How Well Did School Busing Work?

Guest: Richard Rothstein, Distinguished Fellow at the Economic Policy Institute, Author of “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How our Government Segregated America”

A school desegregation policy that’s been over for decades is suddenly showing up in the national media because of this moment at the Democratic presidential debate two weeks ago. Courts stopped requiring districts bus black students into segregated white schools almost 20 years go. But the debate over school “busing” is more relevant today than you might expect.

We’re Losing Our Humanity. Here’s How to Get It Back

Guest: Adam Waytz, Social Psychologist, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, Author of “The Power of Human”

The internet has made it possible for us to be more connected and less in touch at the same time. Think about Facebook or Instagram –I’m connected on there with friends I’ve known for decades. I “Like” photos of their kids and updates on their family milestones and, in my head, we’re in touch. In reality, I’ve not spoken to those friends in ages, let alone seen them in person. So we’re in this weird connected, but unengaged space. And the consequences are serious.

Rethinking the Bike Helmet

Guest: Jordan Klein, Co-Founder of Park & Diamond

Okay, raise your hand if you’ve ever ridden a bicycle without wearing your helmet. Yeah, I know. We make our kids strap them on, but when you’re just riding around the neighborhood or to the store, the helmet is ugly. It messes up your hair and makes your head sweat. Plus, what do you do with it when you get to your destination? It’s so bulky to carry around.

The Animals That Clothe Us

Guest: Melissa Kwasny, Author “Putting on the Dog: The Animal Origins of What We Wear”

Years ago, a friend gave me a leather coat with an unbelievably soft fur collar that came from her late mother’s closet. It’s very retro-chic, but I’ve only once worn it in public because I worry about how people might react. How have we come to draw the line in consuming stuff that comes from animals? Leather’s okay, fur’s not. Goose down is great, but goose liver pate is inhumane. Just like we prefer our meat trimmed and wrapped in plastic, we keep our distance from the animal sources of our clothing. The luxurious smell of new leather shoes is a long, long ways from the putrid stench of the tannery.

Bird-eating Sharks

Guest: Marcus Drymon, Professor of Fisheries Science at Mississippi State University

Nature is full of fascinating mysteries. Here’s one: how do common backyard birds like doves, swallows and sparrows, end up in the bellies of baby tiger sharks. Do sharks have some sort of high jumping ability we don’t know about?