How Do We Fix It?

Debbie Galant talks about what it's like to live with breast cancer.  What she learned along the way amount to solutions for what can be a desperate, lonely experience. From the shock of her first diagnosis to sometimes wrenching, sometimes funny conversations with her doctors and family, Debbie gives us valuable lessons about how to survive and recover, physically and emotionally. "You are pitched into this world of fear... this incredible world of fear," she tells us. "You're making a lot of decisions in that period, but you're really in a primal place." Her journey includes how to "de-code" her oncologist, and learn from a nurse-navigator to dealing with her own emotional roller-coaster ride.  She also talks about a vital ingredient: humor. "Going into a doctor's appointment with a sense of humor, as opposed to a sense of dread, really helped." Debbie, her husband Warren Levinson, and son Noah tell their story in the podcast, "Chemo...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informati

Anti-lock brakes make many motorists drive faster. Introducing helmets and face masks in football raised the risk of concussions. Financial regulators and central bankers played a role in creating conditions that led to the 2008 mortgage meltdown. The illusion of safety can lead to reckless behavior. These fascinating insights are part of "Foolproof - Why Safety Can Be Dangerous and How Danger Makes Us Safe", the recently published book by Greg Ip, chief economics commentator at The Wall Street Journal. "Life is about risk," Greg tells us in this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" When we believe the world is safe, it affects our behavior. "Many positive things happen from taking risks and we should not let the pendulum swing all the way to the other side - trying to eliminate all risks from our lives." Our collective aim to make life safer comes into conflict with the equally strong desire to make things bigger and more complicated. It is in our nature to safeguard our world - and...  See acast.com/pri

Before The U.S. and other nations can be successful against Islamic State (ISIS) and other global jihadists, we must understand the difference between Islam and Islamism. That's the argument from our guest on this week's episode, Maajid Nawaz. "It happens to be that today we are dealing with an insurgency that's rising and growing within my own Muslim community," he says. It doesn't help to deny it." A Sunni Muslim and a former Islamist fundamentalist, who is founding chairman of the London-based counter-terrorism foundation, Quilliam, Maajid makes a powerful argument for freedom, tolerance and respect. He says that President Obama and many other liberal-minded politicians and journalists have been reluctant to call Islamist ideology by its proper name. "Here's where people become paralyzed by political correctness," he argues. "We are unable to say 'Islamist extremism' as distinct from Islam the religion." "I call this the Voldemort affect," citing the villain in the Harry...  See acast.com/privacy

We'd like to think that science should exist outside of politics and researchers follow the truth wherever it goes. But the ideal of rational non-ideological science is under attack at many colleges and universities, says our guest, Alice Dreger. An historian who studies human sexuality and the ethics of medical research, Alice is the author of the provocative new book, "Galileo's Middle Finger." "I'm really looking at how activists go after scientists who have ideas that the activists don't like - usually about human identity," she tells us. Unsurprisingly perhaps, this show includes explicit content, including a description of a sex act. But the main focus is about the threat to academic freedom.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the dry prairies of Southeast Oregon by members a small militia group is the most recent chapter in the very long-running dispute over land in The West. Our guest is environmental historian Nancy Langston, author of “Where Land and Water Meet. A Western Landscape Transformed.” In some western states the Federal Government owns more than half the land. This set the stage for impassioned arguments between ranchers, conservationists, corporate interests, local communities and native American tribes. All have a role to play. As for the seizure of government property, "there is very, very little local support for the militia's tactics for this kind of violent anarchy," Nancy Langton told us on this episode. "They have nothing to do with this region and I don"t think there are many local ranchers or anybody else in the community who approve of their methods." But there is considerable support for changing the...  See acast.com/privacy for pri

It's easy to make resolutions to improve our lives, but how do we boost our chances of following through? The first two guests on this New Year's Resolutions special are Dave McRaney of the podcast, "You Are Not So Smart" and Dr. Peter Whybrow,Director of the Semel Institute at U.C.L.A., author of The Well-Tuned Brain: Neuroscience And The Life Well Lived." Dave dives in to confirmation bias, when we seek out information that confirms our world view, rather than challenging ourselves with the truth. Peter says we often make short-term choices that conflict with our best long-term interests. Instant gratification is often the enemy of a balanced budget. Beverly Harzog lived through her own personal crisis of bad debt and now helps people repair their credit. She explains how she got into credit card debt and how you can get out of it. She has more helpful information at her website, BeverlyHarzog.com Farnoosh Torabi, host of the popular podcast, "So Money,"gave us creative ideas on how to make more...

If you want to get of sense of what we're about, this highlights show may be a good place to start. We've put together a "best of" podcast that reflects our values and makes the argument for why we're worth listening to.  From Episode 4, released in June, reformer Philip K. Howard made the case for better government and simpler, shorter laws, instead of all the red tape and tangled mess that we have today. In his Ted Talk lecture and his latest book, “The Rule of Nobody,” Philip argues passionately for legal and government reform.  Not many parents can say their lives were changed by an uneventful subway ride. Lenore Skenazy, our guest in Episode 20, tells us about the uproar that followed her decision to let her 9-year-old son ride the subway on his own.  Her column about it led to the movement, "Free Range Kids." Other guests on this highlights show include Hara Marano of Psychology Today, who says there's a mental health crisis on American college campuses and Greg Lukianoff spoke to us in September....

We love our smartphones, tablets, and laptops. But what is the explosion in mobile technology doing to our brains? Our guest, Professor Abigail Baird,is a developmental psychologist,expert on the teenage brain and mother of two young children. She says technology has great benefits, but also could have a negative impact on our conversations, memory and social life. The brain's craving for novelty - for constant stimulation and instant gratification - makes our tech toys seem irresistible. So how do we put balance in our lives? Abigail's fixes include time-out zones and no-screen places and events. Parents, she says, "should consider what is best for their families. For instance, I love the idea of 'no phone in the car.'" Another tip for parents is to beware of tethering - when college students sometimes call home at least several times a day. "Hard as it is for parents, once kids head off to college, they really need to rely on their interpersonal networks at school, not calling home." Another...

From angry scenes over Halloween costumes at Yale to protests against racism at the University of Missouri, student activism is back.  More than at any time since the late 1960's, America is in the middle of a wave of college unrest.  To what extent do students today have genuine grievances? Are at least some of them rebels without a cause - angry because their feelings have been hurt?  “Step by step colleges are being transformed into something more akin to mental health wards rather than citadels of learning,” says our guest, Hara Marano, Editor at Large of Psychology Today and author of the book, "A Nation of Wimps".   While calls for greater diversity among college professors are an important cause, Marano tells us of fundamental changes in the student...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From Paris to San Bernardino, terrorist attacks have sparked an outcry from many politicians in Europe and the U.S. - including calls for new controls on immigration, refugees and the free movement of labor across national borders. The leading Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, called for a total and complete ban on Muslims entering the United States. Our guest in episode 29, Peter Coy, Economics Editor for Bloomberg Businessweek, makes a strong case for more - not less - immigration, as well as a greater exchange of ideas across the boundaries that divide us. "One of the treasures of democracy is freedom of thought, freedom of action, freedom of movement," says Peter. "In putting up walls we actually lose what we treasure the most." The 28-state European Union has been a triumph for economic growth and a peaceful transition from the wreckage of World War 2. "You can drive from France into Switzerland without even pumping the brakes at the border," Peter told us. "This has been hugely...

How can we get more sleep? If you have at least seven hours of interrupted sleep each night, consider yourself very lucky indeed. Problems with sleep are remarkably widespread. Many millions of adults and children either don't spend enough time in bed or suffer from sleep disorders, resulting in illness, obesity, depression, mood swings and loss of creativity. Our guest is Jeff Koyen, Editor-in-Chief of Van Winkle's, a new website "obsessed with sleeping, waking and everything in between. He shares the stories of scientists, artists, travel writers, child-care experts and many others who have a great deal to tell us about how we do - and don't - sleep. "Sleep is a very complicated issue that touches probably everyone you know. It's not just adults," says Jeff. "We're talking about teenagers have sleep issues, even children." Smartphones, tablets and other devices have made the problem even worse. "Ten years ago, five years ago you were not taking your phone with you to bed." We look at fixes and... &#

The holiday shopping season is underway and finding the right toy or game for his or her kids is the goal of every parent. A vast range of new toys has been introduced in recent months. Joining us in this episode to look at the recent changes is consultant and branding expert, Richard Gottlieb, of Global Toy Experts. "The toy industry is a nineteenth century industry that's trying hard to break into the twenty first," says Richard. "It's had a lot of difficulty dealing with the digital aspect of play that's become so popular." On this show we ask whether today's technologically sophisticated toys are scripting the way kids play.  Do they force children into a pre-written narrative when they should be allowing for open-ended play?  Toy stores have many traditional toys, such as blocks, construction sets and craft kits, but kids also have fun with "video games, apps and even social networking," says...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The demand for energy around the world continues to grow each year. And so does the amount of carbon dioxide that's pumped into the earth's atmosphere. What happens if the world fails to bring down CO2 emissions in the coming decades? What if all the treaties and negotiations over climate change don't succeed in reducing the threat of global warming? Our guest is Peter Kelemen, Chair of Columbia University's Earth and Environmental Sciences Department and Arthur B. Storke Professor of Geochemistry. Last year, Peter was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences. His research on carbon capture and storage may offer one exciting solution to a global crisis. Our show looks at a tool that could fight climate change by taking carbon dioxide and literally locking it up in the earth's crust, right under our feet. Geology research could be used to find new ways to suck up carbon and keep it out of the atmosphere, harnessing a natural process and using some of the fracking techniques now common in... &#

The Federal Reserve plays a fundamental role in our economy. But many Americans loathe The Federal Reserve - furious that The Fed bailed out banks and other huge financial firms during the 2008 financial crisis. Our guest, Roger Lowenstein, is the author of "America's Bank - The Epic Struggle to Create The Federal Reserve." His book is a dramatic account of the chaotic years before The United States became the last major industrialized nation to form a central bank. Our podcast features a lively discussion about American history as well as the present day, with Roger giving us insights that demystify the work of The Fed. Its job is to ensure the smooth operation of the money supply, while keeping inflation and unemployment low. But there are many who are suspicious of the Fed's independence and want to bring it under the tight control of Congress. According to opinion polls, only The IRS is a more unpopular government agency than the Federal Reserve. "You've got two candidates running for President...

More than ever America is divided into political tribes. One person's truth is somebody else's lie. This show is about confirmation bias and filter bubbles: How our brains play tricks on us as we try to make sense of the world. David McRaney, host of the entertaining and popular podcast, "You Are Not So Smart", is our guest. His show is "a celebration of self-delusion." David, who calls himself a psychology nerd, is passionate about the need for all of us to have some understanding of how our brains work. He is the author of two recent books: "You Are Not So Smart" and "You Are Now Less Dumb. Confirmation bias helps us separate into rival political and cultural camps. "This is the thing almost from which everything else springs, because it is the natural default way that human beings tend to make sense of the world," says David. With the growth of Google and social media site, such as Facebook and Twitter, it's easier for us to deny the truth of anything that challenges our preconceived view of the...

Women in the workplace face huge challenges, including discrimination and low pay. The Pew Research Center says women's hourly wages are 84% those of men. The White House says the true number is lower. Many firms insist on rigid working hours, making it hard for many employees to balance work and family life. How Do We Fix It? Enter time management and productivity expert Laura Vanderkam, author of "I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time" and "What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. " Laura shares practical ideas for women and men to make the most of their free time and boost work productivity. She has innovative fixes for working mothers, companies and government policy. Flextime, paid parental leave and family-friendly reforms to Social Security should all be considered," she says. Gender discrimination is "definitely a problem in the workplace," says Laura. "But there is also a personal side to it as well."  See acast.com/privacy for privac

If you had a 10% of facing a flood or getting into a fatal car accident, you'd make sure you bought first-rate insurance coverage. That's what our guest Gernot Wagner says we should do about climate change. Science tells us that if we do nothing, there is the risk of a global catastrophe. We hear the argument for climate insurance. Gernot is the co-author of "Climate Shock - The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet," and lead senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund. Even if climate skeptics are right and the risk of global warming is small, that does not eliminate the need to plan for an extreme emergency. Gernot Wagner makes the case for pricing carbon as a way of boosting the incentives for energy efficiency. "Unless we act, we will experience major disruptions. We already are experiencing them," says Gernot. Our interview also looks the revolution in solar energy and ocean damage caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide. Ready to take action? https://www.edf.org/action  S

Many of us make potentially disastrous mistakes with insurance. Either we don't have nearly enough coverage or pay through the nose for duplicate options that we don't need. Insurance expert Laura Adams has easy-to-follow solutions and smart buying tips to save you money. The author of several personal finance books, Laura hosts the popular "Money Girl" podcast. She is Senior Insurance Analyst for InsuranceQuotes.com. To find out more: http://lauradadams.com/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Do helicopter parents need to come in for a landing? Lenore Skenazy, host of the cable TV show, "World's Worst Mom", says yes. The founder of the parenting movement Free Range Kids is Jim and Richard's expert guest. Skenazy argues society fills parents with fear about what might happen to their children. www.freerangekids.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With recent worries about the global economy and stock market panic, investment expert Susan Schmidt, Senior Portfolio Manager at Westwood Holdings Group, has a simple message: keep calm. 55% of Americans have money in the market. Most are long term savers. She says the basic rules of investing are surprisingly simple. Building wealth means savers should resist emotion and act as investors, not traders, ignoring the day-to-day changes in the market.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.