KQED's Forum

Our current growth-based economic systems do not take into account their human cost, argues journalist Nick Romeo. And while there are economic initiatives and programs around the world that have been shown to improve local citizens’ lives, these are few and far between. Yet they provide models, like “true price” initiatives — price tags that account for human labor costs and environmental impacts. Or job guarantee programs, which ensure every member of a community has access to employment. In Romeo’s new book, “The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy,” he calls for the return of ethics into economics and offers examples around the world — as well as some in California. We’ll talk to him about what works, what doesn’t and what we have to gain if economists take an alternative approach to structuring, teaching and thinking about our economy.

Guests:

Nick Romeo, journalist, The New Yorker; lecturer, UC Berkeley

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As fighting between Israel and Hamas continues, what will happen after the war ends? The so-called two state solution has long been one of the most prominent ideas, where independent states of Israel and Palestine exist side-by-side, but previous attempts to solidify an agreement have fallen short. We’ll talk with members of A Land For All, a group of Palestinian and Israeli leaders, activists and scholars who have a new political vision of how to live together with “pragmatic and viable solutions to the obstacles that have stymied prior negotiations, moving us from a paradigm of separation towards a future based on power sharing and shared interests.” We’ll talk about their vision for a road to peace and an intertwined future.

Guests:

Omar Dajani, professor of law, University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law; board member, "A Land For All"; former senior legal advisor, Palestine Liberation Organization's Negotiations Support Unit

May Pundak, co-leader and executive director, the Israeli branch of “A Land for All”

Rula Hardal, lecturer, Arab-American University; research fellow, the Shalom Hartman Institute; co-leader, "A Land For All"

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Culinary scientist Arielle Johnson describes flavor as “the thing that drives us to drop serious money on heirloom tomatoes. The reason we don’t just subsist on Soylent. The town where Guy Fieri lives.” Flavor is also molecules, according to Johnson, whose new book “Flavorama” explores how the chemistry of flavor informs how we perceive foods as salty or herbal, sour or sweet. Johnson, who also co-founded the fermentation lab at the critically acclaimed restaurant Noma, joins us to talk about the science of flavor, the complex interactions between our senses of taste and smell and how to create intense and unexpected flavors in our everyday cooking.

Guests:

Arielle Johnson, food scientist; author, "Flavorama: A Guide to Unlocking the Art and Science of Flavor"; co-founder and fermentation lab and science director, Noma in Copenhagen - a three-Michelin-star restaurant considered the best in the world.

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Radio host, journalist, musician, and musicologist Jesse “Chuy” Varela has been a treasured fixture of the Bay Area jazz scene for more than 40 years. When the Jazz Journalists Association honored him with their “Jazz Hero” award last year they wrote that “his deep knowledge of Latin American and Caribbean music has nurtured the boundaryless nature of the Bay Area’s scene, in which musicians prominently collaborate across the jazz/Latin jazz divide.” The KCSM program and music director will join us to talk about the history of Latin Jazz, including the Bay Area’s role…and play some of his favorite tunes.

Guests:

Jesse "Chuy" Varela, program and music director, KCSM JAZZ 91.1; host, "The Latin Jazz Show” on Sundays at 2 PM

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Adrian Ballinger, a mountain guide based in California, has reached Mt. Everest’s peak 8 times – including once without supplemental oxygen. Now that China has reopened the less-traversed north side route to foreigners, he’s headed back next month for the first time in four years. We talk to him about what draws hundreds of climbers to attempt to summit Mt. Everest every year, how to climb ethically and sustainably as ever more visitors descend on the mountain and what it feels like to be on top of the tallest peak in the world.

Guests:

Adrian Ballinger, mountain guide; founder, Alpenglow Expeditions

Graham Cooper, member of Mt. Everest expedition team

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The Department of Justice, along with 16 states including California, filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Apple last week. The government alleges that the trillion-dollar company’s practices around its iPhone have quashed competition by limiting access to its app store, constraining the ability to send messages across different platforms and blocking alternative wallet payment systems. The suit is part of a suite of antitrust legal actions aimed at breaking alleged monopolies by tech behemoths including Google, Meta, and Amazon. We’ll talk about what these suits mean for Apple’s devoted user base and the tech industry.

Guests:

Aaron Tilley, reporter, Wall Street Journal

Tim Wu, professor of law, science and technology, Columbia Law School; author, "The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age"

Margaret O'Mara, Scott and Dorothy Bullitt professor of American History, University of Washington; author, "The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America"

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“As the planet slowly cooks, people will do what they have done for thousands of years in response to climate change in their environment,” writes journalist and author Abrahm Lustgarten, “they will move.” Less than one percent of the earth’s surface is now considered too hot or dry to support human civilization, but climate researchers estimate that by 2070 nearly one-fifth of the planet will be unlivable. The impact will be most acute in parts of Asia, Africa and Central America. But climate models also predict that tens of millions of Americans will become climate migrants during this century– moving to more temperate zones in response to wildfires, flooding, extreme heat and drought. We talk to Lustgarten about what a climate change-induced mass migration could look like in the U.S. and why Californians will be among the most likely to move.

Guest:

Abrahm Lustgarten, senior environmental reporter, ProPublica; author, "On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America"

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You might not think that 224 pages devoted to a sixth grader’s tricky journey with braces would make for a bestseller, but since its publication in 2010, Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novel “Smile” has remained hugely popular with the kid set. And her follow ups “Guts,” “Drama” and “Ghosts” have earned her rave reviews from kids, tweens, parents and librarians for the humorous, hopeful, and honest depictions of life as an anxious kid. We’ll talk to Telgemeier, a Bay Area native, about her work and how she taps into the zeitgeist of adolescence.

Guests:

Raina Telgemeier, author of "Smile," "Guts," and "Sisters," among other popular graphic novels for teens and kids

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The explosion of online dating apps has made meeting new people radically convenient. But more of those looking for love complain that the platforms take the romance out of dating and turn it into nothing but a game of odds. Perhaps that’s why dating apps are losing their appeal, especially among Gen Z. According to one study, Gen Z-ers make up only 26% of dating app users. We’ll discuss how different generations find connections and why it still might be possible to find romance online. What’s been your experience with dating apps?

Guests:

Jeanne Proust, interim/acting director, the Center for Public Philosophy; lecturer of philosophy, UC Santa Cruz; philosophical counseling practitioner

Myisha Battle, sex and dating coach; host, KCRW's "How's Your Sex Life" podcast; author, Time Magazine's Real Love column; author, "This Is Supposed to Be Fun: Finding Joy In Hooking Up, Settling Down, and Everything In Between"

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The rules that guide real estate transactions could soon change dramatically. As part of a $418 million legal settlement, the powerful National Association of Realtors has agreed to eliminate the standard 6-percent sales commission. Under the settlement, subject to a judge’s approval, home listings will no longer automatically offer commission to buyers’ agents, requiring buyers to negotiate fees upfront. We’ll talk about what that might mean for realtors, consumers, and Bay Area home prices.

Guests:

Nicole Friedman, reporter, Wall Street Journal - where she covers the U.S. housing market and the home building industry

Vanessa Gamp, president, San Francisco Association of Realtors

Jenny Schuetz, senior fellow, Brookings - where her research focuses on improving housing and land use policies

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