institute; adjunct professor, the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The top four candidates for Dianne Feinstein’s senate seat face off in a televised debate on Monday evening. Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee and Republican Steve Garvey will take on topics such as homelessness and housing, criminal justice, immigration and U.S. involvement in conflicts overseas. How will Lee and Porter take on the front runner Schiff? Or does Garvey have a chance at flipping the seat? We’ll recap the debate and hear your reactions. Guests: Melanie Mason, senior political correspondent, Politico; host of Monday's debate Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government desk; co-host, Political Breakdown Yue Stella Yu, politics reporter, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Building homes in factories can save money and time – so why has prefabricated housing struggled to gain traction in the U.S.? Scandinavian countries use it for more than 40% of their housing production, whereas in the U.S. it’s less than 4%, according to a 2023 report from consulting firm McKinsey. The Bay Area has produced some big winners and losers in the prefab space. In the past decade alone, several startups launched amid fanfare only to shutter and fail to deliver housing at scale. But, other developers and manufacturers are making a dent in the housing market. Vallejo-based Factory OS has delivered close to 3,000 homes in the last five years and can now build up to 1,000 units per year. We’ll talk about why prefabricated housing remains a promising, but challenging piece of the housing production pie. Guests: Nick Gomez, principal; director of modular design and construction, AO Architects Rick Holliday, co-founder, Holliday Development and Factory OS; co-founder, Eden Housing; co-founder, BRIDGE Housing Dave Dauphinais, associate partner, McKinsey & Co. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Ethical non-monogamy isn’t new… and it isn’t exactly mainstream, but it isn’t so fringe either (or reserved for those who live in the Bay Area).” That’s according to New York Magazine, which released a cover issue on polyamory this month. Those who regularly date or love multiple people at once say it’s liberating and fosters intimacy and connection. But even its most passionate advocates say polyamory can be emotionally and logistically exhausting, requiring extensive and frequent communication among partners. And the relationship style can carry stigma — prompting complicated decisions about whether and how to talk to friends, family or coworkers about it. We’ll talk about polyamory and its increasing prevalence in popular culture and dating apps, and hear your experiences. Guests: Allison P. Davis, features writer, New York Magazine. Her reported story, "What Does a Polycule Actually Look Like?" anchors New York Magazine's cover story, "A Practical Guide to Modern Polyamory" Christopher Gleason, author, “American Poly: A History”; academic director, Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison; part-time Assistant Professor, Kennesaw State University Josephine Chiang, film and TV actor based in NYC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are “Zynfluencers” the new Joe Camel? Joe was the cartoon mascot used by R.J. Reynolds to sell cigarettes in the 1990s, until the government cracked down on marketing tobacco to youth. Today, according to journalist Emily Dreyfuss, social media influencers are using their platforms to push addictive and harmful products like Zyn, a nicotine pouch, to young people. In a recent New York Times piece, Dreyfuss writes that influencer marketing to kids “falls into a legal and technical canyon so vast that the next generation is being lost in it.” We’ll talk to Dreyfuss about the power of influencers and what parents need to know. Guests: Emily Dreyfuss, director, Shorenstein Center News Lab; co-author, "Meme Wars: The Untold Stories of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1976, in the Central Valley town of Chowchilla, 26 children and their school bus driver were kidnapped by three masked men and held captive for twenty-eight hours until they managed to free themselves and escape. Although no one was physically harmed, the incident took a severe emotional toll on the children and would go on to influence how we address childhood trauma. A new CNN documentary takes a fresh look at the event, getting first hand accounts from the survivors and recreating the harrowing ordeal. We’ll speak with the film’s director and one of the survivors about the impact of the kidnapping and its aftermath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Girls had rich lives outdoors, but history has largely overlooked them,” writes Harvard professor and National Book award winner Tiya Miles. In her latest book, “Wild Girls,” Miles sets out to unearth those stories. There’s Harriet Tubman, an “outdoorswoman” who used her knowledge of the natural world and the night skies to lead people escaping slavery to freedom. And “Little Women” author Louisa May Alcott, a runner, who thought of herself as part deer. For renegade women like these, Miles says nature was a training ground for their ambitions. We’ll talk to Miles about how the wild girls of her book reclaimed nature for themselves and we hear from you: How has the outdoors shaped your own narrative and those of generations before you? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California Department of Public Health issued new COVID-19 guidance last week, advising that people may return to school and work even if they test positive for the virus. We’ll talk about California’s recommendations, the new COVID variant known as JN.1 and the latest developments in treatment and prevention. And we’ll hear from you: How are you living with COVID in 2024? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco and Oakland were some of the first cities in the country to adopt ranked choice voting. It’s now a popular election reform that is being adopted across the country. Advocates say allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference on their ballots – instead of just picking one – gives them more say over who ends up in office and more freedom to vote for a longshot candidate without the feeling that they are wasting their vote. But the system can be complicated and confusing for many voters and has drawn ire from those unhappy with the election results. As part of Forum’s Doing Democracy series examining what democracy means and how it is practiced, we’ll talk about how experiments in ranked choice voting have changed our elections, voting behaviors and the candidates we bring into office. Guests: Eric Jaye, founder and president, Storefront Political Media Miles Parks, reporter covering voting and elections, NPR's Washington Desk Lisa Bryant, chair and associate professor, Department of Political Science, California State University Fresno Aaron Tiedemann, Albany city councilmember Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Central Texas resident Yeniifer Alvarez-Estrada Glick became pregnant in December 2021, three months after Texas banned virtually all abortions past six weeks of pregnancy and imposed criminal penalties on doctors carrying them out. Yeni had diabetes, severe hypertension and other medical conditions that made her pregnancy dangerous, and as the months wore on, she became sicker and sicker. In July 2022, Yeni and her 31-week-old fetus died. “Yeni’s death was preventable… a therapeutic abortion, if offered and accepted, would probably have saved her life,” writes Stephania Taladrid in her new piece for the New Yorker called “The Life of The Mother.” We talk to Taladrid about Yeni and a new abortion landscape that puts more women’s lives at risk. Guest: Stephania Taladrid, contributing writer, The New Yorker; author, the article "The Life of the Mother" - She was a 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist for her reporting on the fall of Roe v. Wade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

53 million Americans provide care for a family member or friend with health or disability issues. While there can be joy and satisfaction found in helping a loved one age or cope with an illness, the work can also be hard and emotionally draining: Research shows that caregivers are at greater risk for anxiety, depression, chronic health problems, and financial strain. With little to no government support, how can we support caregivers? We’ll talk to experts and hear from you: How are you handling the responsibilities of caregiving? Guests: Christina Irving, client services director, Family Caregiver Alliance Oanh Meyer, associate professor, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in UC Davis School of Medicine Kelly Dearman, executive director of the department of disability and aging services, San Francisco Human Services Agency Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever since our moon formed roughly 4.6 billion years ago, it has “conduct(ed) the symphony of life on Earth.” That’s according to lifelong moon enthusiast and science journalist Rebecca Boyle, who says that the moon has influenced modern science, reproduction, migration, religious rituals and even possibly the blood in our veins. Boyle’s new book is “Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are,” and she joins us to talk about how the moon has inspired and guided human history and to share the pleasure of looking up at the night sky. Guests: Rebecca Boyle, author, "Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are." Boyle is also a science writer for The Atlantic, the New York Times, New Scientist, Popular Science, Smithsonian Air & Space and many other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Jose mayor Matt Mahan has only been in office about a year but he’s already up for re-election in March. We talk to mayor Mahan in our San Jose studio about what he’s learned in the past year that informs his plans to address San Jose’s most pressing issues including homelessness, housing and policing. Then we check in with Santa Clara Board of Supervisors president Susan Ellenberg about the county’s priorities for the San Jose area. And we’ll take your questions and suggestions for the elected leaders about what you hope to see for the South Bay in the coming year. Guests: Matt Mahan, mayor, San Jose Susan Ellenberg, president, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Our national mythos,” writes historian Blair LM Kelley, “leaves little room for Black workers, or to glean any lessons from their history.” Kelley’s latest book “Black Folk” offers a corrective, focusing on the lives of Black working people after the Southern Emancipation, the challenges they faced bringing their skills to bear and the networks of resistance they formed. Kelley’s book is also personal, grounded in the stories of her own ancestors, including her great, great grandfather, a highly skilled blacksmith who was enslaved. We’ll talk to Kelley about the origins of the Black working class and about the people who animate it, then and now. Guests: Blair LM Kelley, author, "Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class." She is the director of the Center for the Study of the American South and co-director of the Southern Futures initiative at the University of North Carolina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Court cases like the Dred Scott decision and Brown v. Board of Education are among the legal milestones that mark the arduous journey towards civil rights. But throughout the 19th century, ordinary Black Americans, freed and enslaved, sought to enforce their rights under the law. It’s a hidden and largely untold story of how Blacks both relied on, trusted in, and tried to leverage the legal system to establish and protect their rights, and it’s the subject of UC Berkeley historian Dylan Penningroth’s new book, “Before the Movement.” We’ll talk to Penningroth about his work. Guests: Dylan Penningroth, author, "Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights;" professor of law and history at U.C. Berkeley and associate dean of the Jurisprudence and Social Policy program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How soon will Californians be able to travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco by high-speed rail? In welcome news, the California High-Speed Rail Authority received nearly $3.1 billion in federal funding last month to advance work on the project. Environmental reviews are largely complete for the 500-mile route, and construction has begun on bridges and tunnels in the Central Valley. But the cost for the entire project is now expected to reach $128 billion, four times higher than was estimated when voters first approved it in 2008. In this installment of our In Transit series, we speak to the CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority to get updates and take your questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The key from your first apartment. An old typewriter you used to write your thesis. Fabric buttons made by your grandmother. We all have objects, big and small, that have no real monetary value, but are precious. They tell the story of our lives or remind us of a happy or even sad time. These are the objects that constitute our own personal archive. We’ll talk to artists and writers about the things we keep, and why we keep them. And we’ll hear from you: what object have you kept for its special meaning? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices