Why Being Broke is a Medical Condition (0:30)

Guest: Michael Stein, Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University, Author of “Broke: Patients Talk About Money with Their Doctor”

Dozens of federal stimulus programs that are helping millions of Americans cover basic expenses and avoid eviction during the pandemic are set to expire in the coming weeks. People living in poverty have experienced higher rates of COVID-19 in the United states. The pandemic has laid bare what public health experts have long known–being poor is bad for a person’s health. But typically, the doctors caring for patients with money trouble don’t go there. It’s their job to care for bodies, not budgets.

 

Just Because it Looks Good, it Doesn’t Mean it’s Good for You (21:29)

Guest: Linda Hagen, Professor of Marketing, University of Southern California

If you’ve ever tried to take a good-looking picture of your dinner plate to post on Instagram, you know it’s not easy. There’s an art to styling food so it looks good. But here’s astrange thing–when we see food that looks pretty, we automatically think it’s healthier.

 

Protests Over the Dutch Christmas Tradition of Black Pete (34:15)

Guests: Ayanna Thompson, Regents Professor of English, Arizona State University; Coen Heijes, Professor of Culture and Communition,University of Groningen, Netherlands

The Netherlands has a St. Nicholas and a Santa Claus. St. Nick already came and delivered gifts this past weekend to the Dutch. And instead of elves, St. Nicholas has a helper named Black Pete. Every December 5th, people dress up as Black Pete with black face paint and an afro wig. But as the Black Lives Matter movement’s influence has spread across the globe, this tradition is increasingly coming under scrutiny–protests have even broken out over it. However, many Dutch say it isn’t racist and just part of their cultural heritage.

 

How Not to Diet–The Cookbook (52:23)

Guest: Michael Greger, Founder, NutritionFacts.org, Author of “How Not to Diet” and the “How Not to Diet Cookbook”

This time of year for cycles of indulging and restricting with holiday treats. Now might not seem like the right time to start a new diet–that’s what New Year’s Resolutions are for. But now is maybe a good time to think about some of our food habits and how we might adapt them for a healthier 2021.

 

CDC Allows Shorter Quarantine for COVID-19 Exposure (1:12:46)

Guest: Saskia Popescu, Assistant Professor, Biodefense Program, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University

Last week, the CDC revised its guideline for how long you have to quarantine if you’re exposed to COVID-19. There’s now an option for less time, which is nice. But did they change it because the science has changed? Or just because they knew that two weeks was longer than many people were willing to isolate when they aren’t sick?

 

How Sculptors Use Clay and Computers to Create the Cars of the Future (1:25:47)

Guest: Matt Mantz, Senior Design Modeler, General Motors

In a world of 3D printing and computer-generated everything, it seems unbelievable that the automotive industry would depend on sculptors to design their cars–but they do. As major car manufacturers around the world prepare to unveil their new car models for the next year, the truth is that every one of those new cars at one point was sculpted in warm clay by an "automotive clay modeler."