Intensifying Natural Disasters Causing Insurance Crisis for Homeowners (0:30)

Guest: Benjamin Collier, Assistant Professor of Risk, Insurance, and Healthcare Management, Fox School of Business, Temple University

As wildfires get bigger and more damaging to communities in the West, insurance companies are increasingly reluctant to cover homes where fire risk is high. Similar trouble is emerging for homeowners in areas prone to flooding and hurricanes–which are also getting more intense with climate change. California’s Insurance Commissioner has called the problem of insurance companies refusing to cover homes in fire-prone areas a “crisis” for the state and issued a moratorium on insurance companies refusing to renew policies of existing customers. That moratorium is about to expire. (Originally aired Sept 10, 2020). 

 

TV’s Effect on Teen Smoking and Vaping (19:56)

Guest: Elizabeth Hair, Senior Vice President, Overseer of Health Communication Research, Truth Initiative

Smoking and tobacco use appear to be on the rise in some of the TV shows most popular with young people–including Stranger Things on Netflix. The anti-tobacco group Truth Initiative’s latest report also found that young people who see those images on TV are not more likely to start smoking–which is good news. But they are more likely to start vaping. (Originally aired Sept 10, 2020). 

 

Why Antarctica’s Ice Shelves Matter (36:48)

Guest: Jonny Kingslake, Professor of Glaciology, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Columbia University

You’ve heard that the massive ice sheet covering Antarctica is melting and causing sea levels to rise. The estimates of how quickly that ice is melting have failed to consider what’s happening to Antarctica’s ice shelves. The news there is not good.

 

Breaking The Homeschooling Stereotype (52:51)

Guest: Amber O’Neal Johnston, Homeschool Parent, Consultant, Heritage Mom blog and Instagram

Two big movements have been front and center in America these last few months–race relations and homeschooling. Amber O’Neal Johnston has found herself as a sought-after voice on both. She’s a homeschool mom in Georgia with a big following on her Heritage Mom blog and Instagram feed. She’s also black and has become a leading organizer of homeschool groups and resources for families of color. Lately, she’s also been asked to help homeschool families of all backgrounds find the best resources to teach children about racism. (Originally aired Sept 28, 2020). 

 

It’s Not Enough to Be Nice. Let’s Work on Being Deeply Kind. (1:10:14)

Guest: Houston Kraft, Co-Founder of CharacterStrong, Author of "Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness"

Are you a nice person? When was the last time that you did something intentionally kind, something that required you to step outside of your comfort zone or summon an uncomfortable amount of forgiveness and compassion? It’s not enough to be nice, says Houston Kraft. The world needs Deep Kindness. (Originally aired Sept 28, 2020). 

 

First Community of British Wild Beavers in Centuries Allowed to Stay (1:29:31)

Guest: Mark Elliott, Wetland Ecologist, Devon Wildlife Trust in England

Beavers were driven to extinction more than four centuries ago in England. But then one day, a family of wild beavers just showed up in a river. That was seven years ago, and scientists have been studying their progression and effects on the ecosystem the whole time. There are now 15 families of beavers there, and the British government recently ruled they can stay permanently. (Originally aired Sept 28, 2020).