KQED's Forum

It’s just about summer and time to dig out the red-and-white checkered blanket for a picnic. From banh mi sandwiches at the beach or pork buns at a city park, the Bay Area has no shortage of picnic spots and foods. As part of our All You Can East series, we’ll talk with chef and picnic enthusiast Samin Nosrat and KQED food editor Luke Tsai about how to plan the perfect picnic. Whether you’re headed to the waterfront or Washington Square Park, tell us: what’s your favorite place for a picnic, and what food are you bringing?

This segment originally aired May 24, 2023.

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“I experience your wounds as if they were my own,” reads the last line of Clint Smith’s poem “Nociception.” Directed to a child, it explains that just as a sea creature that loses an appendage feels discomfort across its entire body, so does a parent whose child is in pain. The poem is part of Smith’s new collection “Above Ground,” which also celebrates the joy, wonder and even occasional absurdity of being a parent. We talk to Smith about his poetry and what he calls the “simultaneity the human experience:” our capacity to hold fear and anxiety alongside joy and awe.

This segment originally aired April 11, 2023.

Guests:

Clint Smith, poet and staff writer, The Atlantic - his new collection of poetry is "Above Ground." His previous books include "How the Word is Passed."

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The US. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that colleges and universities cannot consider race when admitting students – a decision legal experts say will have wide ranging impacts on students, the education system and the nation’s economy. In a 6-3 decision, the court said that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina are unconstitutional. The plaintiffs in the case, Students for Fair Admissions, argued that Asian students in particular were discriminated against because of their race. California banned affirmative action for state university admissions in 1996 and is one of nine states with similar bans. We’ll discuss the impact of the ban on California’s students and universities, what other states can learn from attempts to diversify universities post-affirmative action and what the expansion of the ban to private colleges means for California.

Guests:

Teresa Watanabe, education reporter, LA Times

Rory Little, professor of constitutional law, UC College of Law, San Francisco

Dania Matos, vice chancellor for equity and inclusion, UC Berkeley

Michele Siqueiros, president, The Campaign for College Opportunity, which is a non-profit that seeks to help provide an opportunity to go to college for every eligible student in the state.

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It’s no secret that American beauty culture, driven by Hollywood and social media, preys on our insecurities and promotes unattainable standards around the world. But another country is giving the U.S. a run for its money. In her new book Flawless, journalist Elise Hu explores the global rise and influence of K-beauty, or South Korean beauty culture, now a $10 billion industry. Hu, NPR’s former Seoul Bureau chief, reveals how that city became the plastic surgery capital of the world. And she examines how other countries, including the U.S., are now embracing South Korean beauty products and practices like double cleansing and snail mucus face masks. We’ll talk with Hu about how K-beauty standards both empower and constrain women, and about what it means to be “beautiful” in the 21st century.

Guests:

Elise Hu, NPR host-at-large and the host of TED Talks Daily; former Seoul bureau chief, NPR. Author of the new book "Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital"

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If Lake Tahoe was a national park, it would be the second-most visited, according to a recent analysis. The area has double the annual visitors of famously crowded Yosemite, but is only about a third of the size. Although outdoor recreation and tourism drive much of Tahoe’s economy, local residents are concerned about a visitor boom that started during the pandemic and is overburdening nearby communities and the lake’s ecosystem. Earlier this month, community leaders released the Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan, a comprehensive report with dozens of recommendations to help the region grow its economy and maintain the natural resources it’s known for. We’ll talk about the challenges that Lake Tahoe is facing and efforts to reimagine tourism in the region.

Guests:

Greg Thomas, lifestyle and outdoors editor and host of the Wild West podcast, San Francisco Chronicle

Carol Chaplain, executive director, Lake Tahoe Visitor Authority

Heidi Hill Drum, executive director, Tahoe Prosperity Center

Tony Karwowski, president and CEO, North Tahoe Community Alliance

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The GOP presidential race is heating up, with more than a dozen hopefuls vying to take on former president and frontrunner Donald Trump. On the Democratic side, President Biden is talking up the economy, hoping it will lift his dismal approval ratings. In this hour, we’ll break down the latest on the presidential campaign and how issues like the economy, abortion, the war in Ukraine and Trump’s legal woes could shake up the race.

Guests:

Joe Garofoli, senior political writer, San Francisco Chronicle; host of the podcast “It’s All Political on Fifth and Mission”

Carol Leonnig, investigative reporter, Washington Post

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Thien Pham’s new graphic memoir, “Family Style”, tells the story of his family’s journey, when he was a young kid, from Vietnam, to a refugee camp in Thailand, to making a home in San Jose. It’s a story told through his memories of the meals he ate along the way. In our latest edition of All You Can Eat, our regular series on Bay Area food cultures with KQED food editor Luke Tsai, we talk with Thien Pham about his life, his art and his food infused memories. And we want to hear from you: tell us about a dish that will always be associated with a particular time in your life.

Guests:

Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture

Thien Pham, comic artist and author, graphic novel "Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam"

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Noise can take years off your life. The louder the environment, the higher the risk of cardiac disease and death. We have long known that loud noises can affect our hearing, but studies have shown that it can impact our mental health, our ability to learn, and our chance to live longer lives. California has made inroads in combating noise pollution — in 2024, gas- powered leaf blowers will be banned, and the state has laws to restrict car exhaust noise. But as the world gets noisier, noise is becoming a public health problem. We talk to experts and hear from you: how do you quiet the world around you?

Guests:

Erica Walker, assistant professor of epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health

Emily Baumgaertner, national health correspondent, New York Times - She was part of the team on the project "Noise Could Take Years Off Your Life. Here's How."

Les Blomberg, founder and executive director, Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, a nonprofit focused on creating a quieter world

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A bill moving through the California Legislature would require CalSTERS and CalPERS, the nation’s largest pension funds, to pull billions of dollars they have invested in companies that produce fossil fuels. Some experts say divestment is an effective tool to force some of the largest-scale emitters to reduce emissions and move the economy away from fossil fuels. The movement is gaining momentum and plenty of opposition, including from CalSTERS, CalPERS and labor unions. For our next installment of Climate Fix, our monthly series examining global warming solutions, we’ll talk about how divestment works and what it could mean for California.

Guests:

Laura Klivans, reporter, KQED

Anaya Sayal, campaign coordinator and lead circle member, Youth Vs Apocalypse, a youth-led climate justice group based in the Bay Area

Marilyn Waite, managing director, Climate Finance Fund - a philanthropic platform that helps to mobilize capital for climate solutions.

Marcie Frost, chief executive officer, CalPERS - the retirement system for more than 1.9 million California public sector workers and their families with roughly $160 billion in assets.

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“If it’s wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen,” it’s an ultra-processed food, writes infectious disease doctor Chris Van Tulleken. Your McDonald’s and cardboard freezer meals also fit the bill — and so do your so-called health foods and your splurge on a $20 vegan chicken sandwich. Addictive by design, widely available and relatively cheap, ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, make up to 60 percent of the food Americans eat overall, and Van Tulleken says they’re wreaking havoc on our bodies and the planet. We talk to Van Tulleken about his new book “Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food.”

Guests:

Chris van Tulleken, scientist, doctor, award-winning BBC broadcaster and author, "Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind the Food That Isn't Food"

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